Hampstead, North Carolina

Alright, I haven't updated y'all on my general happenings in a while! Well, I am no longer stationed in the Chapel Hill, North Carolina area, for one! Now I'm in the Hampstead ward! It's on the coast and it is AmAzInG!! I live in this place called Sneads Ferry. It's basically the best.

My new companion is Elder Garn. There he is! Whatta stud. 

We have a TON of fun together! It's ridiculous! A few things have changed. First, I now have way more motivation to run and exercise than I did before. It's called an ocean sunrise. So beautiful! We get to run on the beach every morning and then lift waits at home or do lunges or stairs or whatever we deem necessary. But it definitely helps you stay motivated when you are running towards something that beautiful.

Not to mention, I get to be reminded of just how amazing God really is every single day. The power and beauty of the ocean are just one reminder of it. As the tide goes in and out, pulled by the gravity of the moon, and the Sun rises, filling the Earth day in and day out with light and warmth, I'm reminded of fact that this life HAD to have been created by a supreme being. It just doesn't make sense to me otherwise. The way everything works together so perfectly is a testimony to me that there IS a God. A loving Heavenly Father.


Hampstead is also close to one of the biggest military camps in the country, Camp Lejeune! Every once-in-a-while we can hear bombs going off, artillery being shot, or we can see a battleship roamin' around off the coast. This also means we have a lot of military families in our ward! I have really grown to realize just how much these families sacrifice. One woman in our ward has been married for 3 years and has two kids. Of those 3 years she has been married, her husband has been home for 3 months! Another father is about to leave in a few weeks to be deployed, across the world from his family, for 10 months. I can't even imagine that kind of sacrifice! I mean, I'm away for 2 years, but I'm not in danger, or putting myself in life-threatening situations. I definitely have a lot more appreciation for those that are a part of the military.

One of my most recent experiences was playing with some crabs! Yup, some nice, well, not so nice blue crab. They are feisty little guys and they can definitely give you a reaaal good bite if you aren't paying attention.  It was fun! We might help the people that own the business for some service here in the near future. I'm definitely going to get some real good eatin down here! That's for sure! Looking forward to some grilled shrimp this Friday and basically every other sea food you can imagine in the next few months...I've never been much of a seafood person at all.....we'll see how this goes.

We have also had a ton of other great experiences! Like having a family home evening and cookout with two elderly women in our ward, building some awesome sand castles - yea, I made that turtle - and takin other pictures...#sunsoutshadeson

yea, I made that. 

S'mores @ Sister DuRant's

North Topsail Beach

Hampstead is AmAzInG!!!