TUCSON TEMPLE!!!

TUCSON, AZ IS GETTING A TEMPLE!!!!!!!!!!! (Green, for a saguaro.)

I am just a little excited about this. Every single conference when the prophet opens the conference and makes his usual announcements, including new temples, I think in my mind, "Is this the day that Tucson will be announced?" For years we have been waiting for one, hoping and praying that we will be blessed with one. So this conference I sat in the chapel and listened quietly as he announced new temples. He said there would be 2 new temples announced in the following locations, and my heart kinda started to pound a little, like something big was about to happen, and in my head I thought, "Tucson, AZ" or maybe it was the Spirit, I don't know, but to my utter amazement I heard the words in my head spoken out loud simultaneously by President Monson. Tucson, AZ. My jaw dropped and all I could say was, "Shut your mouth." He did not shut his mouth. It was real. Tucson is getting a temple!!! I think my eyes may or may not have watered a little bit when I heard that and it sunk in. Just a little though.

I thought of everyone that I know and love in Tucson and how much joy they were all feeling at the new announcement. I never imagined what that would feel like, to know that my precious lil hometown is going to be blessed with a temple. We better live up to that responsibility now. Truthfully though, I have never wished to be home with the people that I love more than when I heard that announcement. I wanted to be able to rejoice and celebrate with everyone. I wanted to be able to share that joy that I felt with people that understood, like me, how long we have been waiting and how amazing that announcement actually was. But, I will have to suffice with continuing on the Lord's work in Tacoma. Maybe one day they'll get a temple here too and I will be able to feel just as much joy. Every time I think about it still, I wonder if it's a dream or if I just made it up, but then I remember that it's real.

But, then my world continued to be rocked with the announcement of new missionary ages! Oh dang. All of a sudden I feel old, you know, now that I'm on the brink of 22. Then I thought of what it would be like to train a 19 year old sister. Wieerrdd. Future greenie, if you are somehow reading this and you are 19, I'm wierded out that you are 19, but I will trust that God has prepared you. Ok, that's it, I'm done with that.

Conference was amazing. There were so many good talks. I had tried to think of a question to have answered, but I was really struggling to word it or phrase it, but I knew that it had to do with faith. Good thing God is smart and He knows how to answer my questions even when I don't really know what to ask. Some of my favorite talks included Elder Anderson's and Elder Bednar's. That was such a perfect analogy of why it's important to have a testimony and to be converted. The lamp is our testimony, but the oil that keeps it buuurrrrning briiiight is our conversion to the gospel. So, the question becomes, are you converted? If yes, keep being converted. If not, be converted. When you take a step toward Christ He takes a step toward you. It just takes one step of faith at a time.

Things are going pretty well with the work. We know our way around the area pretty well by now and we're doing good on sifting through potentials and people in our teaching pool, trying to figure out who is really progressing and who we need to focus on. We are feeling good, pushing through the tough days, and laughing as much as possible. That happens a lot cause my comp is super happy and thinks I'm really funny. Oh, happy day.

What about errbody else? What did you learn at Conference? How's life? Meet any cool people who want to learn about Jesus? Oh, we talked to a crazy guy yesterday who told us to stop wasting our time with what we were doing and go make as much money as possible and buy food and property somewhere out in the country cause the cities will be unlivable in 4 years. He told us to stop wasting time. I told him to do the same. Actually it was a perfect example of getting to carried away with the internet and with information. I thought of that one talk where he said information isn't enough. You need knowledge and application of it. This guy is 35, getting divorced, paranoid, and drunk. It made me so grateful for what I get to go do every day and for the perspective that I get. It isn't just the next 5 or 10 years. It's eternity. Don't waste time.

Send me some letters this week. And pictures. I want to see what people are up to. It would be nice, you know, to get them on the 12th. No particular reason. Love you guys. Be good, and in the immortal words of the great Joseph Ballantyne, "Don't suck."

Sister Chronister