Welcome to Hanover, PA....

Hey fam.

     I've arrived in my new home of Hanover PA! Sooo all of the

prayers from all of you have been answered- Hanover is the cutest

(safest) little town ever. I'm pretty sure this is the town you see in

every lifetime/ hallmark movie ever filmed. It is seriously such a

change coming from a place like Butler. I don't even need the mace

anymore on my keychain, haha. The houses here are so so cute- so

Pennsylvania, with their little porches decorated for Halloween. This

area of PA was settled by German immigrants so the towns are modeled

after different towns in Germany- that's where the names and all the

architecture comes from. I love it! I feel so homey here. Fall in PA

is also the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The leaves have just

barely started the change and it's already so pretty. You think you've

got trees in Utah? Hah no. It is funny though, everyone calls their

hills here mountains. (PA ain't got nothing on our Utah mountains.) I

included a pic of their "mountains."

And our apartment is an upgrade to say the least. It's small- but we

have Windows, air conditions, and it's not full of bugs! And the best

part- a treadmill. Which makes me a very happy girl. (Prayer=answered)

     I got to meet the ward on Sunday, this ward is another super-

supportive/ missionary- oriented ward. Everyone offers to come out

with us or feed us. The ward mission leader is already incredibly

helpful. The Bishop here- Bishop Bushy actually lives in New York, he

got called by the stake presidency to be bishop as he was visiting the

ward one week! So he makes the trip down every Sunday.

     So mom- you can sleep now. I made it out of Butler. But I miss

that place like crazy. So homesick for the places and the people. I

took for granted how busy we were there- literally running appt to

appt. The work was great.

      Transfer week was crazy. It was a two hour drive from Butler to

Greentree in Pitt, then four hours to Chambersburg, then another hour

to Where we spent the night. I didn't actually get to Hanover/ sleep

in a bed until Friday. So I spent the week on the floor of

missionary's apartments. The life as an stl begins. I went to my first

MLC on Friday in Altoona. (Another four hours of driving) Sooo ,I'm

exhausted ,haha. And now we begin with exchanges every week, more

MLC's, (district meetings,) ZLC's, etc. I'll be spending a lot of time

in the car.

     I got to meet our investigators here this week. Jeremy was first.

He is 12 years old and has asburgers, and is the smartest, sweetest

kid in the saddest environment. Anyway, Jeremy is great.

 He asks super deep questions all

the time.

     I also met Faye. She's awesome. And so prepared. So- fun fact

about Faye, she worked in Hollywood as a makeup artist. She did the

makeup for Pirates! She and Johnny Depp are still good friends. She

also did the makeup for the exorcist, hahah. Funny story she told us-

so Faye had a stroke a while back, and since then has been

experiencing seizures. Each time these would occur she would walk

strange after. So that she didn't lose her job while she was working

for Pirates she didn't tell anyone what was happening- except Johnny

Depp. One day he noticed her walking different and asked if she had

had another seizure. Then asked if he could "use her walk." So in the

movie, his "drunk walk" is Faye! We also just started teaching her 28

year old nephew and caretaker who has never taken the lessons before!

     There is so much potential in this area! Sister Smith has only

been here for a month so we are more or less doubling in together-

neither of us really know this area. So I made a list of every former

investigator and potential investigator from the area book and we made

a plan to see every one of them in the coming weeks, along with a list

we got from the bishop of all the part member families in the ward.

We're gonna set this place on fire🔥

     So this week I spoke in MLC about some conference thoughts. I

guess I'll throw my talk in here.

     Really what I took away from conference was how increasingly

important it is to let the spirit teach you. Here are just some of the

questions asked in conference:

How can I allow the spirit to change me through the Atonement?

What would God have me do?

What lack I yet?

What area of my life do I want to strengthen?

What will you become of the Atonement?

How can we have this mighty change of heart?

What is keeping me from progressing?

Do we love Him more than our own will?

What can be done?

Was that all that was required?

How can His will become my will?

How can I more fully submit to it?

How can I learn to recognize the voice of the spirit?

     So I heard them loud and clear. If we learn to recognize, listen,

and follow the still small voice of the spirit we will become the

person we came here to become- the person Heavenly Father wants us to

become. When I think about my own potential, I always think about

wanting to become the person I read about in my patriarchal blessing,

and even the person I was before this life. That is our goal. And they

are telling us how we can achieve that.

     What each of them illustrated is how simple it is. Sometimes even

the thought of what we are supposed to become can seem impossible or

out of reach. But if we listen to the spirit, we will be told "line

upon line, precept upon precept" what to do.

     Progression towards becoming perfect is simple, I don't think

elder Lawrence was saying that "cleaning your room everyday will make

you perfect, or like God," but that if we consistently follow the

small and simple promptings we receive, we can become like Him one

day, one prompting at a time. Baby steps. We have faith that "He can

make much more out of us than we can make out of ourselves." He can

shape us into that person we are trying to become on our own.

     So some exciting news- I'll be in DC this weekend. A couple that

Sister Smith taught in a previous area is getting sealed in the DC

temple Saturday, and we got invited. This woman has been waiting 43

years for her husband to join the church, and they are finally being

sealed.

That's all. The church is true.

I'll be sending pics of Hanover later! (Please forward them out mom)

Hermana Sears

Ps here's my new address (since I know you're all going to write me)

220 north fifth street apt 38

Mcsherrystown PA 17344