Hello!

Hi y'all!! I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I sure did! I got to skype my family on Christmas and it was so much fun! I hope y'all had a happy Christmas as well! :)

Our ward was so kind to us on Christmas and we had big meals and we got to visit lots of people and it was so much fun! On Christmas morning during companion study, Sister Farmer and I decided to sing all of the Christmas hymns, all verses. Haha. We got through like 5 songs, and then we just couldn't handle it. Our throats hurt and it was so funny. Good times.

The rest of the week has been so great also, and now when I drive places I actually know where I'm going! Woohoo.

On Tuesday we made a ton of sugar cookies at our ward mission leaders home. I was on a roll with those things! Haha and we frosted them all cute(well Sister Farmer did, I made the snowmen look very scary) and we took them to different people. It was so fun.We also got to help someone decorate their Christmas tree, which was the greatest thing ever for me. You know how I love Christmas. 

We saw huge blessings yesterday at church as a lot of our less active members came and stayed the entire time! It was amazing. 

I encourage y'all to start to read the Book of Mormon again, and if you want to be a part of the TSAM(which trust me, you want to!) read Chapter 2 in Preach My Gospel to find ways to have a more effective scripture study. That's what our mission is doing this week. The Book of Mormon is absolutely the word of God, and it contains the fulness of the gospel of our Savior. Read it again and again!

I love y'all and hope y'all have a wonderful week! Happy New Year! 

Love, Sister Snyder

The pictures I'm attaching are of one of the roads in my area and  an amazing Texas sunset we had! :)

Merry Christmas!!

Hello sweet friends and family!! Merry Christmas!! I hope y'all are having a great week and that you have a great holiday!

This past week was so much fun! My new area is amazing and I'm loving my companion and the ward! 

We had our Christmas conference this past Wednesday, and President Slaughter told us a story about a Christmas when his kids were younger. He didn't want to buy them anything because they had too many toys, so he just rewrapped what they had, and the kids were thrilled about their new presents. Haha. He used this to tell us that we need to dust off the old gifts within ourselves that we have hid away, rewrap them, and open them and use them. We all have different gifts that we don't use enough an we need to. It was a great message!

Sorry time is so short, but I hope yall have a great week!! Thank you for the sweet letters and notes and everything, it means so much! I'll include some pictures from the past few weeks!

I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, our Savior and Redeemer. He atoned for each and every one of us, He loves us, and He really is the gift, and the best gift we could ever be given.

I love y'all!!

-Sister Snyder

Hi Y'all!

This past week has been good and crazy and I'm in my new area now with a new companion! I am in the Garden Ridge area, which is is still in San Antonio, but I realize now how in the city Castle Hills was. Haha.  Garden Ridge has a small town feel, even though it's not terribly small. It's mostly neighborhoods, with like 3 apartment complexes, which blew me away because Castle Hills was like 1/2 apartment complexes. So wow that's different. Haha. But it's a really cool area and we're in a car share here, so we get to bike around and it's really pretty. 

My new companion is Sister Farmer from Layton, Utah. She is super awesome and has been in the area as long as I've been a missionary haha. She hits her year mark this week. Crazy. She knows the area and people well which is awesome. 

The ward here is pretty small. Apparently a really big ward split into 3 smaller ones, so that's why. I counted 15 people in Relief Society yesterday including us and the teacher. But it's really cool because in such a small ward everyone knows each other really well and they're so willing to help out. They give us rides places, and one member has made sure that we have meals clear until January. Haha. But I'm adjusting well and loving it here! And it feels really good to bike again!

Leaving Castle Hills was pretty sad because of how much I love the people there! The hardest thing was saying goodbye to our recent converts! Ripped my heart out. Mike who was just baptized was sad to see us go and thanked us over and over for what we had done for him. It's incredibly humbling and invaluable to hear people thank you for bringing them the gift of the gospel and it makes every hard thing so worth it. Que bendiciones. (forgive my gringo spelling)

Anyway, I love this new area and I'm happy to be here! On Wednesday we have our mission Christmas conference which I'm stoked for. It'll be awesome. And I'll send pictures next week when I find my camera cord! One last thing to leave y'all with, a quote President Slaughter included in his weekly email:

 President Spencer W. Kimball taught, “Though we make an effort to follow the pattern of gift giving, sometimes our program becomes an exchange–gift given for gift expected. Never did the Savior give in expectation. I know of no case in his life in which there was an exchange. He was always the giver, seldom the recipient. Never did he give shoes, hose, or a vehicle; never did he give perfume, a shirt, or a fur wrap. His gifts were of such a nature that the recipient could hardly exchange or return the value. His gifts were rare ones: eyes to the blind, ears to the deaf, and legs to the lame; cleanliness to the unclean, wholeness to the infirm, and breath to the lifeless. His gifts were opportunity to the down–trodden, freedom to the oppressed, light in the darkness, forgiveness to the repentant, hope to the despairing. His friends gave him shelter, food, and love. He gave them of himself, his love, his service, his life. The wise men brought him gold and frankincense. He gave them and all their fellow mortals resurrection, salvation, and eternal life. We should strive to give as he gave. To give of oneself is a holy gift."

Merry Christmas and have a good week! 

Love, Sister Snyder

The greatest week

Hello friends and family!! This past week ROCKED. It was such a busy, good, good week! 

Last night we got transfer calls, which is insane. I cannot believe it's already been another 6 weeks. Time goes waaaaay to fast. We were feeling pretty positive that Hermana Ormsby would go to the border, and that Sister Ali and I would stay and I would finish her training. But...the opposite happened. Sister Ali and I are both leaving the area and Hermana Ormsby is staying. I'M SO SAD. I really, really love Castle Hills A and the people here. We were all really surprised. But hey, it'll be fun to head to a new area and meet new people again and start teaching other people! So don't send anything to my old address anymore!

On Tuesday we got to drive up to Austin again for a doctor's appointment, and we went to get our oil changed before because it needed to be done. It ended up taking 3 hours, and we were stuck in that little waiting room with nothing but soap operas on the TV. Worst 3 hours ever. Hahaha. Eventually we got out and luckily we made it to Austin on time! But that 6:00 traffic out of Austin is killer. But hey it made for some good laughs and stuff. 

Two magnificent things happened this week, everyone. And I am thrilled about it.

First, our ukrainian recent convert went to the temple. And we were lucky enough to be able to go with her and Sister Hassell in our ward and watch it all. It was a night for family names only, and Angel didn't have any prepared yet, but Sister Hassell works at the temple and arranged for her to do temple names. So it was just her and a group of like 6 Young Men from Austin. So the temple president was able to talk to them and she went first and was baptized and confirmed and she loved it. After she was dressed we stayed longer because she wanted to watch the others and she felt so calm and peaceful. It was amazing. So grateful that I was able to be here for that and that she was able to go so soon after her own baptism.

Saturday morning Elder Corbridge of the Seventy was in the San Antonio area so we were able to go to a quick meeting with him and it was awesome to hear from him. He taught us better ways to teach and talked about becoming better missionaries. It was really great.

