A piece of cake that wouldn't fall off of the knife. My piece had an enchilada splatter on the side, and it was spicy--really weird! This was the only picture I took. Sorry.
Hey Family!
So, this week has been pretty eventful! At the first of the week, Sister Barrett got sick and we were told to stay home, so we hunkered down and watched the Joseph Smith Movie--and it was amazing! Then we got to see two investigators twice this week, which was really awesome.
The first investigators are Carolyn and Brittney, a mother and daughter. They are Puerto Rican and the mom is trying to change and be a better example for her daughter. We reminded them about Church both visits. Before we left, Carolyn told us how much she appreciated us taking time to visit them and listen to them. A few tears came before she changed the topic. On Sunday, we finished taking the Sacrament, and I was a little down because they didn't come--and then Carolyn walked in! I was overjoyed--simply beaming! I couldn't have been more happy. Brittney had slept in, but Carolyn came and amazingly stayed for all three hours! She said she would come next week and definitely bring Brittney! Yes!!
And then there's Hilly. Hilly lives by herself and has pancreatitus. She found out she won't make it until her next birthday. Sister Barrett shared the First Vision with her and how Joseph Smith went through some health trouble when he was a child, and then about his suffering in Liberty Jail. Right afterwards, Hilly asked, "What time does your Church start and where is it at? I really want to go! Call me at 8:30 on Sunday so I'll have time to get ready." And then Sister Barrett asked if she'd like to be baptized, and she said yes. It was so amazing! She really needs more hope and light in her life, and we came at just the right time for her. A member agreed to pick up Hilly for Church, since she doesn't want to risk driving. We went to her house on Sunday after calling her, but she didn't answer the phone or the door. We knocked a little louder. She asked who it was, and when we told her she shouted, "Church! I forgot about Church!" She let us in and hurried to get her hat and boots on. Then she smoked her morning cigarette and drank some juice and we were out the door, and on time to Church. She really liked Sacrament Meeting, but couldn't stay through the other meetings. After Sacrament Meeting some Priesthood holders in the ward gave her a blessing of health and comfort. It was really a sweet blessing. I'm so grateful for the Priesthood and the power it has.
This week was really amazing and I know what I'm doing here is helping people. I'm not totally sure what I'm doing quite yet. I'm still getting used to it, but I know that the things we tell people are true--even if most people don't want to listen and sometimes tell us we should give up. I've had a testimony of Joseph Smith for a while now, but this week--what with watching the Joseph Smith Movie, singing Praise to the Man, and reading about his life--I've gained so much love for that Prophet. He knew what he saw was true and even though the rest of his life was extremely difficult, he never gave up on his testimony. I know he was a Prophet and God's true church was restored through him.
Also, I've learned to enjoy scripture study. Not that I didn't before, but now it's so interesting--especially the Book of Mormon. The Bible is still difficult for me, but I've made a New Year's resolution to read the entire thing. Hopefully, I'll understand it better by next January.
I've also observed some good life lessons from the members out here. The strongest families are those who actually read and pray together and actively participate in Church and in their callings. Those families also seem the happiest. Those things are so simple, they're just the Primary answers, but they really work.
Let's see, what else? Oh yeah, our ward is also cool in that it is very diverse. As far as I know, some of the members of our ward are these nationalities ( and most of these are converts): Filipino, Dominican, Brazilian, Korean, Argentinian, Venezuelan, Columbian, Jamaican, Italian... and probably some others, too.
On a lighter note, we named our new vehicle the Millenium Falcon! She's a beauty! We also attended Young Women's this week and learned about family history in our center. It was really cool and so interesting! I'd like to try indexing some time. Are we just Scottish and English? And where from specifically (counties, cities, countries, etc.)?
Well, I love you guys! Wear coats so you don't get frostbite (btw, Sister Barrett is wondering what the signs, symptoms, and progression of frostbite are. So if any of you could google that and let me know, that would be superb!)
Love you!
Sister Mister
