I'm HOME!!!

Saying goodbye to my Houston fam and hello to my Salt Lake fam

The airport scene:

The open house the night before my homecoming:

Hamburger fry texas style! Over at the church

Speaking in church the next day with Luke Barton

We headed to the ranch right after I returned.

PINK BUBBLEGUM..... BLACK LICORICE CAN'T DECIDE

THE SISTERS GOING HOME WITH ME

DEAR FAMILY, 

I never thought this day would come. It feels like I've been a missionary for 12 days ok MAYBE 30. What pure bliss it has been to be a servant of our Savior! I'm as happy as 20 packs of bubble gum in the airport on August ninth hugging my mom and as sad as a big bag of black licorice crammed in your back seat after a long roadtrip... I've never felt this way before. Half of my heart is crushing while the other half is rejoicing and wanting to jump on that plane to see my family! It's the most beautiful feeling in the world! And i'm just taking it ALLLL in because i know i will only have this feeling once. I love this feeling because it's a feeling of LOVE for so many people. My family here and my family there. I know i would be so much more sad if all i wanted to do was get out of here. But i have made friendship that mean the world to me! I HAVE NEVER LOVED SO MANY PEOPLE IN MY LIFE. My heart wants to burst... with excitement, joy, fear, saddness, love, pain, and pure bliss! That's all i can this to describe this mission PURE BLISS! It's amazing to be able to serve WITH our savior in his vineyard. He knows his people and loves them so being able to get to know them like he does is incredible! 

There are soooo many things i'm going to miss from being a missionary. I could make a list that would reach to china. From jumping on my companions beds every morning to wake them up because they sleep with ear plugs, to biking on the bayou, to talking to strangers,  to having the coolest studies and lessons for investigators, going to shipleys, baptism, family nights with the members... what i'm really going to miss are my TEXANS... I MEAN my Guatemalans, Mexicans, Hondurans, el Salvadorians, Cubans, and everything in between! THERE ARE ANGELS HERE I KID YOU NOT!  I LOVE THESE PEOPLE FAMILY! 

Obispo Martinez... i had no idea how close we were until i had to say goodbye at our baptism last night! he became the bishop the day i came into this area. So i've just been his little secretary. We both teared up last night and he was so sweet! He's said, "Hermana Wagstaff thank you for your service you've helped change and build this ward. The lord is so proud of you!" i LOVE H9 WITH ALL MY HEART! 

HOUSTON 1.... ALL MY BEST FRIENDS FROM H1 SHOWED UP IN H9 YESTERDAY FOR MY LAST SUNDAY ON THE MISSION! 

MAMA RAPALO.... She is gunna be a killer to say goodbye to today! She's changed my life! we've got lunch at 12 with her and then i'm headed to the mission office. 

PRESIDENT AND SISTER HALL... nooo not ever saying bye to them! i got to spent wednesday in the temple with them. And a LOOOOONNNGGGG car ride back to our area with President and dating advice. noooo President too soon! Today i get to spend the night at there house and we are having family night! 

PAPITO TONIO! OH MAN THAT WAS A ROUGH GOODBYE! tears wet faces not good! He said if i dont skype him every night he is shipping me to cuba.. so sorry you are gunna here a heated 75 year old cuban way more often than you will want to! I LOVE MY GRANDPA! 

WILLIAM... So 6 weeks ago Hermana Mayne and i were walking the streets contacting when a dad and his son walked past us with all these grocery bags. I stopped and asked if i could help and they said "no we are fine" and just kept walking really fast because the bags were so heavy and they had walked such a far way from the store. I took a couple steps and just stopped with the spirit telling me HERMANA WAGSTAFF WHAT ARE YOU DOING TURN AROUND THEY NEED THIS MESSAGE! small missionary from utah chasing after them. LOTS OF FUNNY LOOKS as i start running behind them. "ummm can i just take one bag?" they start laughing and hand us a couple. We walked with them to their house and explained the restoration to them told them we were THEIR MISSSIONARY in this area. They told us they had just gotten here from Honduras 7 days ago and were looking for a church! We sent Yedwin (recent convert) to pick him up a month ago for church and of course they would be from the same town. Why no! God is so good! They have become best friends and brought each other to church every week. Just yesterday William got baptized! It was the most beautiful last baptism. The ward LOVES little william and Yedwin! especially bishop. Hno. Mendez (the family that i would always skype with) baptized him and was bawling too! Everyone was bawling in the baptism is was a very special one. Yedwin got up to speak about baptism just having been baptized last week and everyone was bawling again! it was PURE BLISS!! The gospel is perfect! Seeing people change through the atonement is JOY beyond comprehend! 

I'm going to miss so many people but thank the heavens for skype and facetime and all other good things!!! I can't wait to tackle all of you tomorrow in the airport! DOG PILE ON UNCLE DOUG?? YESSS! please dont' tell me tooley is coming to the airport! I AM  NOW AND FOREVER 100% SURE I WILL NEVER HAVE A DOG after seeing all the diseased ones here. DISGUSTING! 

well tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow! i will see you tomorrow! thank you all for making this the BEST MISSION EXPERIENCE EVER EVER EVER! 

XOXO 

HERMANA WAGSTAFF 

MI REINO! MY EVERYTHING GOOD! MY FAV COMPLEX! TOTALLY MOVING HERE ONE DAY! SO NICE.