Then Saturday afternoon, Mike got baptized! Hooray! I've been teaching him since the day I got here, so it was so awesome to actually see this happen. He is so humble and has such a sincere heart. We were so excited! It was a great service, really simple and peaceful and his confirmation yesterday was really nice too. So we had a great week/weekend! We feel very blessed with the success we've seen this transfer. 

Also another miracle: There is this man named Disco that we met outside of a complex last transfer, and we talked to him and he was one of a kind and awesome. We failed to get his contact information, so we've spent this transfer knocking out a ton of buildings in his complex trying to find him. That's how we found that woman who was having a tough day and invited us back. So we were at her apartment the other day knocking for an appointment, when her husband calls to us as he's coming up the stairs. and guess who was right behind him???? DISCO. they are way good friends and he sat in on the lesson, and we were able to go teach him again the other night. Wowie wow! We found him! So that was awesome.

I have seriously been so blessed this past transfer and have seen so many amazing things happen. And it hasn't just been the baptisms or the investigators. It's been working with the less active families who just needed a push and a reminder of what was important. Seeing people start to come to church, thanking us in their testimonies, and being excited when we come over is the best thing. All they needed was to be reminded of how much they are loved. This work is so vital in every single aspect, among members and nonmembers. It has been such a privilege to be able to be a part of this ward for the past 4 months. I'm sad to go, but grateful for what I've been able to do. And I'm excited to see what happens next! I'll let y'all know where I end up!

Please keep sharing He Is the Gift with others and praying for missionary opportunites! They will come. I love y'all so much and hope you have a fantastic week!!

Love, Sister Snyder

The pictures are of us at the temple after baptisms, and at the baptism on Saturday! :)

Merrrrry Christmas!

Hello y'all!! Just a quick email to say hello! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, I know I did! We had so much good food and it was a lot of fun!

Have y'all heard of He Is the Gift? On christmas.mormon.org there is an amazing, short video about how Christ is the gift of Christmas. Please watch it and share it with everyone! I think it's a great reminder in our crazy world about how blessed we are to have been given the ultimate gift from our Heavenly Father. He gave us His Son, and we are able to do EVERYTHING because of Him. Take the time to read about Christ, to think about Him, and to share this very special gift with others. It really is so great!!

I had an awesome week and I'm so very excited for this upcoming week! We get to go to the temple with our recent convert, and we have a baptism on Saturday! We are very blessed and I'm so grateful to be a part of these people's lives. It's really the best thing to be a part of. 

Sorry this is short, but I love y'all so much and appreciate your love and support! Have a great week, and take time to check out He Is the Gift!

Love, Sister Snyder

p.s. here's a picture of my district, the San Pedro District :)

Zone Meeting, Food, Cold Weather, and a BAPTISM

* quick note: sorry this has taken forever to post an update. Michelle has spent a few weeks sending only personal emails to those who have written her. Here is her latest update from a group email she sent out today! thanks y'all! 
___________________________________________________________________


Hello friends and family!!! I hope y'all are doing well and enjoying the (almost) holiday season. We've been listening to Christmas music for a while now, so it feels like the holidays! Also this past week has been "cold". So like in the 40s. Haha. Which is pretty cold for here in November. So we've been able to wear sweaters and coats and gloves and scarves and hats. Which is a dream come true for me! So that's been a lot of fun. Also, hot chocolate! 

This past week was so great. We taught some really good lessons, were asked some really challenging questions, and met some really great people! Also, the members of our ward completely spoiled us and took us out to eat like 50 million times and made us massive meals each night. We left each meal so beyond full. We're so blessed to have such great members here!

Thursday we had Zone Meeting, which is always a good time! President Slaughter spoke first and then did interviews. It's crazy how in my first transfer, I literally could not think of one thing to say to/ask President. This time was the complete opposite. Haha. But that was all great. I really wish y'all could meet the Slaughters. They are the most amazing family. Some day you'll see him speak at General Conference or something. Haha. 

     During the rest of the meeting, we receive some awesome trainings. When Elder Hamula was here, he talked a ton about being fully consecrated and paying the price to be successful and consecrated missionaries. So that's what the meeting was really focused on. We talked about how once we truly, truly understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ, then we can become truly consecrated because we will desire to share the gospel with everyone, our thoughts will be focused on Christ, and our actions will prove what our thoughts and desires are. 

     We also talked about having the faith to succeed. Elder Hamula told us that all of us had the faith to serve because we're here, but that many of us lacked the faith to succeed, and it's necessary to be a successful missionary. So we focused on that a lot too. All of the trainings were great and were a huge reminder of my purpose as a missionary, which is to boldly invite others to come unto Christ. So that's something I'm really trying hard to work on. 

So the very greatest thing about this week was that our sweet Ukrainian investigator(A) was finally baptized!!!! Best day ever. She has been taught since January, so I was so honored to be  here when she was baptized. She told me I was the special one. Haha.  The baptism was Friday night at 7, and the Castle Hills B sisters were having a baptism also. So we were supposed to meet her at the church at 6:30 to get her ready. Of course the traffic on the freeway was awful and there was an accident, but we made it by 6:45, she had got there at 5:50, and was all excited and ready to go! Haha. She took 1 million pictures, loved her white dress, and was so happy. It was so great. We had talks, we did a musical number of Nearer My God to Thee with the other sisters, then they were baptized!  It was such a great night.

       Then yesterday, she was confirmed in sacrament meeting, and it was amazing. She felt the Spirit so strongly and was so happy all throughout church. Everyone was talking to her and welcoming her. Sister Slaughter was at our sacrament meeting because her daughter was speaking, and A went up to her and they talked and now they're facebook friends. hahaha. Oh man. Too great. I wish y'all could meet her, then you would just know. She's too great. After church, we were some of the last to leave, and we saw A's car still in the parking lot. We went up to her and she rolled down her window and said that she couldn't drive. So we asked what was wrong and she said that she just needed to think and that she felt so "full". She said she just felt so good and different and that things had changed within the last few days since being baptized. It was so awesome and she was just so happy. It reminded me to never take for granted the gift of the Holy Ghost. It really is so special and unique and it's not something everyone has. The next goal with her is to go do baptisms at the temple in December. We're so excited!

Sorry this was long, it was just a great week! Thank you for the love and support y'all give me! Keep praying for missionary opportunities and don't be afraid to be bold. I love y'all so much and hope you have a great week!!! :)

Love, 

Sister Snyder

hola y'all - October 27th email update

Hi y'all!! Sorry I didn't email last week, I ran out of time! 

We got transfer calls last night....Sister Stidham is leaving, doubling into a new area, and training. And I'm staying to finish training Hermana Ormsby and we're getting another missionary to train! Haha I hope I do a good job! I get to drive the car now which is really exciting for me, because it's kind of been a while. But I'm really excited and I'm so happy I get to stay in the Castle Hills ward because I love it so much! But I will miss Sister Stidham terribly! She has been the best trainer ever and I love her dearly! But she's been here for six months, so it's time to move on! She did say something really funny yesterday though. She was trying to say "we all", and it came out "w'all", like "y'all". Haha. Texas. Another thing that = Texas is the fact that every Sunday night as we walk around apartment complexes, everyone is barbecuing and the air is just full of the haunting aroma of smoked meat. Haha it kills us.

