Half of my mission was going to be in Sunrise.....

So... about the was... I am staying in Sunrise!! With Sister Kelepi! So half of my mission will be here. In Temple View YSA. Except they combined the Sunrise and Central zones. So without moving anything I am in a new zone. We are now the second largest zone in the mission with 14 companionships. There is a lot about the mission organization that changed- now we are back to one set of APs, the Spanish zone was absorbed into two other zones, and North and Northwest are one zone. We get to move back to the English district! Elder Steed is the District leader of our district, Elder Anderson is going to be the district leader of the other English District (who was previously a zone leader in Central) and AP Murphy is coming to be a district leader of the Spanish District. Our new zone leader is Elder Smith (with Elder Johnson- sounds like a bunch of Mormons, huh?) who was a Central Zone Leader. I HAVE BEEN IN THIS WARD SO LONG THAT I HAVE SEEN AT LEAST FOUR missionaries in each ward. I was going through it the other day. No one is the same. It is kind of lonely because I feel like I have seen it at it's best and it's worst. I feel like we used to be more united- but I guess it's good that everyone is working so hard they feel like they don't need to know the missionaries in their area. haha. I am happy to be able to stay with Sister Keleps! She is so fun to be around and she is so willing to learn and apply what she learns. She teaches me something new every day. I love the "greenie" outlook of the mission and I have been lucky enough to have that around me my whole mission. (With the exception of the 6 weeks with Grandma Pierson who actually goes home Tuesday. You feel REALLY old [mission years] when one of your companions goes home... It's heart breaking.) I am ready to beast it out this last transfer here. I want to leave the area not just better than I have found it but better than I have ever seen it!! I know that it is more than possible. I want to have superb memories of my last six weeks in Sunrise!

Last Monday night was such a tender experience for me. We had dinner scheduled at the Scholl's and they asked us to be there at 5:30. There were balloons hanging from the ceiling and tons of people there just walking around... It was strange. I felt like I walked into someone elses' party. Then I saw a cute little bouquet of fruit and the card said "from you family in Oregon." I just loved it so much I needed a picture but the camera was in the car - SOLUTION: go get the camera! haha. When we walked back in everyone was in the living room and they threw balloons at me and yelled "SURPRISE!" I literally felt so loved the whole evening. We had salad and Hamburger Helper. Then we ate little ice cream cupcake things and I opened presents (a notebook, scarf, lotion and nail polish- all useful, beautiful things) I was feeling like my birthday was a little boring. I was excited to finally have something that felt like... my birthday. I hope that doesn't sound selfish but It's just what a girl wants, I guess. I was feeling a little fever-y at the party thing. I just thought I was warm because of how many people were there and how many...

NOPE! Pneumonia. Woo hoo. That was not very fun. I was out of commission for like 3 days. I went to the "comprehensive cancer center" because it had the only LDS doctor that could squeeze me in right away because I was hard core having a real hard time breathing. And it was on exchanges- that was kind of weird to be there with someone that wasn't my companion. But I love Sister Swerdfeger! They prescribed SLEEP and antibiotics. I took the horse pills for 3 days and now I am feeling SO much better! I finally have energy. I feel like I have been sick for a long time and it just manifested itself so much that there was nothing more I could do but stop working and lay down so I don't die. I realized that I walk really fast. I am trying to learn a balance between getting a lot done and doing all the needs to be done. I am one to just work, work, work. But I have learned now (maybe-- again?) that there are righteous times to slow down and do a fun or restful thing or two. I am really grateful for all the people that have helped me to get better! Thursday I slept on Chaunee's bed while Sister Kelepi went out with Leilani. (PS, let me tell you for a second how much I love Leilani. She took us to ice cream for my birthday and she bought us cute colored contacts, she always goes to lessons with us, she texts us just to say she loves us... she is perfect! Plus we get to have lessons with her whenever we want because she is a recent convert that is anxious to learn all the ins and outs of the gospel. I LOVE HER.)

Moral of the story- I am healthy. :)

OH HEY! We have an atheist investigator- coolest teaching experiences ever. I love that there are things I have never focused on that need to have the focus in lessons. I seriously am so grateful for the learning experiences I have been given lately. I have felt a little like I was plateauing and going through the same things all the time. I have such a testimony for just talking to Heavenly Father about how you feel in prayers. Sometimes I don't know how to or what to even ask for. I know, now, that he really has all knowledge! Just let him know how you feel and He will give you what you need to feel better! :) I wish that I could explain it better. God just LOVES YOU. Okay, people. He does :)

This has been a long week but a quick transfer. I am grateful for my mission. It may or may not have hit me this week just how long I have been out... I am starting to freak out.

I had my first homecoming dream this week. Oh my lanta those are the scariest things ever!

I love you all!

Still here smiling in Sunrise!
Sister Fields :)