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My name is Emily Lance and I am serving in the Texas, McAllen Mission. (June 2014-December 2015). My mom will be posting updates, letters, and pictures while I am on my mission.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

4-6-15 Love and concern for the one

Happy Easter!! 

We had a great time here in Laredo. We smashed eggs filled with confetti on each other and ate so much Mexican food we all got sick. It was beautiful. 

As well we got to listen to conference all weekend! It was incredible. I learned so much and felt the spirit so strongly. I hope all of you got a chance to watch! There was so much about the family and about Christ and His atonement. All of it so needed in the world. I felt like the messages were just what the church/society needed. Seriously it was perfect. I encourage everyone to read, study, ponder, and keep reading those messages given to us by God's servants. That is what God wants us to hear and do. So let's do it! :) Guaranteed blessings to come.

Well. This week was probably the craziest week of my whole mission. On Wednesday morning (April fool's day), we got a call from some elders in our zone asking if we had seen Elder So-and-So, because when they woke up, he was missing. We naturally didn't believe them because it was APRIL FOOLS. Turns out, that elder (a new greenie about to finish his first transfer) had legitimately RAN AWAY. And that's when the craziness started. That morning both the Laredo North and South zones got together and started searching everywhere. Driving down all the streets of that elder's area, checking gas stations, restaurants, bus stations, the airport, hotels, everywhere. We search for five hours and then it was called off. His parents hadn't heard from him and we were at a loss. 

The next day we started searching again around 1pm.  We literally searched ALL DAY. a lot of the time we camped out at bus stations and public places to make sure he couldn't get on a bus or fly away. We even got special permission to stay out past our normal curfew to keep looking, but unfortunately we still couldn't find him, only tiny hints that made us think he was still in Laredo. 

Friday we met up at 7am to resume the search. Tired but determined, we searched on. Sis. Dupape and I had to sit at the airport for 5 hours till we got reassigned to another part of town. That's how intense this was. The APs came up and gave out assignments as well. Finally, around 6 o clock, the search was call off, he had called his family and was on a bus to san antonio. And then we somehow went back to regular missionary life. 
SERIOUSLY THE CRAZIEST THREE DAYS.

We all learned a ton from the experience. Trusting your leaders, following the spirit, enduring to the end, how powerful 40 missionaries can be, and how valuable every single one of us is. The love and concern for that elder and for each other as we searched was really cool to see. We were all exhausted by the end and really glad that he was safe. Laredo is not a good place to be by yourself. haha. Really we were all just relieved it was over and it all turned out ok. That elder went home and hopefully is doing well. 

So.. missionary work was definitely not a huge priority this week because of all that, so nothing to report on that front. Hopefully some things will start to pick up this week :) 

Also, transfers are here once again! and I'm staying in Cielito Lindo!! Woo!! Sis Dupape is leaving, and I'm staying here in good ole Laredo! I don't know who my new comp is going to be yet, but  I'm going to be in a trio and get 2 new comps. SO...... that's crazy! Definitely going to be a struggle and an adventure. Bring it on. :) 

I hope you all have a great week and remember the spirit you felt in conference, and if you didn't see it, go watch it! 

All my love,


Sister Lance

PS I got bit by a dog yesterday,  So that's fun



Search party selfie


Conference selfie
#selfiesfordays


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