Thursday, August 28, 2014

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!! 

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

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









Monday, August 11, 2014

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

Sunday, August 10, 2014

"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









Sunday, August 3, 2014

The MTC (Weekly Email - July 28, 2014)

Wow, hello everyone! I am at the MTC and I am absolutely loving it! I have learned SO much since being here, (which feels like 20 years). In my opinion, everyone needs to come to the MTC for at least a week, because you learn a ton!

On Wednesday I got dropped off, and my tummy was turning and I was so scared, but as soon as I started walking away from the fam, I felt good. And ever since then, I've felt like 0% unsure or homesick in anyway. It's been so nice and I've been so blessed.

The first day is pretty wild. Haha. Within 10 minutes of being dropped off, I was carrying a bag of books, wearing my nametag(eeeep!! i love it), dropped my bags off, and was sitting in a classroom introducing myself. Then we went to a huge welcome devotional with the MTC president, which was way good. It's the little things around here that really get me. Like when they change the words in a song to "we are now the Lord's missionaries, to bring the world his truth". Sob city. Haha. But after that we ate dinner literally at 4:15. SO EARLY. then we unpacked and went to this thing where we met with all of these investigators and kind of got a feel for that. It really gets you thinking about what your own investigators will be like. So cool, but so scary.
That night it took a while to fall asleep, there was just so much going through my mind. and Sister Stevens in my room threw up at like 12:30. Haha. Poor sister. The next morning we were planning on looking good and stuff...then our alarms didn't go off and we woke up at 6:50. Hahaha. Noooo. So we hurried and got ready and made it to study time a little late. So dad, that's what the first day is like.

My companion is Sister Best from Orem and she is, dare I say...the best. Haha. We are SO alike it's not funny. She is super cool and chill and #yolo and we have a great time everyday studying together and laughing. Mostly we laugh at my district.

My district consists of 5 companionships, Sister Best and I, and 4 elder companionships. Most of us are going to San Antonio, and 3 elders are going to Salt Lake City East. All but one of them just graduated high school, and they are the strangest, goofiest people, and we just die laughing everyday at them. It's super great getting along with them all so well, because it makes class so fun. We like to ask them hard or personal questions to make them freak out. It's a good time.

My teachers are Brother Buahin from Ghana(he has a sick accent), and Sister Smith. They are the best teachers evaaaa. When we start to get sleepy(all of the time) Brother Buahin makes us stretch and do yoga. He's the best. The other day while we were doing an activity, he set his iphone on my desk. when we sat down, he looked at me all schocked, and was like "Sister!! You brought a phone with you?!!" It was so funny. 

Sorry this email is super long. but not really. 

We have 2 investigators, Sonja, from Yutica(sister smith). She has no belief in God, but has been to church for the past 8 months with her boyfriends family. We got her to start praying and she's committed to baptism once she knows it's true. So hooray! And tonight we meet with Devan for the first time for TRC, so we'll see how that goes! She's either a real investigator or not, we don't know. But we're excited to meet her!

The schedule here is insane. We are busy ALL day long, and then they assign us more things to do, with no time to do it. But it all works out. #blessed
I think they're raising us for slaughter, because we go to class, eat, go to class, eat, go to class eat, and go to class. They're trying to fatten us up and I won't have it! Jokes we get PE 5 times a week for like 40 minutes. Haha.  And our classroom is on the 4th floor, so we have very strong legs around here. 

Thank you family for the package! You know i love those sourpatch watermelons!

I've seen a lot of old ward members around here and people from high school, so that's fun!

Yesterday was waaaay good. I'm not a believer in "Make it until sunday and you'll be fine", because I love every day here, but you know, it was incredibly good. We started with studying, then had relief society. Only at the MTC does Sheri Dew teach your relief society and teach about the priesthood. It was SO good. #dontordainwomen. We also sang this missionary version of As Sisters in Zion that Janice Kap Perry wrote a while ago. Go look up the words, it's super good. So that was lots of fun. Then we had zone meeting. My branch president is President Towsey. His counselor is from Lehi, holler. The best thing Pres. Towsey said yesterday was that if we feed our faith our doubts will starve to death. So feed your faith! Then we had sacrament meeting, lunch, and then we were FREE. we got to walk to the temple. Haha. It felt so good. 

I have some good pics to send, but this computer is being weird so it might not let me send them.

Anyway after temple walk we went to devotional which was great, then watch Elder Bednar's(Dad's) talk, The Character of Christ. Please go look it up and learn good things from it. It seriously changed some of my outlook of why I'm even serving a mission. So Sunday was great. 

We pray for everything around here. All the time. We had to pray before we started our gym time the other day. Hahaha. But it's so good to pray so much!

Again, sorry this is so long, trying to get my thoughts out!

This morning we went to the temple as a district, so that was fun. I saw the newest video of them all! hooray! it was really good, but i still like that other one better. But the Provo temple is really pretty and it was nice to do a session here. and to go out into the real world. haha.

Sister Best and I have been working really hard at studying the Restoration, and it's been so great. Y'all need to read it in Preach My Gospel, but read it all. The scriptures it assigns and everything. It's SO important and so good to know. I feel like I understand apostasy and the restoration in a way i never have. future missionaries, study PMG. memorize the first vision, it'll help you loads! I have learned so much these past 5 days, it's amazing. If i didn't know that the church was true before, I without a doubt do now. It is so vital and we are so blessed to have it. I'm scared to go teach others, but I can't wait to share this good news with them. 

I have had the best week. It's hard because I'm tired and overwhelmed, but I have never felt so happy and at peace with the knowledge of who I am and my purpose here than I have this past week. This gospel is absolutely true. Read the Book of Mormon. Study the Book of Mormon. Keep learning new things, and keep trying to be like Christ. That's what I'm trying to do right now. I'm so thankful to be a missionary at this time. So, so thankful. It's already blessed my life in more ways than I can count, just from the knowledge I've gained and experiences I've had.

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

Love, Sister Snyder