April 14, 2014

Hello everyone! Is it HOT in Utah?! It has been SO HOT and humid here this week.... but this week is supposed to be rainy and overcast and cold. Weird weather.

So we had a great week this week. Last Monday we met with some missionaries at the gym and the Elders made a course with the chairs and tables for a nerf war. Ha I felt right at home. It was pretty funny. I love playing sports on Mondays. It's the best. On Monday night we had dinner with a great family. THEY FEED US SO MUCH>>> and it's always SO good. After dinner, we went and visited with a man who was a returned missionary who served in the Philippines. He was nice to us, but just "wasn't interested in the doctrine and thought talking to him was a waste of time". It is sad how people who have returned from missions can let Satan have so much of an influence on them. But it happens!

Tuesday to Wednesday we went on EXCHANGES!! We went with the Sharon Sisters. They are so great. I went to Sharon. It was pretty funny, the one that I went on exchanges with was my sister training leader, and 5 months earlier to the day we went on exchanges and I was HER sister training leader. It was interesting role reversal. But I definitely learned a lot from her and she is a great missionary!  She's also the one that I want Steve to marry. We also went to lunch at Panara before the exchange. YUM.We talked alot the whole time about how much we have learned and how we will be different when we go home and life in general. Loved it. I love my companion, but sometimes it's just refreshing to be in a different area with someone else for a change! I LOVE exchanges, and I miss doing them all of the time.

Thursday we had Zone Conference. I always love Zone Conferences. They are amazing. The Assistants gave a great training about using scriptures while we are teaching. We all came up with questions we get regularly, and split up into groups and came up with scriptures we could use to answer them, and role played doing that. It was great. Then Sister C gave a great training on how important our bodies are and how we really need to take care of them and eat healthy, get enough rest, exercise hard in the mornings. Good reminder. I sang in a group at zone conference, 3 sisters and 2 elders. We sang "Nearer my God to thee." Elder Burrup was one of them. Mom you should tell his Mom that we are in the same zone and see each other all of the time. She'd get a kick out of it. That night after dinner we went around the neighborhood, and found a guy from Nigeria! He was so funny. We hope to teach him again soon. He said he knew a little about our church, but he wanted to read the Book of Mormon and learn more. Sweet! It was crazy, this one street we found someone from nigeria, isreal, and india all on the same street.

FUNNY STORY: Friday morning I LOCKED US OUT OF THE HOUSE>>>>>>>> whoops!!! We went running and I thought I had the key.. but turns out I didn't. The keys and the phone were inside the house and it was 6:45 am. Nobody was around. We had to look through the window on the fridge and try to read the emergency numbers on the fridge for our landlord. We had to try a few different numbers before we got the right one, we went to the gas station across the street and they let us use their phone. Ha. We only had to wait about 1/2 hour and our landlord came to the rescue. YAY!!!

Saturday we helped our neighboor Thelma with her yard. We raked and weeded her garden. She's nice and super funny. Two of the other neighbors on the street were also out doing yardwork and we talked to them. There is one family on our street that seems really nice that we want to start teaching! Hopefully soon. We did introduce ourselves to everyone on the street, because we actually live in a HOUSE not an apartment (which is strange). So remember that part member family where the wife REALLY REALLY wants him to be a member? And he came to church to hear her talk and it was the first time he'd ever ever been? Well we had dinner with them on Saturday and HE CAME TO CHURCH AGAIN!! It was a miracle. We didn't even ask him to or think he would ever com e again, at least anytime soon. BUT apparently the Bishop went over and talked to him and invited him to come with his wife every week. Members are the best. Our recent converts husband is STILL here in America, they watched all of General Conference and they loved it. He is applying for jobs here in Charlotte, and in Utah! Hopefully he'll get one so he'll be able to STAY!!!

Yesterday afternoon we went over to the high priest group leaders house and we had some home teaching companion ships come over. We talked about each of their families they visit. If they were active, we talked about how we can get referrals, if they are part members, how we can fellowship and teach the non member, if they are less active, how we can help them. Sometimes some people get visits a lot and some don't get them at all, so we wanted to coordinate the missionaries, home teachers, and priesthood leaders efforts. It was great, and we made a lot of great plans.

And last night we went and found a former investigator we had one our records and taught him. Basically he had a lot of anti information that he had run into when he was learning about the church from his bible school. BUT we testified of the Book of Mormon. We don't have to answer every question, like PMG says, everyone just has to decide for themselves whether the Book of Mormon is from god or if it is made up. That's what it comes down too. So he had a lot of concerns but we invited him to do that! Love the Book of Mormon!

This weeks Christlike attribute is obedience. Study it and tell me what you think!

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHARE THE #becauseofHim video on mormon.org. I LOVE it. We are going to share it with everyone this week, and get all of our members to share it too.

I told the Zone Leaders we have to do our zone activity next Monday for my BIRTHDAY. So I'll be hanging out probably at the Stake Center with everyone in the Zone! Playing volleyball and ultimate ball= FUN :)