Lots of Goodbyes...

Well, I'm getting transferred this week! It's definitely sad, but I have to remind myself there's still a lot of happy things ahead. I'll find out Tuesday at transfer meeting where my new area is and who my companion is.  Ooooohhhhh, I FIT EVERYTHING IN MY SUITCASES AGAIN! :D  I have this quote from Peter Pan running through my head. "Don't say goodbye, because goodbye means going away, and going away means forgetting."

Ohhh my goodness. Sister M  just stopped by to say good bye. :'(  I'm going to miss her and the ward so much!! AND, guess what? She brought both of us lunch <3 Ahhhh. My heart is just so full. I think I understand Heavenly Father's love just a little better after being a missionary because I have seen the sacrifice and service of so many ward members. Honestly, I just want to take each of them aside and tell them how great they are specifically, especially D.  She's not a super big people person, but is just really charitable. I feel like she's blessed my life a lot these past several months. Gahhh. So sad. I feel so blessed to have been able so serve as long as I did in Corbin. I will miss all the wonderful people here a LOT!

Last photo in the Foothills District

This week has been pretty good. We did some service and tore up some laminate flooring for a member. We also did some tracting and had a church tour with our investigator T. It went really well and afterwards he wanted to walk through the church again. I think sometimes it's easy to forget that churches really are sacred edifices and that there is a special spirit there. T came to church Sunday. I think he got a lot out of it. It was a BIG step for him to come to church and even though it's taken a long time to get him to this point, I think he'll progress really well from here.

Also, we challenged our homeless investigator C to read a chapter from The Book of Mormon each day. After only 3 days of reading, he was blessed with a job!! It's really neat to see how God really does immediately bless us when we keep the commandments. He humbles us for sure, but only wants our ultimate and lasting happiness.

E fist-pumped during our prayer last night when Sis S said something about church. It was pretty great. He's so enthusiastic and is excited to get the Priesthood! Bishop told him to read D&C 88. I don't even understand that section. He goes, "I've read it 4 times and still don't know!" We read a few verses with him the other day and I tried explaining one, but misinterpreted it. Sister S pointed out it was about the earth receiving it's paradisaical glory. Blahhh! He is sooo on fire though. And he just glows. :)

I feel like I have gotten a boat load of educational/marriage advice since I've been a missionary. And  I also have learned some really great and really random things. And I have a list of questions I want to ask an apostle if I ever get the chance.

Also, fun fact of the day, guess how many glasses of milk I've had since the beginning of this year? Like 2. We only ever buy almond milk anymore. (Thanks Aunt Julie!!)

Hope everyone has a great week! :)

Love,

Sister Ashlyn Galloway

The best & craziest baptismal service ever!

I think one of the things that I love most about being a missionary is how entitled to revelation we are as missionaries. One of the things about Kentucky, is that no one knows how to give good directions… or in some cases how to put their house number on their house! So, sometimes we have a difficult time locating investigators, referrals, or members. So many times, we have been able to find places because of the Spirit. I am so grateful Heavenly Father has the back roads of Kentucky figured out because I sure don't! I have seen miracle after miracle of how we seem to find places that don't have addresses or street signs and it is only by the Spirit that we do.

My district out in McKee on P-day.

 

This week we were supposed to teach C (the homeless investigator), but he called and canceled our appointment because he was having a really rough time. He got most of his stuff stolen and only owns 2 outfits now. We knew we needed to see him anyway, but didn’t know where to find him. So, we said a prayer and started driving. As we were driving, we passed this abandoned house and felt a strong impression that that’s where he was. We knocked, but no one answered. We felt like we had failed, but a few minutes later C texted us and asked if it had been us who had knocked. He agreed to meet with us and we were able to talk with him about some of his problems and concerns. (He had gotten drunk and passed out in this house. We talked to drunk C for two hours that day. It was sad and not fun at all.) He definitely has a long way to go, but as soon as he chooses to fully live the commandments, I know his life will improve so much!! 

But being a mom to adult children who are old enough to be my parents basically describes my mission right now.

