First letter from Omahaaaaaa!

Lauren called us from Phoenix on Wednesday last week as she was flying to Omaha.  She had a cold and a clogged ear but was so happy.  It was wonderful speaking with her.  She told us that although her district at the MTC only had 6 sisters and no Elders going to Omaha, when she got to the bus to go up to the Airport Wednesday morning there were 27 missionaries.  She asked one group, “what mission are you going to? Answer, “Omaha Nebraska.”  She asked the next group, “Omaha Nebraska!”  All 27 were going to Omaha and she had no idea they even existed until that morning.  I can only imagine what the plane seemed like with all those missionaries. How in the world did her mission president find trainers and apartments for all of them?!

Lauren e-mailed today, Tuesday.  She sent us an e-mail telling us she was at the computer and we were able to “chat” back and forth on e-mail for a very short time.  The next two paragraphs were that chatting and then her letter follows.  Don’t forget to check into her blog at http://sisterlaurenpeterson.blogspot.com/ for updates and pictures.

E-mail Chats:

It is freezing. haha it snowed on friday night i think? so that was a downer. But, my coat is so warm! it hasnt left my body yet haha. Also. My companion is absolutely phenomenal. It makes me cry just thinking about how the Lord has blessed me with her. Her name is sis whittaker from american fork. what ?'s do you want to know :) i am writing an email with experiences ive had.

We are serving in the Rockbrook area! it is amazing. The people in our ward are amazing. 27 missionaries [that’s how many new missionaries came with Lauren on this transfer from the MTC!] - presidents goal is to have a set of elders and sisters in every ward. The mission isnt splitting. The trail center is AMAZING! i want you all to come here and see it. It is small, but the spirit is BIG! i love working here. We have only 3 shifts a week now, which is kind of sad but it just means we have more time in our area! our house is really nice - we live down the street from the trail center/the temple. i love it! more to come in my e-mail. ill try to send it soon so you can ask me ?'s after! love you!

Letter:

Hello from FREEZING OMAHA!!!

It seems like a lifetime since i last wrote, and also since I talked to you (mom and dad) on wednesday! it has been so busy here it is crazy! I cant wait to tell you everything :)

First of all, I AM SO HAPPY!!! The mission field is 100 times better than the MTC. Seriously i have not stopped smiling since i got here! Thank you SOOO much for the prayers, I really have felt them you have no idea. Thank you for your e-mails as well! I have loved reading them today. So, they just came out and announced that we can now E-MAIL FRIENDS and we have an hour and a half to e-mail each week! SO AWESOME. So, e-mail me! haha i love hearing from you all. Thank you for all of the support. it means the world! Handwritten letters are great as well, and Dad to answer your question, the best address to send it to is the one on Martha St. That is the mission office, so that will work just great :)

Mom- thank you for sending my comforter! I gave all of my blankets to Clark because i didnt have room haha so the comforter is perfect. I havent been cold once while sleeping :) i love you. and hearing your voice on wednesday made my week. i miss calling you every day.

Anne- AHHHH your e-mail MADE MY DAY. you are so amazing. Seriously, i am so proud of you. You are a rockstar and i love you. i will write you a handwritten letter today so get excited :) Keep being such a great missionary!

Dad- Your letter made me laugh,smile, cry. haha i love you. my first day was not as bad as yours - my ear however JUST popped yesterday, so i havent been able to hear out of my left ear all week. That has been interesting, haha but the Lord has blessed me nonetheless! Thanks for the motivation.

So let’s start on Wednesday! We got up super early, and flew to Omaha! I was able to talk to a boy on the plane who was interested in the church, so that was so great! I loved being able to share my testimony with him. it was fun to have my first REAL missionary moment! i loved it. Like i said, my ear unfortunately was clogged all flight - i was singing hymns in my head and trying to recite scriptures so i wouldnt think about it. Total bummer. We got off the plane and President and Sister Weston were right there waiting for us. Man, they are SO great! Sister weston is absolutely adorable. The nicest woman and has such a strong testimony. President is awesome as well, and i really have felt of his spirit and faith in God. It is so encouraging. So after we grabbed our bags we went to the mission office to have interviews, training, and dinner. We then went and stayed at a hotel near the mission home. It was probably the best night sleep i have ever had haha. I was EXHAUSTED. we got to the hotel at 8:30 and i was asleep by 8:50. So amazing. Thursday we got up and got to take a tour of Winter Quarters/the cemetery and the Kanesville Tabernacle. The spirit in Winter Quarters is just like everyone has said - it is AMAZING. i LOVE it here and am so grateful i get to serve in this sacred place. Thursday night we had a testimony meeting with all of the new missionaries and it was so powerful. Hearing the testimonies of missionaries is my favorite - there is nothing like it.