Because I didn't email last week, many of y'all probably don't know that my sweet Ukrainian investigator wasn't able to get baptized because she had to work, and she's been out of town for the last week. But hopefully soon! Thanks for caring so much about her!

This last week, as always, was full of its ups and downs, but overall, it was really great and rewarding! We had a lot of lessons that we were really excited for, and then no one would answer, and we got dropped by an investigator. It got super frustrating and I felt very whiny, and then Wham! Blessings in the form of meeting new people, or having a different lesson go really well. It made me feel so ridiculous to have been complaining in my mind so much, and then Heavenly Father still blesses me. Very, very humbling, and very motivating. It was a really good reminder not to get so caught up on the dumb little things that I let the good things slip by. 

On Thursday Elder Hamula of the Seventy came to talk to our mission. It was awesome. His wife is hysterical and really stressed to us the importance of talking to EVERYONE and using our area book all of the time. Then Elder Hamula talked a lot about being consecrated missionaries and truly giving every day our all. Something that he said that I loved was, "You cannot teach what you are not living." And it's so true.

         Another thing he talked about was the fact that many of us had enough faith to serve. We're here, we're doing it. But do we have enough faith to succeed? Do we start everyday with complete faith that we will find people and with the determination to work our very hardest? 

      The last thing that I really enjoyed him talking about was receiving personal revelation. He gave 4 steps to receiving personal revelation. 1. You need to ask. 2. You need to have a true desire to receive an answer, and you must have faith that you will. 3. You need to be committed to act on the revelation you receive. There's no point in receiving an answer if you're not going to do anything about it. 4. You need to listen. He talked about living in a way that allows you to be able to hear. He said, "If you cannot stand the quiet, you won't hear the quiet voice that speaks." To me, this means during study time, or at the temple, or just slowing down for a second to really listen and seek answers.

He taught us some really great things, and we were blessed to hear from him again at stake conference on Saturday and Sunday. The weekend was awesome and I seriously learned so much.

Remember the father and son we've been teaching? Well we went for a lesson on Friday night, and his son wasn't there, so we still taught. He had 4 more things to be taught, and a baptismal date was still up in the air, so we asked him about it.

Everything is coming along great, and this next week will be really exciting! I'm excited for our new sister and this upcoming baptism!  I'll let y'all know how things go next week and I'll send some pics! 

Thanks for the continued support and prayers. It means the world to me, and I'm so grateful to have y'all backing me up while I have the best experience of my life!!

Have a great week!!

Love, Sister Snyder :)

P.S. We have the ward Halloween party this week and our costumes rock...you'll have to see next week what we're going to be!

happy monday!

hello everyone!! I hope y'all are having a great monday! i know that I am. 

this week was a great one. my sweet investigator from Ukraine was interviewed for baptism and is getting baptized this friday! we are so excited and she is too, so i'll send some pictures of that next week!

This week we were able to teach some really good lessons. The father and son we're teaching are progressing so well, and the son said that he took his Book of Mormon to school to talk to others about it. Haha. He's so awesome. 

My lovely companions and I continue to have a great time together, and my companions are like magnets for every stray cat in San Antonio. Haha. it's ridiculous. but we're doing great and biking like champs! 

This week we had zone conference which is always so good. The big topics we discussed were setting and achieving goals and helping others as much as we can. The thing that I gained the most from was when we discussed that success is determined by attitude. We can't get so caught up on the little things and in our own pride that we fail to help others or be happy. It's just not worth it.

Another thing I've been thinking about is how blessed I am. When I first started my mission, I had the thought process that this was something I really wanted to do, that I wanted to help others, and that it was the least I could do to repay Heavenly Father for the endless blessings I have been given, the gospel being the greatest. But I was talking to someone or reading something (can't remember!) that really made me realize something that is absolutely true. There is no way that by serving in the TSAM  I'm fulfilling a payment to Heavenly Father. Yes, I'm doing his work, but I cannot repay him for what i have because i have never felt more blessed than I do now. If anything, I feel like I owe more. It's the greatest thing, and it's the whole point. I thought I would be giving back, but instead I'm gaining even more. It just makes me even more grateful. Each day I'm given new people to talk to, more lessons to teach, and I get to see other people's lives change. I'm the one that continues to be blessed through all of this. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ truly did everything for us, and they will always  bless us if we do what we're asked. 

This past week I also read Joseph Smith History, and I challenge y'all to read it again and to really think about the Joseph Smith story and what happened. It's incredible. 

Sorry if this was scattered and short. I love you all and hope everything is going great for everyone. Have a great week!

-Sister Snyder 

Hi y'all! - October 6, 2014

Hi y'all! I hope everyone had a great week and a super conference weekend! 

This week was really fun and rewarding and we had a great time watching conference.

Hermana Ormsby did the pepper challenge and it was so funny! She basically glared at me the whole time, and Sister Stidham and I just sat there laughing. Haha. I love my companions so much. We probably laugh way more than we should, but hey, porque no?

This week we went on exchanges and I headed out to Leon Springs in Hill Country, where you can see George Strait's house on the hill. Good times there! The people were so nice and we taught some amazing lessons. 

Here in Castle Hills we taught some really good lessons too. One of our new investigators is so prepared it's incredible, and he loves learning about the gospel. He wants to be baptized and loved learning about the Plan of Salvation. Things in our area are going really well, and we continue to see the blessings of talking to EVERYONE. It really is the best way to do things! 

Conference was AMAZING. If you didn't get to watch all of it, please do! None of our investigators were able to make it to any sessions, so we watched it at the church, with members, and then the Slaughters invited us over for breakfast and conference, so we watched it at the mission home! haha. We had a great time over there. 

i would love to hear what y'all loved about conference and what you learned. here's what I learned:

Christ truly is our Savior and Redeemer and He was completely selfless. His example is perfect, and we really, really need to follow it! yes, we are blessed with our agency, but we need to use it correctly. And it's the small things that make the big difference. Elder Scott talked about the basic things we need to create habits out of, and prayer and daily scripture study make the biggest difference. Be open in your prayers to Heavenly Father, and remember through whom you pray: Jesus Christ. 

The talk that hit me the most was Elder Jorg Klebingat. He was so straight up, and it was so meaningful! He said that "selective obedience brings selective blessings". Please read his talk again, it was amazing!

And conference ended perfectly with President Monson saying that we need to be thankful followers of Christ and examples of righteousness.

We're so blessed to have the gospel, and living it is a blessing too.  I'm blessed to be able to dedicate all of my time for a short 18 months to help others come to this knowledge, and I love it! 

i hope everyone has a fantastic week and again i encourage you to go see meet the mormons this week! 

love y'all!!

