Two Week Companion

How is it that in just two weeks, I feel like God gave me a best friend? Sister John was literally exactly what I needed these past two weeks. We found out last night that she will be leaving Purvis tomorrow and I'm getting a new companion. So I'm kinda stressing about that one, but Sister John has taken me and just built me up in two weeks. She's like a miracle worker! She helped me re-find my confidence and helped me remember why I'm here and why I love this work. She's going to be great in Monroe, and I could not have picked a better two-week companion and friend.

Lauren came to church yesterday!! She brought a notebook and left with pages of notes. She's so great!! She wants to get baptized! We read 3 Nephi 11 with her, and she told us that she's been praying and her prayers are being answered. She said she knows in her heart that what we've shared with her is true and she wants to be a part of it. We could not have planned a more perfect first day at church for her. The talks were so spirit packed, and the lessons were exactly what she needed to hear. Man, the spirit is great and I'm grateful to serve in a ward with people who listen to those promptings. 

Trevor (from Philadelphia) also got baptized yesterday, and I'm so excited for him! Sad I couldn't be there, but I know he's in good hands. 

This week should be interesting! I hope my new comp likes snakes!! 

Pictures:

Funeral Services for our dying Elders. Elder Pierre-Louis and Elder Abernathy

Exchanges with Sister Hunt

Sister John!

Family History Event in Coumbia

Trevor's Baptism​

Surprises and Snakes

​If you aren't very good at adjusting to change, then being a missionary sure would be rough for you! 

Haha! This past Monday night I got a call from President Olson, and was asked to move to Purvis, MS! So we went home and the trio spent our last night together making some chicken spaghetti, and then I packed my bags and was in Purvis by Tuesday afternoon. 

So now I'm here, with sweet Sister John from North Carolina! She has been out for about 13 months, and we're having a blast together! It's been great! Our ab workouts have been totally intensified, because we just end up laughing through the whole thing! Love her! 

The work here has been going a little bit slow lately, but we decided we have the faith to find, and are working hard to build up our teaching pool. So this week, we had exchanges with the YSA Sisters, and basically...we tracted for almost the whole time. So I got to knock doors with Sister Higby, and she handled it like a champ! I wish I was as confident with door approaches when I first came out as she is now. She's great, and the rest of her mission is bound to be as well. Glad I got to knock on doors with her!

We also decided to go through the area book and find old investigators. Sister John is super in tune with the spirit, y'all. She felt particularly drawn to a record for a girl named Lauren, so we knocked on her door and when she answered, you would have thought we were her best friends! She let us right in, and we were immediately confused because 1. She was REALLY nice to us 2. She had "The Articles of Faith" and "The Living Christ" on her wall and 3. She had like a thousand rat cages in her front room.

So we got to talking, and turns out she's dating a member! And she also raises snakes. Hence the rats. So she took us back to her room with her "babies" and I kid you not, there were snakes in there from ceiling to floor. Every wall. Just stacks of snakes. Not only has she named them all, but she remembers them all too. It was nuts!! So I obviously had to hold one named Luigi. He's a Ball Python. So that was legit. 

But not as legit as Lauren! Missionaries had come by a year ago, and were supposed to come back to answer her questions but never showed for their appointment. So we came back and have been answering her questions ever since! She is honestly, truly searching. She loves reading the Book of Mormon, and that we can actually answer her questions. She's great. We love her, and are pumped to talk to her about baptism tonight! 

So things in Purvis are already picking up, and Sister John and I are excited to get the fire going here in this ward! It's kind of crazy how amidst the chaos and moving, I've felt very at peace with it all. I've never felt so good about a transfer. This just feels right. I just know that I am supposed to be here. 

Pics: 

Last few days as a couple three

SNAKES!

Sister Higby

Sister John and I! Yes...we like sugar. And yes, we did celebrate the eclipse with some more sugar.

Ministering Angels

​On Monday we drove the 2 hours to Purvis in the pouring rain, and spent the night with the Sister Training Leaders. Then on Tuesday it was our Zone Conference, and guess who I finally got to see and hug real tight?! My baby, Sister Lamb!! I missed her a lot. She's training again, so we took a 3 generation picture! I love Sister Morales, too, so I'm glad that they get to be in Laurel together. They are good for each other, and it makes me happy to see. 

The conference was also another really good one. We talked a lot about working with members in new ways, and not letting Satan have the upper hand in our work. So basically, if we act smart and fast then he won't have room or time to give doubts to those we are teaching. We also learned a lot about being caring missionaries who listen to others and truly want to help them. Zone Conference always ends up being just what I need. President Olson is a very inspired man, and I look up to him a lot. 

