Last Letter from Laramie

 Baptism day for A.

 

Signing the card Rashauna and Sister De Voe made for A.

 

P's baptism!

 

Sister De Voe, biking in the snow!

 

 

Hey hey,

 

So I thought I'd get the depressing news over with first. I'm leaving Laramie. I'll be heading to Greeley to be companions with two Spanish-speaking sister missionaries. Not really sure why that's happening, but we have a car for the winter months!!! I'm definitely going to miss my bike on nice days, but not while it's snowing haha. Sister De Voe and I have shown up to far too many appointments with mud all over our legs and backs. The Sherman Hill ward was really sad to see both of us go (Sister De Voe is going to Cheyenne and will be with Sister Gregory). We've made some lifelong friends here. Laramie is truly a special place.

 

On a much lighter note, it has truly been a week of miracles. There were 6 baptisms in Laramie this week!! One on Tuesday, one on Friday, and four on Saturday. The best part is, that even though the baptism program is set up pretty much the same way each time, each new church member chose different people to speak and the details that go into it made each baptism so individual. I loved being able to go to so many and feel the spirit so strongly. A's baptism was incredible. Absolutely incredible. She is so strong. Sister De Voe and I had the opportunity to speak on baptism and be with her right when she came out of the water. While getting changed she just kept saying, "I just feel so happy!" Her husband said that he kept hearing us laughing in the bathroom. It's called the Plan of Happiness for a reason. She was confirmed a member of the church and given the gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday by her husband . Her blessing emphasized the fact that this was a stepping stone on their way to the temple. I am so excited to keep in touch with them.

 

Everything else this week was just a blur. I kinda knew I was leaving, but it was still hard to hear it on Saturday night. I really don't want to leave, but at the same time I feel very confident that this is a good change. Heavenly Father is definitely helping me stay positive. There is also an amazing girl here, a returned missionary, who has really been a support to me. E J and I have become best friends. She is in one of the student wards but we've been able to share in some amazing spiritual experiences while on exchanges or at Grandma's on Sundays. Grandma was really hard to say goodbye to. Everyone was really hard to say goodbye to. We were able to give T and S a copy of the Book of Mormon in the Amharic language with our testimonies inside the front cover. I start tearing up every time I think of people hearing the gospel in their own language. It's incredible to see how many languages the gospel is being shared in. We are eating with them tonight. They have said multiple times that they consider us part of their family and wanted to feed us a traditional Ethiopian meal before we leave town.

 

We also had the most incredible lesson with a less active, R. I'm not really sure how it happened, but there is a connection that I feel with her. From the moment I met her, I loved her. We talked all about prayer and how powerful it can be. I wish I was better at describing these experiences. The spirit is something I have always struggled to put into words. The feeling in the room that night was incredible. I just love that family and I've only visited with them a few times now. Three...? It's crazy how fast these people get into your heart. That's another thing Heavenly Father helps me with.

 

This is hard. I love the people here so much. However, there will be a total of five missionaries in the new ward I'm going to. Miracles are on the way.

 

Sister Rashauna Hoer