-Sister Snyder

Amazing Week (again) - September 29, 2014

Hi y'all! This past week was super bien! I'll spare you the details of every day, but I'll tell you the best things that happened and what I learned this past week. 

so this last friday we had zone conference at the stake center. we received trainings from president slaughter, the aps, and the sister training leader leaders. it was AMAZING. president talked about baptism. Then one of the ap's gave a training on what we really desire to do/accomplish as missionaries and as members of the church. we talked about how if you don't think you're doing any good in this world, you need to change you attitude. and that goes for everyone. for real. so change it if necessary, and start doing good things!

the other huge theme of the meeting was Developing Christlike Attributes, which is a whole chapter in Preach My Gospel that i highly, highly suggest y'all read and apply. in the chapter, it says " You need to be a Christlike missionary, not just do missionary things." And it's so true, for missionaries and members alike. As members of the church of Jesus Christ, we need to be constantly working to become like him. We need to change our nature, not just our behaviors. Turn out like Christ, instead of turning in to ourselves. And one of the best ways to develop Christlike attributes is to study them in the scriptures. Read about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, take note of their natures and their characteristics, and be like them. President Slaughter brought up one time that we already know our Savior. We're not strangers to each other, we're acquainted, but it's up to us to become better acquainted and build a strong relationship with Him. So a lot of amazing messages were shared and it brings it all back to the central part of everything we do and believe: Jesus Christ. He really did live and die for us, and our way back to our Heavenly Father is through Him.

Guess what else we got to do at zone conference besides eating delicious barbecue for lunch? We got to watch Meet the Mormons! I'm sure many of y'all have heard about it, it comes out to select theaters on october 10th, and i'm telling you to go see it that day. For real it was SO GOOD. It's about the lives of I think 6 members of the church and their stories and it was amazing. You just have to see it for yourself. Tell others about it. Take nonmembers or less active members with you, share info about it on facebook, do whatever, but make sure you see it! i wish i could  watch it again! 

So zone conference rocked. haha.

women's conference on saturday night was super bien also! we watched comfortably from the reclining chairs in a members home since none of our investigators could come. it was so good, and everyone should watch it, not just women! it was all about the temple and how much heavenly father loves us.

last thing i'll tell y'all about is last night. after church and break the fast, we headed out to a part of area that is just apartment complexes. we spend a lot of time here, and we decided to do some knocking. we were knocking, and this guy answered the door, let us in immediately, and let us teach him and his friend the restoration. they loved it, and we're going back saturday. it's the best when people let you in while knocking! then we continued knocking a different building, and this girl, probably 12 years old, said she only spoke spanish, but good thing we have hermana ormsby, eh?! so this little girl recognized our name tags, and let us in, and she started talking with hermana ormsby. she said she had cousins who were LDS, and her family had been 3 years ago. she was SO excited we were there, so we gave her el libro de mormon and the elders' number (because they're really good at spanish!). so that was awesome. then we met a man in the parking lot who was taking out his trash (because we're creepy like that and talk to everyone haha) and he only spoke spanish too. 3 cheers for hermana ormsby! we gave him el libro de mormon, and referred him to the elders. so it was a stellar night that just proved again how important it is to actually open your mouth and talk to people. Yeah, it can be scary and intimidating, but it's incredibly rewarding. 

So this past week was full of some really amazing things. i really wish i could express to y'all just how blessed i feel and how grateful i am to be able to meet these people here. i'm also so grateful for joseph smith, and our living prophet, and that we get to hear from him this next week! wooo!

i hope y'all have a great week! i'll send pictures next week! love y'all!

-Sister Snyder

p.s. hermana ormsby gets to do the ghost chili challenge tomorrow night. hahahaha.

Transfers, the Temple, and our new Hermana

Hi y'all! Hope everyone had a good week!  

This past week was really great!

We were super excited all week to get our new companion! I was getting a bit nervous to train, but after our training meeting on Wednesday with President Slaughter, I was feeling good! He is seriously the greatest person. For real. Transfers were Wednesday, so that night we were planning an getting everything ready. 

Thursday morning was transfer meeting! We got there and sat in the chapel singing hymns waiting for the new missionaries to walk in. When they did, we all sang Called to Serve and then a few people spoke. Then all of the new missionaries introduced themselves. There was a sister who stood up and said she was from Sydney, Australia, but she was spanish speaking, so i was bummed, because i figured we wouldn't receive an hermana. But sure enough, when they announced the Castle Hills A Area, they called out Hermana Ormsby! yay! So now we have an Aussie with us and we get to do language study with her, so it's awesome. And the night before she got here, I received a package from the Ramseys in Australia, and they sent me a bunch of Aussie treats that I was able to share with her! It was awesome. We're all having a great time together and it's a lot of fun. Biking in a trio is really funny. Haha. 

Friday we went to the temple grounds with our Ukrainian investigator and a woman in our ward. The temple grounds here are amazing and it's the highest point in San Antonio, so it has a great view. We talked about the importance of the temple, what kind of work we can do, and she absolutely loved it. She made me take literally 100+ pictures of her. Haha she's the greatest. Her baptismal date is still set for october 10th, so we're really excited! 

A really cool thing happened this week while we were knocking a neighborhood. it was in the early afternoon, so not a lot of people were home, but this man answered, and said that he was a marriage counselor at a christian church. We started talking about Jesus Christ, and he shared with us that he thinks that we can truly come to know and love Christ through others, and by being Christlike ourselves. We talked to him for a while, he showed us some really cool Christian artwork, and he asked us for advice on how to counsel a man and his wife who was struggling. It was a really cool experience, and he told us to stop back if we ever needed anything. 

I love how much people here love Christ. They may not accept our message right now, but realizing how much our Savior has done for us is so vital to our lives. Christ and His Atonement are really what it's all about. it's amazing. The scripture we've been sharing with everyone this week is Alma 5:48:

"I say unto you, that I know of myself that whatsoever I shall say unto you, concerning that which is to come, is true; and I say unto you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name." 

I seriously love being here so much. This gospel is the biggest blessing in my life, and we need to stay steadfast in it. 

I love y'all so much and hope you have a great week!

-Sister Snyder

Pepper Challenge, Zone Meeting, and Transfer Calls

Hello friends and family! I hope that you have all had a fabulous week like I did! Instead of writing out what I did each day, I just wanted to tell y'all about some fun things I did and some amazing things I learned.

First lets start with the pepper challenge. Remember when I first got here and said that a family in the ward always makes the new missionaries eat the Ghost Chili? well i didn't make it over there until this last week. We had a really great dinner, then it was time for me to eat the pepper! It's the 3rd hottest pepper in the world, and I ate like 1/4 of it. They film the whole thing and their kids sat there fanning me. Hahaha. They counted down as i chewed for 20 seconds, then i had to swallow, and it was the worst/funniest/i dont even know what feeling! haha. SO HOT. my eyes watered, I was sweating, and i just kept drinking milk and eating ice cream! after like 15 minutes, it started to wear off. ah man, good times! hopefully i can attach some of those pics. the whole time sister stidham was laughing at me haha! so much fun! 