Then we were supposed to have exchanges the next day, but the STL's were sick. So we headed back to Philadelphia on Wednesday morning. We made it about 5 minutes when a county truck totally backed right into the front of our car! It really wasn't that bad, but then we had to go through this whole process of waiting for the cops, paper work, calling the Zone Leaders to come help us tape our bumper on, and then driving to the dealership for an estimate. So we were in Hattiesburg for a rather long time! But we did get to meet a lot of people, and we played an awesome game of Foosball with an old man named Leo! 

Oh. And then we had to stop at Panda Express and I about cried tears of joy when I found out that there was one here. I legitimately hadn't seen one my whole mission, so I was convinced they didn't exist down here. Now if only they had a Cafe Rio... 

When we finally rolled back into Philadelphia, we got a surprise text asking us each to speak on Sunday AND to do a musical number. Sister Gunther and Frandsen talked a lot about being children of God and evidences of that. I got to speak on ministering angels,and it has caused me to really reflect on all of the angels that God has put in my life. They're all around us, lifting us up. And I'm grateful that Heavenly Father loves us enough to send us aid when we need it. He won't ever leave us alone, we don't have to make this mortal journey without divine assistance. And if that isn't comforting, I don't know what is. 

I know I've felt that help, and angelic assistance while I've been in Philadelphia. Sometimes it's hard to explain, but it's like just when I need it the very most, something happens or someone comes and I feel like I'm being wrapped in a hug from heaven. 

Man, missions are the best!

Pictures:

Roadtrip! 

Matching with Sister Larsen, because we cool

Three Generations 

Goodbye to Elder Pierre-Louis

My Little Lamb :)  

Exchanges

I made an apple pie, just for the heck of it 

Doing some finding at Lowe's. And yes, everyone does pretty much ask us if we're lost when we go there.

By the Power of the Holy Ghost, Ye May Know the Truth of All Things

God is good. This work is blessed. There's really no other way to describe it. 

We weren't able to meet with Trevor again, all week. But we got a text from him on Sunday morning before church and he thought he was still being baptized that day....he must have forgotten when we talked to him about pushing his date back. It was honestly a little heart-breaking to have to tell him that his baptism would not be happening then. But we called him on the phone last night and read Moroni 10:3-5 and talked about the mercies of God, and how being baptized and having the blessings of the Gospel is a big mercy. I asked Trevor if he has been praying about whether or not this church is the true church with the priesthood authority and about his being baptized into it. He honestly surprised me when he said that he has been, and that he thinks he has his answer. He went on to explain how he doesn't have to come to church, but he chooses to because he wants to be there. He feels something at church. Like something is pulling him there and he knows it's God. He said he has a testimony. That it's small, but he has it. So we talked about studying the scriptures and doing things to continue to feel the spirit in his life to help his testimony grow. It was one of the best lessons I think we've ever had with him. He wants to get baptized in a few weeks! 

We read the same scriptures with Joe Puckett and he loved it. He feels so much more peace now and he is very optimistic about his future in the church and with his family. He is increasing in faith. He's in Utah this week, and should be coming back home with a date to be baptized and we are so excited for him!! 

On Saturday we got to finally sit down and have a lesson with Corey. He has so many questions, and so little faith. But we read some of Alma 32 with him, and he does have a desire to know. So he's exercising that desire and we committed him to do the 21 Day Book of Mormon Challenge. Which is basically reading a few verses every day for 21 days and praying. I think prayer will be the real kicker for him, because he doesn't really even know if there's a God. 

I hope he does come to know. Because I know there is a God. We have a Heavenly Father who is aware of us, and wants to answer our prayers. I have no doubt that if Corey makes the effort and sends his questions heavenward, he will receive answers through the Holy Ghost.

Just as we all will. 

So I guess we'll see! But things here are good. This week has been so much better, and I can see that as we are putting in effort to make things work here, Heavenly Father is blessing us with some miracles.

Pictures:

True Southern girls wear boots 

I practically got engaged after the world's most un-spiritual Bible study Thursday night. Thank you, Daniel! (Hahaha, I wish y'all could meet Daniel. I really do.)

Meal time in our tiny kitchen is always interesting. We're real close here folks! 

Corey has these two garden gnomes just chilling in his front yard, and I think it's hilarious.  

Sooo....I may have slightly taken one of them....and we may have named him Roger. And he may even have his own seat in our car...