Labor Day? I forget that ya'll get holidays. HAH

So much to write, so little time!!

First off, there was no temple trip this week :( It got postponed until Sept. 20th for our zone-- which may not even happen depending on if/where I get transferred this week.

TRANSFERS ARE THIS WEEK!! I've already made it through 1 transfer? Time flies when you're having fun.

Elder Robbins from the seventy came and spoke at our zone conference this week! Ah such an amazing experience:) Him and his wife are wonderful and all the questions that I had going into the conference were answered. Good uplifting and encouraging conference that I'll never forget.

ALSO The night before our zone conference, Sister Brough got asked to do the musical number, and then she asked me to join her. So that night and early the next morning, we threw together a song and we performed for Elder Robbins and everyone in our zone plus mission president and his wife. I SANG SOLO-- what?? I was shakin. But it turned out very well and we got lots of compliments- mostly Sister Brough though because she is FANtastic!!-- no joke, you've got to hear this girl.

We also sang in Relief Society this week! Sister Brough wrote a song about one of the pioneers that was here at winter quarters, I came up with the harmony, and we sang it there. So, mom, I'm using my talents ;)

It has been SO HOT this week!! It was about 106 degrees and the most humid that I have felt here yet. WOAH. Good thing we had a car and didn't have to be out in it. Outside is HOT and inside is FREEZING cause they have the air pumped all the way up.

MOM AND DAD. I met my long lost cousins! At the concert that we put on last week, I forgot to mention that Gus and his wife and 4 of their 10 kids were at the concert and I met them all! They're so cool and I'm so glad I got to meet them- They live in Elkhorn and hopefully at some point I'll be able to serve in their stake. They might be at one of our member dinners this next week so we can chat longer, but you'll have to let grandma and grandpa know.

Speaking of which, I got a letter from Gma and Gpa this week!! They sound good:) Gosh I love them, Grandma is 86 and she was telling me of their neighbor across the street that they have been doing missionary work with and got the woman to go to church!! They're the best examples.  Tell them I love them! I'll try to write them a letter today.

We're moving into our members home today! So we're spending this p-day packing up our stuff and hopefully getting over there. We won't unpack though because we don't know if we'll be moving again on Friday after transfers. We find out Thursday morning what our plan is.

Hey mom, I thought a lot of you this week:) Guess what I did?!? I canned Salsa!! Haha I know you just did that last week, so I got a picture to send to you. ALSO the member that fed us yesterday made French dip and we had peanut butter fingers... I was laughing so hard.

We had the opportunity this week to go to a cub scout activity and teach the boys about the symbolism on the Winter Quarters temple here. Oh gosh I just love this temple. It's so cool and so unique with the pioneer history all over it. I love the pioneers.

We had a miracle this week! We were on chat at the trail center when we got a call-- from one of the less actives in the ward that we have been trying to get in touch with like the whole time I've been here. SHE called US and wanted to come out on a team-up with us. (fyi, that never happens) So she came out with us to visit another less active member named Steve who hasn't been to church in like 2 years. SHE pretty much taught the lesson. It was so cool! And then Steve came to church yesterday, for the first time in 2 years. Everyone was shocked to see him and he kept thanking us for what a great time he had from our lesson a few days earlier.

Sometimes I feel like we aren't doing anything, And then something happens and I realize that we're at least doing something. It's a good feeling:) Steve is a great man and super awesome to work with.

So I saw president a couple of times this week! And both times I saw him, he came up to me, shook my hand and said "ready to train?" ... he's done that twice. So I'm not quite sure what that means... :/ But in preparation for transfers, Sister Brough has gotten me to be HER trainer this week. We'll see how it goes.

So I had a funny story this last week. Saturday night, everything was normal and I went to bed blah blah blah. At 3 in the morning I turned over in my sleep and my eyes opened for half a second. I saw this really bright light in our room, but I was so tired I just started to fall back asleep but my weird "sleep brain" had this thought that was "Maybe that was an angel"-- obviously I didn't care too much though and if that WAS an angel, I would have missed out. But I just went back to sleep :/

I woke up at 3:30 to a loud BANG out side our window. I literally jumped out of bed and was scared out of my mind! There was a constant flashing in our room and rain was POURING outside the window and the thunder sounded as if little kids were running up and down our hallway. My heart was beating so fast. Sister Brough then gave me the protocal on what to do if the Tornado Siren's started going off, we were to grab shoes, a jacket and anything else we would be needing as fast as we could and then get in the car and drive to the trail center. We then tried to go back to sleep. I woke up Sunday morning and it was absolutely beautiful outside. It was like there was no storm at all... It was the weirdest thing. But as I pondered the experience with me thinking there was an angel, I felt so blessed for the witness of the Holy Ghost in my life. We don't need to have an angel appear to us or see miraculous things to believe in God and know the truth of the gospel, we just need to be aware of the Holy Ghost and we can know the truth of all things.

The Holy Ghost is real!! The Book of Mormon is SO TRUE and even when you just read 1 verse a day, if you really ponder that verse, you invite the spirit and can receive answers to any questions you have.

I'm so glad to be out here. I'm learning so much and I wouldn't take back the things I have learned for anything. The happiest way to live, is by living the gospel. I see it in my life, I see it in the members and missionaries around me, and I see it in the letters of my friends and family that are all around the world. I love hearing from all my missionary friends-- It's crazy that we're all throughout the world. Sometimes it just hits me that we're like ALL over the world! Haha

I miss you all SOOOOO much, I really do, and I have never understood why God has blessed me SO MUCH by giving me you. Many times I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm happy and I know this is where God wants me to be.

Have a great week!!! Thank you for all your love and support always:)

-Sister Checketts