Where in the World is Sister San Diego?: First Week In The Field!!!!

Hi all!

This has been a pretty crazy week--last week on P-Day (Tuesday), the day was spent preparing for our departure to Reno: laundry, packing, saying goodbyes, etc. Early Wednesday morning, we reported to the MTC Travel Office at 5am & got on a bus with several other missionaries to go to SLC airport. Upon arriving, our group of 16 Reno missionaries made our way through the airport & got to make some calls to our families before boarding our plane. :) (that plane was the tiniest one I've ever been on! The ceiling was barely 6 feet high!)

At the Reno airport, we were greeted by President & Sister Hermansen, my Mission President & "Mission Mom", along with the President's assistants, Elder Sparks & Elder Marks (I laugh every time I say their names--what's funnier is the Mission Office is in a place called Sparks). We all went to the mission home, ate breakfast, took pictures, & went to the Mission Office to start training. After training, we met our new companions/trainers; it was sad to say bye to everyone from the MTC group (I'll miss Sister Moore!!!), but at the same time exciting for all of us to start our work out in the mission field! My new companion is Sister Felagai from Samoa (that is pronounced feh-LONG-hi). We were assigned to a Zone in Eastern Nevada, so we had to stay the night in Reno with a few other Sisters, then we made the long journey out here the next morning.

Thursday, we arrived & met our District & Zone Leaders. We also met our other companion, Hermana Frost from Reno. We'll be a trio for some time, which works because we have a very large area to cover. Funny story: Sis. Felagai was serving in the Nevada Las Vegas West Mission & Sis. Frost was serving in the Nevada Las Vegas Mission before the areas they were in got changed to be part of the Reno Mission. So we have 3 Sisters with calls to 3 different missions, and we have name tags in 3 different languages (Samoan, Spanish, & English). We met Bro. Mitchell, the ward mission leader from one of our wards (we are assigned to 2 wards and 1 branch, and it's also a new area, so we get to start mostly from scratch!). He & his sister helped us take our luggage to our house, & they took us to meet some members of the ward (Curtises, Jacobsens, Sis. Jones). We soon found out that we have a lot of work to do here, and it is exciting!

Friday, we met more ward members (Cordovas, Bro. Howes) & got to know them. I am loving these people already!

Saturday, we had a training meeting for the 3 of us in our Zone who are brand new (me, Elder Linn, & Elder Sayeed). Everyone else from the MTC met in Carson City; we're too far away..sad! We met the Stake President, President Shumway--I can tell he is a very awesome man of God & we're excited to work with him! After training, we all had lunch at Port of Subs, then our Zone Leaders guided my companionship around town to show us where some members of the other ward live. We spent the rest of the afternoon meeting those members (Braithwaites, Bro. Kelly, Fullertons, Browns). We had dinner back in our home town with the Winegar family, who are awesome & a fun family. We met the Prices & Knights later that evening.

Sunday, we split up--Sis. Felagai & I attended the 2 wards, while Sis. Frost went with a Sister from the ward to go to the branch. We met several more people from both wards and also the Rays family, & had dinner with Sister Gunnels, a sweet widow.

Sum up of the week: we've met a LOT of members who are so excited to have Sister Missionaries in the area again (and missionaries in general), and they are excited to work with us! D&C 4:1 couldn't be more right for the Nevada Reno Mission and this area!!! Can't wait to see what this week brings!

Fun part of the week--I've been sick ALL week! I had a cough on Saturday 7/14 which developed into a cough/cold/sinus infection over the following days. On Wednesday I asked the Elders from my MTC District to give me a blessing; that, plus full nights of sleep after getting settled in our home, really helped & I am almost 100% over the remaining cough :) Priesthood blessings are awesome and I am so grateful for those who live worthily to hold the priesthood!

Til next Monday, take care! Love you all!

Be strong & faithful because He was!

~Sister San Diego