We also taught Mrs D this week. Last time we were on a blitz, Sister D and I were down in a part of our area that is way, far out that I hadn’t even been in since I’ve been here! Because we happened to be in the area, we decided to stop by and try and see a less active man we’d never met. He hadn’t been to church in years, and doesn’t remember very much. His wife, however, is a non-member and a good christian woman. She expressed interest in The Book of Mormon and so this week we went back to teach her. She is so prepared!! She says that she had been trying to get her husband into a church for a very long time, but he would never come. Finally, she prayed that God would get her husband and their family into a church –whichever church he wanted them in. Not long after that, we showed up!! Which is crazy because they live waaaay far out in a part of our area we never had been in. She’s really into genealogy and is willing to drive to church even though it’s a 45 minute drive for them. One thing that I really admire about this part of the country, is that there are so many faithful Christians. There is a lot of bad going on in the world, but there’s also a ton of good people who do so much to further the work of the Lord. 

♥ Sister S, K & I on one of the happiest day of mission so far. ♥

This week, we also baptized K!!! It was definitely the craziest baptismal service I’ve ever been to. He’s great!! Right after he came up out of the water, he let out this loud Indian yell!! It was the funniest thing. He also did a similar one after he was confirmed in sacrament meeting. Oh well, I guess the stake speakers we had will now have a fun story to tell their families. The hand that he should have plugged his nose with, he raised to the square. Sister S and I were dying!! But he was very happy and is excited to do genealogy and to do baptisms in the temple soon. E (my 1st baptism) is also doing great. I think that he is one of the happiest people I know right now. He loves teaching with us and is excited to receive the Priesthood soon.  I’m going to be sad to leave them both!!

This week we also taught D and N, who are trappers for a living. The picture attached is N and I with a beaver skin and a bobcat he trapped.

Photographic proof Ashlyn is "really" holding a dead animal.

 Yesterday, we spent driving around all day looking for HQ referrals. We encountered 2 scary dogs and a Rooster that had us cornered on a porch. It was a little bit disconcerting.

Ohh, I'm probably going to be transferred next Tuesday. It's depressing, but bittersweet as well. I feel good about moving on though. I love Corbin.  It's crazy to think that I've been out 7 months now. I was thinking yesterday and I decided that missions are a lot like the Women's Pull on Trek. I remember that Trek was a lot of fun, but certain times, like the Women's Pull, were really, really hard. At the time, I honestly didn't think I could pull that handcart  that far. But, I just did what I had been asked to do and focused on just the next hill or the next boulder or tree. It's a lot easier to focus on the next immediate goal than to think of the big picture.  Maybe that's the trick to enduring to the end, just focusing on the next short-term goal. I will just work my best until transfers, then I will work hard to contribute to and learn my new area. Then I will work until Conference, then Mother's Day and then my birthday and then my year mark, and then mom's birthday, Halloween, Paige's birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Dad & Hailey's birthday and then finally--I will work at enduring to the end. 

Sister S & I found little purple pansies growing in our yard! :) When she was little, her mom sung her that song too. It was a sentimental moment for us. ♥♥

Have a wonderful week!!

Sister Ashlyn Galloway

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Hello!!

A quick tangent I need to get out: Everyone says how being a missionary prepares you for life. Well, I hope that isn't true because the things I see/deal with I really don't ever want to be in my life. I think a more accurate saying would be "Being a missionary makes you jaded so that whatever happens in life is no big deal after what you've seen."

For instance, here are some things that I've had to see or help people with on top of trying to help them attain eternal salvation:

-Getting calls (yes, we've had multiple) telling you a member/investigator is in jail.

-Hunting down people who don't even know they're members. In fact, one we found was even married to a Baptist Preacher.

-Relationship drama. Enough said.

-Drugs. Pills. Lots of it.

-A lot of people assume we're Social Services, if that tells you anything about this area :( And they treat us like we're Counselors or Psychologists a lot of the time.

Now here are a few highlights of my week this week:

-Our homeless investigator C upped and moved to Lexington. And then he moved back a few days later, so Sister S and I were happy about that!! We were really worried about him. Sometimes I feel like his mom. He lives in a homeless shelter that has bed bugs. He's turning his life around now (I won't go into his past too much, but it includes breaking several of the 10 commandments.) 

