Hola, Y’all:
Ah! Gotta love P’day! And we had a good one. Nice and relaxing. E-mailing was fab, as always. Mom, it’ll be ok, the Lord has a way for me and Gabey to see each other! I just know it. Everything will work out. President gave me permission for a reason. I've prayed about this a lot. The Lord will provide!!
The rest of the day was super chill, just hangin' out and trying to get everything that we needed to finished . We wrote all the Sisters notes and we’ll give them to the Sisters tomorrow at zone meeting. We had a lesson with the Hernandez family tonight. Ah! I love them!! We found out that Juan speaks and understands a lot more English than he lets on. None of our Spanish-speaking team-ups could come. Brother Erasga, their neighbor, who introduced them to the church, came with us. Brother Erasga is Filipino and doesn't speak a lick of Spanish. But luckily it made Juan open up more! Which was great. We ended up having an awesome lesson. We talked to Juan about replacing coffee with hot chocolate. Veronica piped up and said, “I make his coffee! I’ll just make hot chocolate instead!” And Juan readily agreed.
We gave Alejandro an English Book of Mormon and immediately, he sat down and started reading it. I told him if he had any questions, he could ask us. He grinned and said, “It’s okay! I love to read! I never have any questions.” He is 12. And so excited for the gospel. Ah! How did I get so lucky to get to teach such an elect family? I’m so grateful for the Lord and the blessings He gives me. And tomorrow I get to see Gabe! I’m truly blessed!!
September 9, 2014
I’m Heavenly Father’s favorite!!! I really, really am! My heart is so full of gratitude for everything! If I weren't Heavenly Father’s favorite, I'm not sure I would be getting this many blessings. I've got to be the most blessed Sister alive!
So we started off our day with zone meeting. It went really well! We had an amazing musical number. I played the piano (not the amazing part) Elder Johnston played the cello, and Sister Smith and Sister Stott sang. The song was “Homeward Bound” but the lyrics were changed to “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer”. So good. Zone meeting went over and I was stressing bad. As soon as the prayer was done, Sister Hulme and I were outta there!
Ah! Can I tell y’all how much I love Sister Watkins? She is an angel, for reals! Again, totally the most blessed sister alive. I don’t know what I did to have her in my life, but I’m sure glad that I did it! We got to the airport and we waited, and waited, and waited. We met two families saying goodbye to their elders. One was going to Lima and the other to Cusco. We talked a little with the one going to Lima. He was so sweet. I wish that I could remember his name! His name was Eric and his last name started with an F. He said that he would look out for my Elder George.
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| My Dariling Sister Hulme and I waiting at the Atlanta Airport |
Well, it was getting to the point where I thought Gabe wasn't going to come. Sister Watkins grabbed us and prayed. After, I was still pretty anxious but I felt a wave of peace washed over me and I was told that it was going to be alright. And I knew it would be! Whether I got to see him or not, it would be okay.We waited for another half hour and then suddenly, there he was!
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| And her joy was full! |
I couldn't go past the line, and I had to wait for Gabe to come to me. So there I am bawling and he is just walking, little bugger! But that’s okay because I got to be with him when he finally got to me. I think I embarrassed him but I don’t care. It was the best moment ever. All too soon he had to leave, but it was all okay because I had gotten my hug. Before he went into security, I yelled at him “Hey Elder!” He looked and I grinned and said “Work hard. I’ll see you in two!” And then he was off. I think that I am the proudest big sister in the entire world. I know that Elder George is going to be the best missionary Peru has ever seen!!!
I got to have all of the best today! I had the best moment with my amazing missionary brother. I had my best Georgia mom in the entire world. And I have the best companion who was willing and happy to let me see Gabe.
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| ♥Sister and Elder George♥ |
As we left the airport, I waved and said, “See ya in 4 1⁄2 months!” But not in a trunky kind of way. No, in fact, this adventure has done the opposite, it has rekindled some of my greenie fire! I couldn't wait to get back to Loganville and have more adventures and miracles come my way. It was so good to see my Sister Watkins. I love her oodles. Though I was sad to say goodbye to her, I knew it wouldn't be long until I saw her again.
We had an hour before our lesson with Nikki, so we decided to tract in our apartment complex. The second door we knocked on, we met Cindy, who invited us right in! She was really sweet! We taught her about the Book of Mormon and prayed with her. Though she wasn't really interested, we knew we left her with a seed planted!
Our lesson with Nikki was great! We taught the Gospel of Christ. Such basic, yet vital principles. I love going over there cause her light gets brighter and brighter every time! I love that she is embracing this wholeheartedly.
Basically today was one of the best days ever! Seems like I've been having a lot of those lately. Must be because I am Heavenly Father’s favorite. Have I ever mentioned that before?!? ;)
September 10, 2014
Wow, 14 months ago we were saying goodbye. I had my greenie fire blazing. Now it is Gabe’s turn. Ah! I’m so excited for him! He is now in Peru with a name tag and a ready heart! And I have gotten a little of that greenie fire again and I LOVE it. This morning after we got ready, we went to Kroger, where Brett was working, to get Brother Goga's cello so we could return it. While we were there, I made Sister Hulme grab allergy meds. She thinks she is just sick, I’m pretty sure she has allergies. Ah! Gotta love being in denial. Haha!
