Sister in Sydney: Happy Birthday to me!

Hey yous!

So BIG shocking news. And no, not that I just opened up my overwhelming amount of birthday wishes, ya’ll are way too kind! I got transferred and a new assignment! I am now in Fairfield! Villawood First ward. The one time I was so confident I would stay, right? Yous probably didn't even think it was transfers because I was so calm I never even mentioned it! I thought my District Leader was playing a joke, then, I thought my zone leaders were but then I got a call from President. This was no joke. He said he had a "new callling and assignment for me" My first thought was that I was training again. Oh President Palmer, this is not a new calling, I have trained before. But no, President was right. This was most definitely a NEW calling. He then asked me to join the leadership council and serve as a Sister Training leader. My heart dropped. Then he said to continue to be exactly obedient and a great example. I said I would try my best, but he said that's not good enough! So no pressure aye? Well after I hung up, all the sisters were smiling, yelling, and I literally sunk to the floor and started crying. I did not want to leave the Gong and the sisters there at all, let alone a scary new calling! So their excitement also turned to tears. We were all crying. But I prayed about it that night and then after I prayed and pleaded with the Lord, I go tell the other sisters, "Dang it. It is right."

But how does Pres. Palmer do something like that? He just became our mission president, he doesn't even know me! haha I kept thinking this. He shook my hand at the Zone Conference, I made what, maybe one or two comments max the whole day? I had the worst numbers ever last week and he wants me to be a sister training leader? But through much prayer, I realized he works directly from the Lord and Heavenly Father knows me.

So I am being trained to be a STL by Sis. Davis. I lived with her in my first flat in Canberra.

She might be white as but she is totally Mexican (haha she is from New Mexico) I am excited to work with her and know I will learn so much from her! We are serving in an "English ward" which is just.. ya know... 80% Tongan! Fakama! haha And so I'm really excited about that. But I'll admit it.... I miss the beach, and a good night's sleep. Sirens and cars all night just to top off the no sleep from all the anxiety! But already feel such an increased love for the sisters in this mission! We will be over a little under 20 sisters and do exchanges with all the sisters in the Fairfield and Parramatta zone, and yeah.. I'm sure mum and dad have heaps of more questions but that's honestly all I really know so far!

So last week in Wollongong (that sounds so weird...) We contacted our Congolese referral. They all were pastors wives... but it went great! They understood some of my Kinyarwanda and they all committed to read the Book of Mormon because they are fully aware that if it is a book of God, the Holy Ghost will tell them (which is so will) and if it isn't, the Holy Ghost will also tell them.

Amy is coming along so well. She is still praying to reset her own date. We reviewed Law of Chastity, as well as Tithing and fasting with her and she committed. And then she full on bore her testimony about now living the Word of Wisdom. She texted us heaps about how she is so happy and how her dad overheard our last lesson and how happy we sounded and how her parents hearts and softening! yay! I will miss her.

Finally got in touch with Rachel again. So sweet, but so sketchy. Taught all the Plan of Salvation to her and she said it totally makes sense and rang a bell (which it does, she heard this all before she came to earth just like everyone of us!) And we invited her to be baptized and she accepted! The other sisters should be setting a date with her in the appointment later today :)

So great things happening in Wollongong. I fully trust my companions with the area and now I have done my duty and planted the seeds! I felt so ripped off for leaving after two transfers though, compared to spending half of my mission in my first area. haha! I felt like I hardly contributed anything. But at my last goodbye visit to the Wiperis (they started hosting the missionary FHE every week with us- which by the way we cooked for last week, smoke alarms totally all went off in our flat as we had a full on barbie, I mean BBQ, in our kitchen haha) she said heaps of members from the Ward Council I hardly know were talking about the contribution I had made. So that made me feel better/more emotional at the same time. And then her closing prayer of our goodbye visit, she started crying, so then I cried and all the sisters cried. Ah! I will miss that family. Especially her disabled son Nephi. We taught him signs for each or our names and mine is "Rushing!" While running in place really fast. And I taught him the "jellyfish" when people try to high five him and then we tried to teach him "The roof, the roof, the roof is on..." and he shouts out "FIRE!" So when it finally hit him what was happening even he started crying and said "Bye Rushing.." It broke my heart.

So I still feel like I am in a little bit of a dream. I haven't slept much lately. But the Lord knows. In my farewell testimony in Wollongong I read from the Bible dictionary how through prayer, our will can become His. I know that I am needed here now, and I am humbled with my new assignment and know I will learn and grow so much from it and the sisters I will work with. I love this gospel and I love all of yous!

Sister Rushing :)

P.S. Mum thanks for testing my patience with the hourly b-day package haha and Dad I LOVE my Uni of Kentucky jumper (hoodie) and Karsyn.... your card!

I'm wearing it right now. So sweet! And so funny you little crack up! :) I also got package from grandma and grandpa! Thank you! Thank you! I will try to reply to all the emails but it is more difficult here as we have limited, paid time.