"I'M COMIN' HOME, JESUS! I'M COMIN' HOME!" -Sherry trying to remember the 9th Commandment. SO CLOSE.

Good morning, yall :) What a WONDERFUL week. Last transfer, my Mission President committed me to find at least one family before completing my mission. I have stressed over this for weeks! On Tuesday, we found them :) Tiaquonta and Shedrick (those names, though). It was a miracle! It was overwhelming! They will be baptized on January 7th and their cute family will be raised in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Happy, happy day!

Zone Conference and Stake Conference with Elder Arnold was exactly what I needed. I received many assurances and answers to questions I have been praying about. We traveled out to Monroe, LA to meet with half the mission and that was fun :) I love this mission.

Goodbye to Gloria and O'Rian!!!!

I hope as you have read these emails you have felt the love I have for My Saviour, His Gospel, these people, and mission! I know my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ lives and loves me. He is the central piece of God's plan for our happiness. I love that in the true Gospel there are no scare tactics. God is not waiting to condemn us, but hoping to exalt us. His nature is loving and giving. One of my favourite things about my Father in Heaven is His consistency. He is always approachable, he is always providing for us, and He always keeps His promises. He has promised that if we keep the commandments and live righteously, we will be able and prepared to live with Him again! He will give us everything we need to receive that promise. That's a blessing I hope to receive someday!  I know that I can if I do my very best and use the sweet gift of the Atonement of my Savior. The Holy Ghost will lead me and prompt me as I need, I know that for sure! Serving this mission definitely wasn't my idea.. but following the prompting to serve (even though I almost didn't a few times) has been the best choice of my life so far. Never before have I had a testimony like this, or felt joy like I am feeling now. My heart is so full of every good feeling I could probably fly myself home!! The Church is real, yall. If you don't know it, FIND OUT for yourself. Read the word, ponder what it would mean for you if it were true, and then pray. Just pray your heart out and ask if it is true. I promise He hears you - He loves you. He holds your happiness as a top priority. And He will answer. You can know! Trust the feeling, and then act on it.
I love yall.
Have a blessed two days :)
I'll be home for Christmas!
Sister Bartsch

Elder Pierre-Louis in Monroe.. goodbyes are hard.

Merry Christmas from down South!

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Pictures at the Mississippi!

 Celebration smooothies, my 18 months and Sister Makin's 3 months!

Sandy grabs my shoulder: "Yall, this little lady's gonna be all murried up in six months."

There was "Punch" at the banquet.  Not sure what
Was in it, but it tasted like watered down salsa.

Okay I know I always say the weeks fly by, but this week FLEW BY.

Sometime during the week we helped out at the Home Place twice. They had a big fancy annual banquet and they asked us to serve the dinner plates. I SERVED MAYOR MARY DINNER. I don't know if y'all know about Mayor Mary, but she is pretty cool. Madison is Madison because of her, the buildings are beautiful and the streets sparkle. So that was a highlight. And we made some new friends in the community, always a good idea. The next day we helped out with the Birthday Bash because all the staff was dead tired. I love the Birthday Bashes.

And then next thing I knew it was Saturday! And I went on exchanges with Sister Maughan❤❤. If yall don't remember, I was Sister Maughan's first companion back in Bossier City, LA over a year ago. Now she is my Sister Training Leader and we got to spend a day together. I was thrilled. This is the dream! We went out to Canton for the afternoon and worked in the rain. Everything about the day just brought my mission back full circle.. It was amazing to see how much she had grown over this last year, and to see the changes that had taken place in myself. Even though we are both different in many ways, we got along just the same. We were laughing and shivering the entire day :) I love Sister Maughan and can't ever thank her enough for all she has done for my mission.

Sister Maughan, Baby Girl, My Firstborn in the
Wilderness of Bossier, #maughanisbae

This week Elder Arnold, a General Authority 70, is coming to our mission and our stake :) We will be traveling to Monroe, LA for a Zone Conference with him during the week and then he will speak to us at our Jackson Stake Conference this weekend. I'm pretty excited that I will be here for all of this! This week I have been very grateful for the organization of the Church. I am grateful for all the General Authorities and other leaders that have helped and inspired me throughout my life. They dutifully fulfill their purpose to point us to Christ!

I am just so grateful for all I have. And I pray every day for opportunities to share it with others. We haven't found many who want to listen to us lately, but we aren't giving up. Thanks for your prayers!

Love you all so much :) Have a blessed week!

Sister Bartsch

Did you see the size of this reindeer?  I know I'm small but...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUBY!