Dear Family,
This week was crazy! Good crazy! Perhaps the best week so far! So we started off with a really good Zone Training. I think we all had to get back on our feet after our awesome atonement study. It took a lot of our study time and we all felt lost without it and all that spiritualness. So it was kind of lets dust ourselves off and find a new sacred study for each of us. We also kind of did a refresher on all the new tools we got this year and got reminded to use them all. We have a whole new arsenal. They call it the 1-2-Whip approach. It was fun. But now I have a sweet new study. I reread and study Julie Beck's talk from Women's Conference that mom sent me. It is all about our purpose and how we need to prioritize to fulfill it. So I am doing a new study on my mission not just as a missionary but what I need to do to live with my Father in Heaven again. I was going to add Christ mission as part of my study. We will see. I wanted to buy colored pens before I started marking my scriptures so I will have decided tomorrow. Priorities is something huge I have learned on my mission and I want to make sure I have them solid and in place before I go back to reality. I won't ever have this consecrated time to be this focused again. So at least I can make a reference guide for future me!
Wednesday was a great productive day! We went and saw this sweet old lady who is less active only because she can't get to church. But she always cheers up our day. We went and taught Krista and her kids the plan of salvation. Her kids just loved it and were better listeners and contributors than her. We aren't really sure what to do with Krista. She is just kind of falling apart and won't do anything. Destiny, her daughter, just loved the plan though. She will remember it when missionaries knock on her door in 10 years. Something crazy that has been happening lately is we have been getting referrals right and left. I don't know what we are doing right to be getting all of these.
We got a mormon.org self referral. Self referrals are the best, they are the only referrals I have heard that work. Also typically people request just a Book of Mormon or a Bible but Meg asked specifically for Sister Missionaries to visit her! So we went and taught her about the Book of Mormon and got to know her. I walked into her house and oh my goodness, I thought I walked into Molly's house. She is just like Molly. Her front room is decked out with Marylin pictures and old stuff. She is so funny! She is sarcastic! It's great. Wisconsin people don't do sarcasm but Meg does! She is great and we are teaching her the restoration tonight! She wanted to know more because her cousin is Mormon and she admires how she lives her religion, not just at church. Wahoo! Golden. Then we went and taught Hope too! She is incredible. Every time we see her we can just see her in white 3 times. Her baptism, the temple and the celestial kingdom! Also on Wednesday we, meaning I, did a U-turn and totally got stuck in the snow. Pretty bad. But because of my beast like abilities I was able to push our car out! I rock. So did Sister Plante for pushing on the gas. It was fun.
Thursday was also really good. It's been really snowy so we helped shovel some drive ways. Boy am I thankful for all the warm things you have sent me! They have all helped! We shoveled Beverly's drive way and she gave us cookies and hot cocoa after. It was so worth it! We also taught Kevin. I think signing hurts my brain. I am getting to the point where I know a lot of vocab but I need someone to teach me proper structure. But our lessons still go really well and Kevin understands. I got him and ASL Book of Mormon so now he has no excuses not to read. I got me the kids ASL Book of Mormon. Best buy I have made. That has helped a lot they sign slower and simpler words. We ate dinner at the Thompson's. When you go to their house you have to make a food request. They will only make what you tell them to make. So they made me chicken cordon blu. It was delicious! Now Christmas is official. Now here is where the crazy stuff happens.
We have one church key between all of us missionaries. We had it and the Elders needed it. So we were going to meet in the church parking lot to exchange it. We got there and were sitting in the parking lot when all the sudden the alarms start flashing and going off. It's after 9 and our curfew is at 9:30. We don't really know what to do so we call the closest member from the bishopric to the church and it happens to be Brother Thompson. Basically when we hang up three firetrucks pull up. We then let in the firemen into the building and it was just flooded. We also had the key to the room they needed in to turn off the water so we got to trudge through with the firemen to show them where and to give them the key. I felt pretty cool and I was very thankful for my waterproof boots, yes they work. The sprinkler head in the library had popped off and was spraying everything. We stayed until after midnight helping suck out the water with shop vacs. It's the first time I have seen midnight on my clock in 9 months. Holy cow, my body is not used to that! I thought it was ironic that it happened exactly 9 months after I left. 4/8 I was up late nervous about leaving on my mission and 1/8 I was up late on my mission doing what missionaries do :) So that was an exciting ordeal.
Friday was a rough day just because we were so exhausted. Thankfully we had service and weekly planning and nothing to strenuous. We did surprise visit a less active family, the Gardners and invite Sister Gardner to a lesson with Hope. We both felt like she was perfect for her. They accepted and fed us! So nice! So the next day we went to Hope's with Sister Gardner and taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. SHE brought up baptism and so we invited her to be baptized on February 7th and she said YES!!!!!! Wahoo! Sister Gardner was perfect and testified at all the right times! The spirit was so strong! It was just wonderful! We are so excited! You can already tell Hope is improving her life! I can't wait to continue to see the gospel work in her life! So keep her in your prayers! Extra!
So basically it was just a wonderful week. Sister Plante and I are so tired but so happy! We hope we can catch up on everything today! The gospel is real and it's true! I love it! And I love all of you!
Love you more than all the snowflakes!
Anne