Happy Father's Day

June 9, 2014

Hey Y’all!

Today I woke up sick. :?  No Bueno!  I had a sore throat, pounding head, fever, puffy eyes and I was tired!  We had studies and then I took a 2 hour nap.  Thank goodness it was P-day today and I could do that!  Thank goodness for Sister Arbon who was awesome about it all and let me. J

When I woke up, we went and e-mailed.  Sister Arbon had a ton more people to e-mail than I did, so after I e-mailed y’all, I was so wiped out!  So I laid my head down and snoozed.  Kenzie Oswald e-mailed me. J  She saw Mr. Morris at a track meet and he remembered us and all our history class adventures!  So fun!

Dinner was at the Larsen’s.   They are a newer family in our ward.  Brother Larsen’s “sister” (though they aren’t related) lives with them and nannys for them.  The kids were just running around being kids.  I love kids and these kids were no exception for me. 

After dinner we went tracting.  The fireflies are back. J  I have missed those things!  We met some super nice people!  One guy was a Baptist but had been employed by an LDS construction company and helped build churches.  We also met some meanies (cause that’s just how it goes.)  This one guy answered the door and said, “Can I help you?”  I said, “Hi, how are you?”  He looked at me, shook his head and said, “Can I help you?”  Oh geez!  And then he basically shut the door in our faces as soon as I said who we were.  I will never understand some people.

I like being able to tract on Mondays!  Even if I feel like I’m about to pass out.  It’s much easier to reach our goals when we do!   Plus, we get to see all the awesome fireflies!  Who wouldn’t want that?!

June 10, 2014

Today we had a zone meeting.  On our way there I noticed a paper stuck on the wipers.  I figured it was just a flyer so I tried to use the wipers to get it off but it was stuck.  When we got to the church Sister Arbon grabbed it.  On the front of the paper it said, “Blessing.”  Folded inside was $30!  I’m glad that it didn’t fly off. J  It was a sweet tender mercy and a really kind deed.

Zone Meeting was AWESOME!  The spirit was really strong!  The Cleveland sisters sang a song called, “My Unknown Brother.”  Find it!  It was SO good!

Our training went really well.  I love it when people are willing to participate!  It makes things so much easier!  Elder Angilau and Elder Jensen are trying to get us more involved as STL’s in planning for meetings and what not.  They are so awesome!  I love ‘em!  Elder Angilau is probably out this next transfer.  He’ll have been here for 6 months.  I’m sad!  We came out together and this is the first time we’ve served together!

We went to lunch at this Mexican place, and though it was good, it took FOREVER to get our food!  It was fun to be with all the sisters.  They really are amazing women of God.

During Zone Meeting Sister Iketau made sure she took the opportunity to remind me that I had hit 11 months today.  I had blissfully forgotten until she reminded me.  Rude!  Of course, all the elders in our zone who I came out with were excited (there were 4 of them Elders McMurdie, Jensen, Angilau, and Higginbotham).  But that’s cause they still have over a year left!  My end is a lot closer than theirs!  Bugger. L

We went on exchange with the Commerce sisters today.  I’m here in Loganville with Sister Anderson and Sister Arbon went with Sisters Roundy and Tanner.  I will probably be leaving next week on exchanges.   They are struggling in Commerce right now.  Sister Anderson’s previous companion was less than enthusiastic about being a missionary.  It sometimes gets really hard to have the energy and work ethic when you have a comp who has kind of pulled you down.  I really love her but I don’t know what to do to help her.  I remember when I had a companion like that it was really hard.  I was blessed by being called as a trainer.  I had to pull myself up by the boot straps and realize that it was not just about me but that I had a new missionary who was counting on me to be my very best.  She deserved my best and Father expected me to give it.  So at this point I’m praying for some inspiration.

We got back to Loganville at about 4:30, an hour and a half until dinner.  Sister Kilpatrick had her surgery today, so we went to see how she was.  Ah!  I love the Kilpatrick’s!!!  They told us that their neighbors, Kathy and Jerry loved us!  Yay!  Hopefully we can get back in with them!  Sister Kilpatrick looked good for just having had surgery.  She is so positive and just a doll!  So is Brother Kilpatrick!  They have quickly become some of my faves!!

Dinner was at the Goodyear’s, who I had never met.  Sister Goodyear is in the Relief Society Presidency.  We had taco salad.  Guess it was just a Mexican meal day. J  Yummy!  While we were there it started pouring with lots of thunder and lightning.  I figured it would stop quickly enough.  Low and behold, it sure did!  Gotta love Georgia weather!  It’s nuts.

We finished off our night with tracting.  It was a little rocky at first.  My cute Sister Anderson doesn’t know how to tract!  She was struggling.  It was almost like tracting with a greenie!  There were a few times where she would just stop talking, so I would jump in.  Hopefully I was able to help in some small way. 

I’m trying so hard to feel and follow the spirit on this one, but I don’t feel like I’m doing that great of a job.  Oh brother!  This is another reason out of the 12 bajillion that I have for why I should NOT have been made and STL!  I’m trying my best though!  And I know that my best is all I can do.  The Lord will make up for the whole lotta rest that there is!!

June 11, 2014

So I woke up this morning with a super raspy voice!  The more I talked the worse it got.  After studies, we went to try and see people.  Most people ignored us and wouldn’t answer.  Finally though, Sister Conchola was home and let us in.  She was one of the first people I met my first week here.  It was so sad.  Her husband wants nothing to do with the church so she kept saying, “What’s the point?!”  I totally got revelation from the Lord of what to say!  It was awesome!  I talked about the stripling warriors and how they doubted not because “their mothers knew it” and were examples to them.  I told her she needed to be a mother like the stripling warriors had.  She needed to be the example that her kids could follow.  I think that sunk in for her at least a little.  She told us that she would really like help with her kids and maybe the Young Women could help but that she didn’t want to call the Relief Society President.  I think there may have been some kind of falling out there.  Sister Conchola understands that people aren’t perfect and said that she isn’t not coming to church because of the Relief Society President, which is good and is a step in the right direction.  We’ll get there.

After Sister Conchola we had lunch.  During lunch we got a text from Brother Peck!!!  He got the okay from the Stake President so we can start planning Vila’s baptism!! AHHH!  I am so happy!  My Vila is finally going to be baptized!!  YAY!!

We exchanged back and I was so tired!  I have a nasty cold and no voice.  We talked about the exchange and what we can do. 

We found out that a ton of our cars got recalled so a lot of missionaries have rental cars without TIWI.  Well we know that at least one set of elders is taking advantage of that.  On Monday, the sisters found pictures on the computer of the elders in a place with skyscrapers late at night.  We don’t have any place in their area, our Zone, or the whole mission with skyscrapers.  So they emailed the pictures to President.  It makes me so angry when missionaries are so stupid!!  What is the point of coming out on a mission if you aren't even going to care?!?  Why are they wasting the Lord’s time?!  Stupid!  Just stupid!

We tried following up on a few people before dinner but no such luck.  Ah well!  We’ll try ‘em again!  Dinner was with the Moshers, an older couple in our ward.  I was in heaven!  We got salad made from things from their garden.  Ah!  It was beautiful! J  I have missed garden food SO much!  It was just a yummy time!

We went and parked at home, then walked to the trailer park to tract.  We had about an hour and a half left of the day.  About an hour in, we see huge storm clouds coming in quickly.  We did a few more doors and then it started POURING!  No joke!  We were drenched in seconds!!  It was nuts!  And so funny at the same time!  So we started walking home in the pouring rain.  We were joking, saying how we should totally have a film crew follow us!  By the time we got home we looked like we had jumped into a pool, fully clothed.  We were that wet!  It was so much fun though. J  Kind of a fun way to end our day!

June 12, 2014

Sooo. . .getting caught in the rain wasn’t a super good thing.  I woke up feeling like I had gotten run over by a truck and then the truck backed up over me and ran over me again for good measure!  I had NO voice.  No joke.  None.  I had a hacking cough, stuffy nose, fever, the works.  It was TERRIBLE!!  So we were stuck inside.  All.  Day.  Long.  I slept most of the day.  We had to cancel everything.  I was so mad!  We had an awesome day planned and my body had to go and ruin it!  I honestly don’t remember the last time I was this sick.  When I was awake, I just laid on the couch and wrote letters in response to the pile that had been growing on my desk.  I felt so bad that Sister Arbon was stuck inside too.  But she was super sweet about it.  So that was nice. J

Hopefully I should be better by tomorrow.  Though we may have to take things a little slower.  Bugger.

