Sister Emily Orr

Aright!! :)
First of all...Thank you everyone for the emails and letters, they really mean a lot! So, I survived the plane ride! It was beautiful. First day I get to Boston, I meet the mission president and the AP's....and they kick us out to go street contact. I was terrified...I about wet my skirt. But it was so good! My two companions and I gave out a ton of pass along cards and I gave a Book of Mormon and Restoration pamphlet to a hobo...:) So I'm not sure if anything will come of it, but it was super cool! Then we got trained and met our new companions/trainers the  next day! My trainer is Sister Morgan. She's from Arizona and and she's a super diva and pretty darn awesome. She definitely knows what she's doing! A lot of this stuff just goes through one ear and out the other and I ask the dumbest questions sometimes:) But hey, thats nothing new! Oh my goodness it's coooooold!! I freeze every day of my life with thermals, fleece-lined leggings, boots, coat, hat, scarf, and gloves!  So cold.  Also, I never got carsick in my life till I drove with Sister Morgan...She's a crazy lady!
The ward here is the bomb diggity! They are all way involved and they help so much! (and they feed us lots of foods). A lot of the success we have here is because of the ward.  I'm soooo gonna get fat! Members have us over for dinner almost everyday! Carne Asada tonight with baked potatoes....ahhh
We watched the Christmas Devotional yesterday and if you didn't watch it, go look it up cuz it was so good! Mom, listening to the MoTab sing made me miss your concerts a ton! Sounds like your Christmas concert was good. I'm so sad I'm gonna miss another one of those! I don't remember who said it in the Devotional but they said "small and simple acts make the biggest impact". That's what I've noticed a lot being on a mission! My absolute favorite thing is service. Serving people is amazing and even if we aren't teaching them about the gospel or having a lesson, it means a lot to people! We went and helped a lady move the other day who isn't a member, and we spent 4 or 5 hours with her and that was probably my number one favorite thing that has happened. It wasn't a big deal, we just helped her move her junk, but we found out later from her friend who is a member that it meant a lot to her and she was so grateful for "those young missionaries". Service is number one! It really helps people see your love for them.  And they're not going to believe all your "talk" until they see how much you actually care about them!.
A few other people that I have met...(p.s. I'm in Norwich Connecticut) Bryan Reynolds. He lives with a less active family -- the Paiges. He is Catholic and not very open to hearing things about the gospel. We went over and shared a message with the Paiges and we told him to listen but he just kinda did his own thing. I think he was listening though and dangit I'm gonna convert him. I think that he believes everything we say, he just doesn't wanna change. Missionaries have been going over there for years. That's my #1 goal right now...before I leave Norwich, Bryan Reynolds WILL be baptized. He really is an awesome guy and he's super crazy and a little obnoxious, but that's why we get along! So I'll keep ya'll updated on that!
My district is super awesome! We  had District meeting on Friday and I got to know everyone, and for real, Massachusetts Boston missionaries are awesome!! Sister Morgan and I work really close with the two Elders in our ward, Elder Ching and Elder Koontz. Elder Ching is from Hawaii and he's one of the greatest missionaries ever! We will just be driving and he will see someone outside their house and he'll pull over and talk to them. Elder Koontz is a convert and he has a really special story! His dad passed away and he figured there was something more so he got baptized and decided to go on a mission! His mom was baptized while he was in the mission field! So cool.
Something I thought was cool my last couple days in the MTC. We were reading in the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi. Talking about Laman and Lemuel, verse 13 says "and they were like unto the Jews who were at Jerusalem". It got me thinking...Laman and Lemuel were exactly like all the wicked people in Jerusalem. Wicked people were the reason God destroyed that city. God could have told Lehi to leave them  behind because they were so wicked and they were the reason He was destroying the city, but because He is merciful and He knew that would break Lehi's heart, He saved them. Even though they caused so much pain and suffering! I guess if any of that makes sense...I just thought it was super cool!:)
Man...missions are hard. I came out here thinking I would just go around converting the world and it would all be great! But nope! They are tough! But it's all worth it...100%:) Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers!! :)  And Keri! Thank you SOOO much for the scarf! I wear it everyday of my life and it is amazing! :)
Also, go on YouTube and look up He Is The Gift. It is a beautiful video that the Church put out to bring the Christmas spirit and the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus Christ is the greatest gift we have been given. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and the Atonement. He DIED for us! All of us. That really is so amazing.
I love you all!!
SISTER ORR!

Mailing address in my 1st Area:
8 Oxford Drive
Norwich, Connecticut
06360