Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Dearest family of mine whom I love,

Wisconsin sure know how to have bipolar weather. I had to whip out my jacket today, did you know that? It is chilly. My fingers might freeze to the keyboard. I also could be a little dramatic right now. Just a little. It has dropped 40 degrees since last Saturday when I almost died of heat. Enough complaining, I get it. 

Guess who came to church this week! Jim did! We didn't get to talk to him because he had to go a little early but that was huge! President Cutler will be thrilled! We had a good lesson. We assign him whole books between visits. He read 3 Nephi this time, 1 Nephi last time. I guess it will be how we get him to read the whole thing. We also gave him Jesus the Christ. And an Ensign. We know how to load him up. It is fun teaching him. He is getting ready for a few books to be my good bye present, including the one he wrote. Wha?

Oh another crazy story. So, Nikisha put braids in bubbles hair and then let me trim the bottoms of the braids. It's funny because I offer to almost everybody who talks about their hair that I could cut it for them. They all ask if I cut hair and I say no. But they let me! I couldn't believe it! I don't think it was bad either. I walk in the footsteps of my seester. 

Also the Elders told deaf members in their ward (Neenah) that I sign and they want to meet me, however then they mislead them into thinking I was good enough to interpret! Ha! Good one! So I am nervous about that one. 

Nikisha has been helping us so much this week. She has been giving us rides, feeding us, letting us borrow bikes. I just love her and her family. She is taking her calling very seriously. So is Kristy. Her son Travon had strep Saturday night and she felt so bad about not being able to go to church the next day. So we had her home teacher come over and give him a blessing and guess what! They were able to come to church! So that was great!

So this week we tracted into a Jehovah's Witness. She was interested but she talked to us and I got to ask about her beliefs. It was really helpful to find out what they actually believe in because they get a pretty bad rap. 

We found a former investigator this week. His name is Fernando. he is so nice! He came to church in the past and loved it and wants to come and bring his daughter. We met with him outside and it was about 7:30-8, getting dark. He pulled up a chair for me and I sit and hear a splash and look down and a river of water is flowing out from the chair that I just sat in... It was funny! I gave Sister Rosenblum this wide-eyed look and she tried not to laugh as she saw all the water. Thankfully it was dark. I just strategically walked around the rest of the night. My dress just soaked up the water :) it was good. 

We were also able to get in contact with Josh again! We both just know he needs the gospel. We are trying different tactics. 

Well it sounds like the Audi is a lot of fun, and a lot of fun to show off. Can't wait to drive it. I hope everyone is doing well. Tell grandpa I miss him and give him a hug for me. I hope he is okay! Just hug everyone for me! And fyi, it was Devon who sent the chips! That is a good friend. 

I love you more than I already love the Audi,

Anne

Who Sent the Chips?

Dear Family!

It was another good week. Wisconsin just knows how to throw them at you! It has been a HOT week! Wow! I don't know if I have ever sweat so much in my life. Sister Rosenblum was just living the life because she comes from this kind of heat. It shouldn't be legal to get that hot. Someone needs to change something. If I thought we drove a ton last week! Oh boy was I wrong! I had never been to the edge of our ward boundaries but now I have been on both ends. It is a big ward! So last week a member brought her friend Camille to church. We got talking to her and she was actually moving soon. So we said we would help her here and other missionaries would help her in Milwaukee. She gave us her address and when we plugged it into the GPS it was in Clintonville 35 miles away! Whew! So we had a nice road trip up there. We helped pack a lot of her stuff, she had cats so Sister Rosenblum and I were sneezing and sniffling away. But it was all good, after she took us for ice cream and we taught her a lesson. She had a ton of questions and could really feel the Spirit, so by the end she asked if we could not only ask the missionaries in Milwaukee to help her move but to teach her! Yes! It was great!

We got to see Jim again this week, he finally gave us his paper he has been writing, I will attach it below. It is pretty good! Kind of mind boggling, he really is a philosopher. It is great going over there. He is just amazed by what he is learning. That is what you get if you study the Book of Mormon! Good stuff.

