Another transfer in Norfolk for Sis. Vawdrey and I. Yay! I'm going to make it to at least 6 months here. One of the other sisters is transferring and another one coming in. With the elders in our ward, Elder Meacham who came last transfer is staying and Elder Cook who has been here for 2 transfers is transferring and they will both be District Leaders. So we will be getting Elder Crossley. I don't know him yet. A lot of changes are happening each transfer with Pres. Perry. Sis. Dunn is going back to NN1 and will be with Sis. Woodruff. That's crazy that she is going back there...she's only been away 2 transfers. They are also taking some sisters out of areas and putting in elders and also vice versa. There are 2 areas being opened to sisters this transfer on the other half of the mission which make a total of 4 sister areas on the other side. And I don't think he is done spreading the sisters out.
We have started teaching this new lady named Olivia. She is so cool. She has the 3 cutest kids ever. She used to meet with missionaries years ago, met with the elders once earlier in the year and now we are teaching her. The elders saw her in Wal-Mart last week on P-Day, so that's crazy she keeps running into missionaries. She lives in a bad area of town where she was raised and she wants so badly for her boys to grow up with a better life. She is a great mom and is trying really hard to help them be good. The gospel of Jesus Christ will definitely help her with that!
We are teaching this lady named Vinolia who is from Africa. She met her husband while he was in the Peace Corps assigned to Africa and have been married 5 years now. She has 3 kids still in Africa and she is trying to get her 12 year old here with her, but it's really expensive! The elders were teaching her, but have recently had us start teaching her. (It is so easy to pass the men to them and they pass the women to us.) We taught her in the Kreitzer's home yesterday and had dinner. It was fun. The Kreitzer's have 2 little girls and 1 little boy and Vinolia does so well with kids and they love her! She is one of those investigators who you know will keep her committments and tell you what she is thinking about what she is learning. Yay! We have talked to her about baptism and her husband who is not interested in learning but supportive said that she needs to wait a while. So we'll see what happens with him.
Yep, we survived Hurricane Earl. Haha. It was supposed to hit in the middle of the night Thursday night, but it took another path. All day Friday was windy and rainy though. But not really what I thought it would be. It wasn't like the Noreaster last year. The preparations for the hurricane were pretty funny. We had to carry our 72 hour kits with us everywhere. We also had to flip a huge trampoline upside down and fill a bunch of buckets of water. The Wal-Mart was really packed last week. We were looking forward to being Hurricane survivors, but we're glad it didn't stick around and cause us to have to be in. I had some weird flu last week and the day of the wind and rain it was the worst. But it's gone now and so is the rain.
Obviously the email is one day later than normal. With Labor Day, the libraries were closed, so we are emailing today. We forgot to plan it in our schedules, so we don't get the full hour. What were we thinking!?
Our youth had a fun activity this last Thursday. It was a YM/YW vs. Bishopric volleyball game. It was so funny! We wanted to go play too, but me in skirts and volleyball is a bad combo.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Mixed Reviews
All of these pics are from the Elders Quorum Fry Party that we had this last Saturday night. It was at the Banks house and it was so fun. I think the EQ definitely respects the sister missionaries! The big burger we ate (or attempted to eat) was called the Luther Burger. It is a double cheeseburger with bacon and an egg inside of a sliced in half krispy kreme donut. I gave Bro. Banks so much crap about this burger for months...until I tried it and it was actually good! We put the elders to shame who gave a weak effort. Haha
So this last week had some serious downers, but also some pretty awesome stories.
I never know if it's better to start with sad news or end with it. So I'll just go for it. Tomorrow we will be going to a funeral for 2 year old Dane Royl who was run over and died on his birthday this last Friday. It's so sad because Sis. Royl is one of the sisters I feel the closest to here in Norfolk and he was always the life of the party. She called us that night and asked us to come over. We quickly said of course and then I realized how underqualified I was to be the Lord's instrument at that time. But it's times like these that we truly learn to lean on the Lord and have confidence in Him and not ourselves. We didn't get home until 10:30pm and I slept horrible because all the events just kept replaying in my mind. I can't imagine what they are going through. She received a blessing and it said that the Lord has prepared her for this event. How interesting. It's strange that it sounds like almost all of us have funerals on Tuesday. Can someone please try and find his obituary and print it for me? We have no way to do that, but I would like to have it.
So you should have gotten the pictures for the EQ Fry Party. It was so funny. They started with the grill and did the Luther Burgers and then moved onto the deep fryer. They deep fried just about anything. They tried key lime pie, but it didn't work. They did pickles (so good!), oatmeal creme pies (not so good), nutty bars, rolos, twix and I think that might be it. It was such a hilarious party. It's not the first. Apparently it's at least an annual thing and I've heard rumor they do it more often...haha
The Primary had an activity called the Primary MTC. We were in charge of teaching the class on how to prepare to serve a mission and how to be a member missionary and then they wrote/drew letters for the missionaries serving elsewhere from the VA Beach Stake. I hope the kids got something from it. Those 3 year olds are a tough crowd. We enjoyed it a lot.
There is a section in Ch.9 of PMG that talks about going about doing good and so we are always looking for random service opps. They don't come around very often, but we went to tract this sketch area and we found one and then it turned super weird. This lady who was in a scooter was just looking around so we went to ask if there was anything we could help her with. She said she needed her wet laundry taken to the laundry room to be dried. Well we volunteered and she just kept saying it was too heavy for us. Well she underestimated us because we could do it no problem. We started walking to the laundry room and she came along on her scooter and was talking about how she forgot her helmet. We were talking to her about the Book of Mormon and she was saying really strange things, so we figured she wasn't really all there. When we got there we went back to her apt for the other bag and she sent us with her keys. So we go get it and then helped her put it in the dryer. The phone rang, so I was on the phone and then Sis. Vawdrey was setting up a lesson with a lady who walked up. Then this other lady started saying things like "are you saying I'm mental?' and all sorts of weird things while Sis. Vawdrey was setting up this lesson. Awkward! We ended up passing her a couple of more time and when we were back around her apt she was yelling about how "they stole my money. this is a drug place and they stole my money." We weren't sure who she was accusing but she gave us her keys at one point, so we decided it would be best to just leave at this point. It was the funny half hour ever.