Friday is where all of the fun begins! We got up and went to the mission office to meet our new trainers! Ok. Mom. THANK YOU for praying that i get a good trainer haha because she is AMAZING! Ah i cant even get over how lucky i got with her. Her name is Sister Whittaker, from American Fork. She has been out 6 months, and i have never met someone so similar to me in so many ways. Man i love her! She is the best missionary i have met so far. After we met, we just jumped right in and got to work! We had four appointments to go to which was awesome. Just how i wanted it to be. We are teaching about 15 people right now, more or less, and they are all so amazing! Most of them are ages 9-12 which is seriously right up my alley. Ah i love them.

So, since i dont have time to share about every person, i will tell you about a man we visited on friday named Pete. Pete believes in Christ and knows that this church is true. He loves the missionaries and loves everything we stand for. It is so cool. So Sis. W had the impression to go stop by Pete's house on friday night before one of our appointments. When we got there he was sitting on his chair crying. his wife died about 6 months ago and has terrible depression. We were able to bear testimony to him, and asked if we could come back on saturday with some elders to give a priesthood blessing. He wanted that so we were so excited. More to come... So after our lessons we went to the house to unpack. Our house is amazing. We live with two other sisters. We have a washer, dryer, heating. seriously we are so spoiled and i am SO grateful! we live down the street from the trail center which is the best part :)

Saturday we got up and had a Trail Center training given by the Trail director, Elder Cleverly. He and his wife are amazing. He always has a huge smile on his face. i love him. I got to sing a duet with another sister at the training, which was so cool. We sang I know that my redeemer lives (efy version). I was nervous because i couldnt hear out of my ear, but it went so well. the spirit was remarkable. We then had lunch at the cleverly's and then went to a baptism for the elders in our ward! Sister Whittaker spoke and i bore testimony. I LOVED it! We then went to Pete's house to give him a blessing. We were able to answer his questions and help him with some of his doubts about the church. The blessing was beautiful, and the spirit was amazing. We committed him to coming to church on sunday so we were so stoked. That night we went to a family's house named the Lakes. They are SO awesome! Haha they are from Jamaica. The mom is a less active, and the daughter Daniele is 11. We SET HER FOR BAPTISM! She will be getting baptized on the 6th. Ah i am so excited. The little boy is named Carlton, and he reminds me SO much of Tate. He is 4 and is so smart, funny, and so darn cute. I will try to send pictures of him next week.

Sunday we got up and went to church. So, we were there waiting for all of our investigators to get there. The time passed and so we decided to text Pete (since he was the main one we were focused on) where he was. He texted us back and this is what it said: Dear sisters, i have decided that i will no longer be pursuing the Mormon church. My health and mental state is not suit for change. I know that the church is true and think it is great what you are doing. Keep up the work. See you on the other side". AH. we both sat there in silence and cried. I think it was right then that i realized how real all of this is. Now i know what missionaries say when they say the mission is so hard. It is hard because people have their agency. It is hard because no matter if they KNOW that the church is the true church, they still get to decide whether or not they accept it. Man. We have been praying for Pete ever since. It was such a wake up call for me, realizing that the Lord requires action in order for us to receive blessings. I know that Pete will come around. He just does not have enough faith. So sad. But on the upside, we had our 4 less actives at church, including the Lakes at church. After church we rushed over to the trail center to work!

Oh, i forgot that we worked there on friday as well. But on sunday it was so amazing. I love the trail center. It has definitely been humbling because i dont know ANY of the history, but it is coming along. I have felt the Lord working through me and he gives me the words to say. it is remarkable. We gave a really neat tour to a Man and his son who are catholic. The dad had been to temple square, and he knew a lot about the church. At first they werent really asking questions, but about half way through the tour the questions started coming. haha the son started asking about the book of mormon and joseph smith and reformed egyptian. ha it was awesome because the dad, was able to answer almost every question! We would say something about the book of mormon, the son would question it, and then the father would say "now listen daryl (the son), this is what they are talking about..." and then go on to bear testimony. it was so cool to see the dad feeling the spirit and bearing testimony of OUR church! hahaha i loved it. We gave them a Book of Mormon at the end and i cant wait to hear what happens to them. They are amazing.

