Engagement News and Talk of Christmas Phone Calls!

Dear Family and Friends,

I am SOOOOOOOOOO happy for Cassie and I am so thankful that she has someone that she loves so much and that he makes her so happy. I am thankful that he is a member of the church and that he is strong. One of the zone leaders here Elder Dixon knows him well and he gave a really good report on him to me.  I am happy but upset.  The ONLY thing that upsets me at all is that I wont be there. But I am so proud of my little baby and that she is going to get married in the temple. That is the only important thing! What I require is that you make a cardboard cutout of me so I can kinda be there hahaha. I remember that the klumkers did that and I thought it was funny. In a few months I will feel better...I will be praying more than ever. Cassie I am so proud and I love you I wish that I could be there to do your hair and makeup perfect, see you so happy and see you go through the temple for the first time as well as get sealed for time and all eternity. I know that the Lord will be with you and I know that you are going to be the most gorgeous bride I have ever seen. Cas can you include me in some things so I can not feel so left out. Like in wedding planning and stuff if you can? I love you and I am so proud. All I require of you is that you name one of your children cornhole and to not get pregnant til I get home thanks. hahaha. In you pictures you look gorgeous because I can tell that you are soo happy! THank you John for making my sister happy. ANd making her happy will never stop, you hear me? hahaha. I require everything that my dad requires of you. And I know that over time I will get to know you better! Thank you for taking my sister to the temple.

SO I HAVE GOOD NEWS! 3 PIECES OF GOOD NEWS! THe most important is that CAREY GOT BAPTIZED AND I GOT TO TALK TO HIM ON THE PHONE RIGHT BEFORE HE GOT BAPTIZED! HE IS AMAZING AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! We have been keeping in contact every week through letters. The amazing thing is that I can request to be put back in green valley or a area closer to the temple so that I can see him go through the temple in december of next year. How amazing is that. I cannot wait until you meet him. I gave him your number and email but I have no idea if he has gotten a hold of you. THe second piece of news is that I WILL BE SKYPING YOU ON CHRISTMAS DAY! I have no idea when but I will have more information next week! BUt I will be so excited to see you and talk to you. We as a mission are now allowed to skype on our calls home and the zone leaders are going to give us more information tomorrow. the 3rd is that Christian got baptized this last saturday too. I had baptisms 4 and 5 last saturday. I am so thankful that I was able to witness those miracles.

Yesterday went good. I sang in all 3 wards that we cover here. I sang Our saviors love in the Carlin ward, I know that my redeemer lives in the Elko 3rd ward and Venid adoreymos in the Spansih branch. The talk that I had in the spansih branch was good. I wrote it word for word in english and then sister espinal so graciously took all day to translate it to spanish. She translated for me on the pulpit. SO here is a little about our wards. Carlin is a town about 30 min west of elko. It is PO FREAKING DUNK! hahah. The people that were giving talks this week talked all about their 243's they got for christmas and talking so passionatley about their 4 wheelers and hunting stories hahaha. Love it. Elko is our main ward and it is a big english ward. They members there are amazing. We just went to a white elephant gift exchange and it was so fun!  The last branch we have is the spanish branch and branch pres nielsen is amazing! We go over to their house all the time and I love their kids. They attack me every time I come to the door hahaha. Pres nielsen and i were talking all about hunting stories and by the way he is already planning a hunting trip with his family and ours haha. Dad he reminds me of you so much! He said that he might give you a  call soon. I gave him your number.

Tell me how you think christmas day will go so I can try to plan for the whole skyping thing. I dont know how long we have to skype but I would be ready with things you want to ask me or talk about because I dont think I will have that long.

Investigators here are doing really well. Casey was going to get baptized this week but his parents keep convientley grounding him just for the time that we have lessons planned. And they take his phone away so he cant let us know that he cant come. SO we are praying hard for him because he is already talking about how much it costs to go on a mission and stuff hahaha. He is going to be an AP his first transfer in the mission hahaha. I can just feel it! Gary Fine is alright. His girlfriend left him and so he is in a very humble state right now. But his friend called us today and said that he let him know that he wants to have lessons with us. SO that is amazing. Maybe these two guys are the reason that I am here! WHo knows. Elko has been really tough but now that it is the LAST WEEK of the transfer I kinda want to stay. I really like it here. Things with sister Espinal are better because I havent been letting her walk all over me. Obviously I have been kind about it. But there is no need for all the horrible things she would do and say. I wont take that. We have been having a lot more fun and good times. Who knows what is going to happen with this transfer. I HAVE NO IDEA! Sister Espinal thinks that I am leaving. ANd I seriously could see her leaving, us staying together, us both getting transferred out and me leaving. I have no idea. It is cold here but people here say that it has been a really really mild winter. It is usually around 30 during the day and below freezing at night. But we have this super nice cootage that keeps us more than warm.

I have no idea what I want for christmas. I cant think of anything. I am getting so sick of my clothes its not even funny. YEs I have inherited lots of things from the other sisters but im so sick of it hahaha.

Sounds awesome about the creche in our home! Those were pretty cool pictures huh! We should have that going on in olympia!!!!!!!!!!! That would be amazing!