Another fun thing was that our sweet investigator from the Ukraine came to church yesterday! We totally didn't expect it and her baptism date for october 10th is still on! she LOVED church and is making good friends with all of the Relief Society women. Hooray! Also, Sister Stidham and I taught young women's about how what we say affects us and those around us. So think about that and use kind words and tones! Watch the video called "Bullying--Stop It" that the church made, it's really good! Also, she wanted me to ask my friends and family to please pray for Ukraine, that they will have peace.

Last night we had transfer calls!! We knew that a third missionary would be coming into our area because the elders dropped off another bed earlier this week, but we didn't know our fate. So last night one of the APs called and said that we were both staying, and that we'll be training a brand new missionary! Yay! So we're really excited about that! Transfer meeting is on thursday, so we'll meet her then and then get going! I'm super happy I'm staying in Castle Hills. I love it so much here!

Another thing that really hit me hard this week was my purpose. I'm finally in a really set routine as a missionary and it's just what I do, and i just really love having such a strong and life changing purpose. Our missionary purpose for our mission starts with "I have been called of Jesus Christ through inspiration to serve in the Texas San Antonion Mission." I truly believe that, and it's so humbling. I'm so thankful for my calling as a disciple of the Lord. "I have been called of Him, to declare His word, among His people, that they might have everlasting life." (3 Nephi 5:13) 

I just wanted to tell y'all that I firmly believe in this gospel of Jesus Christ. I know without a single doubt that He knows each of us by name, He sacrificed Himself for each of us, and it is through following His gospel and commandments that we will return to the presence of our Heavenly Father to live with our families eternally. It is the greatest blessing we ever have and ever will be given. Don't ever forget it, and keep working hard to serve others and be like Christ. I'm beyond grateful to be serving in the TSAM, and I seriously love every second of it. I can honestly now say that there is nowhere else i would rather be than here. 

I love y'all so much and wish you the very best, happiest week!

Love always,

Sister Snyder

              Here's the pepper challenge! Haha. This family is the best, and their kids were fanning me the whole time!

Week 5: Sickness, Rain, and a Birthday

Hello everyone! This past week was really bizarre and funny, but really good and rewarding as well! Sister Stidham and I laugh at everything and we just have the greatest time. Thank you for all of the sweet birthday wishes and packages! I'm so happy to know all of you and I hope that y'all are doing well!

Monday was quite the experience. Haha. We went downtown to the Mercado with the other sisters and the Parsons, and were having a great time. We ate street tacos, and my sweet companion bought an horchata. On the way home, my sweet companion got soooo sick with the worst food poisoning you could imagine from the horchata. For real. Like everything you would think, plus hives and passing out. All in the men's bathroom at a random panda express. Hahahaha. we got her home and she rested for the night, and then she was good! So it was a fun/sad day! haha.

Tuesday we met with a lot of members, active and less active and it was really fun! We took it pretty easy because we didn't want Sister Stidham to get sick again.

Wednesday we had district meeting! I gave a training on diligence and beginning with the end in mind. Perfect for me right? It went really well and we had a great discussion and I sure learned a whole lot! Later that day we taught 3 more lessons that went really well! Seriously we have such great investigators and their faith is amazing. We set a baptismal date for the woman from Ukraine! wooo. She wanted it to be on 10/10, so october 10th it is. Haha. That night we didn't have a dinner, and it was starting to get stormy. we were going to stop at this bagel shop, but it was closed, so we bought lunchables and gatorade from a walgreens, took cover from the rain in a donut shop, then finished eating outside after the rain was done. It was too great. We love it when it rains here! Any cover from the sun is awesome.

Thursday was my birthday! yee. We had cake and ice cream at the Parsons, and Sister Parsons made the most amazing cake ever. She like shaves the chocolate by hand and curls it and stuff. Haha so that was awesome. Then we did some knocking and visiting, it rained (!), and we went to dinner with Brother Green, which was so much fun. Then we saw a cat climb a tree and almost get stuck. when it finally got down, I rolled down the car window and clapped at it, and it turned back, stared right at me, then ran off. oh man, I DIED laughing.  We ended the night with a really good lesson about the commandments! it was awesome.

Friday and Saturday we visited people, taught a lesson, and Sister Smith was with us. We went to the mission office for some stuff, so that was fun. Also we found another cockroach in our closet! ahhh.

Yesterday was such a good Sunday! We had our meetings before church, then church, which was SO good. A farewell and a homecoming for two girls, and they did such an amazing job! We had dinner at the house of one of them after, and it was so fun! I know I say it a lot, but seriously, the members are too amazing here! Then last night we ended up teaching a lesson to this amazing family! we're going back tonight, and it should be good! The husband already knows a ton about the church, and went to institute while he was at training for the national guard. so it's really cool and i can't wait to go back. today we're having a zone bbq, so that will be way sick.

every month my ward emphasizes one part of missionary work to share with others, and this month, it's to teach someone how to do family history, so y'all should do that too! and just take time to help others, even when it may not be most convenient for you. it will make you really happy, i swear! haha. 

thank you for your prayers and support! have a fantastic week!

-Sister Snyder

y'all 4 lyfe

we love texas

Week 4: Exchanges, Cockroaches, and a Stray Cat

Hello everyone!

The biggest congratulations to my best friend Courtney Bateman who is going to SWEDEN on her mission!

This week was really hot and really fun!

On Tuesday, before we both got in the shower, we found a cockroach in our room. GROSS. so big and moving quick! we caught it in a container, then threw it off of our balcony, so hopefully the people on the first floor enjoy that. haha. but so gross. we visited some LAs, then taught our investigator from Ukraine. She wouldn't let us teach until we drank the water and ate the Butterfingers that she gave us. Haha she's the best. Our lesson went really well, I've never seen someone so willing to pay tithing. That day we also knocked this LA house where no one ever answers, but every time we knock, this dog just howls and barks like nothing I've ever heard. This time when we knocked, someone inside screamed at the top of their lungs, "COOKIE!!" over and over trying to get the dog, whose name is apparently Cookie, to stop barking. We stood there on the doorstep and laughed and laughed. Ah man, good times. Also we see like 5 dead birds a day here. I think the heat just gets to them.

Wednesday was awesome, we had exchanges. I went to Balcones Heights with Sister Simonsen, a Sister Training Leader who heads home in 2 weeks. I learned so much from here, and we talked to literally every person we saw. It was awesome.

Thursday we exchanged back, and Sister Simonsen and I ended up having matching shirts, so we wore them and it was hysterical. I'll try to send pics next week. So after we exchanged back, we headed out for the day, and we really tried hard to talk to every single person we saw. It was so beyond hot and we were just sweating and feeling miserable and knocking and knocking. Then someone let us in and listened to us, and it just made everything so much better. Seriously changes everything and makes any amount of biking or sweating so worth it! Later that night we had another lesson with the father and son we're teaching, but only the father was there, and the lesson went soooo well. He committed to baptism, and really understood what we were teaching. And yesterday, he came to church!! yay!! so hopefully things continue to go well with them.

Friday we had some really good experiences, and some really funny ones. We came across the scroungiest stray cat you could possibly imagine. He looked wasted and was so dehydrated, it was sad. So being the good sisters we are, we went to our car, filled a container with water, then brought it back to the cat. We set it down, the cat looked at it, then ran away so fast. #rudecat haha it was so darn funny. the other funny thing was when i was backing the car out, this guy was taking out his trash. I asked him if I could give him a card. He was like" wait, hang on i think i sense something. Yeah i do. Religion. I sense religion. Starts with an M....hmm... Mormon!" and he waved his hands around while he said it. so funny. so i said "yep, that's us." and he took the card and went on his way, but i just sat there laughing because it was the funniest thing ever.

Saturday we had another great lesson with the father and son, things are really going well there, so we're so happy about that.

Church yesterday was awesome. The very best.

Another thing: I've been able to use my spanish missionary intro like 5 times this week, so that's fun.

So it was a great week, and I'm sure this week will be too! Today we're emailing from the Parsons, then they're taking us to the Mercado, where we can buy our TSAM rings and fanny packs! haha. I'll send pictures next week!

Thank y'all for the continued love and support! Keep praying for missionary opportunities, and don't be afraid to talk to everyone!

love y'all!

-Sister Snyder

Texas Week 3: The Bikes, The Water, The Zone Meeting

Hey all y'all!

First off, congratulations to my two dear friends! Jessica leaves to the MTC this Wednesday, and Courtney should get her mission call on Wednesday. Hooray!

This week went by crazy fast! But it was so much fun and very adventurous! I am doing fantastic and I'm just having the best time here in Texas! It's awesome! To be honest, I kept a really poor record of what we did this week, and it went by so fast that I'm struggling to remember! but i'll try! haha.

Monday: after p-day we headed out on our bikes! haha it was SO humid that night, and we felt like we were dying. also we ate chips and salsa, quesadillas, muffins, and other weird stuff so we felt totally awful. we stopped at a members house for water and they thought we were dying. haha. so that was a fun night!

Tuesday: We did some serious biking on Tuesday. We did knocking, visiting less actives, and biked some more. We also had to stop for water a few times to stay alive.  We had a really good lesson with our investigator from Ukraine, and she's recovering well from her surgery. I really think that she'll be baptized soon. We take a member that speaks Russian with us, so that's been a huge help to us with the language barrier. But we love her so much and she's such a funny lady! She gives names to all of the sisters, and she finally gave me one: Gnome. HAHAHA. She says I'm like a short little gnome that just sits and watches and i'm just little and cute. Hahaha i seriously died when she said that. So holler for being a gnome! We were also able to visit some members, which is always fun. I love  getting to know the people here! Also, some members took us to eat at Whataburger! So that was fun because everyone in Texas loves it. It was pretty good and it was fun to go with members. So I guess I'm officially a Texan now. Wooo

Wednesday: During study I just kept referring back to my little mission motto I decided on while in the MTC. One of the trainers there said it, and I don't know if he was quoting someone or not, but he said "Be present where your feet are planted." I love that. Wherever you are, do your best and don't be distracted or lose interest. Be all in 100% of the time and be present there. 

We did a lot of biking on Wednesday, and before we left the house, we decided that we needed to bring something with us....sweat rags. hahaha. so when we get off our bikes at peoples apartments or houses, we hurry and wipe down our faces and arms so we look somewhat okay. Haha it's sooo funny. But we had a really good dinner with some members, were able to visit LAs and meet new people, and our lesson with our investigator went really well. And thankfully again he gave us a ride home! These hills here in San Antonio (yes, they do exist) can be a killer sometimes. We are getting the ultimate workout every day, and I am seriously way tan. So it's fun exercise, and we get to see a lot of people when we stop for water! We guzzle water like nobody's business. And the bikes are great for talking to new people. So I'm actually really loving it! Haha. I kinda missed them these past few days when we were back in the car. Haha. #blessingindisguise

Thursday: We visited, knocked, the usual. We saw some people that were really great to see, they really needed us, so that was fun. We ate dinner with a family and we ate fish tacos and they were dang good! Mom and Dad, are you proud of me? I loved them!  So thursday was a good day!

Friday: Zone Meeting! Friday was so much fun. President Slaughter talked to us and did interviews, and he is just so great and so knowledgeable. It was awesome. We did a lot of other trainings and just discussed the importance of having confidence and opening our mouths. That's all we need to do, and it can be hard, but we need to do it. So it was really good and inspired us all to work harder and be better!

Saturday: the usual! visited people, met a really good spanish-speaking referral for the elders. overall, a solid day. Lots of people didn't answer, lots of people peeking out through their blinds, but it's all good! we'll get them someday. haha.

Sunday: always the greatest! meetings and church are always so good! and we got to visit different people and the sweetest members had us over. it was an awesome day.

So i am doing fantastic, and i think today we're going to take a nap! hooray!

I love y'all so much and i hope you have the greatest week! study the gospel always and remember how blessed you are!

-Sister Snyder

p.s. sorry no pics this week, i keep forgetting!! 

Texas Week 2: The Phone Call, The Storm, The Bites

Hey y'all!! I hope everyone is doing well! I of course had an awesome and adventurous week!

Monday: Pday was great. We emailed, had zone pday, then had dinner at a member's home so that was really great. Then we went to another members home for FHE and they took us to get frozen yogurt. (Mom that's who sent you the pictures, the Parsons!)

Side note: the whole time I've been here, I've been saying how much i want to try out my bike and how i really want it to rain soon.

Tuesday: We start off studying as usual, then we get the phone call. THE phone call. Dad, remember how you said that sisters don't ride bikes? Hahaha. We got a call that we're in a car share! So we ride our bikes half the week and drive the other half. So we share with another area. It is quiet the adventure, but it's actually pretty fun at the same time! It's BLAZING hot, so we just sweat and wear helmets and pray our skirts don't fly up! Haha. Oh man it's so funny. Sometimes we have to walk our bikes up hills, and while doing this, all of these ants started crawling on my feet and legs and biting me. Little devils. Anyway, so yes, BIKES. So later on Tuesday we visited less actives, and met with out investigator from the Ukraine. She's so great. So the night went on, we met with more less actives, and around 8 we headed over to Brother Green's house to get our bike locks cut with wire cutters so that we could bike the next day. On our way over, it started to rain. And now I know the true meaning of a rainstorm. It POURED rain. We went to Bro Green's and after like 5 minutes, his parking lot was a river. We were soaked and it was so funny. It rained and rained and finally let up and we headed home. Good times. Can't wait for the next storm!

Wednesday: We had district meeting which was super great. Thankfully other sisters gave us a ride, because the building we meet at is far. But the rest of the day, we biked! Not to be too worldly or anything, but we are getting dang good tans! We're like true missionaries with tanlines from our watches. Haha. We spent most of the day biking, but we did have a lesson with one of our other investigators and that went really well. So it was a good day!

