The Week we were set Free(er)!!

 AHHHHHHH HELLO!!!!

This week ended with exciting news!!!! The area presidency over this North Western area is now allowing us to CONTACT ON THE STREETS!!!!! If people are outside they are fair game!!! AHHHHHH!! Literally tears came to my eyes as our mission president told us this on Sunday night... it literally felt like we were being set free! Especially in my current area this means we can go walk around on College Campuses now and talk to the students!! Hermana Kofoed and I were jumping up and down so excited haha! So many exciting updates ahead!! 

Some of the Sisters in our Zone

This week was a crazy one! We got to do a few companion exchanges with the other Sisters in the Zone, we had interviews with our mission President and his wife, and to finish it off... our friends Sam and Casey came to church on Sunday for the first time IN PERSON!!! This was the first time in 7 months I had been to an official church meeting in person! It was so interesting to see everyone 6 feet apart with masks on... but it also felt so familiar and so good to be back! 

First day back to IN PERSON church with Casey!

This week my companion and I have really begun to catch a good vision for this area... we are over a large Spanish ward and we can teach any Youth Single Adult girls who live in our huge zone, which means we have so many potential people to teach... we just have to find them!!! While our days are busy with lessons and such, we've also felt like not too many of our friends were really progressing... so we've made some real battle plans to freshen up the area! This past General Conference our prophet, President Russel M. Nelson, talked about WHO we are really looking to teach as missionaries... he said this: "The Lord is gathering those who are willing to let God prevail in their lives. The Lord is gathering those who will choose to let God be the most important influence in their lives...we may be led to some who have never believed in God or Jesus Christ but who are now yearning to learn about Them and Their plan of happiness... and some to whom we may be led may have always felt there was something missing in their lives. They too are longing for the wholeness and joy that come to those who are willing to let God prevail in their lives."

It's amazing to think just how many people there are who fit these descriptions... people who are just waiting for us to find them and teach them the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! We just have to work with urgency and faith knowing that God will lead us to these people!  Casey is one of them and we're determined to find more! 

I am so grateful I know I have a Heavenly Father who loves me. I thought this morning about how TWO YEARS ago I was a freshman at BYU... I had no idea how many curve balls would come at me in the two years following but I'm glad they have! I remember so many times just wondering why things were happening the way they were and even feeling hopeless at times... but I truly can testify that the Lord has a plan! I truly feel I am happier and more whole every single day! The more we look forward to trials as blessings the more we realize "God is determined to make more of us than we thought we could be" (thanks mom, for the quote, I look at it every day)!! 

LOVE YOU ALL 

Hermana Leonard 

My love of in-n-out continues

And so does my love of Palm Trees--it's HUUUUUGE