Wow! Craziest thing happened this week. I almost forgot. This may not sound all extraordinare to you but to me and Sister Rosenblum, we are greatly astonished! So, Thursday morning I get off on a tangent about Earthquake chips. I talked about how we used to sell them at the Lion House until it shut down and we had no more chips. I told her about me and Aleesha going on crazy adventures to find these chips in Utah. No luck, but we found a substitute and figured that was it, no more Earthquake chips. Thursday I got this huge package that said Idaho potatoes. Inside were 8 big bags of these chips! What!? What are the odds. I went on a 15 minute tangent about them and that day I get a box of them. And there was no clues on the box as to who they were from. Modern day miracle. Probably one of the 3 nephites I suppose. 

So our neighbors Stacy and Lexi came to volleyball again. They are great! They were supposed to come to church too but they ended up not making it. However Stacy is now helping me with my family tree. Hopefully we find some good stuff. 

So Saturday was crazy. It was a really really hot day and of all days we picked that one to go out to New London. We don't have a lot of miles so we decided to walk around New London. Oh boy, bad idea. I'd rather do that on a rainy day than 95 hot and humid! Thankfully half way through a less active member let us in, gave us cold water and a giant piece of zucchini cake. Yum! Yum! Good stuff. We met lots of new people though and gave away several Book of Mormons so it was worth it. 

I have really enjoyed my studies this week. I have been reading Acts. I have never really read it before, but it was so good. Paul is so cool. He is the best missionary. I had some hardcore sweet movies running through my head as I read it. Hollywood needs to move on from Noah and Exodus and so Paul. And the Book of Mormon. Oh man. My imagination I think has improved a lot on my mission. It may be my lack of movies or it may be reading has improved and I can understand scripture better. Or both. That is all besides the point though. I  loved Paul's determination. He had his conversion and he never would do anything to taint that. He wanted to let everyone know that Jesus really was the Christ. I think it is interesting, a lot of people believe that around here however they don't understand what that means. The gospel is so beautiful, it makes sense, it can fill your soul with light and joy. It is better than Earthquake Chips!

Anyways! I am glad you found the car! So glad, I literally shouted out loud for joy. I have witnesses. Good thing I am ok at stick shift and can improve. Mmm.. I will have sweet dreams about convertibles. 

I love you more than all the sweet things in this world,

Anne

Organs, typewriters and wicker chairs

Mi Familia! 

It was a pretty good week! Lots of driving again! Good thing I love to drive! We had a zone conference out in Oneida. It is a cute little branch made up of a lot of members of the Oneida tribe. They were probably the nicest branch. Usually like 5 or 6 relief society women come and help feed us. There were like 20 members, the activity day girls sang for us. They made traditional Oneida tacos! It was great. I don't know too many people in my zone yet. It was my last zone conference. I had to give my final testimony. It was dreadful. It made me want to barf. Still kind of makes me want to barf. :) 

So, we are still meeting the Episcopal priest, Jim. Guess what. He met his match! Sister Rosenblum! It was great! She was sent here for him! Wrapped up with a pretty bow! He is very analytical, he is writing papers convincing himself of the church. That is great, he is learning in his way. Well Sister Rosenblum is really good at taking info and presenting it in a very nice understanding way. It makes sense (sometimes I lack that ;) ) It was so good. When he found out a new missionary was coming he said he would be nice and not scare her off. Turns out she made him sweat! Just what he needed. I think it will be a motivator for him to study more. He has got to be on his toes now. 

The laundromat family is great. The missionaries are going over there 3 times a week with members and Cap is coming to bball Saturdays at 6 in the morning! However they haven't made it to church yet unfortunately. But they are on fire! 

We were able to finally see Dawn again! She is the one who wanted to read the Book of Mormon for 15 years! She has been sick and won't answer the door. Well we "happened" to come around the time that her brother was supposed to come and we knocked his knock. So, she answered the door! Yipee! That was great! She is still as sweet as ever! She recommitted to read and we reset her baptism date for October. 

We were able to get in contact with Amanda and Micah again! They have so much potential! I also can't spell. I am pretty sure I have had to fix a word in almost every sentence. That is probably why I am taking so long to write this. They are just a cute little family and both the husband and wife are wanting to learn more! Bonus! Usually the spouse anti's the other. Not this one! 

