Last Email

 Hi everybody! It's unreal to think this is the last email I'm writing. My heart is so full right now and I feel so incredibly grateful for my mission.

I'll update you on this last week real quick...

We had a mission tour this week, where a member of the Seventy, Elder David P. Homer, came to visit and teach us. It was kind of like a Zone Conference. We drove to Ventura on Tuesday for the meeting and it was AMAZING! I learned so much. It was also SO fun to see missionaries I didn't think I'd get to see again before I ended my mission! I got to see Hermana Crawford, my comp from Simi Valley, and it was such a happy reunion :)

On Tuesday night and Wednesday I was on an exchange with Sister Williams in her area, which is Solvang. It was so so fun! Wednesday morning, for our exercise, we went for a walk through Solvang. It's a cute little Dutch town and I just wanted to stop and take a million pictures haha. Later that day, we drove to MLC together. MLC was in Thousand Oaks with Elder David Homer, and it was so worth the 2 hour drive. It was hard to think about it being my last MLC, and it felt weird thinking that I wouldn't be there to see some of the goals we made for the mission be fulfilled because I'd be going home, but I feel like there were things I needed to hear in that meeting to apply to my life after my mission.

On Thursday, we had a lot of really amazing lessons! One was with our friend Angelica. We brought a member, Hermano Negrete, to her house and taught about baptism and the Holy Ghost. The Spirit was definitely present in that visit. Before the lesson, we had talked about how we wanted to give her a Book of Mormon, but we realized we'd just run out. At the end of the visit, Hermana Nelson pointed to a book on her shelf that was lying under a pile of mail. She had just felt inspired to ask if it was a Book of Mormon. Angelica dug through the mail and pulled out the book, and sure enough... it was a Book of Mormon!! Apparently her son has had lessons in the past, so she thought it must be her son's. It was a miracle, and I'm so grateful Hermana Nelson followed the Spirit.

On Friday, I had an exchange with Hermana Cox and Searle in Santa Barbara! They are such sweet Hermanas and I LOVED spending a day with them! We got to find a lot of new friends and had so much fun doing it!

On Saturday I had my departing interview with President Rodriguez. It was really really good and he had so much great counsel. It makes me sad too though because I'm sure going to miss interviews with him. I'll miss President and Hermana Rodriguez with all my heart!! After interviews, we did our studies and had lunch in Solvang. SO much fun. Feels like I'm on vacation sometimes in this area. Then, we had some amazing visits with our friend Julian, then Hector, then José Martin. Each one was so good and almost brought me to tears. 

On Sunday, the Elders had a baptism that I got to play the piano at! It was really special to get to be a part of. Also, a few members from Oxnard drove to the Lompoc church service to see Hermana Buhrley and me before we leave! Raul and Juanito! Raul was baptized in July when Hermana Van Brocklin and I were together! He chose to bear his testimony in church and I felt so much joy and peace and I saw the change that he's had as a member of Christ's restored church! We had our departing missionaries testimony meeting that night. It was unreal to be the one sharing my testimony.

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT:

Well, this is it! So I want to leave you all with my testimony!

I know that this church is true. I know that it is led by Jesus Christ, and I know that He wants all of us to find the joy that comes from it. I know that Christ is my Savior. I love Him more than anything. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It works with the Bible to bring us the fulness of the gospel. Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God. We have a living prophet today.

I know that God works through imperfect people, but that His Church and His doctrine is perfect. I'm so grateful to know that He works through imperfect people because that includes me!

Jesus Christ offers all of us His grace. His love never fails. He is waiting for each and every one of us with open arms. It's up to us to accept His infinite gift.

I love this gospel! I love my mission! And I love my Redeemer. I may not be wearing a tag soon, but I will always be a disciple of Christ. Even with all the changes ahead, that will never change!!!

My invitation for each of you is to KEEP pressing forward! Turn to your Savior. He knows you, and He loves you! It doesn't matter where we've been, what matters is where we're pointed.

I love all of you forever and ever!

-Hermana DeMordaunt

️️️ P.S. I have my homecoming this Sunday Feb. 9 at 10:30am!!!! I hope you can make it! Here's the address! And there will be food at my house after :)

1530 Pheasant Pointe Dr, Lehi, UT 84043

ET?!🚨

 Okay this email was for last week but I never got a chance to send it...

Buenos días amigos! Some crazy things went down this week, so buckle up.

So first funny story. Hermana Olmstead has these mentoring meetings since she's still in training, where basically someone from the MTC does calls with us and we talk about how to improve our teaching, finding, faith, etc. etc. They're really good meetings! In her last meeting, we came up with some different ways to find. We decided to walk around a parking lot with a whiteboard that said, "What brings you joy?" and start conversations with people. It's worked really good in YSA areas whenever I'm on exchanges and we're walking around college campus. Well, it didn't work out too well for us hahaha. When we looked at the whiteboard after walking a few laps around the parking lot, we realized all but two of the answers written on the board were our own. It was depressing. But also kind of funny and I couldn't stop laughing on the walk back to the car hahaha

On Wednesday we had some really good lessons! One was with Diego, who's a friend we met through english class . Then we had one with Fernando and it was SO good. Two members came to help us and they said exactly what Fernando needed to hear.

On Thursday, I had an exchange with Hermanas Santa Maria and Olmstead! It was so fun! I got some crazy news though..

Long-story-short, last week I got a threatening call from someone in an old area of mine. For safety reasons, I got the news on Thursday that I needed to pack and be ready to move to Lompoc the next day. Sooo now I'm in Lompoc with Hermanas Buhrely and Nelson for the rest of my mission!! I'm so so so excited to be here with them, but it was super hard to say an unexpected goodbye to my comps and area in Simi Valley.

Lompoc is a town in the middle of nowhere. We also cover Solvang, which is about 30 mins away and it's such a cute touristy town! Also, Lompoc is right by a base where rockets are launched, so that's pretty cool!

On Saturday, I had an exchange with Hermanas Ellison and Buhrley in Santa Maria! It was SO fun and we got to spend a lot of our day in Pismo Beach! We did our studies at a table near the beach and ate the best cinnamon rolls ever. We also had a super good improv lesson with a woman named Gloria and the Spirit was so strong. We had a dinner with members later and the FUNNIEST thing happened. The dinner was at the home of an older man and woman. As we were talking, Hermana Ellison asked them when they got married. (Okay hear me out, they looked married. And we had no context to go off of.) The man looked at her funny and then said, "Never. She's my mom."

On Sunday, it was super fun to get to meet the Spanish Branch here in Lompoc. They were so welcoming and sweet!!

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT:

"The path of salvation always leads through Gethsemane." -Elder Holland

I'm so grateful to know that Christ suffered in Gethsemane so we never have to suffer alone! Life is hard, but with His Atonement, we can get through anything.

My invitation for all of you is to study the Atonement of Jesus Christ and pray to know that what He did was for YOU. I promise you'll receive a confirmation.

I love all of you!

-Hermana DeMordaunt