20th Birthday on the Mission! #happybirthdaytome

The week before transfers is always interesting. It consists of going around trying to visit anyone and everyone that means a lot to you so that juuuust in case you’re leaving you will have seen them! Boy, am I glad we did that! 
Yes, I am staying in Diamond Bar another 6 weeks (and I am ecstatic) but we are getting another set of missionaries in the ward (6 HONKIN’ MISSIONIARES IN ONE PLACE!!) so we are losing part of our area and won’t be able to visit/teach those people anymore. Even though I’m a little sad about that I’m excited because it’ll help Sister Hansen and I to focus in on the areas we DO have. I am going to give it my all these next six weeks…well, I guess the next 12 ½ months too..but still, you get it! Lol

I love this sarcastic, hilarious man!

Yall. Everyone and their mother have pets out here. This would be great if Jeri Toolan wasn’t my mother and hadn’t raised me in a house where there were NO animals’ lol. Love you momma. It’s so bad. And even though I’m the one that doesn’t like them, it’s like pets are attracted to me for some reason -_- we have a huge lint roller in the car because sometimes we make the mistake of wearing black to a members home who has 5 dadgum pets hahah. So I’m just going to go ahead and make this known in print and everything:

Dear future spouse,

I will agree to marrying you if and only if you understand that we will NOT be having pets of any sort (jk, fish are alright because they don’t shed or smell) in our house.

Love,

Your high maintenance better half :)

I remember at the beginning of my mission I was really sad one day. I talked to Sister Havens and expressed to her that I knew something was wrong because I was NOT being myself. She said “maybe you’ve just changed? That happens when you go on a mission. You become a better person and it just happens. What if you went home today the same that you are right now?” and I looked at her very seriously and said “If I went home like this I would regret going on a mission. Heavenly Father would NOT take my personality away from me. He would not want me to be having to always force a smile. My personality is the one thing that is going to HELP me on my mission!”

Luckily, it didn’t take too much longer and I snapped out of it, but I know that what I said that day was the truth. I was blessed to have the personality that I do. So many people (members, missionaries, ect.) have told me have thankful they are that I’m not some robot 24/7. Yes, we are still missionaries and need to act like it, but we are STILL human and can laugh and have a good time. I might not be good at quoting scriptures or knowing the answer to every question, but darn it I love people and love making them happy and smile and that is enough.

We went and visited with a 82 year old woman that can’t come to church anymore because she isn’t well enough to leave the house and before we left we told her how much we love seeing her and she goes, while crying “Thank YOU for coming. Thank you for bringing a little bit of heaven and Heavenly Father into my house when you come. I need it more than you realize.”
How sweet? It’s true. Us missionaries (depending on whether or not we’ve been obedient) bring the spirit into homes. It’s one of the best tools we have at helping people understand that what we are sharing with them is true. They SEE the difference in their homes when we are there. They want that feeling to stay there. And it can. By being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost just as us members of the church have. Goodness, I love this church :)

Diamond Bar Sister Missionaries

So, you know how Dakota Emily and I would always watch the SNL skit “The Californians”? OH MY GOSH. They were soooooo accurate in that video about the people of California. They really do tell you how to get everywhere by talking about the freeways and stuff hahah. It’s so funny. I laugh every time someone tries to tell me how to get where I need to go by doing that. #nailedit

I have been in denial for a while. I liked to think I don’t really have an accent, but I’ve proven myself wrong this week. So we found out that Elder Neil L. Andersen of the quorum of the twelve apostles will be coming to talk to our mission on Saturday and I kept saying to Sister Hansen “gosh, that’s really hard to say…like with the L and then Anderson!!!” She pointed out to me that it really wasn’t hard I just have an accent…then it hit me…I do. I was saying (now everyone join in and say it with me so you understand :p) Neil “ale” like ginger ale Anderson. I couldn’t just say the “L” normal. Still cant :( lol

I decided to treat myself today since my birthday is tomorrow! I got my naiiiiillls diiiid! Mani/pedi, HOLLA! #divastatus And to top it all off immma try and go find a new dress at daaaaa gooodwiiiiillll! :) so until next week, keep it real homies!

-hugs-

Sister Toolan

Sister Cook left Diamond Bar:(