Two Grains of Sand Left

I know it's been a while but.... Church sign of the week!
"Be ye fishers of men. You catch them. He will clean them."

In other news, I have other news. #1: The time is far spent. There is little remaining. And I am leaving Valdosta. Saturday night, we got the call that Sister Tevi and I were to pack our bags and are off to new adventures! We'll find out where we're going tomorrow, as well as who our new companions are. Exciting stuff! Who knew how much stuff a missionary could accumulate in 7 months in one area? Yikes. #2: I also found out today that in my new area, wherever it is, I will be a Sister Training Leader. Crazy sauce. But I can't wait for what the future brings!

This has been the shortest week of my mission. You know when you're playing a board game that has one of those little hourglass timers, and when it starts off, you're thinking, awesome, I've got all of the time in the world! And then, all of a sudden you look over and there are like two grains of sand left? Yeah, that's how I've been feeling all week. I hope that sheds some light on the inner workings of my brain.

Mentally, I had been preparing myself to leave, and I knew that my the end of my time in Valdosta was quickly approaching, but I put that aside and focused on making this last week a memorable one. And we were able to see miracles, specifically working with the members. It has been one of our goals as a companionship to go out with a member of either the branch or ward every day and to teach at least 12 member present lessons each week. And this week, we were able to achieve that goal and even go beyond it! I am so grateful for the renewed efforts of the branch and ward, and how excited members in Valdosta have become about missionary work. A family that recently moved into the ward commented that this ward was the most active in missionary work that they had ever seen. And that made my heart feel warm and fuzzy inside :)

It has been an absolute pleasure to have spent the first leg of my mission here in Valdosta, and I will be forever grateful to these people, and to this place. I have experienced more, and witnessed more, and grown more than I thought it was possible. I have been very blessed. I can testify, without a shadow of a doubt, that I was sent to this area for many specific reasons. And many of those reasons, are people who I will be able to call friends throughout the eternities. That is what it's all about.

I feel confident that Sister de St. Jeor will take wonderful care of our current investigators, and will continue the pattern of diligence, hard-work, and obedience that we've tried to have as missionaries here in Valdosta. I feel incredibly blessed to have had her as my companion. If I was told at the beginning of our companionship about the trials and hardships that we would have to go through and overcome, I would do it again in a heart beat. She is what I always hoped to have in a companion. I love her more than I can say. And I will miss her terribly. I will miss all those that I have worked with (members, investigators, random people on the street) in this area. And at this time in my life, I feel immensely blessed. I know that Heavenly Father both hears AND answers our prayers. And when I recognize those answers, the feelings of peace and love that I feel are impossible to describe. I love this gospel and I love being a missionary.

Love y'all!
Sister Szilagyi