- Wednesday, we had Zone Meeting. We also met with H. We weren't planning on seeing her, but we were glad we did because she had had a really rough week and needed it that night. Her mom hasn't been too happy with the fact that she's meeting with missionaries, so we got her mom's address and decided to tract into her when we went to Barbourville. We weren't quite sure how to approach her without her being suspicious, so we said a prayer to ask for help. Immediately after the prayer, I felt like we needed to talk to this boy across the street. We contacted him, and asked him for referrals. He said his Ma-maw read the bible a lot and might be interested. We asked him what her name was and it was H's mom :D So, we knocked and she let us right in. She had a lot of questions, but was surprisingly open and even has a sister who is Mormon! We're really excited to teach her this next week. 

- Sunday, E was confirmed and K (our Native American investigator) had his baptismal interview.  I think that he is the most ecliptic person I have ever met. He's a blast to teach and is very excited to be baptized! I'll include a picture of us and him.  

Starbright wearing K's fishing hat that has feathers on it.

I'm 5 lbs lighter than when I left... how did that happen? 

  

Thanks for the package!!! :) And the CD's especially!! :D Loved the Primary Colors one and also Eclipse. I think the thing that's toughest about music is there's basically only one style of church music, so it's nice to have somewhat of a variety. Maybe look up Piano Guys or something ukelay-lee? (I spelt that phonetically because I have no brain power to figure it out right now.) And the food you sent was yummy. I miss eating your food!

Oh, speaking of which: Ciabatta Bacon Cheeseburger from Wendy's. Tell P and Dad to try it if they haven't already. It's great. Also, I FINALLY had a vanilla frosty for the first time. And really liked it!! H's taste in food is really simple, but I'm giving her some more credit now between the vanilla Frosty's and almond milk.

Today we're going up to McKee to hang around at the B's (Sr. Missionary Couple) house. We're supposed to go to Natural Bridge, but it's probably too rainy and cold for that. But anyway, being a missionary is great because you do get to experience a lot and have the privilege of being led by the Spirit. I love that guy.

Love,

Sister Galloway

First Baptism!

Hello!!

 

Sunday, we baptized E! He was just glowing and was so happy :) He works Saturdays so we had his baptism right after church. There were a lot of people there and it was just great!! It was also a little stressful at first. I've committed to never doing a baptism on a Sunday again : P it ended up being really good, but was just a little stressful because we had to get the font filled, programs copied, his nonmember family taken care of and stuff set up for the baptism and then also for the potluck. So as you can imagine, it was a little crazy and busy. But, it makes me so, so very grateful for all the ward members who do help us out. It seriously is a HUGE help!! It's easy to sign up to feed the missionaries -which is great, don't get me wrong- but going teaching with us, giving rides, befriending investigators, referrals, and helping us set up after church for our baptism/potluck really is a HUGE help :) We had 2 other progressing investigators there. One of them was even crying during it.

E & Ashlyn after his baptism

While we were teaching his neighbor, E walked through the door and sat and listened. He's a pretty quiet guy, but feels a lot more than he says. He was able to quit dipping {chew tobacco} cold turkey. He is really service oriented, which is a HUGE blessing for the ward :) We're excited to go teaching with him! It was a really spiritual day :) E's not a great communicator, but he definitely feels the spirit. He says that it's just built since the first time he saw us. 

 

Filling the Font.  (Note to Self: Add more hot water next time.)

 

 

This week we also taught K, who is a Cherokee Indian. He is a very colorful person and a blast to teach. He wears a fishing hat with feathers on it. Last week gave us both Indian names. Mine is "Star-bright" and Sister S's is "Little owl". He's great and feels the Spirit really strongly. This week we taught him in the library with a member, Bro. W present. They are perfect for each other. When K walked in the door of the public library, in his fishing hat with feathers on it and a cut off and man-purse, he extended his arm from his heart straight forward, kind of like a "hail Hitler" but horizontal. He also let out a big "Ahhhhhhh". It was an indian greeting apparently. Durring the lesson, Brother W went off on this tangent about "This woman whom I propose to on occasion." Sister S and I burst out laughing. It was probably really unprofessional, but we just couldn't take it. K gave us a pack of red pens, with the instructions to "write everything you can in red". So, I've been using my red pens all week! hahaha. We also went through the ten commandments, and had to spend waaay too much time on "thou shalt not kill." Kentuckians (especially K, who is usually packing heat) have a firm belief in self-defense laws :P 

 

Also, we asked Bro. W about how living the Law of Chastity has blessed his life. He goes "I'm sorry, I haven't done a very good job with that one."  If we were teaching anyone but K, it probably would've been a disaster lesson. But, like I said, they both were perfect for each other and even went to the Catholic Fish Fry together afterwards.