After studies we went to see Sister Shirley. Oh! How I love that lady. She told us she just found out that she might have leukemia. I hope they are wrong! She has already gone through so much. She always asks how our work is going. I love telling her cause she remembers everyone we tell her about. She always tells us that we are the hardest working missionaries she has seen. I always tell her that we are just fortunate to be here right now. I get to harvest what has been planted by others. And it is true! These are all miracles from the Lord. Nothing from what we have done! Sister Arbon and Smith did their fair share of work while they both served here. And I know others did too because I know who they are.
During lunch Sister Hulme took a nap. She just crashed. I hope the allergy meds will kick in eventually. It’s never good to have or to be the sick companion. It’s just no good for anyone.
We took back the cello to Brother Goga. It passed his inspection but the elders forgot to put back the tuning thing. It is back at their apartment. So we’ll have to grab it tomorrow to give back to Brother
Goga on Sunday. Dang! Everything was almost perfect.
Then we had a lesson with Alisha. Her mom is a less active member, but they came two weeks ago and Alisha liked it? She has an 8 year old son and is 31. She is super sweet! We really had a good lesson! She and her mom together just quit smoking about a month ago. Yes! One less obstacle for us. I think she has great potential. I am excited.
Sister Shirley had given us stuff to make treats for the ward party tonight, so we went home and made
those real quick, went tracting for a while, and then headed to one of my favorite family's ever for a lesson. It is a part member family and we have been teaching the dad who is not a member. Ah! He is progressing so well! I have high hopes for October 3rd and being here for one more transfer. Then they can ship me off somewhere else. But I have to stay! So please keep me in your prayers.
Our last stop was the ward party. Sister Shirley’s friends were the entertainment. Brother Smith is blind, plays the saw, and tells jokes. Sister Smith plays the piano. It was so fun! At one point they had girls come up to hula and up went my Charlize! Ah! I was tickled to see that. She is amazing! I love her so very much and I’m so proud of her! It was really fun and it helped unify our ward a little more. All wards need that kind of stuff! It is fun to see how they are coming together and unifying as a ward family. I really do love it here, more than I could ever imagine! I know that I say it a lot, but it really is all in the attitude.
September 11, 2014
I am so thankful to be in a free country. I can’t believe how blessed we are to be able to do what we want! I’m grateful for freedom of religion! Granted sometimes I wish that people would accept the gospel of Jesus Christ, but I am grateful for people’s freedom nonetheless.
Today we went on exchanges with the Cleveland sisters. I came to Cleveland with Sister Burgess and
Sister Smith got to go with Sister Hulme.
We met them at the nursing home they help out at and did the activity with them. Ah! It was bliss, as always. Hangin' out with old people just always gets me tickled. We had lunch all together and then went our separate ways. Our first stop was a lady named Jeanie. She is quite the character. Wow! From the sound of it, she hasn't had an easy life. She has had many obstacles placed before her in her life. I am always amazed by people that are able to overcome such obstacles.
Next we went to see the Hardings. While we were there, I hit a wall. It was taking everything I could not to fall asleep. Oh! I was so tired. The Hardings were really sweet. Sister Harding and her daughter live together. Sister Harding has some health problems. As we were leaving, they took a picture of me. I guess they do that with all the missionaries. Haha! Luckily my picture turned out good .
Sister Burgess was fighting to stay awake as well, so we went to the store and got a treat to keep us going. We saw Elder Anderson and Elder Hawkins on their bikes. They are nice elders. Our last visit before dinner was the Ellisons. Kinda the same situation as the Hardings. They were both really sweet! I liked them. Sister Ellison said she finds the older she gets the more she is ignored. Oh! That broke my heart. That is not how it is supposed to be.
Our last stop was dinner with the Patrums. Their family is the kind of family who is related to 3 or more other big families in the ward. We had hamburgers for dinner. YUM! For our lesson, we taught them the Plan of Salvation and they pretended to be people they knew who they wanted to share the Gospel with. It was really fun! And they did a good job. Haha!
Well, it was a good day. And I am exhausted.
September 12, 2014
This morning Sister Burgess and I had fun. I was so tired. We talked late into the night. And then I
woke up multiple times in the night.
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| Still finding family names or nicknames as the case may be |
ever! She has been less active, but is coming back. She is one of those members who just makes sure the missionaries are all taken care of! She is really sweet!
Then we exchanged back and I drove home and Sister Hulme slept. About halfway home I got a terrible stomach ache and a little fever. I don’t know if it was because of the little sleep or what. All I know is that I did not feel good. Yuck! We got home around 3:30 and so we weekly planned. I still didn’t feel good at all. No fun when that happens.
