It is Christmas Time!!

Okay!!!  So TONS and TONS has happened!!!

I made it to Chicago fine!!  WOOT  :)  Mom did you get an e-mail from my Mission Pres?  You should have or a letter or something (not sure).

They arrived on the 5th and on the 9th we got an e-mail saying they made it but we didn't get a picture.  

So I am serving in the Gurnee 2nd ward and we are actually splitting the ward with the Elders but all of the investigators are on their side so we have been tracting a lot trying to find people...hopefully we will have investigators really soon!!!

The ward here is AMAZING!!!  They are all so nice!!  We cover the cities pretty much surrounding six flag haha ;) yep I see Six Flags like EVERYDAY!

Wonder if she will get the chance to go to Six Flags on a Pday? I love love Six Flags.

So pretty much it has been an adventure being here.  When we first got here our apartment wasn't ready and so we were going to live with members for a few days but things didn't work out so we stayed with Sister Hone and Sister Nelson in Libertyville (fifteen minutes away).  I slept on the couch and Sister Kershaw slept on the floor on a bed made with pillows.  Then our apartment was ready Thursday!  YAHOO!!  So we moved our stuff in and then borrowed blow up mattress from a ward member, The VanNoys (Yes related to Devin VanNoy back home.)  Small world right?   Our beds and EVERYTHING like kitchen stuff was suppose to come on Friday.  Well, that didn't happen so we went and bought paper supplies and food we could make with the little things we had.

Then TODAY!!!!  Today has been like Christmas!!!  We have BEDS, tables, kitchen stuff, we can COOK!!!  YAHOO!!  chairs, lamps, things we have needed!!!  So that is super duper awesome!!  Two of the brethren in the ward helped us move our stuff in and after they took us to lunch at Chipotle.  It was SUPER yummy!!  Brother Akinson bought lunch!!  So nice and then we are eating dinner at the Larson's and he helped us move too, so pretty much we are being spoiled!!  :)  But it doesn't stop there!!!  The Bowker's took us shopping!!  Oh my goodness!!!  What a BLESSING that was!!  Because with opening a new area we have used more money than usual and they bought us a lot of food and things we needed!!!  We are planning on making cookies for all of them as a thank you!!!  So yep this is why today is like Christmas!!!! Sorry I am everywhere I just want to make sure to tell you everything.

I am so thankful for wonderful people who are there to look out for my daughter when I cannot be.  What blessing they are not only to my child but to a mothers heart.  Thank you thank you thank you!  

Okay back to the last little while at the MTC!  Man that place is AMAZING!!!!  :)  I had the best District ever!!! I better hear from those Elders because they are great!  The last night the Sisters asked for a blessing from them and it was such a spiritual experience!!!  It was so amazing!!  They are going to be such awesome missionaries!!  Pretty much everything about the MTC was great and I loved every minute of it!!

Okay so I left for Chicago last Monday, August 5th!  SUPER awesome!!  The first plane ride I sat by two Elders and we talked a little bit but we all just sorta chilled and my second plane ride I was in the middle of two guys and I talked to one of them the entire time and we talked about life and church and I gave him a mormon.org card, he was nice and it went well.  After the ride some random guy who sat in front of me came up and told me that I was going to be a good teacher and that I'm going to do good with whatever I do, it was Super nice!!!  :)

So when we first got off the plane we went down the stairs and met our awesome Mission President.  President Woodberry and his wife!  Then off we went, we went on the El Train and they gave us all (27 of us) a Book of Mormon and guess what?!?  I gave my Book of Mormon to a guy named Joe!!  He was reading it so I am praying that he will call and want to know more, he was an awesome guy and when he got off the train he said thank you so sincerely.

We had Yummy Pizza and we went around town and we saw the huge bean!  It was really cool!!!  It is a really cool city!!  :)  Where I am at, it is more like Utah and it hasn't been too humid so that has been really really nice!!

Sister Kershaw is my companion and she is from Payson, Utah.  She knows my awesome roomate Jessica Christensen.  Mom you should write on her wall and tell her to write me!  ;)  and Congrats this week on getting married!  AHH!!  YAY!!!  I better get pictures Missy!!!  But funny story is Sister Kershaw was at Snow my first year so we had seen each other but didn't really know each other so we know a hand full of the same people so that is pretty cool!!!  She is awesome and I love her!!!  :)  We get along really well.

Okay so the coolest thing happened the other day!!  So Sister Kershaw and I went and visited a less active but she wasn't home so we six packed it, as in we went to the houses around it, and we were going to leave and then Sis. Kershaw had a feeling to go straight and so we did.  We knocked on this house and R*** answered, (we wanted to visit her next but we only had the street but didn't know that we were on that street yet) and when she answered she just started crying and she said that Elders came like two years ago when she was having a hard time and now we came and she was having a hard time too.  So we told her how God loves her and talked to her and she thought it was really cool that we have Prophets today no just in olden times and we gave her a hug and left her to read a chapter in the Book of Mormon.  We are hoping to visit her this week.  Keep her in your prayers, she is so awesome!!  We talked to her today a little bit but she doesn't know when we can come stop by.  She is hoping to move to California to be closer to family and we said if that works out we can get people to help her move here and then when she gets to California.  She couldn't believe that.  So hopefully with all this she will come to know the truth because man this is the True Gospel and I know it and I love it!  It has helped me so much in my life, and if I didn't know it was true I wouldn't be here, because this is hard work.

Thank you everyone for all the support!!!!  Thank you for the letters, hopefully I'll be able to write some today but with moving everything and stuff I haven't had time...

Letters:
-Grandma Maxine
-Nutty
-Rachel Fisihetau
-Mom (MTC dearelder, Package, and card here int he field)  Oh and a note from Kegan M.  from your letter Mom, To Kegan:  Thanks for yoru message, things here are busy but good.)
-Leah (first letter I got living in my apartment!!! YAHOO!!! Got it Saturday!!  :D made my day)
-Janelle Sanchez (from the MTC I wrote you back so you should already have gotten my letter, I expect a letter from you soon)
-Ceaira
-Taylynne
-Jered
-Chad and Jill's announcement!!  Congrats you two!!  So excited for you!!  Wish I could be there but I am in spirit!!

Thank you so much for writing me!!  I love mail so much and after a hard day of working, letter are such a treat to read!!  So send me more mail!!!  They make me jump for joy!!!!  :)  Mom it is the Wakegan address don't have that memorized...hahah

hmm...I don't really know what else to say.  I know this is long hope you enjoyed it!  I know I am super scatter brained when it comes to writing e-mails so hopefully some of it makes sense.  I love you all so much!!!  Thank you for keeping me in your prayers!  We are praying that we will have people to teach because I am ready to teach and share the joys that this gospel brings!!!  I wouldn't be anywhere else even though days can be long.

Keep working hard everyone and write me!!!

Love Always,
Sister North