Monday we got up and got to go clean the Winter Quarters temple! We cleaned every single crystal on all of the chandeliers (Aunt Kristen - i was thinking about you the whole time!). It was such an amazing experience to be in the temple. because we were cleaning, we could kind of walk around at our own free will which was a really cool experience. After we were done cleaning sister Whittaker and i went into the celestial room to just pray and ponder. I had an amazing experience just praying and committing my work to the Lord. Ah i could cry even thinking about it. This church is true and i love it so much. After the temple we worked at the trail center all night. Sister Weston and her family came in to the center and I HAD TO GIVE THEM A TOUR. i was FREAKING out. haha i have only given like 4 tours and so giving one to the Weston’s almost killed me. But, because sis Whittaker is amazing and because the church is true, the tour went great. There is a place on the tour that is called the memorial room - the room that looks out over the temple and the cemetery. As i was talking in this room, i was overwhelmed with the spirit like never before. I realized how much the saints sacrificed and really felt their presence around me. it was amazing. The tour was so powerful and now i am grateful for the opportunity to give it :)

So that is a very watered down version of what has been going on the past few days! It has been NON stop, and i LOVE IT! we have had so many lessons and blessings each day, it is truly remarkable.

Some Fun Facts:
1. We work out every morning at the trail center - we run around the gallery hahaha and there is also a treadmill downstairs, so i have been one happy camper! Also, sister Whittaker is really good about wanting to be healthy. (i know... she is perfect and sent from heaven for me!) so we are great for each other!
2. Nebraska invented Kool Aid. .... and we have had it at every meal. haha
3. The largest city in Nebraska is the Corn huskers stadium when there is a game. 80,000 people.
4. I work at the trail center 3 times a week from either 9-3 or 3-9. it is the best.
5. When we landed in nebraska my first thought was "this is the ugliest place i have ever seen". hahaha i have heard though, that it gets gorgeous once the trees turn green.
6. i havent eaten corn yet.
7. 90% of people in nebraska believe in God and are religious - seriously, the people here are so awesome and faithful.
8. sister pettyjohn is doing great! her trainer is amazing which makes me so happy.
9. There is a library here with books and books on people who have passed through winter quarters/ were in the mormon battalion. Send me a name and i will try to find out about them! Mom - thank you for sending me that info already- i cant wait to see what i can find!
10. The church is true.

Well, that is it for now! I am sorry if this e-mail seemed scatter brained, i just had so much to write! I love you all and thank you for your prayers. I feel them.

The church is true. There is no doubt in my mind and i LOVE being a missionary!

Sister Peterson.

Letter from the MTC - March 15, 2013

Family!

My P day got switched to Friday this week, so i hope you were not worrying about me since i didnt write! I am doing SO well. Seriously, i love this. It is probably the hardest thing i have done, but in the best way possible! Thank you Thank you Thank you for all of the love and support! I can seriously feel your prayers, so keep them up! i need them :) Thank you to everyone who sent me packages this week (Mom, Penny/Renee, Grandma!). They made my day. You are all so good to me, I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family! Thank you for the letters as well. It is so wonderful to hear from everyone, and i am glad that all is well at home!

Please tell Katie Hagen/Karen/Travis and Bailey congrats on their weddings/engagements! That makes me smile. Especially Katie. I love that girl and am so happy for her.

Grandpa Rex - thank you for your sweet e-mail. I loved reading your wise counsel, and words. You are so wonderful and i love you so much.

Anne- So proud of you for trying out for chambers. You are amazing. I love you so much.

Dad, way to be an amazing missionary! I have learned since being here that being BOLD is the way to go, so i was so happy to see your response to that talk station! You are such a great example to me.

Mom- Your package made my day. Seriously, you are too cute. Sis. Pettyjohn LOVED her little gift as well. It made me cry because she was so happy haha. i love you and miss you every day.

