I love this work with my whole heart and soul.

All of the sisters who came on exchanges signed our wall :)

Well, the time has come. After 5 beautiful transfers, 7 wonderful months in the great land of Ilford Stan, England. My time has come to say goodbye. President called me yesterday to tell me that I will be spending my last transfer in Watford with Sister Johannes.  I'm so excited to get to know Sister Johannes and to work with her!

But, leaving is still hard.  I cried when President told me because I will miss everyone here so much.  President said, "Sister Ranck, are you okay?" And sister Epicoco had to answer for me because I couldn't even talk. I didn't even know it was possible to love these people so much...... Sister Epicoco has become the sister I never had. I will miss her so so soooo much!!!!

Bobby, Dee, Maria, Magda, Rafael, Shannon, Lola, Rufina, Helder, and Toba........ I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to have met all of these wonderful people and see them change their lives to follow Christ. Although I won't be here, Bobby will be baptised this Sunday! He is probably one of the biggest miracles of my mission. I have never met anyone with a stronger desire than him to change his life. He has changed SOOO much! He truly radiates now. It is beautiful to see <3.

This week we had another beautiful opportunity. So as you know Lola will be moving back to Nigeria in just a few weeks... Well, we really wanted to make it possible for her to go to the temple  before she goes back! There was a ward temple trip so we got everything set up, and we even got her father's name prepared so she could take his name to the temple!!! Well, Friday comes around and the person who was going to take her.. His car broke down..... So all day we were making calls trying to figure out another option... And literally no one had space in their car because we were already short drivers..... Telling her that we weren't sure if she was able to make it broke my heart because she was so excited!!!! We prayed all day long that something will open up. And all day there was nothing...... But that night as I prayed..., I felt at peace and knew that something would happen..... Well, that morning we woke up to a text from one of the drivers saying that our prayers have been answered... There is space! Turns out there was some confusion with who was taking who, which opened up a few spaces so she could go to the temple!!!!! What a wonderful moment that was as we called her and told her our prayers had been answered <3. She had a wonderful experience!!!!

I love this work with my whole heart and soul. I will give everything these next 6 weeks.... But the wonderful thing is it doesn't stop here, I will be a missionary forever with the badge imprinted on my

heart.

ONWARD AND UPWARD......

Sister Sara Ranck

This is Larissa! She was baptised 3 weeks after I left Ilford
with her two siblings and mother!

My last time seeing Toba. Okay I'm crying! I love him!

The Ruckmals!!  I love this family with my whole heart and soul :)

Brother and Sister Stevensen :) They are wonderful!!

I will miss Toba SOOO much!!!!

Sweet Magda wrote out her testimony <3

Imagine an army of the Lord all gathering together

This was one of my favourite days with Sister Epicoco!

Dearest friends and family!

This week (and a half) was amazing. I never want to leave Ilford and leave my companion Sister Epicoco!!! The past 4 months of my life have been amazing and I am sad that it might all end next week with transfers... My last transfer.... What is happening in my life! I am writing on Wednesday because today we are going to see WICKED! So we got permission to move our p-day to today! So excited:)

Yesterday, we had the once in a lifetime opportunity to hear from a living apostle of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Elder Dallin H. Oaks. We have been preparing for weeks now and to really make this a special experience, President Stevens invited us to treat the Hyde Park chapel as a temple open house. Reverent. So what happened was we all arrived at 9am, the entire England London Mission and also the entire England London South mission. So around 400 missionaries! Imagine an army of the Lord all gathering together to hear from an apostle then going out to bring people into Christ! Beautiful!!

We went inside and got our seats, we arrived early because I wasn't going to sit at the back, so we got to be right in the 2nd row. And we had the chance to have personal study for about an hour while we were waiting for him to arrive. A sweet sweet spirit filled that room:) In a very real way, I felt like I was preparing to meet Jesus Christ.

As Elder Oaks walked into the room, we all stood. He stood at the front and each of us had the opportunity to shake his hand, and hug his sweet wife! Then the meeting began. Singing the opening hymn, #41 Let Zion in her Beauty Rise, was so powerful singing with 400 missionaries!! We heard from President and Sister Stevens, my days I love them! The south President, and also President and a Sister Kiran, the area president. Before Elder Oaks spoke with his wife, we sang #85 How Firm a Foundation, and during the 3rd and 7th verses, the Spirit completely overcome me and I just started to cry so hard to the point where I couldn't even sing!

"Fear not, I am with thee, oh be not afraid. ..... I'll never no never, I'll never no never, I'll never no never no never forsake!"

We went for Sunday dinner at the Stevensens
with our friend Bobby!

Then Elder Oaks spoke. It was powerful and it was fun to hear him in a different setting than general conference! He was actually quite funny and when he would make a joke, he would laugh and his huge shoulders would Bob up and down! Hahaha it was great:) He spoke about teaching repentance. The overall feeling I got was that we are in a war. Sometimes in my missionary life, you get so caught up in your responsibilities in your little area, but he spoke about how religious freedom is under attack all over the world, even starting in the US. He told us that some preachers in Canada were arrested for speaking against gay rights. He spoke about how the world desperately needs a belief in God, whether they are baptised or not, because it affects the way we treat others and how society is run. He spoke about how political leaders around the world are not God fearing and how scary that is. Overall I left with the feeling that I need to do more and be more! We need to stand for the truth, no matter what! We need to stand for Christ. It is only the gospel that can save the world from calamity and destruction..... And the way we do it is one by one!!!

