Week 97 - I am full of different emotions

I am full of different emotions. I think the most powerful one right now is just the full on desire to sprint to the end. To just give it absolutely everything I have. I can't wait to come home and teach all of y'all Spanish. It's gonna need to become the new language of our family because it is just so wonderful! It's exciting to me that I'll get to be with the whole family for a while.

So... drum roll please! I won't actually be ending in Hanford. I got a curve ball. I'm getting transferred for my last transfer. I'm going to go to a Spanish ward to end!! Wooohhooooo! I'm going to miss Hanford a lot though. I've given it everything I ever could here and it's made me love this place. I've grown to love the people and the members a ton. It's a great ward and I'm sad to have to leave it.

I'm still going to be a zone leader though. I'm going to be companions with Elder Olson (from Colorado). He's super cool!! We always joked about being companions since he's gotten to the mission. And now it's happening. I know that he will be an awesome companion for me to just work really hard with!! I'm excited for it. I'm really grateful to be able to end it with the Spanish people. They have my heart for sure. It will be super awesome. I'm gonna miss Elder Perkins too though. It's been super cool getting to serve super close to him. We're gonna be great friends after the mission!

So the big story of this last week is Raquel. I've told y'all about her before. She is the one with the 5 little girls. They are an amazing family. I love being with them and am going to miss them a ton. But she is going to get baptized here in a week and a half!!! I'm super excited. She is so awesome! We went over the baptismal interview questions with her yesterday and she answered them is the most amazing way. When she was telling us about how she got an answer to know that the church was true she was brought to tears. She shared some of the most tender experiences with the Holy Ghost that I have heard on my mission. I'm so excited for her to enter the waters of baptism.

It's moments like those that seriously make me never want to leave this place. Seeing people connect these things and seeing how very important it is to them just overpowers me with joy!! I love this work more than anything!! And another sweet tender mercy is that Raquel and Elijah are actually going to be moving shortly after her baptism and we were kind of worried about it. We were worried that they might get lost in transit and with the hustle and bustle of it all. But I'm getting sent to the same city, Visalia, that they're moving to!! I can make sure that they meet the bishop, missionaries, home teachers, the whole nine yards!! It's just a blessing to see how much of a hand the Lord really has in all of this work.

I know that Jesus Christ lives and loves all of us. I know that no matter what, we are still in his reach. I can't believe how much of a friend and companion he can and wants to be. I loved every minute of my mission and I'm grateful for the remaining time I have left! I love this gospel and know it's true with all of my soul!! I love y'all and hope that y'all have an amazing week.

Love,

Elder Robertson