Matt,Min,Spen,Mcken,Clark and Ellee - I love you all so much. Thank you for your prayers - i can feel them. I showed my district pics of all the sibs this week and they kept saying how good looking our family is. Yep. We are. Love you all and am so grateful for each of you.

So Where do i begin??! This week has seemed to FLY by, but so much has happened as well! This week I learned so much. We focus so much time on the Doctrine of Christ, which sometimes seems repetitive but i have learned that i have so much to learn still! As missionaries we focus on our purpose, which is to Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, Baptism, receiving the holy ghost and enduring to the end. Everything that we do revolves around this. It is amazing.

This past week, and why my schedule was changed was because i started my visitor center training! On wednesday, we went up to salt lake and got to be visitors at the visitor center and just walk around. It was so fun to get out of the Mtc haha and also go to a place that i love! The spirit is so strong there and it really got me pumped up to be a visitor center sister. One thing that i have learned is that being a visitor center sister is NOT easy! haha the stereotype of pointing to pictures and looking cute is just the beginning! hahaha. But in all seriousness, we have such an amazing privilege and responsibility as sisters in visitor centers. We are the FACE of the church - the church set up visitor centers so that people all around the world would be able to get a good image of the church. We are also the VOICE of the church - visitor centers were established so that the doctrine would be the same through out the world. What an amazing responsibility! We learned in our training this week that visitor center sisters are picked by the general authorities "because of the burning conviction and testimony of this gospel seen in their eyes". MAN! I feel so lucky to be here, and to be able to represent the church in such a unique way. I feel so inadequate to do so, but at the same time know the Lord called me and so i CAN DO IT!

Something so cool that we got to learn the past few days was about mormon.org chat. Ok, this is awesome. So if someone goes onto mormon.org they have the opportunity to talk to a missionary online through chat. And guess who those missionaries are?! visitor center sisters! the past two days i have been online chatting with real people who have real problems, and turn to the church/online to find help! it is AMAZING. Yesterday i was online teaching a lady named Anne (anne, i obviously thought of you the whole time) who lives in Brazil. She talked about how she is having a really difficult time right now and doesnt know if God loves her. I was able to teach her that we are each children of God, and that He DOES love her! I committed her to read the book of mormon online, and we will be sending the missionaries to her house! We will be following up with her tomorrow. Man. THE CHURCH IS TRUE! what other church is able to do missionary work over the internet, face to face, and through visitor centers??? seriously. i love this.

One day this week sister Pettyjohn had a rough night and broke down saying she wanted to go home and yatta yatta. It's happened before so i kind of knew how to comfort her, but still it was difficult. I, through the Lord's help and grace, was able to help me comfort her and get her excited again to be here. After our conversation, i went into the bathroom to pray for strength, patience, and love. Literally right as i said amen, INSTANTLY the song lyrics "fear not i am with thee, oh be not afraid. for I am thy GOD and will still give thee aid. Ill strengthen thee, help thee and cause thee to stand" came into my mind and heart. Never have i felt and literally heard the voice of God so instantly and clearly in my mind. The Lord is so good to me, and I feel His comfort every second of the day. The church is true. And if anything, PRAYER IS REAL.

One more cool experience i had this week. So, i have been worrying about teaching through the spirit. I think i have gotten so used to feeling the spirit since being here because it is always around! But i really have been praying to feel the spirit and know that it is the spirit when teaching. In answer to my prayers, we listened to a talk given by elder Bednar that basically called me to repentance AGAIN by saying that if you are wondering about whether or not you are teaching by the spirit, QUIT WORRYING ABOUT IT. if you are living a life that God would be happy with, then it will be the spirit that is prompting you to do good things. Man. he knows how to just say it! that was such a comfort. Right after this, i was able to teach my old home teacher Cade, who is also an MTC teacher. That in itself was an amazing tender mercy. Never before had i gotten emotional while teaching a lesson, but the Lord really blessed me with His spirit and i was able to completely teach Cade by the spirit. It was an amazing experience.

Ok i am almost out of time, i wish i could tell you everything! I am so incredibly grateful for this gospel. it makes me so happy. I want to shout at the top of my lungs that this work is the LORD'S work. there is no doubt in my mind. I see miracles EVERY day. I cannot wait to be in nebraska this week!! I found out through my new MTC teacher (side comment: That is awesome you found that connection with brother Yeck! he is the man. It was the hardest goodbye to my teachers this week. they, especially sister knowlton, have been my angels in the MTC) that at Winter Quarters i will get to be in the Visitors Center EVERY DAY OF MY MISSION! I am sure there will be more details to come, but basically she said that 9-3 is VC and 3-9 is proselyting or vice versa! Also, while at the VC i get to chat online on mormon.org! AHHH i am SO EXCITED.