 

We also have been teaching C this week. We met him in the middle of a field by a shack. This Sunday our Bishop refereed to him as our "active non-member" He's had some bad experiences with some Christian churches in the area. He's a funny guy. It's been a bit of a struggle teaching him because he's really stubborn and doesn't want to "give in to God." We've worked really hard with him trying to help him recognize the spirit. This week we definitely had a break through lesson. We testified of the Atonement and we said a kneeling prayer. He's been struggling to find a job and has some difficult living situations. My companion and I felt inspired to promise him that if he did everything he could to follow the commandments and find a job, that he would be OK. The next day at church, he said that he had gone out to a bar that night. He felt like there was this heavy weight pressing on him, telling him to leave. He tried ignoring it, but it just got worse, to the point where he had the clear impression to "put out the cigarette, get your bag and leave." He did and even though he was miles away, he said he felt immediately better, even though he was in a tough situation. Sure enough, everything worked out for him that night. He said that he's not going to ignore those types of feelings again :)

 

So that was a big miracle. The Spirit is so powerful and it is only through it that conversion occurs. There is no way that E could have quit tobacco cold turkey with out it, nor that K and R would be coming to church, and most especially, that C would be willing to make such big lifestyle changes (He's REALLY stubborn!!) Following the spirit makes us happier, even if it doesn't make sense.

 

 

I LOVE Y"ALL!

(which is also what E said after he came up from the water :) ha ha!

Sister Ashlyn Galloway

 

maNy BleSSings!

Corbin is great!!

This week has flown by! We taught some really great lessons though. Tuesday we went on another blitz with the Sister Training Leaders and had a really productive day! We drove down to Jellico, which is the
very bottom of our area (and mission) and found a really great part- member family to teach. One big blessing that I've seen as a missionary is how the spirit has lead and guided us to where we need to be
-especially since we don't always get the best directions :) For instance, we were out trying to find a less-active's house. We drove up and down the road, but their house number was nowhere to be
found. After we said a prayer for help, we felt impressed to drive up this dirt driveway, even though the mailbox at the bottom was a different address. As we drove up, we realized there was a fork that
lead in a different direction and then another fork. So, we drove along this dirt road for awhile, and then up this long gravel drive that had a million "no trespassing" signs. But both of us felt like it was the right way to go. Sure enough, their house was at the top! So, I'm grateful that The Lord has alllll the crazy Kentucky back roads figured out, even when I don't!

We also did a service project this week, and helped the H's move some logs they'd chopped down on Wednesday.

I love, love, love it when I can so clearly see and feel Heavenly Father in my life. And that's pretty
much how all this week was. It's really reassuring, because when you feel the spirit you can know that despite everything, you're at least doing something right.

AND, E's getting baptized this Sunday!!!! Yeah!! It's come so fast. I can't believe it's less than a week away! I feel like I've worked towards baptizing for so long and set so many dates that fell through, that it's strange to realize that this is really happening. Although, it's not without some issues, of course. E's been
getting a LOT of persecution about it at work :( And even ward members have been kind of criticizing us because Sunday is Ward Conference. However, we've been planning this for weeeeeks and also it's his eternal salvation. (He works Saturdays so that's why it's on a Sunday!) Blah. So Satan always tries to stop anything good. People need to just be supportive because E's great.

We also have an investigator named K. He's Native American and is crazy. I don't quite know what to think of him or how to take him, but he should be getting baptized the 22nd. (To give you an idea, sometimes when we teach him, he says he sees purple lines coming out of our cheeks.)  So, that's interesting. He's a true "Corbin-ite" and does fit in!

Speaking of Corbin-ites, here is a fun conversation we had with a member:

"Hey, does Tuesday still work for us to come and teach your wife?"
-us
"Can we put it off a week? I"m in trouble with my family again. I put
someone in jail"


Testimony meeting was also interesting, but I can say that at least it's gotten better in the past 6 months. Here are a few gems:

Bro M: "I have a perfect testimony. You can't get a better
testimony than I have"

Bro W: (entire testimony): "Being here at church with you people
is the highlight of my week. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Sister S: "Some people think I"m inactive, but I"m not."

It was pretty funny. People in Corbin are definitely quirky and unique and colorful, but for sure are genuine and have a lot of faith.