We had some great lessons this week. We watched the Testaments with Mildred and Theresa Davis and they loved it. Their house keeps getting broken into while they are at church, so Mildred said she wasn't coming to church so she could catch the people. We both had a really bad feeling about that, but she had her mind made up. Until she watched the movie and then she's like "nothing is going to stop me from coming to church." Yay! So she came to church and it was so good. We also had a few other "returning members" show up at church. There is this one man named Bro. Crisler. He is so cool. He is a biker dude with the long ponytail. We haven't really taught him much, but we've stopped by a handful of times. He said that when he was going to come to church that he would surprise me. And he did yesterday! It was so cool to see him there. He came because his 8 year old daughter wanted to! Yay!
Well I hope this letter finds you all doing well. Norfolk is crazy as always, but that's why I love it so much!
When Sis. Clous (recent convert) painted our fingernails for us.
-District P-Day (b-ball, v-ball, ultimate frisbee!) and our coordinating outfits.
-Our current district
With the Book girls
We taught a class at the Primary MTC class. So fun!
So this last week had some serious downers, but also some pretty awesome stories.
I never know if it's better to start with sad news or end with it. So I'll just go for it. Tomorrow we will be going to a funeral for 2 year old Dane Royl who was run over and died on his birthday this last Friday. It's so sad because Sis. Royl is one of the sisters I feel the closest to here in Norfolk and he was always the life of the party. She called us that night and asked us to come over. We quickly said of course and then I realized how underqualified I was to be the Lord's instrument at that time. But it's times like these that we truly learn to lean on the Lord and have confidence in Him and not ourselves. We didn't get home until 10:30pm and I slept horrible because all the events just kept replaying in my mind. I can't imagine what they are going through. She received a blessing and it said that the Lord has prepared her for this event. How interesting. It's strange that it sounds like almost all of us have funerals on Tuesday. Can someone please try and find his obituary and print it for me? We have no way to do that, but I would like to have it.
So you should have gotten the pictures for the EQ Fry Party. It was so funny. They started with the grill and did the Luther Burgers and then moved onto the deep fryer. They deep fried just about anything. They tried key lime pie, but it didn't work. They did pickles (so good!), oatmeal creme pies (not so good), nutty bars, rolos, twix and I think that might be it. It was such a hilarious party. It's not the first. Apparently it's at least an annual thing and I've heard rumor they do it more often...haha
The Primary had an activity called the Primary MTC. We were in charge of teaching the class on how to prepare to serve a mission and how to be a member missionary and then they wrote/drew letters for the missionaries serving elsewhere from the VA Beach Stake. I hope the kids got something from it. Those 3 year olds are a tough crowd. We enjoyed it a lot.
There is a section in Ch.9 of PMG that talks about going about doing good and so we are always looking for random service opps. They don't come around very often, but we went to tract this sketch area and we found one and then it turned super weird. This lady who was in a scooter was just looking around so we went to ask if there was anything we could help her with. She said she needed her wet laundry taken to the laundry room to be dried. Well we volunteered and she just kept saying it was too heavy for us. Well she underestimated us because we could do it no problem. We started walking to the laundry room and she came along on her scooter and was talking about how she forgot her helmet. We were talking to her about the Book of Mormon and she was saying really strange things, so we figured she wasn't really all there. When we got there we went back to her apt for the other bag and she sent us with her keys. So we go get it and then helped her put it in the dryer. The phone rang, so I was on the phone and then Sis. Vawdrey was setting up a lesson with a lady who walked up. Then this other lady started saying things like "are you saying I'm mental?' and all sorts of weird things while Sis. Vawdrey was setting up this lesson. Awkward! We ended up passing her a couple of more time and when we were back around her apt she was yelling about how "they stole my money. this is a drug place and they stole my money." We weren't sure who she was accusing but she gave us her keys at one point, so we decided it would be best to just leave at this point. It was the funny half hour ever.
We had some great lessons this week. We watched the Testaments with Mildred and Theresa Davis and they loved it. Their house keeps getting broken into while they are at church, so Mildred said she wasn't coming to church so she could catch the people. We both had a really bad feeling about that, but she had her mind made up. Until she watched the movie and then she's like "nothing is going to stop me from coming to church." Yay! So she came to church and it was so good. We also had a few other "returning members" show up at church. There is this one man named Bro. Crisler. He is so cool. He is a biker dude with the long ponytail. We haven't really taught him much, but we've stopped by a handful of times. He said that when he was going to come to church that he would surprise me. And he did yesterday! It was so cool to see him there. He came because his 8 year old daughter wanted to! Yay!
Well I hope this letter finds you all doing well. Norfolk is crazy as always, but that's why I love it so much!
Monday, August 23, 2010
A Fun Week
This week was a lot of fun. We had a lesson with Terra and Zach Drake who are new in the ward. We were getting to know them and we asked about the Navy and all that good stuff. He's been in the Navy technically for like 5 years or something, but went to dental school right after he signed up. Guess where he went and when he graduated? He went to Temple and graduated in 2009...just like Craig. And yes, they know them! How cool! I haven't really had that many connections on the mission yet, but this is the best! Oh and guess who I saw on Sunday going to the Bayside Ward? Justine Wiltbank! I only saw her long enough to grab and hug and for her to call me Neely. Haha.
Tuesday night we taught Kat again. She read from the Book of Mormon, but I don't think she actually prayed to know the truth of it and also about Joseph Smith yet. She had a concern about Joseph Smith and about us following him. This is a valid concern with her background. She is Lutheran and Martin Luther was one of the great reformers who called the Catholic church out on lots of things (payment for forgiveness of their sins being one of them!). He was a good man, but he didn't want any followers, but those that believed his teachings created the Lutheran church. So she respects him a lot for doing what he did and not expecting people to follow and worship him. So we taught her a little more about why we talk about Joseph Smith, but that he was an instrument in God's hands and not to be the person we follow. She didn't come to church again, but she strikes me as a person who once she does, she will come every week. We are going to teach her next about prayer and humility. I think she is fearful of praying because she knows she can and will get an answer and it might just mean that she has to change. Submission to the will of God is challenging thing, but is necessary! We love her so much!
Bishop Cluff is getting really excited about missionary work. Our new ward mission leader is amazing and Bishop just called two more couples to be ward missionaries. We have so many now! I love my life! I really hope the Lord sees fit for me to stay in Norfolk for a little while longer. The elders in the ward are really good too and understand the concept of multiple missionaries in a ward.
After Bible Study on Tuesday we get a call from the sisters we live with saying they just got in an accident and they need a ride. Uh...?! The roads in Norfolk are weird and have medians that really make it hard to see oncoming traffic and it was dusk and they didn't see a tan colored car coming. It crushed the front end of the car, but the car they hit didn't really have damage to match that of the poor Corolla. They are okay, they just don't have a car. The elders in their ward have a car and bikes, so they have been able to use their car temporarily. It's not sounding like they'll get a car before the transfer either.
