A Week of People

 

It has been a week of incredible moments. Last Thursday night the Elders came over to one of our investigators house to give the wife a blessing because she had a surgery the next day. It was a powerful experience. Noreen {the woman} who I absolutely love said "I feel like I could fly" after the blessing. We were then able to finally teach her and her husband Ed the restoration later in the week. They are so ready for this. They have come to incredible finding about God themselves through their recognition of the spirit. She is roman catholic but as we were teaching her she said "I think God the Father and God the Son are separate things." our mouths kind of fell open. We have a really good relationship and are so excited to watch their love of the Savior increase. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is coming to town tomorrow and Noreen loves them. They are planning on coming to the Joseph Smith Farm with us if we can get someone to switch us shifts at the Peter Whitmer Farm tomorrow, but it isn't looking promising. Either way, we want to get them to the sites.

We were blessed when we listen to the spirit one night when we were driving home and saw a woman weeding in her yard. We both felt we should pull over and ask to help, so we walked over and asked. She looked at us in our skirts and said "uh no I am fine. Thank you though." She was very nice though and we started a conversation with her and her husband - two people who love God and show it in their quiet way. She told us she did not want to be taught but that we should stop by again and they would love to feed us and when we invited them to the Hill Cumorah Pageant they said "we have always wanted to go to this!" So that is how we came to know Randy and Kathy, because God is so aware of those who are ready to hear about his church.

 

We have been working with Sister Kendig, a woman in our ward who is the sweetest thing, but is scared to leave her house and her five cats that roam freely in her house. I think we made good progress with her and making steps to improve her relationship with the bishop. She says it was probably what she needed to hear.

This week I have thought about the multiple miracles god has seemed to blanket over me on my mission:
1. I am allergic to cats, and dogs that are in the house. When I went over to Sister Kendigs {which is covered in cat hair and poop} this week I was not able to take me preventative inhaler before hand. Miraculously even after an hour of being there, I was only wheezing a little bit when we came out. Amazing.

2. I am terrified of dogs, because of that unfortunate experience involving my bum and that meanie dog that lives by the church... everyone {or almost everyone} has dogs. Seriously. Upstate New York certainly loves their animals. {speaking of animals, the roadkill here is incredible} this fear has been lessened, so that I can approach houses even when there are dogs there. Although I do sometimes make whimpering noises.

3. I fall asleep everywhere and anytime. Or at least at home I did. I guarantee I would fall asleep in classes, in meetings, at work, sometimes driving in the car. In the MTC it happened as well, but since being here it hasn't happened once yet. Even in church. I'm pretty sure that is the greatest miracle of all.

 

So it has been a good week. There were a few days when i thought - wow, 17 months is going to feel like a really long time, but for the most part I love this. I love these people - I don't want to leave the sweet people we are teaching. And often when I am teaching the first vision I suddenly think - oh my goodness, this happened HERE! That is hard for people to grasp because Joseph Smith grew up in the same little village they live in {yes, they call them villages. They are the village people} but it is so cool! I'm incredibly glad God wanted me to serve in this mission - where the restoration happened and with these people.

 

Oh! Congrats to Lauren! Wow! I was so shocked! But that is great! When is she getting married?  witto lauren is all grown up and getting mawied. Okay, that voice is annoying. I'll stop.

 

My apartment is nice. There was an ant infestation a few weeks before I got here that thankfully is under control now. I have no complaints except that our neighbors smoke pot so the hallway smells really bad, but it doesn't come into our apartment much. We share it with one other companionship - Sister Carver and Sister Gines. They are fun. We like exercising together. And also, Sister Gines may have the greatest laugh in the world.

 

I love you all! Glad to hear things are going well with I think everyone. . Thanks for all your support and love. I can't express how much it means. Some days are hard and I'll get a letter and it really helps more than I can explain. So thank you! And I love this experience. It is incredible. I'm teaching some great people right now!

 

Love,

Sister A

 

p.s. the Hill Cumorah pageant is starting to be set up. Yea! Yea! Yea!