A letter from my Missionary Daughter

Hello all you wonderful people!!

This week has been packed! We had the best zone conference ( pretty much just a big group of missionaries getting together) EVER! We talked about what God wants us to do in our individual areas and how He wants us to accomplish the vision that He has for each area. We talked about setting goals and making plans to achieve those goals, and really, it's the most excited I"ve ever been to be able to be a part of this work. There was such a spirit of unity in that meeting, that you couldn't help but feel that the goals we were talking about were directly from God. This truly is God's work, and we are His hands on the earth. 

I don't have much time today, and my brain is pretty friend from the busy week I've had, but I'm grateful that God has let me be here in Southern California to serve His children as a missionary and as a representative of Jesus Christ. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the distractions of the world, but every time I am brought back to the reality that Jesus Christ is what really matters. His life, teachings, and sacrifice are for all of us to lean on and learn from. He is our example in everything and is the reason why we do what we do. If we keep Him as the central focus in our lives, we will never have to wonder weather or not we are going in the right direction. Other parts of our lives will fall into place and though we won't be immune from challenges, trials, or pains, we can bear them all with His help. He knows us and loves us each personally and invites us to get to know him personally too :) 

Today some other sister missionaries threw a combined birthday party for me and a few other sisters in the area that have birthdays soon and it was such a blast!!! We played sand volleyball (though, not very well) and ate cupcakes and pizza; so good!  One of the greatest parts about being a missionary is having other missionaries automatically as your "family". I truly love this gospel and I love being a part of it. 

Take good care of yourselves friends, and remember to put God first! I promise you will see blessings as a result :) 

Have a great week!!

Love, Sister Torkildson