Hermana Hannah Mangum: I love the BOOK OF MORMON

Hello familia :) This last week was fantastic!!! To start it off, I finished reading the Book of Mormon on Tuesday! It felt so good to read it again! This was the first time that I have every truly taken time and really tried to understand and study the it. And boy was it an amazing experience! I felt the spirit so strong! I KNOW THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE. I hope you are all studying it! I feel like that is the one thing I should have done better before I came out on my mission, to have read the Book of Mormon more. It is an amazing book!!!!!!!! I love love love love the scriptures :)

So this week, Sister Jarvis and I visited a less active older lady in our ward. The lesson went really well! And as we were leaving her house (it was 9:00) we saw a shooting star!! I have never seen one before! It was incredible! I was having a harder day that day and feeling like I was missing out on things at home. It made me totally happy to see the shooting star. Instantly my worries went away! Turns out the shooting star was actually a meteor! and was on the news the next day! It was pretty incredible! :)

Mom- thank you so much for your letter and article this week. They were so inspiring and great! What a neat story about Tito! and Lennon- you sit next to him in your class?? That is cool! I shared that story during our district meeting this week. I was asked to give a recitation on “enduring to the end” and I thought Tito was a wonderful example of that! So thank you so much for sending it to me :)

The Engstrom's are on vacation right now, so we have the house to ourselves :) But next week when they get back, all of their kids are coming into town. So we will go from having the house to ourselves, to there being a houseful! It will be so fun :) I just feel bad that we are invading on them... but they love us! Also, the transfer ends in 2 weeks, and I don't know where I will be going. So this week you can send mail to the Engstrom's house, but next week if you send anything, send it to the mission office so I can make sure I get it!

So funny story... yesterday a young man, that the elders in our ward have been working with, came to church. He is mentally handicapped and is less active. He is SO loud and funny! He struggles with some Word of Wisdom things too. So yesterday, Sister Jarvis and I were on our way to the bathroom and this young man stopped us and talked to us. Then he pulled out his e-cig... and tells us it helps him stop smoking... hmmm... haha! Then he sticks it in his mouth and blows in our faces! IN THE CHURCH!!! Then said, "smells like melon right!?" Oh. My. Gosh. It was hilarious! It was so funny and very inappropriate - haha! I didn't know how to respond! I was not expecting him to do that! Ha! The elders are trying to convince him that even e-cigs are not ok to use.

So, the absolute best part of the week has been the time we have spent with Carole and Mike!!!! I didn't know it was possible to love some one so much who wasn't your family. These are friends that I will have for the rest of my life! Carole has become really attached to me and I to her! She tells I am her favorite missionary and how grateful she is that I have come into her life and that she knows God orchestrated all of it. She also tells me that when I get transferred she is going to write me my entire mission and that after my mission I have to come back to visit her. Mom, when you come to pick me up, WE ARE GOING TO VISIT CAROLE AND MIKE! They are very religious. They pray and like to start every day of service we do with them with a prayer and end with one too. They talk about all the miracles they have seen in their lives ever since they have know us. They talk about how much they love God and Jesus.

So this week on Tuesday, 8 of us missionaries were doing service and we decided to write our testimonies in a Book of Mormon and give it to Carole and Mike. Their reaction to us giving it to them was one I will never forget. They were so touched and grateful! It made me SO happy! Then on Friday we went back to their house and Sister Jarvis and I invited them to come to our ward Chili Cook Off. They were so excited!! Mike couldn't come because their son, Joe, was sick, but Carole came to it on Saturday and had the best time! She was a little social butterfly! She went around and tried every chili and talked to everyone she came in contact with! She told us she was so impressed with all of the families that were there and the unity she felt in the church with all of the members. I had the best time with her!

Sister Jarvis and I went back to help them on Sunday after church. Some bad weather is expected this week, so they need as much help getting everything done! We canceled our dinner we had scheduled so we could help Carole and Mike. We stayed until about 8:15!!! We got so much done! There is still more to do, and we are going to come back on Tuesday to hopefully finish things up on the outside of their house. But yesterday while we were there, we got even closer to Mike and Carole. They really opened up to us. Mike fixed us a yummy dinner that we enjoyed after a LONG day of cleaning! They told us they wanted to adopt us :) Carole told us a lot about her life. She and Mike have been through A LOT!!! More than I feel one family should go through! The spirit was so strong and undeniably there as we talked. I KNOW THAT CAROLE WAS SUPPOSED TO COME INTO MY LIFE! And me into hers. We have this bond now that will hold us together forever. I am so grateful for her! We have a stake activity this weekend that is supposed to be fantastic that I am going to invite them to. Anyway, I am just so grateful for this relationship I have made with them!!!!!

Mom- could you send me some excedrin and advil in your next package? I will send the boots today! Thank you for all you do!! I LOVE YOU FAMILY!!!!!!

XOXO

HANNAH :)