June 13, 2014

Happy Friday the 13^th that also has a full moon!  Crazy!!

I tried so very hard to get up and out!  But my body just wouldn’t let me!!  Why?!?  It’s totally miserable being stuck inside!  There are people that need the gospel and our time is so very precious and I feel like my body is my enemy right now.

We did weekly planning and even that just about wiped me out.  Being inside all day makes missionaries edgie.  I feel guilty cause I am stopping Sister Arbon from doing what she is here to do.  And I feel cranky because I feel sick and yucky.  Sister Arbon is trying to be patient but it is NEVER fun to be stuck somewhere inside because of someone else (for that matter it is not fun to be stuck inside because of yourself either).   However, being stuck inside and it being because of another person just doesn’t make for a greatest combination.

The Carter’s took us out to lunch . . . kinda.  They both go busy (totally understandable with their 6 darling children!) and just ended up paying for our lunch.  We went to a BBQ place called Shane’s.  that wiped me out too.  I’m pretty sure the food was amazing but I was so stuffed up  and feeling yucky I couldn’t taste it.  BUT I could hear the country music they were playing and that was killing me!  I don’t miss my country music, until I hear it.  Especially Josh Turner.  And it kills me even more when a song come on that I don’t know.  I used to know ‘em all!  I think that everything should just stop, but in 11 months there are so many new things out there!  It’s nuts!  Ah well.  All in good time these things will be back into my life when I least expect it or desire it.

After lunch my fever shot up.  I am so sick of being sick.  So I slept most of the day.  We cancelled dinner, because I really don’t want to share, so the Embry’s brought dinner to us.  They are sweet! J  And Brother Embry gave me a blessing.  Hopefully we can be out and about soon!  I’m beginning to hate the inside of the apartment!

June 14,2014

I swear!  This HAS got to be the last day we are inside!

We called the mission nurse, which I had been putting off.  Why you ask?  Well that would be because the mission nurse is not my favorite.  She got mad at me for not calling her on Thursday.   Oh well!  She wouldn’t have let me go to the doctor then.  She hardly ever lets missionaries go to the doctor.  She wasn’t going to send me to one.  But she talked to the mission doctor and he told her to have me go so we did. : /

When we walked in, the doctor told me I sounded terrible.  Yup.  I know!  And I sound better than I feel.  She gave me some medication.  Hopefully they will get me up and going again.  But I really don’t care how I feel tomorrow!  We’re going out!  I can’t take it any longer - - being cooped up like a chicken!

We had dinner at Sister Swancey’s.  She is a very interesting lady.  She is forthright and says what she thinks.  By the time dinner was over I had a pounding headache, but I was NOT going to be back inside until 9 tonight!  So I told Sister Arbon I was fine and we went tracting.  It was glorious to be working again!  Even if I did feel like my head was going to explode. J

I got the chance to pass out 2 copies of the Book of Mormon tonight!  It was exciting. J  I don’t normally just pass them out.  I try to follow the spirit on who to give them to, mostly cause I hate the thought that the people won’t even attempt to read it.  But just trash it or send it to Goodwill (which I would rather have happen than them trashing it!).  The first guy was a police officer.  His name was Stan.  He was very nice and we talked  for a while.  He told us he would leave it in his car so that while he is working and sitting in his car he will read it.  He seemed very sincere.  I marked 3 Nephi 11 for him with our card.  All we can do is pray that he will allow the spirit to touch his heart as he reads!

