I didn't get to write yesterday because everything was closed! we couldn't even get out of our apartment for 2 days!
on Saturday night it was cloudy and cold and windy and misty. and then on Sunday morning it started to rain, and then the rain started to sound really funny so we went outside to peek. Ice! ice ice ice! I've never seen anything like it... it didn't look like hail or anything, it was just frozen little raindrops! they hurt too! we got a text a few minutes later saying that church was cancelled. we played church in the apartment and played tabernacle choir and listened to past conference talks on my i-pod... and then we colored.
I realized that I do not like being trapped inside.
and then we woke up Monday morning.... and the door wouldn't open all the way. snow. lots of snow. and this snow was on top of the ice pebble rain drop things... so it was very very slippery. and then it was -3 degrees, so even the snow was frozen. ice ice ice ice ice. every where there is ice!
so today is our first day out of the apartment in way to long!
and on top of it all... I've been trying to get the flu the whole time.
ridiculous.
so, for the week:
on Monday February 24 we went to roaring river! that place is so pretty :) we went hiking and took a ton of pictures... even brought a picnic lunch! so much fun!
after that we have a family home evening at a members home. it's a group thing with older single people, some of them not even members. we taught the lesson on music and they all made sister Burt and I sing. also fun, (and embarrassing) but then they sang a few baptist songs. I like our hymns better.
on Tuesday the 25 we did service at the Methodist church. we helped put together boxes of food commodities for "underprivileged" families. it was a fun thing to do, and definitely interesting working with the Methodists... they couldn't figure us out! "and, why are you here?" they kept asking. it was a little awkward, but a cool experience.
after that we went out to Wheaton and had a family home evening type lesson with a family in the ward that's trying to re-activate into the church. they have little kids so we made up a game and they just LOVED it :) I love being a sister missionary!
and then we got to teach Tracy, she is great! the ward mission leader has been home teaching the family, she isn't a member and husband just recently died. but now she wants to take the lessons because she wants to be baptized and be sealed to her husband. it's a cool opportunity to teach someone who going into it already wants everything!
on Wednesday the 26 we spent practically the whole day in a car driving to springdale, and then the rest of the day sitting in a chair for sisters conference. long long long day! just thinking about it makes my legs numb! but it was an amazing conference. my favorite thing about a mission is probably the mini "general conference" experiences we get out here! and we get them all the time!
on Thursday the 27 we did bible study at the nursing home. sister Burt had done it before in a past area and she thought it would be fun here to. what we didn't realize is that the nursing home we went to isn't actually a nursing home, it's a rehab/hospice home. so basically, the people there are either super sick and hurt or dying, which means our bible study consisted more of us reading to a group of sleeping/groaning older people then actual study. but don't get me wrong! it was still a great experience! there was one guy who would wake up from a dead sleep and just start reading, and he would read and read and then just pass out asleep again mid-sentence and we would just read where he left off. it was awkward. but then we decided we had been there long enough and we decided we would pray and sing before we left. well... we learned that no matter how old or how sick, every one like a prayer and a song! they all woke right up and they sang (kinda sang/mumbled) right along with us, and then the old guy that kept sleeping and reading said a rather awesome baptist style loud praising prayer that woke everyone right up!
anyway... it was a cool experience and I hope to do it again :)
on Friday the 28 we had exchanges and yet again i had to stay and run the area. it was very slow... not a lot happened. we made the "usual rounds" and visited the normal people.... helped someone move a big bathtub. that was fun.
on Saturday the 1st of march we went to Larry Henderson's funeral. he's Tracy's husband who died just last week. it was an interesting funeral. I think they expected more people, and probably more would have come, but there was a huge storm warning going on and to many people live to far away. the service was at our church and we sang some pretty primary songs. most of the people there were not members. in fact, the two people sitting in front of me were rather uncomfortable when they realized they were in a "Mormon church". Uncle Trent sang a song and played the piano. that was AMAZING. wow.... the spirit was strong. everyone was in tears.
after the funeral we were trying to find out who to visit and we were just driving around the neighbors when we see that Vicki's car was actually in her driveway! (Vicki is a potential investigator who is never home) so we thought "well, perfect! lets visit her!"
we never made a better decision!
Vicki answered the door before we even knocked. she was in tears. she told us she had prayed and prayed that we would come! she talked to us about her family and all the hard things the week had brought into her life and we just sat in listened for a while. then sister Burt asked her about a priesthood blessing and she got so excited! she had visited with the elders before and they had given her blessings, so she was very happy to get another one! and then we read some scriptures for her and she just kept telling us how much peace and comfort we had brought her! she was so happy!
when the Sorensons finally got there to give her a blessing she told them how amazing we had been to help her and to come right when she had needed us. well... that was embarrassing cuz we had really just been wandering around and blowing off time cuz we didn't want to tract! even more embarrassing was when she pointed at me and said and said "and she read to me and she found a scripture for me and she helped me see that i just needed to have faith...." and on and on....! uh.... what did I do?
I get so lost when people start to say how we brought them peace and faith and hope and on and on... I don't feel any of those things! there are so many stories of missionaries doing the right thing at the right time and listening to the spirit and doing amazing things, and then there is me and I just didn't want to tract that day! no spiritual guidance or still small voice.... just a desire not to be cold. I'm still glad we could help her out though.
and then on Sunday and Monday we were trapped inside!
and now you know my whole week!
