I'm in Rabbit Creekk!!!

Hey ya'll!

First of all, SISTER HATFIELD IS MY TRAINER!!!!!! I just love her so much! We get along super well which is sooo nice. She's great and teaching me so much. :) I honestly lucked out and can't think of a better trainer. We are constantly laughing and having a blast. This week has honestly been one of the best weeks of my life! ALSO, Alyssa, you trained her sister, Sister Anderson! Small world. But yeah, she's great! 

As my subject reads, I'm in Rabbit Creek!!! It's a little area super close to Anchorage and I love it! It's one of the more difficult areas of the mission because it is the super nice part of Anchorage but we're working hard. 

We also cover the Bush branch which is really interesting!  The Bush branch consists of all the members in Alaska in little villages all over Alaska. To have sacrament meeting and all other meetings they call into the same conference call type thing and listen to the meetings. Yesterday, for example, there were like 40 people all on the same line to listen to sacrament meeting. cool huh? It's seriously amazing. To teach people in the Bush branch we skype or call, and we actually have a nonmember (Billy) that has been calling into the Bush the past year and we committed him to baptism when we talked to him this week!!! It is difficult to work out a place and time etc since he lives in a little village in Central Alaska, but his spirit is so strong and it's not hard to see how much Heavenly Father loves him. 

In some ways I can't believe I've been in Alaska for only a week, and in other ways I can't believe it's already been a week since I got here. Time is different as a missionary, something all you RMs can relate to I'm sure. haha

Because Sister Hatfield and I live so close to the mission home we get to help out Sister Beesley a lot which is a blast! We see other missionaries all the time which is nice and fun to talk to them to see how the work is going in their areas. :) The APs are always here which is fun too because they are awesome! I seriously love it here! We're actually at the mission home today writing emails because of the holiday. (Happy Presidents Day everyone.. hahaha ;) ) You know, at first I was a little disappointed I didn't get to go to some crazy place, but I'm seeing more and more the benefit it is to be in Anchorage, and how much I really need to be here now!

Breanna asked about the temperature and it hasn't been too bad! Maybe in the 20s most of the week. It is pretty consistent on the temperature. I.e. it's not like Utah where it's 2 degrees in the morning and 85 in the afternoon haha. Also, we are gaining 30 minutes of sunlight every week so the sun was actually out when we left our house this morning! Crazy! We did go tracting the first night and it was pretty cold, but yeah. I'm fine. :)

It's GORGEOUS! I mention that to Sister Hatfield like five times a day. haha we left our house one morning and it was so nice. The sun was shining and it was lightly snowing and I about cried because it looked like a postcard!!!

I saw my first moose this week too! I think it was Thursday.. It was on the side of the road by the highway eating a tree... hoping to see more eventually!

We ate Valentines dinner at a lady's house and I guess a grizzly broke into her house a few months ago and made a mess in her kitchen. I heard the bear was huge too and when we went to her house you could see where the bear got in. Cool huh? But don't worry mom, the bears are sleeping right now. :) Hoping to see bears in a few months though... :)

Oh cool story! Matt Wright (one of my GHA friends) is here in Alaska! I didn't know he was serving his mission here, but sure enough! It was great to see him and catch up!!!

Thanks again for all your love and support. The package was so great too! The fun Valentines surprises were so fun too! I just love you all! 

Don't forget how much I just LOOOVE the letters! I just love em! Keep them coming!

Enjoy your holiday!

love,

sister Hedelius

P.s. Since Sister Hatfield and I both have last names that start with H we call ourselves H^2.  We were prayed for as H^2 this week at dinner. haha :)