................Sister Lauren Holmoe..... .......Tallahassee, Florida Mission....: Week 50

Well the surprise is...I'm leaving Troy and headed to Tallahassee!!!! I am so excited to go to Tallahassee and serve there. I will be companions with Sister Bertaldo who leaves at the end of the next transfer and we will be serving in the Tally 4th ward!! (which if I'm not mistaken is the ward Erik served in)?? I am SOOO excited for this change!!! We are Sister Trainer Leaders so I'll get to go on exchanges with other sisters in the Tallahassee Zone which will be fun. I feel very very humbled with this new responsibility but am so happy to be able to serve and love those sisters, as well as the people in TALLY!!!! Whoo just so much to think about and it’s all happening so fast but I'll go where the Lord wants me to go!! :)

It was a great week in Troy!! SO many miracles occurred! We finally met with this one kid we have been trying to get an appointment with FOREVER. His number was randomly in our planners from the first transfer and we had no clue how. We kept trying to meet him but it never worked out but FINALLY he came to an appointment and he's like a GOLDEN investigator!! We were able to teach him and his girlfriend this week and they loved everything we taught!! It was no coincidence we randomly had his number in our planners and felt prompted to figure out who he was!!

Another miracle happened when we were biking home one day and my earring fell out of my ear. I pulled over to start looking and as we were looking this man whose house we were in front of came out and started helping us look. After talking with him, he told us how his nephew went on an LDS mission. We had a great conversation and asked him if he'd ever read the Book of Mormon. He never had so we gave him a copy and he got pretty emotional about it! God works in mysterious ways....and then we found my earring so it was a double whammy :) :)

Funny fact about Troy we found out....there is proven to be more squirrels then people!! HAHA! Who knew!! One night this week we saw FIREFLIES!!!!! It was so awesome!!!

Dad, Mike Amos got your package!!! President Salmon told me at dinner on Wednesday night that Mike had called him up and told him all about it! He said he'd never heard Mike happier!! It made his day!! That was so sweet of you!! President Salmon also said he’s been able to have some pretty cool gospel discussions with some of the athletic department people ever since they found out that the BYU AD's daughter was on campus! Everything happens for a reason and I think some sweet seeds were planted!

We had an amazing lesson with one of our investigators named Takeya this week. She had mentioned when her nephew died she was able to remember what previous sisters had taught her about the Plan of Salvation and she was able to get through the trial a lot easier than her family members. That had been on her mind a lot lately so she asked us to teach her mom and sister about the Plan of Salvation! HOW COOL!?!?! I know that the message we do share is one of peace and hope and it does help in life’s difficulties. It’s awesome when a nonmember can realize that!

One night we were tracting and as we were about to call it a night we felt prompted to stop at this house where there were a million cars out front! Usually that's a sign that they'll be busy but we were like, nope we are gonna knock!!! We knocked to find out that they were having a bible study for the new Church created called Troy Church. The founder of Troy Church's wife was so excited to see us! She invited us to lunch the next day and we were able to have a sweet discussion with her about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I think the spirit really touched her heart and although I don't know what she will do with it, she felt it and will remember it one day!

We had a SWEET YSA mini conference this weekend. On Friday night we went up to a lodge outside of Troy in the middle of the woods and roasted hot dogs and s’mores! President and Sister Smith came and did a fireside for us and it was INCREDIBLE!!!! Their messages were certainly inspired and many of our investigators and less active YSAs and active YSAs felt the spirit! Sunny said it was the first time he had felt the spirit. MIRACULOUS! I love President and Sister Smith!! Jack came as well, which was a surprise, (not sure if you remember him, his dad is a member). Anyways he said the message hit him hard! The next morning we came back and made everyone breakfast! It was an awesome weekend and being out in nature with all the stars was so pretty!!

AH man SO MUCH TO SAY with so little time but I AM BEYOND GRATEFUL for my time here in Troy!!!! I know I was meant to be in this area with all my heart. I have learned and grown so much and have met amazing people. I was reading in the Book of Mormon last night in 2 Nephi 1 and Lehi was telling his sons how people who come to this promised land (Americas) are led by the hand of the Lord. I know this is still true today that the foreign students at Troy were led here by God for great purposes, including learning about this gospel!!!! To have taught them and met them and loved them has been an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life! There is such a spirit here at Troy University and the work here will continue to move forward in ways unfathomable!!!

I love the Lord, love my mission, and am so excited for new adventures that lie ahead! TALLAHASEE HERE I COME!!!!!!!!!! <3

LOVE YOU ALL!!! Know I pray for you every day! <3/ Sister Holmoe

p.s. I LOVE THE SKIRTS MOM! They are PERRRRFECT!!! I've worn them every day since I got them! Thanks for your letter as well!! The Isabelle doll is so cute and all my roomies thought I looked just like her :)