Oh guess what I forgot to tell you?!?!? Nylons are now optional in the VRM! And we can now use iPods! Pres. Perry has taken away all the restrictions pretty much. Before elders couldn't get within 2 blocks of beach, but that rule is gone now. This change is now going to allow more sisters to serve on the other half of the mission. I kind of want to experience the other side, but I also want to stay right where I am at!
We taught Mildred and Theresa about the Word of Wisdom this week. Mildred has been drinking green tea and we wanted to teach it to her so she knew it was against a commandment. She is hard core and when we were teaching it she's telling us how she drinks it everyday and said that she would no more. She just wants to live the best life she can for God. She's had a CRAZY past and she is just so motivated to do the right thing! She is awesome!
Well it's that time again. I love you! Thanks for the letters you send me!
Tuesday night we taught Kat again. She read from the Book of Mormon, but I don't think she actually prayed to know the truth of it and also about Joseph Smith yet. She had a concern about Joseph Smith and about us following him. This is a valid concern with her background. She is Lutheran and Martin Luther was one of the great reformers who called the Catholic church out on lots of things (payment for forgiveness of their sins being one of them!). He was a good man, but he didn't want any followers, but those that believed his teachings created the Lutheran church. So she respects him a lot for doing what he did and not expecting people to follow and worship him. So we taught her a little more about why we talk about Joseph Smith, but that he was an instrument in God's hands and not to be the person we follow. She didn't come to church again, but she strikes me as a person who once she does, she will come every week. We are going to teach her next about prayer and humility. I think she is fearful of praying because she knows she can and will get an answer and it might just mean that she has to change. Submission to the will of God is challenging thing, but is necessary! We love her so much!
Bishop Cluff is getting really excited about missionary work. Our new ward mission leader is amazing and Bishop just called two more couples to be ward missionaries. We have so many now! I love my life! I really hope the Lord sees fit for me to stay in Norfolk for a little while longer. The elders in the ward are really good too and understand the concept of multiple missionaries in a ward.
After Bible Study on Tuesday we get a call from the sisters we live with saying they just got in an accident and they need a ride. Uh...?! The roads in Norfolk are weird and have medians that really make it hard to see oncoming traffic and it was dusk and they didn't see a tan colored car coming. It crushed the front end of the car, but the car they hit didn't really have damage to match that of the poor Corolla. They are okay, they just don't have a car. The elders in their ward have a car and bikes, so they have been able to use their car temporarily. It's not sounding like they'll get a car before the transfer either.
Oh guess what I forgot to tell you?!?!? Nylons are now optional in the VRM! And we can now use iPods! Pres. Perry has taken away all the restrictions pretty much. Before elders couldn't get within 2 blocks of beach, but that rule is gone now. This change is now going to allow more sisters to serve on the other half of the mission. I kind of want to experience the other side, but I also want to stay right where I am at!
We taught Mildred and Theresa about the Word of Wisdom this week. Mildred has been drinking green tea and we wanted to teach it to her so she knew it was against a commandment. She is hard core and when we were teaching it she's telling us how she drinks it everyday and said that she would no more. She just wants to live the best life she can for God. She's had a CRAZY past and she is just so motivated to do the right thing! She is awesome!
Well it's that time again. I love you! Thanks for the letters you send me!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Weekly Happenings - Aug. 16, 2010
Mildred and Theresa Davis who are just so awesome and haven't missed a Sunday since we met them.
Canning corn at Sis. Hughes' house!
Leano Book's baptism...the gym was set up for a wedding dinner, so we just used their props for a picture!
We had a sister's meeting in Newport News. These are all the sisters we have! The most in any mission besides visitor centers.
Another week has flown by. Whenever I sit down to write I can never remember what I've done because there's too much to remember. Thank heavens for planners!
One funny quote for this week: We were at a member's house and painted our nails. When it was time to go the 6 year old daughter said the prayer and said "Heavenly Father, if you want to get your nails done, just call us." Haha, it was so funny! Little kids say the best prayers.
There is a gas station that has a sign and each week they post an oxymoron. It's so funny to see what they put. This week it's "Least Favorite". I like it.
So Friday the 13th was not my favorite day this week. We had our weekly planning session that morning, so after lunch I pull out of the driveway and turn the corner and realize that we have a flat tire. What?!?!? We always make fun of the elders because they get so many flats on their bikes. Ooops! I had driven over a huge screw at some point the night before. So we ended up at Pep Boys all afternoon. Luckily it's across from the Target that we never get to go to. We tried to find new investigators, but no takers. Weirdly enough, we didn't have any appointments scheduled, which is really weird for Fridays. We attempted to help change the tire to put the spare on, but our Samoan landlord Sister Book did it.
We have had a couple of really awesome lessons this week. One was with Kat on Monday night. She was a referral from someone in the ward, so we were really excited about it. She knows this other family in the ward too, so we had the lesson at their house. Kat grew up a Lutheran pastor's daughter. She of course had her rebellious period, but those events really helped to realize she wants to be Christian. She really has been prepared for this gospel. It's whether or not she lets herself accept it. We meet with her again tonight, so we'll get to hear more about how she's doing and how her prayers have been going. She is a successful photographer and a pretty lady and she has drive to get things done. So we know that she will try hard to keep her committments. The member whose house it was in shared a really powerful testimony and also shared a great conversion story. She was "raised" on and off in the church, but it wasn't till her husband converted that she really went through her own conversion. Now she is what we like to call in missionary slang, "solid". Kat is really great and she already knew about the reformation! She just didn't understand why it occurred and how we came out of it. Now she does!
We also taught Amy. She is a Navy wife/mom who also does some babysitting on the side. She is crafty and skilled and sells Stampin Up. She also is so prepared for this gospel, but she may not be so great at keeping her committments. We'll see. Her 7 year old turns 8 this week and he is super sporty, but helps his mom craft too. She says he's too young to realize it's a girl thing. She also has a 14 year old. We need more of them in the ward. We need this family! I pray for Amy all the time that she will keep her committments. There is a saying we use here "Committments are the threads through which covenants are woven." If people cannot keep committments, they will not be able to honor their covenants. She is so great and as she comes to know more I think she will just love it! She was so excited throughout our whole lesson and Sis. Kreitzer came with us and was such an asset to the lesson with her experiences and testimony. It was one of the best lessons that I've had on my mission I think. Everything just went well and the Spirit was there and we know she felt it. She is a mom and a wife. She is crafty and fun. She wants to know the truth. She is not yet a Mormon. Have you all seen the profiles on mormon.org? That is where this last part is from. Otherwise it won't be funny to you probably. You should go on and create a profile on mormon.org...and then let me know so I can look at it. We can now view mormon.org!
