What a Relief

The Wine Lady was baptized on Tuesday! I was super grateful because of it, but after being baptized, she never came back out to finish the program. We were then unable to contact her for the next few days. We finally saw her on Friday and confirmed plans with her, and she was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! She received the Holy Ghost and was just beaming. It was so pleasing to see a child of God return home. She was already so close, all we had to do was to point her in the right direction. By the way, I'd like everyone to know that I only call her the Wine Lady for privacy purposes. I'd much rather say her real name, but these emails go onto a blog, so I'd like to remain a bit discreet with investigators.

I got to see some wild turkeys for the second time this week. It is so odd to me that this coveted Thanksgiving dinner is just casually walking the streets in packs. I had to stop and get a picture. These computers don't take SD Cards, so I will include some next time!

I am not sure why, but my cough was getting really bad in the night of Christmas Eve. I decided that I would be really nice to myself and give myself an early Christmas gift, Delsym! I then didn't cough for the rest of the evening. It was so good to be free for a little while.

I no longer have Elder Stewart as my companion. My new companion is Elder Carson, and I am staying here in this same area. He is a pretty neat guy, and there is a lot that I can learn from him. He has been out for almost a year, and so he is pretty smart. He isn't too talkative, but I enjoy being around him and showing him around to all this new stuff. He is actually a district leader, and so he will soon be taking over. 

I enjoyed this Christmas a bit more than usual, because I spent much of it pondering about Jesus Christ and the things that he has done for me and you. It was a little bit hard to find time, but I was able to take a short while and think about His amazing sacrifice. I suppose you could say that I "Stand All Amazed" at the things He has done. The thing I love is that we have the ability to choose if we want to follow Him. If we are sincerely trying to do what we can, then He will take care of us, even if we mess up frequently. He loves all of us, and He personally suffered for our pains and afflictions. He doesn't want a single one of us to end up in the Telestial Kingdom. Please always keep Him in your heart and think to yourself, "What can I do in order to help Jesus Christ." If you have this mentality, you will be very well off.

I hope you all keep Christ in your hearts, even though Christmas has passed. Have a good week everyone!

Christmas Phone Call

(This is Lori posting)

I received a text Saturday from the ward mission leader letting me know that Jonathan will Facetime us Monday at 1:30 pm.  A time and a method!  We were so excited!  We tried all possible ways to ensure that we would have a good connection.  When we tried the Apple TV, the sound was delayed so we messed around with the internet and called Heather in South Korea.  The second time we called it worked pretty good.  Monday comes around and it feels like we are getting ready for a wedding or something.  We curl our hair and put on our make up.  We try Facetime again and it doesn't work very well. Then we sit around waiting for the clock to hurry and move to 1:30pm.  1:30 comes and goes. Finally at 1:50pm we get a text saying he is ready to get on and PRESTO!  There he is!

We crowded around my tiny iPhone on a selfie stick to talk with Jonathan.  The picture and sound is perfect, abeit a tiny screen to see.  He looks good!  He has gained back the 10 pounds he lost in the MTC but still has the cough.  *sigh*  We were never told the time limit so we talked for close to two hours. Towards the end it said "poor connection" so we couldn't see him anymore, but he could still see us.  Jonathan ended with a family prayer and it was a perfect way to end the call.  See you in May for Mother's Day!

Best Christmas Present Ever!

Traditional Jammies Pictures

Facetime Selfie

The Elder we know and love 

Let's Feast!

Christmas Fun with a fabulous family

*ahhhh*

We had to go to a library today to email. They don't have an SD card thing, so I can't share my pictures. I am really bummed :( I also just don't have time to email. I'll try and speed my way through. We are going to the temple really soon and I had to wait a long time to get onto a computer :P

I got to borrow a viola this week in order to prepare to play for the wine lady's baptism. It is worth 10,000 dollars and so it sounds absolutely beautiful. It was a bit hard, but I learned how to play it, and it sounds great. I hope I can get a recording to share with you, too.

I got to accompany a sister missionary with her violin at a different baptism. The song was changed three times, but we made it through alright and everyone loved it. The next day, she texted us saying she needed me again for her sacrament meeting, except we had to do a song she hadn't played before. It was O Little Town of Bethlehem. We had 15 minutes to practice, and I had to write an intro, a middle section to divide the verse, and also an ending. I don't know how I did it, but I got it all written and figured out and we performed it. I was so glad it turned out great!