Dad I am not as good at goals as you are. I dont even know sometimes what to make goals about. I have little ones but I want to be better of that on my mission. Any advice? Hahaha dad you always make me laugh. I can just picture you peeling caden out of his bed. Im suprized his skin doesnt get grafted to the bed over night like that 800 pound lady hahahaha.

Well I love you and miss you all! SO I will be talking to you not this sunday but the next! Crazy huh? we well figure it out next pday. Give me as much info as you can about christmas day for you so I can plan the call accordingly.

Love you,

Sister Fine

Transfer Trash?

Hey how are you?!?!?! Things have been going well here in Elko. The creche festival was amazing! The oly stake should do it it is incredible! I will put some pictures on here from it. The performances were good I think and wow I just found out that I am singing in all of our wards next week (except for 1.......we have 3 wards and 1 branch) and I am also giving a talk in spanish on sunday in the spanish branch. Oh Heavenly Father please help me!!!!!!! AHHHHHH! I will prolly write it down and have sister espinal help me translate the talk and then I will most likely be reading it off the paper. I am understanding all the things that the people say here in spanish but I cannot really form sentences...its pretty frusterating but its okay. This week we had interviews with the president and his wife. President felt bad that he didnt know that this was a spanish area...he suggested to sister espinal that he was sorry that they played a trick on me this transfer. But I dont think it was a mistake. I have grown so much here. It has been my HARDEST time......but that is what I was supposed to go through to get closer to the savior. I learned a valuable lesson this week. As we become more and more corverted to Christ we will see that as we are repenting every day, the things that we are repenting for get less and less bad and wrong. I thought that was really cool. This week was a rough one.....but wow I feel like I have learned so much. Had a big anxiety attack this week and I couldn't do anything for a few hours at night but I got myself together and went to work. Sister Espinal saw how miserable I was and she held my hand and cried with me....it was a great blessing. We have been laughing more and more and we have been seeing more miracles. This week there have been some obstacles that tested our obedience. This guy asked us for a ride and he was an investigator. When he was asking he went on and on about how crippled he is etc etc...but I remember reading in the white handbook that it says DO NOT give rides to anyone excpet for members that are coming with you to lessons. So I said no and I have already seen the blessings from the obedience.

I was praying and fasting hard about a few things yesterday. #1 that we would get a hold of casey because we hadnt heard from him in almost 2 weeks and #2 I was praying for new opportunities and new people. First thing, casey was one of the 1st people to walk into church. Wow thank you God! :] Then yesterday we had a new person just show up to chruch. Also We had 20 min til our next appointment and didn't know what to do...so all of a sudden I just thought hey lets go to the creche real quick...normally sis espinal would say to do something else but she was like okay! I was kinda surprised. Then as we were walking into the creche there was this couple walking to their car and they passed us. Then when we were almost into the church they yelled...."hey are you the sisters? Are you teaching gary fine?" and we said yes! They were members and they said that they were really close with gary. All these things keep happening with gary and I KNOW that they are not a coincidence. It is because God is like "sister Fine Gary and brandy need to get baptized right now...get on that." hahahah I love God. He is so funny sometimes. :] Amazing things. I was thinking as that was going on that I want to stay in Elko so that I can see the miracles happen here. :] we will see......sister espinal thinks that I will be transfer trash this next transfer. (transfer trash means that after one transfer you get moved to another area.)

2 pieces of news from green valley! Gerry got baptized on sat and so I am at 3 people taught and baptized. Numbers dont matter but I am so proud of gerry. Sister Garner told me that he was so cute. He publicly said that he wished sister matthew and I were there because we were his missionaries. AWHHHH GER BEAR..... :] 

Oh another miracle here in elko....there is this lady that bishop referred us to and her name is kirstie. We met with her once to get acquainted and then we met with her a 2nd time. The second time she was talking all about how she is worried about having her insision from her surgery immersed in water when she is baptized. And wew were like uhhhhhhhh...................its okay we will figure that out.....hahaha. Usually people have doctrinal concerns.........but we will take it! hahahaha. She is amazing. Well I love you alot and I miss you! I cant really think of anything else! I am excited to hear more about the comp! I am also excited to hear that shar wrote me.........my long lost sissy pants. Mom and Dad I am so thankful for you and everything that you do for me. You are incredible parents and I thank the Lord my God for you every day. It is weird to think that I will be speaking to you in like 3 weeks. WOW time flies doesn't it? I cant believe it is already pday. Know that I am always doing my best and I am focusing my brain so hard tha tit is about to explode! haha. MWAH MWAH MWAH! Mom I have no christmas ideas. I have no idea. Sister Espinal's mom sent her her christmas presents already and it was really cute. I dont need too much candy mom thats my only request....I wont eat it im prolly getting fat. Maybe just a couple of my favorites or something. And remember I cant chew gum....especially in the cold because all of my past injuries hurt so bad in the cold. Oh by the way it was -1 this morning before we went to soccer. Remember that I have the possiblitly of being transferred so after this week dont send anything to the elko address until you know that I am staying kay? :] Mom you were right.....nick sent me these pink vogue glasses. What a crazy! hahaha I was very thankful he always goes above and beyond....I love you all and I hope that you have a great week. Oh yea and last week we played football and you would be so proud of me, I caught a long pass and ran it in for a touch down!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO :] Love you and I cant think of anything else to say. XOXOXOXO!

Mwah,

Sister Fine

Silly girl :)