Elder S also taught us a song on the way to district meeting that's been stuck in our heads all week:

"Born again, saved from sin, never gunna go to church again!
Beat my kids, cheat my wife, I"m gunna have eternal life!"

Thursday, we had district meeting. It was probably one of the best ones I've been to. We have an investigator, C, who's been really struggling with understanding Jesus Christ and The Atonement. As a
part of the training, we role played using the Atonement to call investigators to repentance. It was probably one of the most spiritual experiences I've ever had in a role play. Until people truly feel Jesus Christ's love for them and the power of his Atonement, explaining and teaching and persuading doesn't mean a thing.
Friday, Sister S and I both felt impressed to go visit C! (He was the investigator that gave them his 2 packs of cigarettes and lighter, but then the next week told them to lose his phone number.)We were able to pick him back up as an investigator!!! So that was a huge blessing.

Saturday we also were very blessed. We taught H, who is probably one of my favorite people in Corbin. She loves meeting with us, but her husband hasn't been too happy with the idea. So Saturday we
taught both of them the restoration lesson. The spirit was very strong. He opened up some and committed to reading and praying. During the lesson, H bore her testimony! We tried setting a date, but I think her husband needs more time for the spirit to work on him. But definitely remember them in your prayers.

Sunday, we taught R, who we've been slowly working with. We have been working on the concept of prayer. This week he told us that he had felt and recognized a spiritual prompting and just "knew" that
him and his family needed to come to church :)

All in all, it has definitely been a very fast and a very blessed week!

Love,
Sister Ashlyn Galloway

Quote of the week:
"Are you interested in hearing more about this?"
"No, but if you give me your number I might keep an open mind"

Jail, Tennessee & Rooster Guts

Hello!

So, first off thanks for all the prayers this week. Honestly, I have gained such a big testimony of prayer. I can tell when my family or others are praying for me because those weeks I definitely see more miracles and tender mercies.

This week was interesting... Monday we had a district P-Day at our Ward Mission Leader's house and they killed/cooked one of his roosters!! So that was pretty crazy. I only hid in the barn for part of it---I was pretty impressed with myself! ;)

Skinning the Rooster with Bro. J.

Tuesday, we went down to Williamsburg and then got on the freeway going south trying to find a ward member's house so we could teach their wife. Well, we missed the exit and had no way to turn around or get off until we ended up in Tennessee, which is out of the mission. :O  But, once we (finally) got to Bro. L's house, we had dinner with them and taught his wife. She talked about how she wanted to be baptized! So that was very exciting.

We decorated our planners!

Wednesday was a pretty normal day. Thursday was crazy busy! We had District Meeting. Then we had set appointments one after the other for the rest of the night. We also picked up a new investigator. He is a HQ referral from a member out of state. He was driving a truck and accidentally killed his brother. The member taught him about the Plan of Salvation. We are looking forward to going to teach him soon!

Friday was my 6 month mark (yay!). We got fed a ton of food. It was crazy. (Sister H sent me a picture of them at a Mexican restaurant that she took them to. Food + Ashlyn = Happiness!)

Saturday, we went to jail---to visit P, that is. It was so so so great. She gets out in April and we left her a Book of Mormon. She was pretty happy to see us.

E also came and taught with us this week, which was awesome. He is looking good so far for his baptismal date of 3/22! :) yay!!

Sunday, we drove way out to try and find this less-active couple. We drove up and down this country back road and couldn't find the house number. We asked a few neighbors and they said that they had never heard of who we were trying to find. We stopped and said a prayer, and decided to drive down the road again. We passed by this long dirt driveway-thing going to a house a little ways off the road. There was a mailbox at the bottom that said a different house number than what we were looking for, but I knew it was the right way to go. We drove up it and discovered there was a fork in the road. Sister S and I both felt impressed as to which fork we needed to take. There was another turn. We both knew which one to take again. Then we went down a long gravel road. There were several "No Trespassing" signs, but we both felt good about continuing. Sure enough, the house at the end was theirs! I am so grateful for the Spirit's guidance. We don't always know immediately where to go, but Heavenly Father will lead us each step of the way.

Love,
Sister Galloway

Corbin's Libraries do not close on President's Day, FYI...

