Utica New York Week 1, Sep 22

Well hello mi familia!!!

I want you all to know that New York is absolutely beautiful! aThis has been a crazy few weeks!! I don't remember a whole lot from last week in the MTC and I don't have a lot of time so I am just going to tell you a little bit about this week!!! So starting on tuesday I woke up at 2:30 and was on the bus on my way to the airport at 3:30 in the morning fun right?! Wrong!!! Not fun too early!!! Anyway then while at the airport I waited a LONG 1 1/2 hours to talk to my family while only 2 elders were in front of me! I got to talk to everyone for about 5 mins which was kind of hard and sad but I was bawling the entire time so I was alright with not having forever!!! Then we flew to Detroit and then to new york and yes I ABSOLUTELY LOVE FLYING!! Anyway we got here met the mission president and his wife they are amazing and I love them then we came to Utica to the mission home and office and did some training stayed the night at the mission home and then the next morning did a little more training and then we had transfers. Of course I was the last person to be called and so I could see who my new companion was so her name is Sister Barley and I can not even express to you how amazing she is!!! Truly incredible I love her to death she would be the AP if sisters could and every person I met was like you have the best trainer ever!!!! She is from Tuscon Arizona and our personalities are very similar but different enough that we get along and she doesn't do what I do, as far as recreation but I love her!!!! Now for the exciting news.... The president decided to put me on the steepest learning curve of my life..... me and sister Barley are re-opening an area that has been closed for a while because the sisters were being disobedient here and the ward was using them for teaching relief society every week etc so the president pulled them out about 6 months ago. We are reopening the area and there were 5 area books to go through, next we are sharing the ward with the assistants (pressure...I think yes) our area is actually huge and the ward is way small.  It is split between 3 sets of missionaries. There are like no members here and the next part of this learning curve, I am a sister training leader,  so while I have no idea what i am doing I have to go on 3 day exchanges with other sisters and teach them what I don't know.... YAY!!!! lol so yeah that is fun! The first thing Sister Barley told me was "take what you learned in the MTC and let it go" in our mission we are piloting a thing called the restored teaching method and it is how we are supposed to be teaching Preach My Gospel so thats cool, I have to completely learn how to teach again and then our president has the STL going on "extended exchanges" which is where I go with a companionship for 3 days and help them learn and teach them how to better their teaching etc (yes I am a little overwhelmed) and then Sister Barley will go with a different set at the same time so we will each be going with 2 different sets of sisters! So that is fun and because we are opening a new area, we do not have ANY investigators, and we are going around trying to meet formers etc and getting to know people so I have not taught a single lesson yet :/ and I am supposed to be going and teaching others how to do what I have not even done.... yeah thats exciting!!!  I am so grateful for this opportunity and know that Heavenly Father does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called so huge humbling experience and a lot of prayers for strength. I love this work though, I really do, it is such an amazing opportunity that I have been given there is a talk called the 4th missionary by Lawrence Cambridge or something like that.... it is long but you all need to read it... it applies to everyday life as well!!!! I have a goal to give my will to Heavenly Father in these next 18 months and I plan to keep that!! There was a baptism in our ward (one of the AP's investigators) on Saturday and we went to it and there was a little girl staring at me, and for the first time in my life I felt like the best example I could be. I realized while I miss you all dearly this is the best thing I could be doing for you all and that me being out here is the greatest blessing for you right now and I am doing more for you by being out here than I could if I were there with you all!!! This is where I am supposed to be and this is what I am supposed to be doing!!!! I know this!! and I know this church is true I bare testimony of it everyday!!! I love you all. If you have any specific emails write me!! I love you and miss you!! Stay strong and never give up on the gospel!!!

Love Sister Hamilton

Oh I forgot to tell you I am opening the New Hartford area so I am actually serving in the areas that make up Utica 

 Sister Hamilton and Sister Barley eating peanut butter banana sandwiches.  Their apt had bare cupboards when they arrived.

Holding a hedgehog and the pic the Elders framed and put in their apt to welcome them there.