On to Reno

Hello! This week was a lot different than the last few weeks were! I should probably just go in chronological order so this all makes a little more sense!

Monday night and Tuesday was a little weird. I had all of my stuff packed up by Tuesday night and had to go and say goodbye to a bunch of people. So that was kinda sad. Monday night I got to have dinner with an awesome family though, so I'll try to attach a picture of that :)

Transfer day was a little interesting. Usually we have a transfer meeting at noon and it's pretty much a testimony meeting. So we went to Arby's (which was delicious, of course) before the meeting and as we were driving to the church we got a text that the meeting wouldn't be until 1:30. Turns out that the transfer van got a flat tire somewhere on the long trek from Reno to Elko. So we rearranged some things and Sister Hingano's lunch with a member got moved to before the meeting. So I ended up having lunch again, which was kinda depressing because she bought us Costa Vida and I wasn't nearly hungry enough for how good it is.

Then the transfer van came and we ended up not having a meeting and just starting the drive. It was strange because I was the only sister there...it was just the 2 drivers, me, and an elder. So I was unofficial companions with an elder which was a little strange. I did get a pretty solid nap in for a couple hours on the way to Winnemucca though!

Anyway, apparently it rains every time I go to a new area. So it was raining quite a bit when we got to the mission office in Sparks. Then I got to meet Sister Johnson! She's so awesome! She's a great missionary and it's been fun trying to figure out the whole missionary thing as we're both still pretty new.

Thursday morning we got to do service at a food bank! Despite the fact that we were outside in the cold rain, it was such a great experience. It was humbling to see so many people come through and be able to help them out in such a small yet impactful way. And it was pretty awesome because a lot of them spoke Spanish, so I got to practice my Spanish :)

Thursday night I got to meet a family that we've been teaching. As we were talking, their son, Eric (who is around my age), asked me where I was from. I said Indianapolis area and he asked me if I was a Colts fan. Then he got so excited! Apparently he's a huge Colts fan! I got to make him jealous by telling him that I've met Reggie Wayne.

So clearly I'm pretty tired. Here's how a message I left on someone's voicemail went: "Hi this is the sister missionaries! We were just wondering if there was a time that we could come by and get to know you guys! We hope you guys are doing great and that we'll be able to see you soon! In the name of Jesus Christ....................................**did I really just say that?**............*whispers* Sister Johnson, how do I change it?............................**hangs up." So clearly I'm still working on the whole communication thing. Who knows, maybe they'll actually call us back, even if it is to laugh at me :)

Anyway, Reno's pretty great. I was going to tell you about the incredible sketchiness of the area and the high crime rate where I live, but that would be a bit of a lie. The members here are great! And no worries, people are feeding us. My taste buds will hopefully adapt soon :) I'm not in downtown Reno so there are a lot of people but minus the downtown sketchiness. I do have to admit it was a bit of a culture shock moving from a tiny town to a bigger city but I love it! I'd probably compare this area to a little busier, a little less sketchy Terre Haute (?) without the absolutely disgusting smell. It's good to know that Five Guys is still in existence and that there is more than just Subway and Dominos here! They have good pizza places and tons of different restaurants! So those of you asking about gift cards, pretty much anything but Chick fil-a is here! :) Which is kinda depressing, but I'll survive.
Conference was so great! There were so many amazing talks! I don't have the talks with me but my favorites at the time were Elders James B. Martino, Larry R. Lawrence, Von G. Keetch, Kim B. Clark, and David A. Bednar. There were other good ones but those are the ones that stuck out to me as I looked over my notes :)
Unfortunately our P-day is getting cut a little short today :( but for a good reason...WE GET TO GO TO THE TEMPLE :) I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get to go to the temple a single time on my mission but I get to go on Wednesday! I'm so excited!!! :)

ALSO! Thank you so much Rachel Weiss and Halle Mackey! You two are the best :) I got a package from my little buddies this week and it made my day :)

Have a great week! Love and miss you all!

Sister Ashley Gootee :)