Three Nephite Women

 August 28, 2017

Hello, all!  Here we are in Gibsonia.  It's a very interesting place.  The people are very humble and kind of odd country folk.  It's super cool, though!  Everything is more spread out and run down from the places I have been before.  Sister Barkdull and Sister Frye are both amazing and super fun, not to mention gorgeous.  We make a fun team :)  I forgot how fun trios are!

Monday was a miracle night!  Sister Durrant and I kind of spontaneously decided to go way to the bottom of our area where we had never been to visit a referral we had received and stop by some less active members we hadn't met.  It went really well!  We met the referral and his family.  They speak Spanish but we were able to communicate enough to set up another appointment and tell them where the church is.  We then stopped by a couple other families and were able to get to know them a little and set up appointments back to back for Saturday.  I hope they all went well!  It was super cool and I know God led us to that area.

Tuesday was a delicious dinner with Sister G and her daughter K and her son J, and then Wednesday was transfers.  We got stuck in bad traffic on the way to Tampa and were pretty late to the training meeting Sister Durrant was going to.  Somehow Sister Frye and I were able to stuff all of our luggage in our little car and we headed off!  That night we went to mutual and got to meet some of the members of the ward.  There is a good group of youth here!  There are hardly any in Apollo Beach.  We had cupcake wars!  One member called us the three Nephite women.  I thought that was funny.

We received a referral for a 15 year old girl named K who just moved here from another area in the mission and was about to be baptized, but haven't been able to find her address.  We have tried multiple times with different combinations of numbers and street names.  We called over and over and were finally able to talk to her once but it's her dad's phone so we are afraid of bothering him.  It sounds like she's in a crazy family situation.  Please keep her in your prayers!

On Saturday we did an exchange and Sister Robertson who just came from the Missionary Training Center was with Sister Frye and I for the day!  She is really, really cool and she and I are going to do a musical number together at zone conference!  We were able to meet a less active recent convert and help her sort through clothes a little bit.  We set up a time to meet with her and help her do some family history this week.

Yesterday we went to church and the ward is really great!  The people are really nice and there is a lot of diversity.  Sister Frye and I and the new elder were asked to share our testimonies in sacrament meeting.  That night we visited a family who Sister Durrant had told me about.  It is a mother and 2 daughters, but only the mother was home.  We were finishing up about to leave and then her daughter L walked in with salad for us (which was a blessing because we hadn't had time to eat dinner yet).  She played the guitar and sang for us because she is super talented.  Her sister is currently trying out for American Idol.  They still have Sister Durrant's signature on their whiteboard on their fridge :)

Anyway, that was pretty much our week.  I'm excited to be here and get to know the people.  It is a really special place and I know there are multiple reasons I came here.  A scripture I found this week that I really liked was 2 Nephi 10:20:

"And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea."

Maybe I feel as if I have been driven out of the land of my inheritance, but I have been led to a better land.  I have felt the strength from Heavenly Father to get me through all of the adjustments and trials that I have gone through, and I know I don't need to hang down my head but I need to remember him.  I love the scriptures and I know they are the word of God!  They have brought me peace and comfort countless times.

Thank you all for being so awesome!  I love you and hope you have a great week!

Pictures!

1. Sister Durrant let me wear her hat...last day together :(

2. Transfers!

3. On our way!

4. Dinner with a recent convert K.  We actually came here to her baptism when I was companions with Sister Jensen!

5. Sister Robertson's first big Florida rainstorm!  We didn't get that wet because the member we were visiting walked us out with umbrellas. 

6. The Sabbath is a delight :)