The last lady we talked to was Sarah.  She had just gotten to Georgia to visit her daughter; she had driven all the way from North Carolina.  We had a delightful discussion with her.  I don’t know if she could be any more prepared!  When we asked if she would like to learn more, she really thought about it.  She didn’t say yes right away but paused for about 30 seconds almost like she was waiting for the Lord to tell her.  She is only in Georgia for 4 days.  We told her how she could request the missionaries to come to her in North Carolina.  She was very excited about that.  When I gave her the Book of Mormon, she held it close.  She didn’t seem to doubt for a second that it was the Word of the Lord.  I probably won’t ever find out what happens to Sarah in this life, but I’m so very excited to find out what happened in the next. J

There are days where I just want to sit down and be done, when door after door is shut in our faces.  But then we get little miracles like Sarah, like the Lord is smiling at us and saying, “Well done my good and faithful servants.”  And that one little miracle washes away all the slammed doors and all the nasty comments.  Oh!  How I love this work! J

June 15, 2014

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY DADDY!!! J J

You were at the front of my thoughts all day long!  I just wanted to run up to everyone and tell them that I have the best Daddy in the world, in the universe, in existence!  Thank you for being the Daddy that I can be proud of!  Thank you for being the example for me of the qualities I need to have in a husband.   Thank you for always being a worthy Priesthood holder so that I never had to question who I could get a blessing from.  Thank you for loving my Momma like you do. J  I have never questioned your love for her!  Thank you for loving me and always being patient.  I have no doubt that you learned more patience than you ever should have needed to in raising me. J  Thank you for all the wonderful memories that we have created so far!  And for all the memories we will continue to make!  No girl on the planet could ever love no bake cookies and Star Trek night with her Daddy like I do. J  Thank you for just bein my Daddy!  I love you $20!!

Church was really good today!  We had 3 investigators there, which was awesome! J  And the talks were really good.  One girl spoke, whose father left when she was 15.  She talked about how there are “fathers” and how there are “dads.”  Even though her father left she had some great dads.  She is engaged and she talked about her fiancé and the example he was to her in having the desire to be a great dad to their future children.  It was a really sweet talk!

After church, I grabbed Morgan Wright and had her send a text picture to you Daddy. J  I know I told you Happy Father’s day in my email last week and I’ll say it again tomorrow, but I couldn’t let the day go by without you getting something from me! J

Then Morgan read her farewell talk to us cause she gives it next week.  She doesn’t leave until the end of the next month, so I’m not really sure why she is giving it next week.   But whatever!  She will do good.  She is cute and as long as she always remembers her purpose and why she came out, she will do great!

When we got in the car to go home for lunch, it was 98 degrees!!  That doesn’t include the stinkin’ humidity!  Ah!  Blast it!  I hate the heat. :?  BUT I love Georgia! J  So it’s a pros and cons/give and take kind of deal. J

After lunch our day just went nutso.  First off, it officially got up to 100 degrees!!  Ah!  Yuck!! :?

We decided we would try to visit some less actives and then go tracting before dinner even though it was sweltering.  Every less active that we tried to see wasn’t home!  I guess that would make sense with it being Father’s Day and all. : /  We got  done with our list of people and then we decided to go see Sister Shirley since she wasn’t at church.

I was driving and we were going through a neighborhood.  I stopped at a stop sign and then turned right.  Suddenly, our car jerked, leaned to the right and we heard scraping.  I pulled over and stopped, hopped out and went to the passenger’s side.  The right front tire was completely flat with a gigantic hole (probably about 2 ½ inches) in it!  I hadn’t hit anything!  It just had popped!  It was nuts!  Sister Arbon called the Galbreaths who got to us a half hour later.  I could have changed it myself but wasn’t sure how to do that on a hill.  Well, we weren’t able to.  When they were jacking it up, the jack flipped out, in turn scraping the bottom and taking off paint.  The rim was completely messed up by this point.  We put the car in neutral so that we could push it to a level spot where we could put on the spare.  Elder Residori didn’t answer when we called so we left a message.  Basically it’s just a crazy mess!

Finally an hour and a half later, we went to dinner with the Christensen’s.  They are a really nice family and it is so nice of our sweet members to feed us. 

So tonight it has been stormy.  Sister Arbon has been sitting on our porch watching.  I went to talk to her and at my feet was huge cockroach.  I HATE cockroaches!!  And then it started running at me zippy quick!  I screamed and squealed.  It was no pleasant.  So, that was the ending of tonight.

I love y’all!!  Have a great week!

Love

Molly J