Throwback

Throwback

You know, it always throws me off when people of other faiths talk over your prayers. "Yes Lord, sweet Jesus please, yes yes, thank you lord". It makes it hard to focus on what I'm trying to say, but I've learned to just get through it. Lol

Sister Andersen came out teaching with us this week. We had fun going out to dinner afterwards :) 

Sister Gale got pretty sick. We stayed inside and she got a blessing. Two priesthood holders came, and one with his wife. During the blessing she got a call and answered the phone. Then she gave the phone to sister Gale because apparently it was her aunt she hasn't really seen for years. Her aunt was calling this sister we were with because she had messed up Sister Gale's family history line when she decided to get our information and try to do our family history. Sister Gale's aunt noticed things were wrong and they got salt lake in on the fiasco. Hahaha. Moral of the story: don't answer your phone during a blessing and don't try to do family history that's not yours! 

The Schusseles came down from Nolensville and took us out to dinner this week as well. It's been so fun seeing how much old friends care :). 

I got to see Sister Facer today too, and that was a treat. She brought me chocolate and a card. Ah, she's such a good friend :). 

Do ya'll remember Elder Stradling? He was my district leader the first 6 months of my mission. He came back and visited with his wife! He'll be at BYU-Idaho too, it was really comforting to see that there is life after mission-death... And I'll be okay :). It was a week of throw back, seeing old friends and remembering past memories. I was really sad today, I felt like everything happening just hit me like a ton of bricks. But I know this shouldn't be a sad ending, it's one of the happiest. 

Elder Charles Didier said it perfect:

I hope that you will not mind if I have recalled some of the souvenirs of what you always referred to as the best time of your life. Why can’t it be the same way today? Why should the “best time” always refer to yesterday instead of tomorrow? The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a gospel made of souvenirs. It is a gospel presented to us so that we may live it today in order to know where we will be tomorrow.

This past Sunday our investigator Carol, Sister Abercrombie, Sister Gale, and I sang "Nearer My God To Thee" in sacrament and I gave a talk on missionary work. It was the last talk Ill give as a missionary. I went for the full 25 minutes I was allotted, I've never spoken that long before! Just the other day, I was thinking about how bad I wish the things I was learning now could be applied to my missionary work when I first came out! But then the spirit reminded me that the Lord calls us to where we are how we are. I'm meant to know what I know now for these people, and I was supposed to know what I knew then, for those people. If that makes any sense. 

We had our weekly supper with the Cheatwoods this Sunday as well and I just wanted to show you a picture of them all. They make up half the ward. The other half is also Kin to them somehow. We all knelt and said a prayer holding hands and I just felt like I was on an episode of duck dynasty! 

It was so fun being there to see all of the Cheatwood's kids and spouses and grandkids joking and reminiscing and such. It makes me excited to sit with my posterity some day :). 

This is short and simple, but know I'm alive and doing well and going hard. See you sooner than later! 

Sister Jennifer Hochstrasser

Tennessee Nashville Mission      jennifer.hochstrasser@myldsmail.net