The church is TRUE... haha how many times have i said that in this e-mail?! But i will say it again. This is the true church on the earth. We are SO blessed to be a part of it. Keep being missionaries and good examples back home, i am so proud of you.

love you all.

Let's Do this!

Sister Peterson

PS. I GET TO CALL HOME ON WEDNESDAY!!!!!!! Be waiting by the phone all morning because i am not sure what time i will get to call! I am sorry i wish i had more details, but i will get to call at the airport on my way to nebraska! i get to nebraska at around 2 i think, so expect a call anytime before then. Sorry this is so vague. but seriously i cant wait to hear your voices! anne, you should probably be sick that day...k? haha love you!

New Batch of Pictures from the MTC

Lauren and her companion, Sister Pettyjohn

Lauren and her District

I'm going to Omaha, Nebraska!!!

Lauren and Sister Porter (Dan Porter's sister and Jessica Jones sister-in-law!)

Nicolette Nord bumps into Lauren

Lauren ran into an old Danville friend, Nicolette Nord, at the Temple

Pictures from the MTC 3-6-2013

Whereever Lauren is there is a party!  It seems that is the case at the MTC as well.  It is such a tender mercy that her brother Clark is working at the MTC and can see and even help teach her.  Her cousin Greg was also in the MTC the first week preparing to go to Oklahoma.  And, of course, Lauren also has seveeral dear friends who are in the MTC at the same time as her.   In fact, her companion told Clark, " I can't believe it but every place we go in the MTC Lauren knows somebody!" Nebraska will never be the same!

 Lauren and her 1st companion, Sister Pettyjohn

 Lauren with the other sisters in her district

 Lauren with old Danville Friend, Lexi Patterson

                                                     

 Lauren with Brother Clark (Middle) and Cousin Greg Peterson

Two Peterson cousin Missionaries (Lauren and  Cousin Greg)

March 6, 2013 First Letter from MTC

FAMILY!!

Where do i even begin???? I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!
Seriously, i already feel a huge change and increased desire to be the best missionary EVER. i am so incredibly happy!

THANK YOU THANK YOU for all of the e-mails, DEAR ELDERS, and PACKAGES! We didnt get mail until friday last week, and i got a very embarrassing, but amazing amount of letters. i got (double your score) than all of the other missionaries combined. I love you guys.

DAD!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! you are the most amazing man, and i miss you so much. i think about you every day, and am so grateful for your words of advice. Have an amazing day old man :) wish i was there to eat cake and go to movies with you!

VERN! You come into the MTC next week!! DO NOT BE NERVOUS. Be excited!! The MTC is the most amazing place on earth. Its like disneyland/efy/costco. SO much happiness. I cannot wait to see you! I have lunch every day at 11:45 and dinner at 4:45. FIND ME! and I live in 17M and have class in 4m hahaha so i better see you! Bring a blanket because the bedding here is awful. also bring your own sheets! bring shower shoes, and as many clothes as you can. I am already sick of mine ha. I LOVE YOU! and i will be looking for you!

Mom/Anne/Dad. That package you sent me was the most precious, amazing thing ever. Seeing the oranges from our backyard made my day. and the salt and vinegar chips! haha ahhh, thank you for everything. Aunt susan/family, thank you so much for the cookies! my district ate them so fast ha, they were absolutely delicious! Thank you for thinking of me. The food here is the cannon center food - i eat fruit for breakfast, pb and j for lunch, and salad for dinner. every day. I have run every day i have been here, and am feeling great. gym time is the best time.

Matthew! CONGRATS! you are so amazing. I will be praying for you. ah, i cant wait to hear what lies ahead for you. Give opal and eli a kiss for me. i miss them.

So many of you wrote me, i dont have time to individually thank you, but just know i appreciated every letter i got this week. I love hearing updates and it made me so happy! I am so grateful for such wonderful friends and family.