I had to exchange with someone else for a day. When I got back, I realized that I left my blanket and other stuff in the car at another Elder's apartment. So that night, we closed the door and cranked the heat of the bedroom, and I slept in thermal underwear and socks. I even considered wearing socks on my hands. I actually slept alright!

I have been making us good food. I cooked up some spicy chicken, and some ground turkey and other various things. 

We got two new investigators. They are a married couple, and they are very fantastic. 

I have now officially ran out of time. I hope that I can perhaps get time later today, but it is unlikely. I am so sorry, guys. 

Have a great Christmas!

I have more time because the other missionaries messed up. 

Elder Stewart was riding his bike with me one day, and it was a bit snowy. When we turned into the church parking lot, he turned too sharply and fell off his bike. He then tried to stand up and slipped again. This created a large hole in the seam of his pants. He spent the next few days sewing it up.

We went caroling one night with other missionaries. It was kind of fun and I enjoyed the break from missionary work. I was exhausted because me and Elder Stewart spent the past two days shoveling for people. While we were caroling, an icicle fell many stories down and slammed his music out of his hand. We quickly retreated. Elder Stewart had it rough lately. 

Speaking of him, he has been transferred away, and I am devastated. He is going to a new area to train someone, while also being district leader at the same time. He has a lot of madness going on. Pray for that man.

I got to play volley ball with the other missionaries on P day last week. It was a ton of fun, and me and Elder Stewart were frequently setting each other up to dominate. 

Now I have to go for real. Again, have a nice Christmas!

A Tale of Many Stories

Our ward mission leader is also an ENT. He loves telling us about the surgeries that he performed between our visits and showing nasty pictures to us. When he learned that Elder Stewart had stitches in his head, he jumped at the opportunity to offer his assistance at getting them out when it was time. We went to his house on Tuesday and got them all out. The ward mission leader sent a text to Elder Stewart's mother saying that he successfully pulled the stitches out for him. She texted back, obviously riled up. It turns out, he never told his mom about the experience at the bike shop. However, things are ok! She's good, and he has healed up nicely. 

The baptism date of our friend has been changed again to Tuesday the 19th. Apparently a mutual activity is more important than a Daughter of God entering into the straight and narrow path into salvation... ;) I am thrilled because she chose me to play violin with a pianist at her baptism. Because of it, I was able to play a violin for the first time in over three months yesterday.

We had the opportunity to take a senior in high school on a mini mission. Things weren't going too well this week, because everyone has the excuse that they are getting ready for Christmas. However, with this guy with us, we received two new investigators. That is pretty crazy, since that's about how many we get in a month! It's good to have him with us.

One night, I woke up two times in a row because my blanket fell off and the cold got to me. I then had a fantastic idea. We resolved to turn off all of the heat in the entire apartment, and then turn the heat up in our bedroom all the way with the door closed. The room never really heated up, and when we woke up in the morning, it was like walking outside. Lesson learned: Don't listen to me when I say, "I just had the best idea!"

I neglected to say, a couple weeks ago, I leveled up and received a golden tightlist. It is a large golden metal ball with a rod that it is held by. It has a much higher summoning power and is a sight for sore eyes. If you ever ever feeling down, just take a glance at it and feel your troubles melt away.

We had a zone conference this week. I was able to play the piano for O Holy Night while my companion and two others sang. It wasn't too amazing, but if I had a video of it, I would totally share it.

This week has been rather insane in terms of eating food. For the first time ever, I ate a radish, a cherry tomato, Okra and a fig. I don't really understand why people like radishes, but they are alright. Okra isn't something that was meant for the body. I didn't quite like the fig, but it is tolerable. In the course of my life, I have suffered many trials and hardships, but nothing could have prepared me for the calamity that is within a cherry tomato. I slowly put it into my mouth and bit down onto it, spewing horrid juices all over my tongue. I was thrust into a world of terror, regretting each bite I took. Each bite gushed juice further, dropping my soul further out of my body. Eventually, the shell of my body swallowed the liquid terror, ending my days.

