Kindra as a Sister Missionary!

PS email from November 4, 2013 So in honor of my birthday being so soon, there was an announcement last week on our weekly mission wide conference calls, that to celebrate the whole mission is getting iPhones and iPads! Just kidding, its not in honor of my birthday... but we really are getting iPhones and iPads by the end of the year. Each companionships phone will be switched to an iPhone and EVERY missionary will be receiving an iPad. I know. I was also shocked! But we will be the first mission to receive them, but not the only one. I think there are 4 of us here on the east coast who will be getting such tools to help us spread the Gospel. We currently are able to have ipods and itouch's. The missionaries with the itouch ipods are able to use some apps like facebook messenger to be able to teach to people when we are not sitting in front of a computer. That will not be a function available to us on the iPads and they are asking all missionaries to send iPods home. Since we are getting iPads theres no real reason to have the itouch as well. With the iPhones we will be given the opportunity to teach people using facetime, skype, etc. And I believe (but am not 100%) that we will be able to skype home at Christmas and mothers day, but those things will be decided closer to that time. Im not sure when we will be getting these tools but we are told that everyone will have one by the end of the year and that the people in Salt Lake over the missionary department and facebook will be here in a few weeks to give training to the leaders and then to all of us on how to most effectively use these tools. On the iPads we do not have free reign over the internet. Currently on the iPods the web browsers are disabled and the games are all removed. We will have access to all the church apps. Which will be cool because we can use the study journal online, we can view the mormon.org videos, we can now use anything on LDS.org to teach, including the new Bible videos! Anything that you can use from LDS.org or Mormon.org will be available to us to use to teach. Our area books are now going to be on the iPads as well. NO MORE PAPER! Which can be good or bad... .I think that President will have access to these tools which is good because then he can see who is keeping everything up to date etc. Our weekly reports will be on the iPads, the reports that go to ward coucil and the ward mission leader will be made available to them, so they can view the reports whenever they choose. Also our planners will be on the iPads... but i have stocked up on enough planners to last the rest of my mission, because its my crutch. I like to be able to pull it out and know the schedule and talk to people on their porch and set up a time without pulling out a big ole tablet. But some people are really excited to get rid of theirs... which is weird to me. Anyways! Just thought I should drop a note to tell you all about how much the work is progressing here. Its quite amazing everything that is made available to us! And my mission is very different than what I thought it was going to be! Ill tell you that much! LOVES!