Erica is still doing well. She came to church again. She has this weird stare that makes me weirded out, so lessons are kind of funny. But she is really progressing and her faith is increasing! Did I tell you about her neighbor down the street yet? She isn't mormon because she isn't baptized but everything about her is mormon. Her circle of friends are all members in VA Beach and her daughter goes to Faith in God and her sons go to mutual activities. She loves gardening and wants to learn to can. Susan is amazing...and she talks a lot. But people in VA do. They like to talk A LOT! She always leaves us red bags filled with Tomatoes (oh goody!) and cookies or brownies on her porch. She said that she's not sure she's ready to have formal lessons yet. I think she knows she will accept it, but maybe not ready to make the change of having to be a part of a church. But I think with her it will be us seeing her regularly and sharing tid bits until she feels more like committing. She is so cool!
Well I hope you all have a great week. I always love hearing from you! In the snail mail too!!!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Me Again!
Norfolk is such an interesting city. It is so different everyday. One day we love the area and the next we're like this place is crazy! We had a lot of that this week. We taught a member referral this week named Rebecca. She seemed just a little off, but was soaking up what we were teaching. As we were teaching she randomly told us she had HIV. That's not so uncommon to have that dropped here, so we just moved on. Then a little while later her cat came up and jumped on her and the claw went into her arm and it was so sudden that we all jumped and the cat ran off. Meanwhile her arm starts bleeding and in my mind I'm like, oh no, she has HIV. It was so weird and she just kept apologizing for her cat. Haha. We taught her again this week and she was loving it and then she was supposed to come to church with the member and we saw her yesterday and hands us the Book of Mormon we gave Rebecca and said she decided to stop learning. Weird! I don't get people, but what's new. Something funny about Rebecca is that she kept asking me if I have ever thought about becoming a pastor. I think she asked me like 15 times. Haha. Well I guess that's an option for when I get home....haha
Sis. Mundy in the ward (who makes delicious scotcharoos) was telling us about a friend that she used to be a crossing guard with that she wants to share the gospel with. Well she didn't necessarily want to at first, but she felt prompted by the Spirit to and I think that helped her have the desire. So we had a lesson with her and practiced role playing with her. I don't know if I ever told you that we have to role play everyday. It helps when we have to give committments that make us nervous or when we are teaching something that we aren't sure how it'll go over. It was fun with Sis. Mundy and she is really good at it!
We had a zone meeting this last week and we talked a lot about ward mission plans. As missionaries we have no say in them, but it's our responsibility to help the members to know about it and to support it. I have no idea what the Norfolk 2 plan is. I think it's something that the Stake is going to be meeting with the bishops to get it rolling. But something that Sis. Vawdrey and I have decided to do was to introduce the idea of a family mission plan to our members in the meantime. Some members already have one, but most do not here. It's such a good idea and I cannot wait to have one of my own! Basically what it is are goals for how to be involved in missionary work as a family. The suggestions are for there to be 3 or less items on the list and for those 3 to be simple and actionable. So basically pick a few things that you think you can do as a family that are realistic. Some of the takers have been to invite other families over for FHE, pray (for missionaries all over world, missionaries in the ward specifically by name, and missionary opportunities), give away 1 pass along card week/month, study Preach My Gospel together (a guide to missionary service!), etc. If you don't already have a family mission plan, it might be something to look into. It makes for a fun FHE and helps to teach kids about member missionary work. The earlier they start the easier it will be for them to share the gospel.
Saturday was Leano Book's baptism. She turned 8 and had such a fun baptism. We gave the message while she was changing and talked about how the gospel brings us joy. Leano is one of the girls that lives below us.
This week we also met a girl named Erica. The elders in N1 gave her a pass along card at a bus stop and she called for a Book of Mormon. When we got the text for her request we just coincidentally were near her area, so we went by the drop it off and walked in a taught her a lesson. She has some mental health issues, which has resulted in a really hard life. She says she is Christian, but she doesn't really know much about religion at all. She never prays, but at the end of the lesson she said she would. It was great. A few days later we went back and taught another lesson and she prayed again. Then she came to church yesterday and really liked it. We are going to see her again on Wednesday and teach her more about the Book of Mormon and why it's important to read. The other 2 lessons we focused on faith and repentance and building a relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I haven't had many of those lessons here because most people already strongly believe. I like these lessons!
Well I guess that's all for now! I love you!
Sister Talbot
Sis. Mundy in the ward (who makes delicious scotcharoos) was telling us about a friend that she used to be a crossing guard with that she wants to share the gospel with. Well she didn't necessarily want to at first, but she felt prompted by the Spirit to and I think that helped her have the desire. So we had a lesson with her and practiced role playing with her. I don't know if I ever told you that we have to role play everyday. It helps when we have to give committments that make us nervous or when we are teaching something that we aren't sure how it'll go over. It was fun with Sis. Mundy and she is really good at it!
We had a zone meeting this last week and we talked a lot about ward mission plans. As missionaries we have no say in them, but it's our responsibility to help the members to know about it and to support it. I have no idea what the Norfolk 2 plan is. I think it's something that the Stake is going to be meeting with the bishops to get it rolling. But something that Sis. Vawdrey and I have decided to do was to introduce the idea of a family mission plan to our members in the meantime. Some members already have one, but most do not here. It's such a good idea and I cannot wait to have one of my own! Basically what it is are goals for how to be involved in missionary work as a family. The suggestions are for there to be 3 or less items on the list and for those 3 to be simple and actionable. So basically pick a few things that you think you can do as a family that are realistic. Some of the takers have been to invite other families over for FHE, pray (for missionaries all over world, missionaries in the ward specifically by name, and missionary opportunities), give away 1 pass along card week/month, study Preach My Gospel together (a guide to missionary service!), etc. If you don't already have a family mission plan, it might be something to look into. It makes for a fun FHE and helps to teach kids about member missionary work. The earlier they start the easier it will be for them to share the gospel.
Saturday was Leano Book's baptism. She turned 8 and had such a fun baptism. We gave the message while she was changing and talked about how the gospel brings us joy. Leano is one of the girls that lives below us.