This morning, I got up and started my scripture study. Luckily, I had put my phone on the desk. About 8:30, I heard my email notification sound and looked at it. It was  from ASHLYN!! I was soo very surprised since I thought we might not hear from her until Tuesday or Wednesday this week and it was President's Day and the libraries were closed...or supposed to be. I hadn't written her a normal weekly email and had just planned on doing it this afternoon. So her email said, "MOMMA!!! NO EMAIL???!!!" I felt soo, soo bad, so I hurried and jumped on the computer and started typing away.

As we emailed back & forth through the course of an hour, the things we were able to tell her and learn were exactly what she needed for today. I am so grateful that this situation happened because it ended up so perfectly for all of us. I feel like she was uplifted and we were as well.

So for this week, I am just enclosing a few snippets of her email since she didn't really write a regular email to us.

Me: Are you staying in Corbin? We are fine here. Everyone is still asleep this morning. I was doing my am scripture study & then I was going to go running. So glad I was inspired to read 1st! We went to the temple and saw the new version of the newest movie. It was good, but I missed so many things. I guess I just need time to process what I learned. HAPPY SIX MONTHS on FRIDAY!!! Wow, I can't believe it. Some days just drag, but then suddenly, I realize another month has passed. CRAZY!!

Ashlyn: Yes!!! I did not get transferred. I am soo happy to get another transfer here. :)  And Sister Short is here still too. :) This week has been a little rough... story of my life. :/ But emailing makes me happy. So, C dropped us. He told us to loose his number. We immediately drove over there and knocked, but he wouldn't answer. We sang a few songs because we knew he was in there, but he wouldn't open his door :( That was a really rough night. It's frustrating because our leaders tell us to "baptize!" and be clear about our purpose, but even when investigators WANT to change, like C, they walk away. Blah. Sometimes I get tired of "planting seeds." I keep trying to be patient, humble, diligent and obedient. I read Mosiah 4 this morning. It was a good one. I like the "believe in God" scripture. And I re-read that talk you sent me. (President Kim B. Clark: http://www2.byui.edu/Presentations/Transcripts/Devotionals/2014_01_07_Clark.htm "Hold on Thy Way and God will Be with Thee Forever and Ever.") Yesterday was an incredibly rough day. I don't know if I can describe it. It makes me feel bad talking about it, even.

Me: Sorry to hear about C. Remember that you don't know what future holds for you. So hold onto HOPE and FAITH. Heavenly Father wanted you in Kentucky!!! He wanted you in Corbin for this TIME. DON'T get discourage because you are doing GREAT!!!!!

Ashlyn:

Thanks mom. I want to go to the temple sooo badly! That would be the best. Maybe next transfer I'll get moved to Crestwood Zone so I can go to the L'ville temple!!? :p After Corbin, a city would be suuuuper boring. ha ha!! I'm afraid I've become a little jaded. Sister S and I joke about it all the time:

"We offended 2 ward members today?" No Big Deal.

P's in jail? Cool, what's our backup plan for tomorrow then?

Eat Bambi? Sounds great.

You don't have an address? That's OK, we'll just find your house somehow anyway. {FYI, That is her sarcasm/sense of humor on those last few lines!}

One thing that I've learned is that most things don't matter as much as we think they do. Another thing that Sister E always said was that we're not going to mess things up. I can't imagine Heavenly Father saying "Oh darn. They didn't do what they should've, this completely ruins my plans..." I love that he's already made up for our mistakes. It's like how he prepared another record because he knew Joseph would listen to Martin Harris and loose the translation. How much more he must make up for our mistakes, big and small, especially as missionaries.

Thanks Dad for the quick email. :) I love you so much, and I miss you a lot. I have to go pretty quick here, but I"ll talk to you soon. Have a wonderful, wonderful week!

Jeremy ended it with this email: We all love you as well and miss you. Hailey and Paige say HI. Take care, stay warm and put on your armor! Don't let that nasty, mean guy (he who shall not be named) get to you.

So that is the news from Corbin. All day I have wondered if Corbin realizes it's a federal holiday!!! :) And just for the record, I KNOW we aren't supposed to email back and forth, but I honestly felt like today she needed to be able to do that to lift her spirit and encourage her. So I will repent of that. :) Today, I have prayed about and for her and have felt like "Corbin is her preparation" for the kind of missionary the Lord needs her to be for the last 12 months of her mission.