I'M IN ALABAMA!!! hallelujah!! I have so much to tell you, but it might have to wait till Monday when I have more time.

My zone/district is Bessemer A. Our apartment could be better but it could be worse. Everyone here is SOO friendly. The ward is amazing. The  Relief Society pres. came right over and took us to Wal-mart and bought us dinner and took us to the church to meet the bishop. I'm in the Bessemer ward, everyone is family in the ward.

My trainer companion is Sister Maren Wilson from Provo!!! She went to Provo High with me and I remember her. Mom, she was in that Children of Eden play. Facebook her, I know you'll remember her. She's been out one transfer more than me (8 weeks total, including the MTC) and both of us are brand new to this area. So we're whitewashing it, and we're both new... so it's been interesting and awesome. The relief society pres and everyone is so willing to help and show us around. She (the relief society pres) has driven us all around and is waiting for us right now while we email. the members are seriously the greatest. We're taking over the elder's apartment so it's a little gross, but we'll get it fixed up. They haven't had sister missionaries in this ward for 6 whole years, so they are ECSTATIC to have us! Everyone wants to have us over for dinner, help us, do anything they can. It's awesome. Sister Wilson and I get along so so well and have everything in common. We're going to be best friends and we both know it. She's super cute and way fun and we love knowing all the same people. She's amazing for being ready to train after ONE transfer. So impressed.

Everyone in this area is kind and open and loving. Alabama is SO. HOT. And sooooo humid. It's like living in a sauna all the time. I am regretting not buying more simple, plain t-shirts and lightweight skirts. I can't see myself ever wearing a cardigan or jacket or anything.  It's so so hot but we have a gorgeous brand new 2013 Toyota Corolla with 60 miles on it. So I do have a car! But our miles are limited so I will still have to bike a lot. 

Yesterday at the mission home was amazing!! The mission home is in the most beautiful part of Birmingham, in a little city called Hoover. The only way I can describe Alabama is like The Woodlands. It's LINED with trees everywhere you go, as tall as you can see. Gorgeous, winding roads with every blooming tree you can imagine, flowers, cute old country signs, and just.. wow. You know how pretty the area of Waxahachie is that the Swalbergs live in? Or the area in Dallas where Audrey Bishop used to live? Or the drive up to YMCA Camp Flaming Arrow or HEB Camp? It's like that EVERYWHERE, but without the little town feel. It's a big city and it's just beautiful. There are huge baptist, methodist, protestant churches on every single corner. There are beautiful rolling hills and trees just EVERYWHERE. 

The members here are wonderful and are so excited for us to be here. They love to talk!! There's a lot of history in this ward. Everyone is related and named after the first members of the ward. We share the ward boundaries (which are huge. It's about a 45 minute radius) with another set of elders. Our area is really so huge, and it's only one ward. It will be tricky to cover so many places with so little miles but we'll bike. We're going to go to the nicer parts of the boundaries, too, which is Mccalla, Pleasant Grove and Hueytown. We'll pray and go by the spirit.

Tomorrow is my first official day of mission life. We're going to go visit some people we found in the area book and check up on some families. A boy named "Danny" (name changed) is getting baptized in July so I'm sure we'll go check up on him too. I can't wait to actually do this for real! It's so exciting. The heat and humidity is killer but some how it will all work out. 

My interview with Pres. Holzapfel last night was wonderful and exactly what I needed. He said he predicts that at the end of my mission, he'll call up Pres Hanks and say "Let's talk about Sister Edwards. I bet she was the kind of missionary that when she left an area, you could say "she always left it better than she found it."" I'm really hoping that's the case. That's my new mission goal, thanks to Pres. H. he's amazing and teaches with so much power. We got to briefly hear from him at transfer meeting and he is just an amazing person. 

About my blog, do you have a way to put the pictures on the blog? I know you can upload them there too. That would be really great if it's not too much hassle, just so it completely captures the experience. Thank you!!

That video of Schatzie kills me. Can't even believe it. 

My P-Day is Monday, so I get to email you again then. Hopefully I'll have more to say. I'm gonna attach pictures! It was so wonderful to hear from you on the phone, even if it was short. I love you so much. I miss you all and I loved hearing your voices. You are the best family and I can't believe how much love you sent me at the MTC. It meant more than you could possibly know!!! I was so spoiled and everyone was so jealous. But thank you so so so much. 