This week we also met a girl named Erica. The elders in N1 gave her a pass along card at a bus stop and she called for a Book of Mormon. When we got the text for her request we just coincidentally were near her area, so we went by the drop it off and walked in a taught her a lesson. She has some mental health issues, which has resulted in a really hard life. She says she is Christian, but she doesn't really know much about religion at all. She never prays, but at the end of the lesson she said she would. It was great. A few days later we went back and taught another lesson and she prayed again. Then she came to church yesterday and really liked it. We are going to see her again on Wednesday and teach her more about the Book of Mormon and why it's important to read. The other 2 lessons we focused on faith and repentance and building a relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I haven't had many of those lessons here because most people already strongly believe. I like these lessons!
Well I guess that's all for now! I love you!
Sister Talbot
Monday, August 2, 2010
The USS Enterprise
So I will start by telling you about the cool P-Day we've had. We went to take a tour of the Enterprise! Yay! I've been wanting to do that forever. There is a member in the 1st Ward that asked us if we wanted to go and of course we say yes! You're all probably wondering what the Enterprise is and why it would be cool to tour. I've been hearing about the boat (yes, they call it a boat) practically my whole mission and have met so many people that are on it (they have 5000 assigned to it). It is an aircraft carrier and can hold 80 fighter jets on it. It also has 8 nuclear reactors. So it's a big deal. They leave tomorrow for a 45 day workup, so we got to go just in the nick of time. They are set to deploy in January. It's been in the shipyard for repairs for sooo long, so now that it's fixed, it's almost ready to go. I think some of you have heard that the Truman left in May and the Eisenhower just got back. We actually saw the Eisenhower from the Enterprise. They were parked right next to each other. Now if I can find a way to tour a sub...
Nope we didn't get to see the Eisenhower pull in. Yeah, I've heard it's pretty cool when they leave and come back. The Truman left shortly after I got here, so some of the wives showed us pictures of it. Quite the experience.
We are going to have a Sister's Meeting on the 10th, so that should be great. Last sister's meeting was really good and we always do a clothing exchange where we bring the clothes we are too fat for and the ones other sisters have left behind.
So I have forgotten to update you on my finger. Last week most of the nail seperated from the bottom and turned this weird green color. Gross! And then as I was knocking on the door of our lesson, I bumped it and it popped almost all the way off. I grabbed my finger just as she was opening the door and eventually I just had to tell her and take care of it. Not all the nail was dead, so we had to do some minor surgery on my nail. It actually was really good timing because she had lost a nail once and is really into nails, so she was really helpful. But now I have officially lost a fingernail. It was weird because there is a partial nail that was there when it fell off. It's pretty ugly right now.
Transfers were a success. Sister Vawdrey and I are having a lot of fun and it's been great to have her here. She is a very diligent missionary and we both just want to get out and work and do what the Lord wants us to. The area has already picked up so much since she got here. One thing President Perry said was that we are working towards the members doing all the finding and then never having a need to tract. Yesterday was a prime example. It started raining, so we decided not to tract on the road we had planned for. We had just received 2 member referrals, so decided to call them and see if they would want to learn more. So in a matter of a few minutes we set up 2 new lessons! Tracting has not been effective here at all. It was huge in Newport News, but I haven't had any luck with it here in Norfolk. This ward is so incredible at talking to people.
We just got a new Ward Mission Leader, Bro. Kreitzer. He and his wife are sooo excited about it and we are too. Sis. Kreitzer said that she was preparing for a mission when she met her husband, so she is excited to be a ward missionary. Another new couple, the Deitz, were also called to be ward missionaries and the wives already coordinated babysitting with each other so they can come out with us. It's a dream come true! We have 5 sisters who are ward missionaries. I love my life! And with Sis. Vawdrey here it's going to rock!
Sister Vawdrey is from Bluffdale, UT and went to Snow College before her mission. Then she did the dental assisting program at SLCC. She is just cute and little. I had 4 tall comps in a row, so it's a fun change.
Nope we didn't get to see the Eisenhower pull in. Yeah, I've heard it's pretty cool when they leave and come back. The Truman left shortly after I got here, so some of the wives showed us pictures of it. Quite the experience.
We are going to have a Sister's Meeting on the 10th, so that should be great. Last sister's meeting was really good and we always do a clothing exchange where we bring the clothes we are too fat for and the ones other sisters have left behind.
So I have forgotten to update you on my finger. Last week most of the nail seperated from the bottom and turned this weird green color. Gross! And then as I was knocking on the door of our lesson, I bumped it and it popped almost all the way off. I grabbed my finger just as she was opening the door and eventually I just had to tell her and take care of it. Not all the nail was dead, so we had to do some minor surgery on my nail. It actually was really good timing because she had lost a nail once and is really into nails, so she was really helpful. But now I have officially lost a fingernail. It was weird because there is a partial nail that was there when it fell off. It's pretty ugly right now.
Transfers were a success. Sister Vawdrey and I are having a lot of fun and it's been great to have her here. She is a very diligent missionary and we both just want to get out and work and do what the Lord wants us to. The area has already picked up so much since she got here. One thing President Perry said was that we are working towards the members doing all the finding and then never having a need to tract. Yesterday was a prime example. It started raining, so we decided not to tract on the road we had planned for. We had just received 2 member referrals, so decided to call them and see if they would want to learn more. So in a matter of a few minutes we set up 2 new lessons! Tracting has not been effective here at all. It was huge in Newport News, but I haven't had any luck with it here in Norfolk. This ward is so incredible at talking to people.
We just got a new Ward Mission Leader, Bro. Kreitzer. He and his wife are sooo excited about it and we are too. Sis. Kreitzer said that she was preparing for a mission when she met her husband, so she is excited to be a ward missionary. Another new couple, the Deitz, were also called to be ward missionaries and the wives already coordinated babysitting with each other so they can come out with us. It's a dream come true! We have 5 sisters who are ward missionaries. I love my life! And with Sis. Vawdrey here it's going to rock!
Sister Vawdrey is from Bluffdale, UT and went to Snow College before her mission. Then she did the dental assisting program at SLCC. She is just cute and little. I had 4 tall comps in a row, so it's a fun change.
On the flight deck of the Enterprise. This plane isn't one they fly. There is a fake person in there.
On the flight deck. We went all the way to the top after we got done with the flight deck.
The N1 and N2 elders with us right before transfers.
McKinnon, Dane, and Titus Royl with Sis. Boston and I in the back. Such cute little boys!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Transfers again already!