Thursday: Study time( i read the ensign like errryday), other sisters came over while their companions were at a training meeting, so that was pretty fun! We met with some less active families, and had dinner with a member family. Then we went to see a few potentials. Most weren't home, but we did run into one while we were walking away from her door. Peggy is the sweetest old southern woman you could ever imagine meeting. Like seriously. She's like 80 and recently lost her 102 year old mother, and it was devastating for her. So we just stood outside and talked about Jesus and we prayed together and just had the best time. When we got back to the car, my legs were beyond itchy. So last week I had around like 10 mosquito bites. That night I went home and counted on my legs...41. Hahaha. 41 mosquito bites!! #itchcity. seriously though. it's awful and hysterical at the same time. I need those mitten things news babies use so they dont hurt themselves. so that's been really fun! they're healing up now, and i use bug spray like nobody's business.

Friday: To be honest I don't really remember what we did. Haha. Visited less actives and biked around. Dinner with members. We were out of Progress Records, which we needed for Sunday, so the zone leaders told us to meet them at the apartments they were knocking. So we bike like 5 miles to get there, sweating and having a good time. We get there, and they give us some referrals, which rocks. Then we asked for the progress records. They forgot them. Haha. Oh well, it was still worth the ride!

Saturday: we had an appointment with a potential and brought a member with us, and the lesson went really well. This woman really believes closely to what we do, and we were there for quite a while teaching her the plan of salvation and the restoration. It was awesome and the member really connected with her! so we'll see her again this week! After that we knocked a bit, then headed to the baptism of the Castle Hills B(southern) sisters investigator. It was so good and we're so happy for him! Then we had dinner with a member and visited some other members.

Sunday: I love Sundays here, because i love my ward so much! seriously they are all the greatest people. we have the sweetest old men in the ward and they love to talk to us. it's awesome. Sunday morning our investigator from Ukraine was given a blessing for her surgery today, and it went great. Church was amazing of course. Then we headed to dinner with some members, then went to go contact some referrals. One of them answered, and we taught her the whole restoration and we're going back again next week, so hooray for new investigators! yeee. 

so basically i had the best week! I seriously love it here. The sky is so big, the people are too nice, the dogs are a bit freaky, the bugs attack me/use me, but i so love what i'm doing. This is definitely the best decision I've ever made in my life, so thank y'all for supporting me. Please study the gospel hard, and pray for missionary opportunities! i love y'all!!

-Sister Snyder

Texas Week 1: The Arrival, the Humidity, and the (almost) Evicition

HEY Y'ALL. Haha I feel like that's something i have to say! WOW i am here in texas in san antonio and i love it more than i can convey over this email!! Mom and dad, why have we never been here before?! It's the best place, seriously. And everything is awesome and good and I'm just having the best time here! I'll break down the past few days for y'all:

Wednesday: We got up at like 3:55 to report to the MTC travel office by 4:30. We were doing great on time, then we actually realized how much luggage we had. Haha. It took us forever to get it all to the travel office. We were like 15 minutes late. The whole bus was full of people and when Sister Best and I got on, they all clapped. #somuchshame. Then they drove us to frontrunner, which we took to trax in salt lake. Imagine like 17 missionaries hauling all of their luggage up an escalator. yep, that was us. then we took trax to the airport. then we checked in, went through security, ate cafe rio burritos(never too early for that!), and called home. It was so much fun. Then we freakin boarded the plane to our MISSION. AHh. Spook city. The plane ride was nerve racking. Then we landed, there were no mountains, and we stepped off into so much humidity. President Slaughter was there with a bunch of other missionaries. He is probably one of the very best people you will ever meet. Ever. A total of 31 missionaries arrived to our mission on Wednesday, and 28 had just gone home that morning. Crazy, huh? So we loaded our stuff into these giant vans and our luggage into a uhaul, and we were off to the mission home! We took pictures, ate lunch, talked with the sisters, and had interviews with President. Then we went to the Alamo! We crossed the line committing ourselves to the Lord's work for the next 18 or 24 months. It was awesome. Then we went and placed a Book of Mormon. Sister Best and I gave ours to a mom and daughter who were visiting San Antonio with some cousins who happened to be LDS. So that was scary and fun all at the same time. Haha. Then we went back to the Slaughter's, ate a delicious barbecue dinner, BLUE BELL ICE CREAM(because that's a normal thing here!), and went over mission stuff and got to know the Slaughters. They are seriously amazing people. Their children are the best too. They're all teenagers except one, and two of them have decided to do online school so that they can focus more on missionary work. #wut #blessed. You all have permission to feel bad about yourselves now. Haha. ALSO i saw elder rasmussen from lehi utah that night! so that's very fun! So then all of us headed to a sisters' apartment for the night. There were like 15 sisters, and we just slept wherever. we were soooo exhausted, it didn't even matter!

Thursday: we woke up at 5:30, got ready, and headed to the Stone Oak Stake center for TRANSFERS! there were also a bunch of youth there because they're doing a mini mission for a week! we ate breakfast, had a meeting, then president slaughter had us line the halls. we walked in as called to serve was being sung, and all of the other missionaries were in there watching us new ones. haha it was awesome. Then they called out transfers and companions. My companion is....Sister Stidham! She is from Sandy and she is awesome! She has been out for 3 months, so she just finished her training, crazy, right? We are in the Castle Hills A area, in the Castle Hills Ward, so we're right by San Antonio. and we have a car! it is so hot and humid here, so i'm very grateful for that! we went to the apartment(which is like WAY nice) did weekly planning, then went knocking, visiting less actives, and meeting ward members. Everyone here is so awesome. It was a gooood first day. We ate at a members house that night, so that was fun. then we had a meeting with brother zernzach, the ward mission leader. he seriously puts all others to shame. He's a convert and is beyond dedicated to his calling. he helps us with literally everything we need and he's the greatest.

Friday: we got up at 6:15, went to the gym in our complex(seriously, the best) then got ready and did all our of studies. I am so sleepy during study time, it's the biggest struggle ever. haha. but nothing new for me, right? We went to lunch at Zoe's Kitchen, super great pitas and such. Then we had more training. then we did a lot of knocking. I'm kinda scaredy of street contacting and knocking because it's so different, but i'm getting better! We went around and met a bunch of ward members. Our ward is seriously so incredible. Lots of the members you see on The District 1, are in our ward. So that's cool. We headed home to eat dinner, took a NAP(!), then headed off to our appointments. We watched the people we went to see leave as we pulled in, so that was sad. Then we did a lot of knocking. So there are 2 things I had no idea about when coming here. 1. EVERYONE has a dog. and most of them are small, weird dogs. so every door we knock, a dog barks and freaks out. it's thrilling. 2. there are more apartment complexes here than anywhere in the world i've ever been. seriously it's rare if we are near houses. it's so weird.  So we just visited people, got a referral from the elders of a lady who is super interested, stopped to get drinks and came home to a note on our door. There are other sisters that live with us (but they're moving out tomorrow, so Sister Stidham and I each get our own bathroom. Hahaha.), so we thought it was a note from them. Nope, it was an eviction notice telling us to move out by Monday night because we hadn't paid rent! hahaha. so great. I'll send pics of it. we called the elder in charge, and he said he'd take care of it, so false alarm. still so funny though. 