We gave Gregg one of the young men our meal calendar this Sunday to take around. He went around the building and invited everyone to sign up! It was so funny! He got his mom to sign up and they live out in the boonies! It was a beautiful drive! It was perfect because there was a new part member family that just moved there that we stopped by to see! They are so nice! LOTS of potential! He oversees all the goodwills here. So we went to his store today and had lots of fun ;)

We play volleyball on Friday nights with all the missionaries, investigators and members! We had a good turn out this week! Our family history neighbor Stacy came with her daughter. Walter came with Nikisha. Kristy and her family came! It was just a blast! I totally bruised my wrist. And my ego. Who am I kidding. 

This was a great week. I have been reading the New Testament and I am almost done with John. It just hits me again and again how much the Savior loves us. We don't have to be perfect, we just have to live up to what we can. Thank goodness for mercy. I love this gospel.

I hope ya'll have a great week!

I love you more than I love spell check! (If I didn't have it you could tell how much I loved it by the struggle of my spelling in this letter)

Anne :)

Hey Ya'll

Dear Family!

It was a great week! It's been so hot I think my brain is fried! It really is! So We got to take a nice long road trip down to Milwaukee on Tuesday night and I got to pick up my trainee. Her name is Sister Rosenblum, she's from the south ya'll! She is from Memphis, Tennessee! She is great! She is an only child. Her favorite color is yellow. Her dad is a Jew. She has taught me lots of cool things about jewish culture and the bible. My accent is really mixed up right now. You won't be able to tell where I served my mission. At all. :) It is the hardest thing to not pick up on. She is really fun, I love her! It is going to be a great 12 weeks! There is nothing more perfect!

When we went to Milwaukee I got to see of 4 companions! Sister Packer, Plante, Weaver and Rousseau! It was really sweet! And guess who else I got to see!! Tina!!!! I just love her! It was so great to see her again. I emailed her last Monday and told her I would be at the church :) Sneaky sneaky...

So Monday we did laundry at a new laundromat and we met a great family. We were so excited to go and teach them the next day. We show up to their house and meet the kids and it was incredible. I have never seen anything quite like it, but their countenances were just glowing! Especially the oldest, his name is Cap and he is 14. We taught the restoration and they were so excited to learn what a prophet was. Cap understood so well he explained it to his mom. Then we told the story of Joseph Smith. They were thrilled that he was 14 years old. Cap immediately thought of Samuel in the bible. The way Juanita looked at her son when she heard about Joseph was just a look of complete love! She could see her son's potential. It was the sweetest. I haven't felt the Spirit like that while teaching. This family is prepared. We set a baptismal date with them and they were so excited. We drove away and realized they lived outside our ward boundaries :) Oops! So we had a lesson with the 2nd ward elders and did a little pass off. That was a neat lesson too. Juanita asked about missions and when we explained them and that we left our families she looked over at Cap and asked, "Would you want to do something like that?" It was so cute! And they are getting involved with the other ward. It was just so great to be a part of that! 

Tuesday we saw a really cool investigator. His name is Jim, he used to be an episcopal priest. He really teaches us more than we could ever teach him. He is writing a paper on progressive revelation and teaching himself really. He is one of the most religiously smart men I have ever met. He will make a great member! 

We went to go find a potential investigator, she wasn't home but Jay was. When we first started to talk he said some pretty choice words and didn't seem very interested. But we kept talking and it turned out great. His heart just softened as we explained how Christ's church was set up and how ours was set up. The same! He accepted a Book of Mormon and was eager to meet again. 

We met with Alex again, he has a lot of promise! The Young Men in our ward are just great examples off missionaries! It is so great! These young people are so prepared! We got to see Brandon again, his sister got to him so he is starting to be hesitant. The key is the Book of Mormon. He just needs to keep reading. Every one should read. 

Church was really cool this Sunday! Two people showed up who the members invited! One was a young woman who comes to volleyball nights. It was so great to have her at church! Then one of the members invited her friend who was about to move. We volunteered to help her move and she was so happy! She was happy that there were missionaries in Milwaukee where she is moving to as well! She just loved church! She even clapped for one of the comments in Relief Society!

Well it sounds like you are all having a blast! I hope no one gets too sun burnt! I pray everyone will drive home safely! I just love you all so much! 

I love you more than ice cream melts in the sun!

Anne