Doesn't it feel like every other week it's transfers? Well it does to me too! I can't believe I've been on my mission for so long and it just keeps going by faster and faster. Well I am not getting transferred, so release the mail and send it my way! But my companion Sis. Dunn is getting transferred :( She is going to Mt. Pleasant which is an area in Chesapeake. She'll be in another trio. My new companion is Sis. Vawdrey. Way back in early spring we went on exchanges together, so I've served with her for a few days before. She is super cute and a great missionary. I am excited to see how the area changes with her here with me. This last transfer was pretty slow because we were in a lot, so I am ready to go sweat some lbs off and find the awesome people the Lord has prepared here in Norfolk. The transfer day is still the same, so she will come here on Thursday afternoon. And I am so excited...Sis. Case is coming to Norfolk to step-train Sis. Boston in Norfolk 1st Ward. It'll be so fun living with her again!
Last Saturday we had interviews with Pres. Perry. He is a really great leader and I am excited to see how the different changes are implemented here. He has a great vision for the mission and truly seeks for inspiration. It's going to be great. He is very nice and his family is adjusting to VA. His youngest daughter still doesn't love it yet. But that is only because she doesn't have many girls her age. Which here in VA that doesn't surprise me.
We also went to the Stake Pioneer Day celebration. They had a BBQ and a bunch of different games. It was super hot, so they ended up putting up tables inside the Stake Center and also the giant bounce house inside too! The fun little games were still outside. I did the 3-legged race with Sis. Shumaker, which was so funny. I was paranoid I would fall in my skirt. I didn't fall, but I did get a nice bruise on my ankle. Bummer, but we didn't win. But it was so fun. And there was a little bit of a water fight too. Why do missionaries get targeted? I just don't get it. Haha
There isn't too much to report for this last week because we were in a lot. We are having a Relief Society Christmas in July activity tomorrow night, which will be fun. I'm making a fun craft that I will send home to the ladies in the family. We will have a lot of people there. We will probably have 3 less active ladies and 2 investigators on top of all the ward members coming. They are offering babysitting, so that probably helps the attendance!
I haven't gotten tired of telling people where I am from yet. Most people don't know Eagar, but randomly a few have heard of it. Or at least have heard of Snowflake. I just tell them it's by Snowflake most of the time. Pres. Perry said that he thought he had been all over AZ, but he'd never heard of Eagar before. Haha
Tonight we are having FHE with the Knight family. They are so great. They are one of my favorite families in the ward. Emma who is 9 is going to teach the lesson and so we are going to help her. It's on developing talents. I haven't taught a lesson on talents before, so this should be fun! We are also going to be at Sis. Cobb's house for an FHE which is for families who have husbands deployed or who are single. Here is Norfolk, that's a lot! One of the big ships (Eisenhower) is about to come home...I think this week actually. So that'll bring some husbands home!
Well I love you all!
Last Saturday we had interviews with Pres. Perry. He is a really great leader and I am excited to see how the different changes are implemented here. He has a great vision for the mission and truly seeks for inspiration. It's going to be great. He is very nice and his family is adjusting to VA. His youngest daughter still doesn't love it yet. But that is only because she doesn't have many girls her age. Which here in VA that doesn't surprise me.
We also went to the Stake Pioneer Day celebration. They had a BBQ and a bunch of different games. It was super hot, so they ended up putting up tables inside the Stake Center and also the giant bounce house inside too! The fun little games were still outside. I did the 3-legged race with Sis. Shumaker, which was so funny. I was paranoid I would fall in my skirt. I didn't fall, but I did get a nice bruise on my ankle. Bummer, but we didn't win. But it was so fun. And there was a little bit of a water fight too. Why do missionaries get targeted? I just don't get it. Haha
There isn't too much to report for this last week because we were in a lot. We are having a Relief Society Christmas in July activity tomorrow night, which will be fun. I'm making a fun craft that I will send home to the ladies in the family. We will have a lot of people there. We will probably have 3 less active ladies and 2 investigators on top of all the ward members coming. They are offering babysitting, so that probably helps the attendance!
I haven't gotten tired of telling people where I am from yet. Most people don't know Eagar, but randomly a few have heard of it. Or at least have heard of Snowflake. I just tell them it's by Snowflake most of the time. Pres. Perry said that he thought he had been all over AZ, but he'd never heard of Eagar before. Haha
Tonight we are having FHE with the Knight family. They are so great. They are one of my favorite families in the ward. Emma who is 9 is going to teach the lesson and so we are going to help her. It's on developing talents. I haven't taught a lesson on talents before, so this should be fun! We are also going to be at Sis. Cobb's house for an FHE which is for families who have husbands deployed or who are single. Here is Norfolk, that's a lot! One of the big ships (Eisenhower) is about to come home...I think this week actually. So that'll bring some husbands home!
Well I love you all!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Norfolk is an interesting city!
I cannot believe we have another transfer next week! It is going by so fast. I think something pretty significant is going to happen in Norfolk. Both wards seem to be struggling a little bit with a solid teaching pool and the other 3 sisters have been down and out this week. The other sisters have been having some problems and they have been in most of the time except for appointments. Sis. Dunn hasn't been feeling well, so we've been in about a third of the week. This was my first time staying in (for reasons other than the weather and the mission making us) and it's a little weird. I just feel like the Lord is preparing the area for a big change. I don't know what, but we'll find out next week. I think we will get transfer calls on Sunday nights now. Not sure on that one though. We haven't had our interviews with Pres. Perry yet, so I haven't been able to talk to him about the area yet. We were supposed to have them last Saturday but I guess there was an emergency in Richmond he had to be there for. He said he had to leave the 99 for the 1. I thought that was a nice way of putting it.
We met some super funny ladies this week. We have this road called Ft. Worth. The elders were riding through and this funny older black lady flagged them down and said she was a member. So they gave her our number and she called us and we set up a time to see them. She is sweet! She has had a rough past, which she tells us stopped about 20 days ago. Haha. Her and her sister (who we later found out is also a member) came to a baptism for the Bayside Ward with us. Between the 2 of them they have 6 kids and half of them are in jail/prison. Before the baptism we taught them about baptism covenants and also how the Lord can make our weaknesses strengths. We got a few amens and hallelujahs out of that lesson. I think I'm really going to like these ladies. Haha
We also met this other less active who just got out of jail in March. All of this jail talk doesn't make my companion like Norfolk very much I don't think. It's an interesting city and we have just been meeting the most interesting of them all.
