Buenos Dias Everyone! Its a beautiful afternoon here in Warshington! So this week in honor of me hitting my 6 month mark i decided to share five things that i have learned on my mission thus far...Enjoy!

1. LOVE: Probably the most important thing that i have learned on my mission is love. Loving everyone no matter what. President Jensens favorite phrase is "Love them to pieces!" and he tries to imprint that into our hearts and minds. When i first got to Iowa the first family i met was a very unhygienic, hoarding bunch. I would cringe when they hugged me and not want to go visit them. By the end of my time in Mt. Pleasant when we hugged goodbye, i didn't want to let go. I have learned that no matter what we look like, we are all children of God and i can see them how God sees them and i just love them and want to help them in whatever way i can. I just love everyone I meet instantly and i don't even try! One of the first things that come out of my mouth when we meet someone new is "I love them!". Christ said that the second greatest commandment is Love thy neighbor and i promise that when we do that, everything else in life is happier!

2.PATIENCE: I have never been a patient person but just like it says in Ether12:27 God can turn our weaknesses into strengths, if we let him. I didn't want to let him for the longest time but I kept finding myself in situations that required so much patience and finally i decided alright, i guess i am gonna develop patience. And man, what a blessing it has been! Patience is required for...everything! Patience is a necessity for happiness. Its soo true!

3. COMFORT ZONE:The concept of a comfort zone cannot exist in the life of a successful missionary. We learn to EMBRACE THE AWKWARD in everything. As missionaries we give up a lot of things and one of them is definitely the comfort zone. Its just doesn't exist anymore. End of story. Missionaries don't have comfort zones and lemme tell you it is awesome! Its feels so free and unrestricted. I love it!

4. I CAN DO HARD THINGS: Alright Momma this one is for you. I finally get it. All those years of grabbing my face and telling me over and over again "You can do hard things!" finally sunk in. Being out here is one of the hardest things i have ever done but it is also for sure the most rewarding things i have ever done! I have conquered so many things and accomplished so many things in these last 6 months that there is no doubt in my mind that i can handle whatever comes my way! So there you go, sorry it took so long for me to realize but better late than never, right?

5. WORDLY STUFF: Along with all the important life lessons, i have also picked up some fun but not big or spiritual things here in Iowa. Such as beat-boxing, ping pong, the names of the main ponies in My Little Pony, the alphabet in sign language, not to drive on B roads, Spanish is evil and awesome all at the same time, how to eat nasty things without vomitting, money is very easy to spend, Goodwill is the greatest thing ever, if you make friends with peoples animals they are more likely to be nice to you, and homemade popcorn is better than microwave popcorn.

Well, thats all for now, I LOVE YOU ALL AND MISS YOU TONS!!!! until next time...xoxoxo 

Hermana Rice

I haven't sent pics in a while so here ya go! Heres us in matching t-shirts on the Swinging Bridge:D