#hurricanehardycominhome #thanksgivingalready? #LIGHTtheWORLD

This week has been an interesting one to say the least... Tuesday we had district meeting.. President and Sister Pratt were there cause we had interviews afterwards... lets just say we basically were at the church all day long... it was brutality. Interviews were weird... talked about coming home and ugh I don't even know. Then he bought us lunch and a member bought us supper that day... Pizza is my least favorite thing on the earth right now... SO NO PIZZA PLEASE... Then later that week we were in Fredericton for a mini zone training that was fun! We learned about the new Christmas initiative the church is putting out!  The hashtag is #LIGHTtheWORLD  its pretty legit! It's focused around doing service for the whole Christmas season! The website is up and running as of November 25th!  https://www.mormon.org/christmas/teaser Here is the website! So be sure to check it out!! There was a taco challenge to see who could eat the most tacos going on Saturday night at a members home so we stopped by and #hurricanehardy strikes... the oven was on... it was hot... there was a cold metal chair by it... i moved the chair.. it tapped the oven door... the tempered glass shattered... like in a million pieces.. I FELT SO FRICKIN BAD... needless to say that is my new nickname around the Houlton Branch.. We drove to Fredericton last night and stayed the night at the sisters apartment and then got up at 5:30 and played ball hockey with the elders for a solid 2ish hours! Don't you worry I did NOT get injured! I'm on a roll no injuries this transfer!! I can't believe how fast time is flying by! I can't believe that it is Thanksgiving week! Like where did November go?! I am so grateful for all of you in my life! I am grateful for the love and support that you have all given me throughout my life and especially these last 18 months. I wouldn't have made it without the support of all of you wonderful people! I am extremely grateful for my loving Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Most of all I am grateful for the opportunity that I have had to serve my mission and to be part of the CHM and to have all of the wonderful people of the Maritimes become part of me and my family.                                                                                                              Serving a mission has given me a new set of glasses to look at life through. I feel more aware of those around me and their feelings. I have been able to notice God's hand in my life more clearly. My patience with others, myself and with the circumstances life provides, has grown exponentially. I see others differently. I judge less, because I have felt God's love for strangers and I know that everyone has a story. I am far from perfect, but I know now what I need to do and what kind of efforts I need to put forth to truly change and become better everyday. The simplest of things that I learned and developed as a missionary have made the biggest difference in my life now. Habits that I formed as a missionary have helped me to make the day to day lifestyle choices that shape an attitude of faith, hope and charity. Serving a mission allowed me to learn more about the Savior and His love for each one of us. As I got to know the individuals I interacted with, my heart grew with love for them, that I didn't know could exist in me. I love the people of the Canada Halifax Mission. They taught me so many valuable things that will always be close to my heart.                                                                    I know that the message I shared for 18 months and continue to share with others is the greatest blessing of hope and peace in this life. I know that God lives, that He created all things, and that He loves us more than we can comprehend. I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world, the Only Begotten of the Father, the Prince of Peace and my Redeemer. His grace is sufficient for all of us to be strengthened and enabled to overcome anything we experience in this life. He is the greatest gift our Heavenly Father could give us. Through Christ we are able to live after we die and be cleansed from sin, making us eligible to live with our families, God and Him again after this life in peace and joy. If we have faith, keep God's commandments, serve others and live cheerfully we will be given the strength to endure and experience the purest of joy now and forever. I know that this is true.                My life is forever changed because of the experience I had of serving a mission. Every missionary is different, every mission is different, and the experiences you have as a missionary are different from anyone else's experiences. But they are unique and personalized to be exactly what you need individually because God cares just as much about the messenger as He does the people receiving the message. It was has been a hard 18 months. There have been tears of happiness as well as sadness and frustration. Many nights I went to sleep, exhausted and worried about companions, the people we were trying to help and of being inadequate to carry the calling of a missionary. I tried my best and trusted in the Lord, and miracles happened. The greatest miracle of my mission was my own conversion to Jesus Christ and His gospel. I've truly been saved, in every sense of the word. I think God's commandments are perfect and intentional in all aspects. I know it's not a coincidence that as we are helping others come closer to Christ, we end up at the feet of the Savior as well.