FAMILIA ALECIO AHHH MY LITTLE FAMILY!!

molly new bff from library. when we took this picture she said, "i love you and we take this picture in the name of jesus christ and the mother mary. All natural goat milk vitamins and minerals." please don't do anything with this photo she said she's a model and cant let other people have photos of her! LOVEEEE HER! ADDS SO MUCH SPICE TO THIS WORLD

Just can't stand to see you go. Tears wet my pillow today. Love to you all.

Elder Burke

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

TORCHY'S TACOS what up. I know you are all jealous. i'll sneak some on the plane kels

Hellooo Familia! 

What a week what a week! Aint no life like life on the highway livin out of a suitcase, sleepin on concrete, eatin peanuts, wearin old clothes, losin everything. LIFE ON THE HIGHWAY WAS FUNNN! I sort of felt like a lost puppy. President sent me the companionships i was suppose to go to and just told me to go find my way around. So much trust i could have been in Galveston surfin it up but no there are way better things to be doing. I don't know how people live that kind of life with constant travels and random gigs but here'sr how my mission tour went this week... these are my little tour letter.. idk toot and puddle do it! mom you'll understand you use to alwasy read me that book! 

Family, 

today is monday...;

Adventures downtown with my companions and then lesson with Yedwin. ahhhhh so cool! We had a fhe the night before watching meet the mormons. He started crying at the end of the movie so we follow up ask him how he liked the movie. He pulls out this little book and he's like i took some notes after i prayed last night...he said, "Its not that i've never believed your guys words it just hit me while watching that video that this is the true church. This is the church that God wants me to be a part of. I just want to be happy and thats how i feel every week in the church. After i prayed last night i can tell you guys that God answers prayers. He answered mine and he told me i NEED to get baptized because this is his only church on the earth today. so when can i get baptized?" ahhhh we just all look at each other... SATURDAY!! SOOO COOL. we had been asking him to get baptized for 2 months and he's like i will come to you guys and tell you when i get that answer from God that i need to do this. YAY YEDDY IS READDY! 

Comps drive me down to lake jackson

Dear Family, 

Today is tuesday and i feel like a lost puppy. I'm in Lake Jackson.. haven't met anyone named Jackson or seen a Lake but IM HERE WITH HERMANA RIVERA! My first baby! and she's training so also my grand daughter. Their apt is haunted... ask me if i could sleep after all the scary things they told me that were happening NO! they were like well goodnight hermana sleep well down there. i just wanted to jump up on their beds and say GUYS WAIT NO DONT GO TO SLEEP. so many shadows on the floor! But finally fell asleep. It feels like a differnt mission down here in the country. It's a small little branch and their branch president is my favorite! he came out with us everyday and said im going to marry his son becasue i am a chapina! yayyyy!!! i love guatamala! He was the funniest branch president reminded me so much of tal! best guy ever! lives on a little farm with horses and cows. ahhh pure bliss if i do say so myself

Dear Elder Embody, 

Today we moved out the hermana out of the scary apt. I have had a couple of moves so pknow just how elder embody likes it! they thought i was straight up crazy cleaning the back of the fridge, the stove top, the ceiling fans. I had all the elders take everyting to the curb before elder embody and elder chang got there. And when they walked inside. HNA WAGSTAFF THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOVE WE HAVE EVER DONE! WILL YOU TRAVEL WITH US AND MAKE ALL THE MOVES THIS SMOOTH! i'll see what i can do boys... haha they were dead serious! But just being with these hermanas it's so cool to see how much god really does know us individually. He knows these hermanas and loves them so much! I learned so much with them! 

Dear Family, 

Today is thursday. THE BLONDES SERVIN IT UP IN SURFSIDE. Three blondes hit up about every trailer park you can find in surfside. OHHH HOW IM MISSED MY TRAILER PARKS! weard so many good excutes. do you have 5 minutes to hear a messagey um i dont actually live here. im just keeping guard for the owner. SIR YOU LIVE IN A TRAILER YOU THINK IM GUNNA BELIEVE THAT! They were such sweet hermanas down there in surfside! Had a blast with them and learned so much. I FEEL LIKE IM IN A DIFFERENT MISSION! they live with the cutest methodist lady she brough us watermelon and i love this area!

The weekend was crazy adn i dont remember how i got places but i hitched a ride to MLC and then headed back to my area for YEDWINS BAPTISM!! the most beautiful baptism yet!!!! he was there 30 minutes early we had to wait for the members to come! Yedwin was like i sent meet the mormons to all my family today im going to send missionarys to their house! He brought like 2 investigators to his baptism and is the most amazing missionary! he wants to serve a mission!! Papito came to the baptism and i was like dont you want this and he's like yes! i do! tomorrow at 6?? he is so close! ahh i love papito!! We covenanted with the Lord that we would baptize 3 people together as a companionship and we have seen 2. And i know someone can get baptized next week! We have done everything we could do in our power now it's just up to them!! So excited to see what happens this next week! 

ITS BEEN THE BEST LAST FEW WEEKS! AND IM FEELING SO GOOD ABOUT EVERYTHING! I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL I HAVE LEARNED AND ALL I HAVE YET TO LEARN! I LOVE YOU ALL AND WILL SQUEEZE YOU ON TUESDAY!

OVER AND OUT 

H WAG

Joseph smith what are you doing out here??

 ALL OF US! OUR 2 MINI MISSIONARYS AND ELDER SIMPSON WHO BAPTIZED YEDWIN! 

I GUESS I DO THIS WITH MY ARM WHEN I GET EXCITED... when he told us he would stop drinkin coffee and when he said he got an answer.. they like to make fun of me!