Malmstrom, Sara

Howdy, y'all! This week has been rough, I won't lie. But I've been focusing on all of the things that have gone wrong this week, and I don't want to do that in this email. So here's just a couple good news moments! 1) We were able to have a lesson with Vance and Sara this week!! They haven't come to church, since Sara was baptized in January. We've had barely any contact with them, and it's been really hard. But thanks to the INCREDIBLE members of the Desert Rose ward, we were able to set up a lesson with them and finally talk with them again! They've been going through a rough patch, but they're working things out and have missed coming to church. We read from 3 Nephi 11, and they shared some of the things they're working on. Brother Pond was fantastic in simply loving them and telling them that they have been missed, and that their mistakes don't decide their worth or how much we love them. It was amazing to see the softness and light i...

Alright, y'all. Wow. Here we are! We've successfully made it through the first week of training! It's going well! I think. I hope. Sister Eastman is my companion, and she's just lovely. She's very soft spoken, but is eager to learn and asks a lot of great questions. She's so sweet, and I'm enjoying our time together! I absolutely do not feel qualified to have this responsibility or calling, but I have found peace in knowing Thomas S. Monson's statement that, "Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies." I am trying to focus on the Savior and applying His atoning power to my life. I make a lot of mistakes in my missionary work, and I'm trying to make myself understand how Christ's Atonement applies to the people we're teaching, but also to myself! I don't know why it's such a hard concept to grasp. I definitely am really hard on myself and put too much pressure on myself, and I'm trying to learn how to let Him in and let Him...

Happy Monday!! I don't have much to say this week, only that it is transfer time again! Sister Welch is moving to the Green Valley stake in Henderson, which is practically next door to here! I will be staying in this area and I am going to be training a new missionary!! It's my first time training and I'm excited but extremely nervous. If anyone has any advice, please send it my way! I'm really grateful for this learning opportunity and I know that it's going to cause a lot of growth to happen. Which is much needed, but always uncomfortable. But I truly am excited, and I know this next transfer is going to be a lot of fun! With transfers upon us and spring in the air, there's a feeling of newness and change. I feel like a new phase of my mission is beginning. Hopefully this doesn't sound too dramatic, but I sense a lot of growth coming my way, and I feel like I need to be prepared for it in order to learn everything that I need to from the unknown experience...

Howdy howdy! There isn't much to report from this week. We finally entered February and so far it's been glorious. This Week has warmed up, with yesterday reaching a whopping 65⁰ with not a singular cloud in the sky. It was the first time in months that I stepped outside and didn't immediately get chilled! I didn't even use my jacket all day, and even once the sun went down I didn't have my winter coat on! Spring comes early to Nevada and I'm looking forward to it before the 60⁰ weather doubles to 120⁰ in the next 4 months. On Wednesday we had our friend Emily join us for the day! We got to live the trio life with her, and we adore her. She started her mission June 27th, the same day that Sister Welch and I started, but she came home before Thanksgiving due to some medical problems. She's been cleared to return to her original assignment in Paraguay and leaves next week, and we are so excited for her! She spent the day with us to get back into the habit of m...