There was also one person who fed us this dinner that was kind of good, but it had something within that I am unable to eat. Shrimp. I was trying to be good, so I gradually ate the food around it, but a single shrimp was on my plate, staring me down. When no one was looking, I quickly grabbed it with my hand and threw it into my lap, where a napkin was waiting. I then pulled my planner out of my shirt pocket, put it in my lap, hid the shrimp behind it, and then pushed it into my shirt pocket. The smell rose up to my nostrils, indicating that this was a bad plan. I snuck it out of my shirt pocket and shoved it straight into my pants pocket. I moved a little bit and became nervous that it would get smashed, and leak its contents into my pocket. I took a "bathroom break" and shuffled over to my coat, where I hid it in my coat pocket. Then, after the dinner appointment, we proceeded to the Ward mission leaders apartment where I thrust the shrimp to the depths of the trashcan. 

On one night, we were forced to travel down an exceptionally large hill in order to reach our dinner appointment. The hill lasts about two miles, and most of it is an incline, with just a few flat parts. We had stayed as long as we could, and then had to retreat back up the hill to get to another appointment. Things were very difficult, charging up that hill, and it was raining a bit. I became very fatigued and wanted to fall over into a puddle and lay there. Before giving up, I asked in a prayer for the strength to make it all the way up the hill in order to be on time to the appointment. I then received strength to keep going and made it all the way up in about 25 minutes. My legs were burning, and I still wanted to fall over, but we made it and arrived for a sweet lesson.

There's my week for you. There would probably be more stuff in this email if I didn't forget my journal AGAIN.

Night in Bethlehem

My first Tag Picture!

Elders with the Sister Missionaries

JUMP!

Light The World

I received a picture from the mission leader and a message.  "Merry Christmas Sister Ruth!  Day 5 of Light the World is Honoring thy Father and Mother so your son thought this was an appropriate way to celebrate!  He's doing a wonderful job!"

A Day at the Hospital

I forgot my journal because today was pretty busy, so this email won't be too amazing. But might as well talk about the hospital first.

So we were volunteering at a bike shop. I was stacking up tires to the max. It was a sight to behold, and that one guy from Cars, Luigi or something, would be drooling. I then heard someone yell from the other room. I came over to see, and my companion had blood just streaming down his face. Instead of being concerned, I just kinda stood there, like, "Dang, you look pretty sick right now." Elder Stewart was getting down from something and gripped a pole to steady himself, and the pole came out of the wall and hit him in the temple. There was a lot of blood, but we got him some gauze and put a bunch of pressure on it and we successfully stopped the bleeding in a couple minutes. I was actually surprised at how quickly we ended it, since head injuries are so brutal. 

Anyways, we drove over to an emergency room and sat for a while. Since I have been coughing SINCE SEPTEMBER 10TH, they made me wear a mask.  So I was sitting with a mask while Elder Stewart had his head wrapped to hold the gauze. We then decided that we definitely shouldn't be here, so we traveled down to a different place, and they said that they were not allowed to treat him because it was a head injury. They sent us to a different place, and we were finally in business. A doctor gave him six stitches and then we were free. It kinda took our entire day, but it sure was a fun day! He will be getting those stitches out tomorrow I think.

The wine lady got to come with us to see a girl get baptized. I haven't been to a baptism in a long time, and so I was amazed. The spirit is super intense so it was very good to have the wine lady there. She can not wait to be baptized. She will be baptized on the 20th by my companion. 

I can't think of much more to say because my memory is not very great :( So I'll have to cut my email short this week, sorry about that! 

Just one thing I learned this week:  If you can try really hard be positive and super nice to everyone, even people who are rude to you, things will be really great! Sorry for the short email. I'll do a better one later! as in next week.

What a fine pair we make

Nemo is my tree.  Notice my ornaments!

We share the same sky

Sister Missionaries with us

At a training

Good Gravy

While being on a mission, I have read the Book of Mormon twice, Jesus the Christ and Our Search for Happiness.  What is happening to me?  That's more books than I've read in my entire life!  I am also on Doctrine and Covenants section 51 as of writing this on November 27, 2017. 

We went to KFC for lunch one day.  Elder Stewart has a fantastic sense of humor.  I opened a bowl of gravy and a ton of it launched out and got all over him.  He said, "Good gravy, I've been shot!"  He later dropped his planner and it landed in some gravy.  He cleaned it, but says it will always smell like gravy, reminding him of this great day.

Today I learned some people think Jesus has already come in the form of a woman.  He says that He will not come as a woman or a wanderer.  I've heard there will be many false Christs.  I know that they will have the power to perform miracles, but it is of the Devil.  Jesus will come down from the skies and everyone will know. Jesus will ask them about the marks in His hands and feet.

My bike tire was flat when we came back to it, and now we're waiting to be picked up.  I must go!  Bye!