Saturday: we worked our tails off on saturday! It was SOOO hot and humid out, but hey, when you're sweaty and gross, it doesn't really matter anymore! at this point i had 7 bug bites, i now have 8, so it's Itch City USA over here. All of our appointments fell through, so we did a ton of knocking. People are really nice to us when we knock. We usually just give them a card and we talk about how a Christ centered home is important. Then they tell us they're impressed by what we do, tell us to stay cool, and we move on. They're so nice here and so genuine. Everyone loves Jesus, so it's nice that we can all agree on that. We stopped by the Martinez family's house in our ward for water, and they gave us salsa. spicy, but good. this family makes every new missionary come for dinner and try really, really hot peppers. So this wednesday should be fun. haha. After that we kept on knocking. We knocked this huge street of houses and talked to a few people. The second to last house, we met this pastor. He basically told us that he was worried for our salvation because of the church, that we shouldn't worship joseph smith, that we are the false churches the bible warns of, etc. Haha. Then he said that he believed in Jesus. We just nodded along, and asked if we could give him a card. He said yes, if he could give us one of his, so we exchanged. He was really trying to sway us from our beliefs. We walked away and looked at the card, which was black and titled "Who will NOT be saved?". It's just interesting that we give him a card with a picture of Jesus and he gives us that. Definitely built my faith, didn't break it down. We ate dinner at the RS president's house, that was really fun. Then we did more knocking and visiting LAs. Then we went to another referral from the elders, a man who requested a book of mormon and gladys knight cd. Hahaha. He was so excited and said "now i have something to listen to, and to read!". so we're going to visit him again tomorrow.  so saturday was a hot, really good day. My companion is seriously so great. We totally get along and we both like to take naps during lunchtime, so what more could i ask for? it's awesome.

Sunday: We got ready studied, and headed to meetings and to to church. I experienced my first ward council, so that was fun. Lots of people to meet and lots of names to remember. I'll have to work hard at that. We had one investigator come, so that was nice. But i haven't met him yet. Haha. He left after sacrament meeting. My embarrassing moment thus far: Brother Zernzach asked me where I was from, and I replied "The MTC." #green haha. We meet with all of the ward missionaries and such. They are all the greatest people. Seriously I LOVE everyone here in Texas so much. They're all so hardworking and willing to help. The ward is amazing and they feed us basically every night. Brother Green is another ward mission leader and he has already said he's taking us out on my birthday. When we left church it was 107 degrees and very humid. I picked up my water cup in the car, took a sip, and realized that I should start carrying little hot chocolate pouches with me, because it was the perfect temperature for that. Haha. After church, we ate, napped, then headed out to visit people. We had two really amazing appointments, one with potential investigators, and another with a part member family. It went soooo well and it just felt so great. I love being here so much. It's exactly where I'm needed, and I feel so welcome. 

Today we've cleaned, I bought a new blanket and pillow (Spiderman comforter!), we went grocery shopping, went out to eat, then came here to email! We have Zone Pday activities next, then dinner with members and some lessons. I'm working hard and loving it! Seriously this is the greatest thing I've ever been a part of, and I'm so happy to be here. I wish y'all could meet the people i have and see how green and pretty and flat it is here! thanks for the support and the letters and everything. y'all are amazing! 

Love y'all!!!

-Sister Snyder

TSAM 4 LYFE




                                    with the eviction notice

                                         Walking around town

"Week 2, The Best Yet" (Weekly Email - August 4, 2014)

~ I just wanted to say that Michelle got to her mission just fine! She arrived to San Antonio with 30 other missionaries! Super Exciting! These are some tidbits from her email from last Monday! I'll be posting her email we receive this upcoming week much quicker! :) ~

hello everyone! it is me again, and I'm the happiest girl around! I can't believe that I already leave this Wednesday morning for Texas! Where the cuss has all of the time gone? I have loved my time here. It has seriously been the best thing evahhh.

This week was full of good times and hard times and laughs. I'll try to remember everything to write about.

Class this week was really good, but struggle city to stay awake. Haha we wake up everyday at 6:15 to start study by 7, so we get sooo tired. But it's all fun. My teacher Sister Smith thinks we get a little wild, and makes us pray to calm down and stuff. Haha. She's pretty serious. Sorry our district loves each other so much, Sister Smith! #sorrynotsorry. The funniest thing in class this week was during class time with Brother Buahin. We were taking a break to keep us awake, and I started stretching. Brother Buahin decided to teach me some Tai Chi (or something like that? it's like yoga). So we're doing it together when suddenly he yells and grabs his back. He like pulled a muscle teaching me how to stretch. Hahaha. SO funny. 

But in all seriousness we learn so much in class, and the practice is great. 

Thursday we had in-field orientation, which was really good, but incredibly long and boring. sorry, i had to say it. they could've taught us that stuff in like 2 hours, but i literally took 8 hours. it was torture. they let out each district to do a reading assignment, and our district was laying all over the benches and some elders fell asleep. haha. good times.

our tuesday night devotional was with John H. Groberg, so that was amazing. He emphasized the importance of testimony, and bearing it in many different ways. Through music, how we act, what we say, how we pray, etc. It was amazing. We've been able to bear testimony so much this week, and a lot of it has been inspired from that talk. we loved it so much. 

lately sister best and I have a thing for cereal. a lot of it. We basically eat it with every meal. haha. It makes us really happy.

last night we watched the Character of Christ talk by Elder Bednar again, and it's just soooo good. Please watch it. It really puts things in perspective, and makes you focus less on yourself. When the rest of us would turn in and feel bad for ourselves, Christ would turn out and help others. It's so good.

This week we also finished memorizing the first vision, our purpose, and our mission scripture, so that was fun. Sister Best and I like to walk around as we memorize. we walk the grounds of the MTC and sometime we hold onto the fence and look out at the real world. Haha. It's nice to see the sun and the clouds sometimes. 

Sorry this is so long, I just have so much to say!

Every night we gather as a district outside to talk and pray and it's the best time. We are all so close, and the SLC East and San Antonio are so lucky to be getting these elders and sister best. We're already planning on having a district reunion when we're all home. I'm SO sad to leave them all, but i'm so thankful i got to know them. it was no coincidence that we were all together, i love them so much.

Okay like a few more things then I'll end this.

This week what we learned in class was the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why had it never clicked to me before how much sense it makes and how simple it is? Man, it's SO great. Study that chapter in PMG. read the scriptures. study it for real.

second, the song Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing has been in my head ALL week. so please listen to the Sufjan Stevens version of it, because it's beautiful. and someone please send me the lyrics because i don't really have a way to get them. Thanks.

Also thank you for the letters and packages. you are all the greatest people. wednesday morning we report to the travel office at 4:35.  4:35 AM!!! if that's not devastating, i don't know what is. but heyooo i get to call home! so it'll be fun, and I can't wait to get to texas and meet the president! it's so soon!

I love all of you SO very much, thank you for the support!! Ill try to send some pics again. LOVE YOU ALL!!! 

-Sister Snyder