So, the first few days here were probably the most humbling days of my life. I dont think i have ever felt so many emotions at the same time. ha. But, through being humbled, i have had a renewal of my faith and know without a doubt that this church is Christ's church. i have so much to learn, but i have felt God's endless help and love this past week along with all of your prayers for me. It is incredible. On friday, my district came into afternoon class and my teacher Brother Yeck was spouting off so much information/doctrine/teaching methods my brain was about to explode. it got to the point where he would ask a question to the class such as "what is faith?" and no one knew how to answer. ha it was extremely humbling. we went to dinner as a district after class and the gloom in the air was tangible. Mom. don't start crying, it gets better :) We all trudged back to our classroom for night class and our other teacher Sister Knowlton was there to teach. She could tell  we were extremely discouraged. we spent the lesson doing a role play of teaching an investigator how to pray. When it was finished, there was not a dry eye in that room. The spirit was so strong, ahh it was awesome. From that point on every minute of the mtc has been amazing.

This week i have learned that it is not me who teaches the lessons. it is the spirit, and if we prepare and trust in the Lord, he will give us the words to say (D&C 84:85, 11:11). Sunday was fast and testimony meeting and if you want to raise your spirits, listen to 30 missionaries bear their testimonies. it was phenomenal. I love being a missionary. Sunday night we had a great devotional given by the president of the Provo temple. Some things that stood out to me:

- testimony if what we know and feel. conversion is how we act and what we become.
- obedience is MY choice. no one elses.
- how i live my mission will be the greatest predictor for the rest of my life.

Good stuff.

After the devotional we got to watch a video of Elder Bednar speaking to the missionaries on Christmas day. IT WAS AMAZING. Not only did i get to sit next to SIS JOHNS (I see Kales every day. Seriously such a Godsend. She is doing great, i love that girl), but his talk was ridiculously amazing. He talked about turning outwards rather than in - and that this is the greatest indicator of conversion. My favorite thing he said was "This mission is not about you. the only person who cares about what you want is the natural man inside of you. GET OVER YOURSELF and turn out". AH. I love him. Spiritual punch in the face and i loved it.

I love my district! The 4 elders are going to Farmington, New mexico and the 6 sisters are either going to Omaha or temple Square. We love each other. and we laugh so much - such a blessing.

So let me tell you a little about my companion, Sister PettyJohn. Clark was not wrong when he said her name is Sister Roberts, because that was the name tag she had on the first day. After a very long and confusing day of running around, she was able to change her name (her real name is roberts but she wanted her name badge to be pettyjohn after her step dad) confusing, but it made her happy to change the name. I wish you could meet her. She is really sweet and is going to Omaha. She has taught me so much, and ive realized through my conversations with her how much i have. Her ward is funding her mission. She has had a tough life, so i am so impressed that she is on a mission . she has really taught me how to tie in personal stories with lessons, since i like talking mostly about the doctrine.

Our branch pres is AWESOME. i am glad that he talked to Gary/Gary talked to you! He  bought Sis PettyJohn a watch since she did not have one - she has talked about the watch ever since she got it. totally made her day. He is awesome.

I love seeing clark (when i see him! which isnt that much, but i still love it!) and seeing GREG! he left on tuesday, and seriously i have never seen such a prepared elder. He is going to do amazing things. Clark - i love you. Thanks for helping me with my lesson and for your notes. They make my day.

The church is true. Really. I love it here, and cannot wait to be in omaha to teach those nebraskans. they better get ready. I love my savior Jesus Christ. He is the head of this church. Prayer is REAL. i have never prayed so much in my life, and i have never felt closer to God.

Love you all so much.

Sister Peterson

PS. I dont have much computer time so dear elder is the best method. :) thanks for all your support!

Lauren's first day and new Companion

Lauren's brother Clark, who works in the Missionary Training Center, was able to go in with Lauren and see that she got settled.  What a great and tender mercy!  He was also able to see her with her new companion and texted us this picture.

Lauren's cousin Greg is going to Oklahoma and entered the MTC one week before Lauren.  In his letter home to his parent this week he wrote,

"I haven't seen Lauren quite yet but i snuck up to her room last night to see her and she was in a zone meeting. i saw her through the window but she didn't see me. She looked very attentive and excited! Can't wait to see her. Her companion also looked excited."  

It is so great just hear anything about her.  We can't wait for our first letter from her.