We had a HUGE storm roll through. The lightning was a little scary.
We had a great lesson with Nikki. She has no problems with the Word of Wisdom. Yay! We got a little worried about that when we realized her baptism is two weeks away, and we hadn’t talked to her about it. But she was all good. So that was a relief.
We went over to the Browns to figure out the plans about tomorrow. Sister Brown wasn’t home so we talked a little with Maddie. Today is her birthday.
September 13, 2014
Ah! It was a glorious day. Today, April went to the temple with 49 family names! Oh my goodness! It was the best thing ever. She was glowing. The Spirit was so strong. When we were watching Adam and Clint Musgrove doing the boys confirmation, April leaned over to me and showed me her
arm. She had goosebumps all over and she said, “My dad and grandpas are here!”
April wanted her grandparents sealed together, so Sister Brown, Adam, Clint, and Sister Musgrove went to do those and we hung out with April for a while. We waited for a long time but I saw so many people from my Suwanee ward.
Sister Makenna was working in the office and I got to go see her! Ah! I love her so much. And I miss her lots and lots. I have seen a lot of my Suwanee favs since I left but I have not been able to see Sister Makenna. So I’m really happy to finally be able to see her.
I also got to see Ricco, who was in the YSA in Suwanee. He just went through the temple in March. Now he is working in the temple. Ah! I am so proud of him.
I also got to see sister Willey. She was the one who helped us teach Kiaundra. She is so sweet. I love her.
Sister Makenna had the temple president, President Posey, come and talk with April. It was so great!
He asked her about Logan, her son. Logan is going into the military soon. President Posey said he would give Logan’s info to the branch president in the area that Logan will be at for basic training. April was just beaming. It was a really cool experience!
We also went and hung out at the distribution center. Sister Hulme tried on dresses to find the one she liked. I was talking to one of the sisters working there, and turns out she is in Ben’s ward and she knows him. Ah! It was so cool. It was hard knowing that he was so close and I haven’t seen him forever! I can’t wait for January when he goes through the temple. It’s going to be the best ever.
While we were sitting in the distribution center, two couples came in. One of the guys asked us what
mission we were from. When we told him, he asked if we knew Elder Calkins. Uh yah! Turns out it was his sister and brother-in law. Small world. They live in Tennessee and were visiting friends. We got a picture with his sister so I could show him tonight at stake conference and she also went and wrote a long letter for me to give to him. It was so much fun!
The only thing that could have made the temple better was if Sister Arbon could have come. I know she wanted to. And for a little bit we thought that maybe President Bennion would change the rules so that she could come. He had told her that she might be able to come. I guess those rules are going to stay in force. The rule is that whoever is serving in the area when the new member first goes is the are the ones who get to go. It would have been nice to have her there.
We had dinner with the Erasgas, the Urtulas, and the Hernandez families. We had a mix between
Filipino and Mexican food. I leaned towards more of the Mexican food. The Hernandez family
had made sabeche (okay I have no idea how to spell that). Oh my goodness! It was so yummy. Between that and the pasole soup. Yum! Teaching a Hispanic family is the life. Kidding! But they do make really good food. It was funny to watch them all communicate because they had a mix of English, Spanish, and Tagalog. It made for quite a loud conversation. Haha! I loved it.
Last was stake conference. I saw Elder Calkins and told him I had met someone really cool today. Then I showed him the picture.
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| Three "sisters" but only one belongs to Elder Calkins!! |
they are a great ward.
I got to see Sister Knight! Oh! How I love her. She is doing good. She says her back is hurting from their car accident. Hopefully that will get better. All in all, not too shabby of a day.
September 14, 2014
It was an up and down day today. While I loved Saturday night session of stake conference today just didn't do that much for me. Some talks were good and some that were a little off. But I got to sit with Sister Knight. So that was good. I was happy about that. I just love her so freaking much! She is just one of my favorites. It was fun to catch up with her.
The Hernandez family came. Veronica says that she likes regular church better. I had to laugh and agree with her. The only good thing is that Juan got to use a headset so that he could understand everything. We are still working on that.
When we got home we tracted and tracted and tracted. It was hard. We really haven’t had time at all
to tract, so my patience for it was not up to par. Finally at the end I got back into my mindset of liking tracting. Sister Hulme wasn’t really able to find the liking mindset as fast as I did. She will when we do it more this week though. She is the best and a trooper to be sure. Sometime she waits for me to find my groove and sometimes I wait for her.
We didn’t have a dinner appointment so we skipped it and met with our part member family. The one where we are teaching the dad! Ah! It went great. He is for sure getting baptized on the 3rd. So exciting! We went over the Plan of Salvation and the baptism questions. He was super giddy and then got really serious when we were asking the questions. It was so cool! He wants all his sister missionaries to be at his baptism. So they are going to ask for special permission from President. It will be great!
Well, y’all. It’s been quite the week. I’m so glad that tomorrow is Monday. Can’t wait.
Love,
Molly
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