Ooops, I'm out of time already. I sure didn't make Norfolk sound really awesome this email. But it is! And no, not everyone has been in jail. Just a lot of people. But not all. Haha. This ward is so great and we keep meeting the best members. The ward is really good about giving referrals and sharing the gospel with their friends. It's great when the members do the finding :)
The VA Beach stake is having a big celebration for the 24th. Hopefully we can get people we are teaching to it so we can go! It should be fun and hot and humid too.
I was studying this morning in Ch.9 of Preach My Gospel. There are a couple sections that talk about working with the members and their roles in missionary work. I thought this might be something interesting for you all to look at. Enjoy! I love PMG!
We met some super funny ladies this week. We have this road called Ft. Worth. The elders were riding through and this funny older black lady flagged them down and said she was a member. So they gave her our number and she called us and we set up a time to see them. She is sweet! She has had a rough past, which she tells us stopped about 20 days ago. Haha. Her and her sister (who we later found out is also a member) came to a baptism for the Bayside Ward with us. Between the 2 of them they have 6 kids and half of them are in jail/prison. Before the baptism we taught them about baptism covenants and also how the Lord can make our weaknesses strengths. We got a few amens and hallelujahs out of that lesson. I think I'm really going to like these ladies. Haha
We also met this other less active who just got out of jail in March. All of this jail talk doesn't make my companion like Norfolk very much I don't think. It's an interesting city and we have just been meeting the most interesting of them all.
Ooops, I'm out of time already. I sure didn't make Norfolk sound really awesome this email. But it is! And no, not everyone has been in jail. Just a lot of people. But not all. Haha. This ward is so great and we keep meeting the best members. The ward is really good about giving referrals and sharing the gospel with their friends. It's great when the members do the finding :)
The VA Beach stake is having a big celebration for the 24th. Hopefully we can get people we are teaching to it so we can go! It should be fun and hot and humid too.
I was studying this morning in Ch.9 of Preach My Gospel. There are a couple sections that talk about working with the members and their roles in missionary work. I thought this might be something interesting for you all to look at. Enjoy! I love PMG!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Interesting Week
So it's weird that it's Monday and I am emailing. It feels like I just had P-Day! Thanks for the emails. I love hearing from you all and getting the fun family updates. I am glad you are all having the opportunity to enjoy some monsoons. It hasn't really rained here in a while. I want it to soon!
We've had a fun and interesting week. Norfolk is one of a kind. Let's just say, at this point nothing surprises me.
We had a great authentic Mexican food dinner. We had sopas. It is a fatty homemade tortilla made from Maseca (masa) with mashed black beans, crumbling cheese, sour cream, onions, lettuce, and hot salsa. It was so good. They told us about a Mexican restaurant that is in our area that we are going to try soon.
We had a lesson on the Book of Mormon with a member (she became active last Sept. after like 20 years!) last Wed. night and we committed her to keep a study journal because she was telling us how she had an insight come to her and she didn't know what to do with it. It was so cute, she called us at like 9pm on Thursday night and was like okay what am I supposed to do with this notebook? Haha, she went and bought a notebook, so I'm excited to hear how her study journal goes. As missionaries we are pretty much required to keep one. It's something I didn't do before my mission, so I'm not really good at it, but I like it!
Thursday we taught this lady who is from Thailand. Her ex-husband (American) is a member and their 2 kids as well. They are in Norfolk visiting her before she moves to Florida. The ex-husband called bishop to ask about getting the kids to church, so we went and met the mom. She is buddhist and doesn't really know much English. So we taught her about the Godhead and had her 6 & 7 year old kids help us. Haha, it was fun to teach, but I'm not too sure how much she grasped. We see her again on Wed, so we'll see then!
We are teaching a friend of a member, Heather, in the ward. Her name is Whitney and she is great. Heather and Whitney work together and Heather has been talking to Whitney about the church for a while now and has really helped her to prepare to accept the gospel. We teach her again tonight! When we taught her last week she was telling us how her 10 year old was sad he couldn't come with her. We said to bring him, so hopefully he'll be there tonight. She has 2 other younger kids too. When we shared the First Vision with her she said that she felt great and it caused her to think that God allows us to make choices. Yes, He does! And thank heavens for that.
On that same day we also had an interesting lesson with a member who has started going to a Baptist church. Her husband is deployed and her life has just been crazy since then. Mark this as my first lesson where we were asked to leave. Haha, got to love the landmark lessons. We were talking about how sometimes our choices cause us to be in situations where bad things happen to us and how we have to pay consequences for our actions whether good or bad. The Spirit was really strong, but she definitely was not feeling it like we were.
Tonight we are having an FHE with the Books (downstairs), so it'll be fun. We've got some fun lessons coming up this week!
We've had a fun and interesting week. Norfolk is one of a kind. Let's just say, at this point nothing surprises me.
We had a great authentic Mexican food dinner. We had sopas. It is a fatty homemade tortilla made from Maseca (masa) with mashed black beans, crumbling cheese, sour cream, onions, lettuce, and hot salsa. It was so good. They told us about a Mexican restaurant that is in our area that we are going to try soon.
We had a lesson on the Book of Mormon with a member (she became active last Sept. after like 20 years!) last Wed. night and we committed her to keep a study journal because she was telling us how she had an insight come to her and she didn't know what to do with it. It was so cute, she called us at like 9pm on Thursday night and was like okay what am I supposed to do with this notebook? Haha, she went and bought a notebook, so I'm excited to hear how her study journal goes. As missionaries we are pretty much required to keep one. It's something I didn't do before my mission, so I'm not really good at it, but I like it!
Thursday we taught this lady who is from Thailand. Her ex-husband (American) is a member and their 2 kids as well. They are in Norfolk visiting her before she moves to Florida. The ex-husband called bishop to ask about getting the kids to church, so we went and met the mom. She is buddhist and doesn't really know much English. So we taught her about the Godhead and had her 6 & 7 year old kids help us. Haha, it was fun to teach, but I'm not too sure how much she grasped. We see her again on Wed, so we'll see then!
We are teaching a friend of a member, Heather, in the ward. Her name is Whitney and she is great. Heather and Whitney work together and Heather has been talking to Whitney about the church for a while now and has really helped her to prepare to accept the gospel. We teach her again tonight! When we taught her last week she was telling us how her 10 year old was sad he couldn't come with her. We said to bring him, so hopefully he'll be there tonight. She has 2 other younger kids too. When we shared the First Vision with her she said that she felt great and it caused her to think that God allows us to make choices. Yes, He does! And thank heavens for that.
