We got permission to use a members computer so I'm sitting on a couch with a laptop. Kind of feels like a normal day! Minus the skirt and whatnot. This week was A.W.E.S.O.M.E! Hermana Wong and I had pretty high goals for this week and we worked really hard and blew them out of the water!
Let's start with the news you've all been waiting for...
HERMANA WONG AND I ARE STAYING IN BIRMINGHAM!
We're pumped about it because seriously so many exciting things are happening this transfer! General Conference, my birthday (t.w.e.n.t.y.-o.n.e. years old...I can't even believe it), we get to go to the temple, a general authority is coming, and we're hoping that all of our baptismal dates with go through! SO much to look forward to!
Getting that transfer call was so nerve-racking though! Our hearts were beating outside of our chests. And the assistants were just takin their time... crackin jokes... like it was no big deal!
So, y'all should read the August Ensign! it was fantastic! Quality stuff.I seriously loved every article in there!
In other news, the weather has been HOTT these days and I'm finally getting some color. Woo-hoo!
And something that a friend of mine told me a while ago is to expect miracles. I never really believed that statement until I started looking for the miracles. There are things that happen e.v.e.r.y. day. At district meeting this past week Elder Frederickson asked if anyone would like to share the miracles they've seen. It was amazing to me the stories that were told and the changes that are being made in the lives of the people here, including us as missionaries.
Another thing I learned this week is the joy that can come from your investigators and it was kind of a testimony to me of the truthfulness that we truly do gain so much happiness when we serve those around us. There were a few times this week when someone we were teaching would share an experience they had where they felt the spirit, or when they helped someone, or what they learned from reading the scriptures, or they bore their testimony of the things that they were starting to know were true. It is the most exciting thing ever! And I'm just sitting there, listening to them with a big smile on my face because I'm just so happy that they are coming closer to Christ. It really does feel so great to know that someone is keeping their commitments and doing everything they can to strengthen their relationship with their Heavenly Father. It's evidence that I am fulfilling my purpose and I just get so excited about what's to come for these people! Seriously, Hermana Wong and I could talk about the blessings of the temple for dayssss. We love it! Something a lot of missionaries do is try and see every person in white, entering the waters of baptism. For me, it's always seeing them in the temple. I just want to go to the temple with everyone!
And now, on to the investigators. We started teaching this boy named Lawrence. When we came back for our second lesson he was running out of his house, right on time, with his book of mormon in hand, and had read the first chapter. It was the cutest thing ever!!!
And we're teaching this man named Mr. Sunny. He is quite the character. He's always talkin about being broke and is not doing good because he has a grandkid hangin on him. And he's always making cornbread when we're over there! So he gets up in the middle of the lesson and says, "I gotta check the cornbread before it burns up on me!" We even recorded him saying it because it's just so hilarious! I don't even know how to describe the man, but we broke his heart this week because we had to have a serious discussion about him keeping his commitments and our purpose there as missionaries. We said we didn't care about him any less but that we wouldn't get to spend as much time teaching him if he wasn't progressing or working on anything, primarily his cigarettes. So we'll see where that one goes. I'll send a picture of him soon!
Let's talk about church on Sunday. So investigators only have to attend church twice before they can get baptized and we were so excited to see Christy and help her prepare this week for her baptism on the 7th. Well, the member that was supposed to pick her up walks into church late. Oh no! We also were expecting one of our hispanic families to come and we didn't see them either :( And the Bradt's weren't there! Where are all our people?? Well pretty soon, a less-active showed up that we were so excited about so that was good! And then right after her, an investigator family that we hadn't seen for a while because they were sick showed up! So that was an awesome surprise. And then right after Sacrament Meeting, we walk out and the Melijas are there! They just had some trouble finding the church. And the ward was so so nice to them and made them feel so welcome and they loved all of church and it was just the best! This week we taught them about the tree of life. So we read through 1 Nephi 8 stopping along the way and drew a picture of what was happening, and then talked about how it applies to us. The girls loved it! We got way more creative with our lessons this week, especially because we are teaching so many kids and it was a blast! I'm just lovin' it :)
This week Hermana Wong and I will be getting our first legit, all southern, home-cooked meal. There is an older lady in our ward who's son is visiting from Germany and we went and taught them a lesson this week. And he has lived all over the world and still says that Birmingham, Alabama is is favorite place on earth. Now, besides the fact that it's his home, he went on a described all these reasons why! The landscape, the weather, the economy, the food, the people. All of it! He just loves it! So they invited us back tomorrow and they are going to cook for us :) We told them that we weren't even looking for anything specific. We just wanted authentic haha!
Well my invitation to y'all this week is to memorize something. So many people talk about the power that something has once you memorize it. It becomes yours. So take a scripture, a poem, a quote, a hymn, any good literature and see how it blesses you!
love love love,
Hermana Blackner
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