Hello!

The exciting news of this week, can I get a drumroll please?!?!? Transfers! I am being transfered to Austin Minnesota! It looks like it is at the bottom of the state, just about as south as you can get! I don't know the boundaries of my area or anything yet, but I will send you more information as I receive it! I am really quite excited, except for the rest of my day just  got turned over to packing....soo fun. Haha it'll be good. I think Heavenly Father heard my prayers, and decided it was time I go south for a little bit ;) Thank you for the valentines, I am so excited to receive them! I love pictures, they are so great :) I can't believe it is February already! Isn't that crazy? I have been out for 3 months, 15 to go! Time is already starting to fly. Don't get me wrong, I have rough days that seem to never end, but the week fly by! It will be Valentines day, then in March, the bitter cold is supposed to be gone, then general conference, then May! My 6 month mark! So crazy. Anyways,  Haha yeah, cookies might be bad....it seems to take about 10 days to get letters and such here in St. Cloud, I would assume it would be about the same in Austin. I'm glad you guys enjoyed the pictures, it was fun to send them. There is just something about pictures, it seems to remind me at least that you guys really are there, and that you are doing well! I figured between all the kids I sent quite the variety, so you get somewhat a picture of what's happening! I'm so glad you were able to go running, that sounds wonderful! Isn't it crazy how warm 18 degrees can see? We haven't been able to run because it is way too cold, and icy, but we have been able to go to the church three times a week and work out in the gym. It's not super great, but it's better than nothing! That is exciting that the rodeo is fixed! I bet Jackie is excited! Is she driving it to school? Haha I hope that she's being safe! We have had a crazy number of accidents in the mission, like a record amount in the last month, but I haven't been driving, don't worry! We have designated drivers, usually whoever has been out the longest, so maybe I'll drive starting wed. but probably not. That sounds like it will be so much fun to see Great-Grandpa, I wish I could come! You will have to tell him I send him my love. I'm sure it will be a fun adventure! It's you, jacob, jackie and matthew going? Tell Jackie she will have to think of me when she is getting a tan, and it's well below zero here! That sounds like it will be a much needed break though. Take pictures for me :) That is a blessing that dad's hand is recovering, has he still been able to work? Crazy stuff.

I'm so excited to get Jackie's letter, I'm sure she did great! Haha good memories, getting soaked at swim meets, and swimming, pushing myself to the limit. It's interesting, I have learned to push myself out here on a mission, but it is a very different type of endurance. I have to talk to people when I don't want to, and learn to handle certain situations with ward members or investigators very delicately, which is not one of my strengths, but I am working on it. I know though that at the end of the "race" I am going to feel so good! Knowing that I pushed as hard as I could, and I will be satisfied, but ready to go home and rest! I have swam the first 75 of my 500! ;) Good luck with conferences, they sound stressful. You're not failing though, just sayin. Hey, look how I turned out! Haha okay, maybe i'm not the greatest example, but still ;) I think that the kids are probably doing better than you realize. I'm excited to be able to see all the progress everyone has made! Even by May I'm sure there will be great progress!

That is very interesting about Cain and Able, quite thought provoking....interesting. It has been really good to be out here and to realize that everything we learn always can have deeper meaning. Everything in the Book of Mormon has a deeper meaning, if we can find it.

I love that you mentioned Angels. I know without a shadow of a doubt that there are angels all around us guiding us and helping as much as they can. I will have to send you some neat scriptures on them, but they may not come until next week ;) And thanks so much for the recipe, I will hopefully use it today! It's going to be crazy with packing and such, but it will be good I'm sure. Thank you so much for all the wonderful letters and such, I really appreciate it! I love you all, sorry this letter is sort of short, next week will be better! I hope you all find a reason to smile everyday this week, if nothing else know that if I was there I would sing a silly song, or make a funny face until you laughed! Haha have a lovely week :D 

Thanks again, I love and miss you all!

Love,

Sister Christina Rose Trickler