On that same day we also had an interesting lesson with a member who has started going to a Baptist church. Her husband is deployed and her life has just been crazy since then. Mark this as my first lesson where we were asked to leave. Haha, got to love the landmark lessons. We were talking about how sometimes our choices cause us to be in situations where bad things happen to us and how we have to pay consequences for our actions whether good or bad. The Spirit was really strong, but she definitely was not feeling it like we were.
Tonight we are having an FHE with the Books (downstairs), so it'll be fun. We've got some fun lessons coming up this week!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Yes, it's hot!
The weather has turned hot again. Last week was so nice! We figured it was the Lord prepping us for a long time of hot weather again. I can't complain though...I'm in a car. Whenever we talk to the elders we feel so bad!
We just met our new mission president, Pres. Perry (formerly an Area Seventy out west) and so cross your fingers that he also will keep all sisters in cars. Haha I might melt out there if not. It makes for a funny day though. Some of the houses are pretty warm, but our half of the house is the hottest though. The night I hurt my finger it was 85 degrees in our rooms.
The Perry's are very nice. His wife is funny and I think will be quite involved. They have 2 daughters here (Eliza, 14 and Emma, 11) and they are just so cute. One of them is blonde. Yay! Of the 28 sister missionaries, only 3 of us are blondes. Weird! There were a lot more when I came out I think. Pres. Perry knows a lot of the General Authorities, so he drops a lot of big names. Maybe he'll be able to get some of them out here to speak to us! He is already starting to make some changes, but the ones for now are from SLC, not just him. The first order of business is that P-Day will now be on Monday.
YES, P-DAY WILL NOW BE ON MONDAY.
So yes, you are still obligated to send me a nice long email even though it will only be 5 days. :)
And another change is that they are experimenting with some changes that might take place in all missions eventually. But we are one of the testing missions. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but there is an additional booklet with 8 chapters that we will study from and there will be training meetings that the mission leaders (incl. trainers) will have to attend every transfer. They are cutting back on interviews with the mission president from each transfer to quarterly. So I'll only get to meet with him a couple of times I guess. But he sounds like he will be around more in meetings, so I'm sure he'll get to know us all pretty fast.
We had a great meeting and one of the assistants (who each time he trains I swear he will be an apostle someday) gave a training on praying. He used the story of Rameumpton in Alma 31 to make his point. We looked at the elements of the prayers of the Zoramites and then we looked at that of Alma's prayers. Some key differences are that the Zoramites were not humble and they did not seek for knowledge or ask questions. They were rote and they were not in real communication with God. Alma prayed for his fellow laborers by name. Alma stated what the problem the Zoramites had and prayed for them. He was humble and you could tell he was conversing with God. It was interesting to think of how important our prayers are and how much thought should go into what we say. I get so tired on the mission, that I have to say them outloud or they are just pitiful. We are taught to pray by the Spirit which requires us to pray when and where we can be in tune.
We have a new member whose family is in town visiting. It was so crazy to learn that they live in the city that Sis. Dunn grew up in and they know a ton of the same people. And the mom is originally from Mexico and is going to be cooking us authentic Mexican food this Sunday! Yay!
Well my finger is recovering. It's stopped randomly oozing and it now is just about 2/3 black. I don't think I'll lose my nail. It is cut half way down on the one side, so it'll be a slow growing out process.
We were at a dinner the other day and the mom asked if I was excited to go home. I laughed and said February is a long time away. And she's like not really. It was so funny because it's not really something I think about. Probably because I have no idea what I'll do. Hopefully I can figure it out when I get back. Maybe I'll take the summer off.... :)
Well I love you all and can't wait to hear from you on Monday!
Sister Talbot
We just met our new mission president, Pres. Perry (formerly an Area Seventy out west) and so cross your fingers that he also will keep all sisters in cars. Haha I might melt out there if not. It makes for a funny day though. Some of the houses are pretty warm, but our half of the house is the hottest though. The night I hurt my finger it was 85 degrees in our rooms.
The Perry's are very nice. His wife is funny and I think will be quite involved. They have 2 daughters here (Eliza, 14 and Emma, 11) and they are just so cute. One of them is blonde. Yay! Of the 28 sister missionaries, only 3 of us are blondes. Weird! There were a lot more when I came out I think. Pres. Perry knows a lot of the General Authorities, so he drops a lot of big names. Maybe he'll be able to get some of them out here to speak to us! He is already starting to make some changes, but the ones for now are from SLC, not just him. The first order of business is that P-Day will now be on Monday.
YES, P-DAY WILL NOW BE ON MONDAY.
So yes, you are still obligated to send me a nice long email even though it will only be 5 days. :)
And another change is that they are experimenting with some changes that might take place in all missions eventually. But we are one of the testing missions. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but there is an additional booklet with 8 chapters that we will study from and there will be training meetings that the mission leaders (incl. trainers) will have to attend every transfer. They are cutting back on interviews with the mission president from each transfer to quarterly. So I'll only get to meet with him a couple of times I guess. But he sounds like he will be around more in meetings, so I'm sure he'll get to know us all pretty fast.
We had a great meeting and one of the assistants (who each time he trains I swear he will be an apostle someday) gave a training on praying. He used the story of Rameumpton in Alma 31 to make his point. We looked at the elements of the prayers of the Zoramites and then we looked at that of Alma's prayers. Some key differences are that the Zoramites were not humble and they did not seek for knowledge or ask questions. They were rote and they were not in real communication with God. Alma prayed for his fellow laborers by name. Alma stated what the problem the Zoramites had and prayed for them. He was humble and you could tell he was conversing with God. It was interesting to think of how important our prayers are and how much thought should go into what we say. I get so tired on the mission, that I have to say them outloud or they are just pitiful. We are taught to pray by the Spirit which requires us to pray when and where we can be in tune.
We have a new member whose family is in town visiting. It was so crazy to learn that they live in the city that Sis. Dunn grew up in and they know a ton of the same people. And the mom is originally from Mexico and is going to be cooking us authentic Mexican food this Sunday! Yay!
Well my finger is recovering. It's stopped randomly oozing and it now is just about 2/3 black. I don't think I'll lose my nail. It is cut half way down on the one side, so it'll be a slow growing out process.
We were at a dinner the other day and the mom asked if I was excited to go home. I laughed and said February is a long time away. And she's like not really. It was so funny because it's not really something I think about. Probably because I have no idea what I'll do. Hopefully I can figure it out when I get back. Maybe I'll take the summer off.... :)
Well I love you all and can't wait to hear from you on Monday!
Sister Talbot
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