Tuesday, June 18th

Family!!!!

So guess what!!!!??? I leave in exactly ONE WEEK!!! Well technically, less than one week now! Cause I leave next tuesday at 11 am!!! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by it is crazy! But I can't tell you how excited I am. Though I don't want to say goodbye to my district! Luckily we are flying together most the way. Though we are split into two groups. We fly together to Texas. Then in Texas my group leaves an hour before the other group and we fly to London! Yes London! Though there we have a 3 hour lay over! So hopefully we cn go out and walk around! But I don't know if we can. But that would be fantastic! Though I guess we are at an airport so we can't really go anywhere outside. But I don't know if I can call home without it costing a lot in London... I will have to find out. But just stay around a phone and I will call when I can. :) Though in london that will be in the early morning for you guys and I think we figured our plane leaves from London to Portugal at 8:05 in the morning. So I guess I can just call and we will find out if you are able to answer. (: Ok, so I have a blonde moment I thought I would share. So our alarm goes off in the morning and the first thing I do is grab my toothbrush and toothpaste and walk like a zombie to the bathroom to brush my teeth. So I chose the sink next to Sister king, and I go to put my toothpaste on my toothbrush but I look down and see that I am holding two tubes of toothpaste in my hands! I was so embarrassed and Sister King just laughed at me. So I had to run back to my room and make the exchange. It was morning though, so I was so tired, but even so, I don't think a tube of toothpaste feels that much like my electric toothbrush. ha. Ok. I seriously can't believe Steffani is officially graduated and she is going to college!!! Or is at college. That just blows my mind! Did she get a lap top for her senior "second" gift? Ha. Ok so the Devotionals on tuesday night have officially been changed to be held over at the Marriot Center on BYU campus!! I love it! We get to go on a little walk over to the marriot center now. Though we only get to go one more time this sunday because of that world-wide leadership training meating broadcast! And we are singing in it, and I am so excited because the President Thomas S. Monson is speaking at it! We are all so excited! And it was perfect timing! Right before I leave! So I am now going to remind myself of this quote given at one of our devotionals every time I look at another person. Especially when it is someone that tends to annoy me (and I mean that in the nicest way possible.) He said, "When our spirits first came into our bodies, they were as pure as the angels in Heaven." I love that! It is so important to remember that every single person that has or will live on this earth once lived with God. They were once the sweetest and kindest spirit. And they were on God's side during the war in heaven. We need to see people with who they truly are (children of God) and for who they can become (heirs of God's Kingdom and much more depending on what they decide is important to them and what they want after this life.) Just thought I would share that. It made me tear up a little. So I hope it means something to you as well. So I got to host the new missionaries! They are seriosly the cutest things! They are so excited their family is so sad to let them go, and they ask me lots of questions and think I just know everything there is to know about everything because I have been here for 4 or 5 weeks. Ha. I love it! Sister King has been sick for the past week and a half! Elder Zaccariah started it and Sister King then got it from him. But I still haven't gotten it! I am so happy! I am super surprised too cause I am with Sister King 100% of the time except when we go back to our redidence to get ready for bed. But I have been praying to not get it so I think I am being blessed. (: So we got to go on a little trip because Sister King auditioned with a musical number. She sang and another Sister played the piano for her. She got a "yes" and she was assigned to sing at the welcoming of the Elderly couple missionaries! It was amazing! And the church was one of the older churches so the set up of it was unique and it was so pretty! It felt awesome getting out of the MTC gates! ha. The only other times is when we go to the temple or if we go up to the field or sand volleyball area for gym. We played sand volleyball for the first time as a district yesterday. It was soooo fun! Though it was early so the sund wasn't out from behind the mountain and the sand made my feet freezing!! So Me Sister King and Sister Hancock went and put our socks back on to play. it was so fun! (: Though Sister hancock got hit in the face with the Volleyball! It was so sad and funny. I would tell you the story but I don't have time. So i officially got out of speaking at Sacrament meeting!!!!! Haha. I didn't know if I would or not. And you know our talk has to be in Portuguese, though it is only a 4-5 minute talk. But the only person in our district that had to talk was Elder Bowden. Cause next sunday is the broadcast! I am so excited! Well I just love it here at the MTC! I hope everything back home is going well! I can't believe all that things that have happened since i have been gone! And I can't believe Steff is so old and Cass can drive and Annalisa is married! Ah! Well I know I am where I am supposed to be. And I have been so blessed in learning the language. i realized the other day that I know a lot of words that I definitely could not have remembered or retained without the Lord's help. It is crazy and it is amazing! I love you all! Remember that Heavenly Father loves you all so much! And I love you all so much!

Love Sister Stokes