Love,

          Sister Edwards

First email from the MTC!

Hey! Hey! Don't know that I'm gonna get all my pics out today. My computer isn't working and the pictures aren't working.

So much to say and so little time to say it all. Wow. The MTC is great but so so busy. and so crazy. My district is cool although we are all so different. The elders are going to Reno, Nevada and the sisters are going to Alabama. I love my teachers. They are amazing. Bro. Hilton is so great.

 One of the cool focuses of the MTC is to convert the missionary. We talk a lot about how you can't convert someone else unless you are fully converted yourself. the other cool thing is that I always thought personal study was studying for yourself. In the MTC we learn to study for our investigators during study time, and find scriptures/stories that THEY need to hear. through studying for another person, you gain strength and knowledge you wouldn't have otherwise gained. sorry for all l the typos. trying to go fast. The sisters in my district are cool. We get along well. They're all in one room except for Sis. Haws and me. We're on our own, but it's okay. I like having extra space and room. I lead the sisters in workouts a lot, which is fun. Loving my workout book!

I've seen SOO many people I know!! Seriously a ton. I saw Tim Sitze the other day. I see Saren and Eric often, and Margo often too. It's way fun. We write each other notes and leave them on our desks. I see people from my classes at BYU and it's fun. I also have seen Elder Kent Fellows a lot. You don't know who he is, but he's the son of the man I met when I announced my call in Mission Prep. They're both from Alabama. His name is John Fellows. You should let him know I've seen Kent! We have breakfast at the same time so it's cool.

Thanks for all the Dear Elders!! That awkward moment when your district leader walks in with a stack of letters and ALL but two or three are for you. Haha. It's awesome though. Thanks so much to everyone who has written me. It seriously means the world. The MTC is so so so hard and so exhausting. It means everything to have a letter to read at the end of the day. So please give my sincere love to everyone who has written me. Rachel, Dad, Derek Williamson, Jessie Jones, Sis. Pedroza, Aunt Cindy, Shayla, Aunt Mikael, Andie, Kaelani, Landon, and of course the endless Dear Elders from you, Mom and Brady. Means the WORLD. i wish I had time to write every single person back but please know how much to means to me. There's not a single letter I don't appreciate!! I get letters at lunch today so if I've missed anyone in the list that's why! We get letters twice a day, at lunch at 1:40 and dinner at 6:40. Dear Elders have to be in by 12pm mst and we usually don't get them til dinner time. so yeah. The district leader picks up the letters and hands them out.

Everyone was right! Wait till Sunday. It's so much more doable after Sunday, although still difficult. Things slow down a bit though. I'm still exhausted although I have a hard time sleeping at night. I lay awake forever in the hopes of falling asleep.The MTC is not like EFY haha. It's like ed week times twenty. No one is on your back or makes sure you are some place. You are on your own and responsible for yourself. and you learn ALL day. haha.

A tip to future missionaries: know your scripture masteries!! seriously so helpful that I still know mine from high school. it's been the biggest blessing.

Mom Google He's been there before, and marks of a man. two awesome missionary poems/stories. Thanks for the footie socks, razors and coconut roll! so sweet!!

Got to go on the temple walk on Sunday!! It was so cool and weird. I saw a lot of people I knew then too. I was thinking about how I was there just 2 months ago with Emily Lewis, walking around and wanting so badly to have that black name tag, to be a part of the team. And now I'm here. Now i get to do this marvelous work and be a part of the team. It was surreal. But awesome. We've also been focusing a lot on preaching with boldness. Moroni 8:16 has helped me with that. My MTC teacher said that when you preach with love, it's never overbearing.

I am glad you kept my bag!  I like it and would rather have it than not have it. Just mail it here to the MTC please. :)  I can't believe I leave so soon! the time has flown. Sister Haws and I got to leave this morning for my eye appointment. It felt so foreign to go out of the MTC haha. I drove past Jamba and Andie's apartment and everything. So so weird.

Gotta go. I'm gonna send more pics. Love you all!!

Sister Kelsey Edwards

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