What A Week It Has Been!

Editor’s note: Many are familiar with my daughter, Sara Arkell, also known as The Piano Gal. Sara has been called to serve in the New York Syracuse Mission. This is a series on her weekly letters that we will be posting on the site for those who wish to follow along with her mission. You can read her previous emails here.

My oh my what a week it has been!! God has been blessing us with truly incredible people recently! We made 6 new friends this week which is not normal here! And looking back, they were all put in our path. God was like “here you go, boom!” and just places them right where we are. Whether it be on the sidewalk, sitting on their porch, in the parking lot. It’s so cool to see God orchestrate all the details of everything! I’m so grateful to be an instrument in His hands

We went on exchanges with the Williamsville Sisters!! It was such a party! I spent the day with cute Sister Gustin. She is such a light! We had some interesting lessons. One of which was very hard honestly because of the things our friend started talking to us about. I now have had 2 experiences on my mission where I literally felt the Holy Ghost LEAVE. It is such an icky feeling! The Holy Ghost helps me feel peace and comfort and security so when it’s gone, I wanna get out of there as soon as I can. But I love the knowledge of how to get the Spirit to come back! After the lesson, we listened to a hymn in the car and then read some verses from The Book of Mormon and we were good again!

We had Zone Conference on Thursday! my favorite part of each transfer! I learned a lot. One part that really stuck out to me was the assistants’ training. They had us make a chart with 4 boxes – in the top left, we put sacrifices we made to come on a mission. The top right was for the original reason we came out. In the bottom left, we wrote the reasons we continue to stay on our mission. And the bottom right is for the blessings we’ve received from serving the Lord. Man it really put everything into perspective!! I left some pretty big things behind but God has totally compensated for that and much more.

I feel like this scripture puts it perfectly! “Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work. Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever.” MISSIONS ARE THE COOLEST THING EVER!!!

My brother Evan starts his mission a week from today! If y’all would keep him in your prayers, that would be great! He’s going to do so amazing SO proud of him!!

Have the best week! Feel free to send letters if you want :)) I’ll respond!

Sister Arkell

261 Beattie Ave, Apt #2
Lockport, NY 14094