My three sweet daughters <3

I will never forget that beautiful day. There is someone we are working with that I want to tell you about as well:) His name is Bobby and he is from India!! Sister Epicoco met him on the street on an exchange and nothing happened for 3 weeks until he finally came to church! Well, Bobby struggles with the word of wisdom and has bad addictions, but he wants to change SOO bad! So for the past 6 weeks, he has faithfully come to church! But his addictions were standing in the way of him progressing. He received blessings, we did the stop smoking program, taught him about Jesus Christ because he didn't know anything about Jesus... Well, his baptismal date is for the 18th of June... So next Saturday (It's almost the 18th of June already are you kidding me??!). To be baptised you need to be living the word of wisdom for 2 weeks! So we told him that to be baptised on the 18th (which he really really wants to! I have never seen anyone with a stronger desire than him!) he needed to stop smoking and drinking by last Saturday. Well, last Friday night we saw him, and he still smoked on Friday, but he promised us that that was it. Well, Saturday came and went and Sunday rolls around, we ask him, "Bobby, how was yesterday?" He smiled, "I didn't smoke!" And he still hasn't to this day! He reads the Book of Mormon every single day... Even though he barely understands it. Probably more faithfully than we do sometimes! And we are SO SO SO proud of him! His faith in God is incredible. I LOVE BOBBY!!!!

Well, I sure do love my life as a missionary. Not every day is sunshine and roses. There are hard days, hard moments, days when I (still) don't want to talk with people... And you think that by now I would be a pro at that. But these experiences I am having and relationships I am building I will never change for anything.

I LOVE MY SAVIOUR! So so so much. My heart is full today <3.

ONWARD AND UPWARD.

Sister Sara Ranck

PS! Sorry for the forever long email.

PSS! Birthday shoutouts to my cute mama and wonderful gramps! I love you both more than life! 💜💜

I love Sister Powell oh so much!

This is Elder Ricciardi from Italy! He wrote the Ricciardi letters
and Sister Epicoco and I have been trying to model
our service after his! #IFEARNOMAN

Magda will be the cutest missionary one day!

Bobby is our favourite!

This is down at Covent Gardens

Real life Gelato with my Italian sister!

We were FRONT ROW!

Three of my all time favourite Elders!
Elder Falke, Williams, and Van Den Broek

What a beautiful Spirit filled everyone's heart

The sweetest girl in this world!

I cannot even describe how I feel right now to you. This weekend has been the greatest weekend of my mission and I feel so much love and gratitude, especially for my Savior. Dee, Maria, Magda, and Rafael all entered the waters of baptism. What a beautiful Spirit filled everyone's heart during this service! Stronger than I have ever experienced. I just thank God that I had the privilege and opportunity to be a part of their miracle!

Sister Epicoco and I did a musical number for the service and this was after they had been baptized, we all came back into the chapel. We sang "I feel my Saviors love", the first and last verse in English and the middle verse in Portuguese! As we started singing in Portuguese, I looked at Maria's face and tears were streaming down her cheek. I just about lost it at that point!

After the service, she came up to me and just cried as she hugged me. She pulled away, put her hand on my face, and with her other hand she pointed to my badge and said, "The bus! Thank you!" I will never forget that moment. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it! I am so grateful for this experience. It wasn't me who did anything, it was all about Christ. She didn't even remember what I said the first time I met her on the bus, let alone what I looked like! And we could barely understand each other as she speaks Portuguese! All she remembered was the name of Jesus Christ and knew that was where she needed to be.

The road wasn't easy and there were moments where we almost dropped them, but the Spirit kept telling us, "just wait a little longer!" There is honestly no greater joy than seeing someone overcome opposition and follow our Saviour. Especially for this beautiful family!!

Dee as well, he is so strong already!!! I am so proud of him and I will never forget the moment I stopped him as he was trying to run to catch the bus! And he yelled his number to me as he was running to the bus, and that was what started it all! He is doing so well and I am so proud of him:)

Sunday was a crazy crazy day but also such a beautiful day! During sacrament meeting, I was looking around and saw all of the people I have worked with sitting in church.... Toba, Rufina, Helder, Lola, Shannon, Dee, Maria, Magda, Rafael. And my heart was filled with so much love and I just started to cry thinking about how much I love these amazing people! I can't believe I will be leaving soon! These relationships and experiences I will cherish for the rest of my life. <3 Especially

with my amazing companion!! I love Sister Epicoco so much! The day we leave each other I will cry so hard!

I have been pondering a lot lately about my mission and the struggle that I had for the first half of my mission. It was hard!! There were days where I just wanted to give up and call it quits....... There were moments that I doubted my testimony..... There were times when I didn't think I would ever see the fruits of my labours........ But I just pushed through it and continued in faith and obedience. Now the miracles I am witnessing have been unlike anything I have ever experienced.

I know with all my heart and soul that the gospel changes people's lives. All because of the atonement and sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ! Oh, how I love him!!!

ONWARD AND UPWARD FOREVER.

Sister Sara Ranck

Toba is praying...

Hahaha Oh Dee....

What a beautiful sight... So much white!!!

This was one of the most amazing and powerful nights of my mission!

Helder and Rafael peeking inbetween us!!!

Brother Duru for President! Haha he took us to the Hindu temple on P day and we got some blessed fruit!