Hello Everyone!
This
week has been crazy and I’ll tell you all about it, but first I have to say
that I’ve been transferred! I’ll be in Bozeman
Thank you all so much! I don’t want anyone’s letters to get
lost! Also, thank you to everyone who wrote me this transfer! It’s been so
great to get all of your letters and to be able to read and reply to them. Keep
them coming! You’re the best!!!
Last
Monday we treated ourselves and got Costa Vida. It lasted me for the next week.
Seriously, I just finished it yesterday. It was so good though! We also had a
chance to get some shopping done so I was able to get a beautiful green hat,
some paints, and a pair of snowboots that look like they’re made of trashbags.
They were on clearance and they’re not the warmest, but at least my feet are
dry, even if they’re not too warm! Also one of the wonderful women in our ward
lent me a waterproof, windproof jacket since m other one wasn’t windproof or
waterproof and it was soaked. That jacket has been saving my life all week
since the temperatures have plummeted. The lowest that I remember it hitting
was -34F. Apparently, as the members have been telling us, you can get
frostbite in 10 minutes out here. I completely believe it.
Since
we’re in a car share we only have the car about half the time. Our ward can’t
give us too many ride because they’re all really busy and we ended up walking
around Lockwood for about 40 minutes because no one would let us in. It was
pretty funny actually, our nose hairs froze and the little hairs on our face
froze and turned white so it looked like we had whiskers, our hair turned white
and hard like a helmet and our faces were so red! It was quite the experience.
We ended up having to go to our dinner appointment because no one would let us
in and it wasn’t healthy to be out that long in such cold temperatures;
especially without pants. Our skirts do keep us surprisingly warm though which
is nice. I wish I had brought more warm, thick, long skirts.
One of
the women in our ward has this really cool embroidery machine and she used it
to embroider the names of some of our investigators on to stockings that Sis
Rider’s mom had sent us. We’re hoping to get the ward to fill them for our
investigators with little goodies and stocking stuffers. She also embroidered
our names on little strips of fabric. It was so neat!
On
Tuesday we had district meeting. It was tough to get out and drive to it
because we woke up to 1.5 feet of snow outside. Our little car isn’t cut out
for that, so we were worried we would get stuck. Everyone drives really slowly
in the snow which means it takes twice as long to get anywhere, but I’m glad
people are being safe! The snow was really pretty, until you had to go out and
work in it. I discovered that day that it can snow horizontally when it’s
windy. It went right into my ears! I decided to always wear my earmuffs from
now on. The worst is when it’s cold and windy, or cold and windy and snowing!
I’ve learned to wrap my big scarf around my mouth so that my breath warms my
face. The only downside is, if you let it slip down for a minute to talk to
someone, it freezes stiff as a board and then it’s no help.
We
finally got the new member lessons for one of our recent converts and it was so
good! It’s really important for members to be involved with new converts. The
lessons from them can be really powerful because it’s from someone who isn’t
the missionaries. I think it would be helpful for wards to have a training on
how to teach effectively because it’s hard for members to know what needs to go
in a lesson and what doesn’t. If I hadn’t been on a mission I can only imagine
how off topic and non-concise I would have been! The mission really teaches
missionaries great tools for being effective teachers. Inspired questions and
short, clear statements are key!
On
Wednesday morning there was a spider on my shirt that was hanging in the
closet. A big spider. I was not okay
with that. Luckily sister Finnell came and saved it before I killed it. She let
it go outside, but now I’m quite paranoid of all of my clothes in the closet.
Big spiders like that should not be inside. Better in my clothes than in my bed
though.
We
helped an elderly woman in our area bake cookies. She made some cookies that
were really good but they turned out kind of flat. I’m not sure how to make
them stay big, but here is the recipe. They were amazing!
1 Pkg
lemon cake mix
1 tub
cool whip
1 egg
Put
them on a greased cookie sheet in heaping spoonfuls nad let them bake! I think
we did it at whatever temperature the cake mix called for.
We also
got to play with her ash from Mt. St. Helen ’s
eruption. It was really neat to see the different kinds of ash based on the
location it was gathered from.
The
Alkali Creek sisters made turkey soup with leftover turkey from a member and
ended up getting food poisoning, so Sister Rider and I had to make a late-night
run to the store for some sprite. I’m so glad I haven’t been sick yet. They
looked so miserable! Luckily it cleared up by morning.
I tried
deer jerky this week! It was really good and very flavorful. I have yet to have
any other kind of deer. I don’t think I’d like it as much if it tasted really
gamey.
Two of
our investigators agreed to a baptismal date this week! We’re so excited for
them and we hope that they will begin to see the blessings in their lives now
that they have made this decision. Now we just have to teach them all the
lessons, get them coming to church consistently, and make sure that they really
know what they’re doing. We don’t want to bring anyone in who isn’t ready. It
will be all the worse if they get baptized and fall away, so we really want
them to be prepared to the point where they can remain active once they’re
baptized.
We got
to visit the temple this week. It was an awesome opportunity. You can really
see how the rest of your week goes more smoothly when you get to attend the
temple and take that Spirit with you when you leave. The peace that you can
find in the temple is unparalleled. I love it so much and I wish that I could
go every day and see those blessings in my life and in the lives of others on a
more consistent basis. But it’s nice to be able to go as often as I can and I
would encourage everyone who reads this to try and get to the temple, whether
it’s to do a session or even just walk around the temple grounds. There is
nothing quite like the peace you get from the temple.
This
week I was so tired that during lunch I fell asleep on the living room floor in
front of the heater. It was so nice and warm, but it’s unusual for me to fall
asleep on the floor. That’s how you know you’ve been working hard.
I wish
I had more time to tell you everything else that happened this week, but I’ll
have to wait until next week. I love you all, stay healthy and safe. Remember
to pray. The Lord wants to hear from you and He is just waiting for you to
reach out to Him! Remember to pause at the end of your prayers as well. He
wants to talk back to you, so let Him!
Keep
the letters coming!
Lots of
Love,
Here is a picture of cold Montana! Goodbye to Billings!
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