Also, Happy birthday to Sister Jones' dad. You seem pretty cool :)
Happy wedding to Kyle and Elaine! May happiness follow you all of your days. :)
And happy whatever else is going on to everyone else! I hope you all have an awesome day and week and whatever else is happening!
This week was incredible. So many blessings. Why does the Lord spoil me so much? :)
First off, we were able to pick up two new miracle investigators. The first one's name is Faye. She is the grandmother of two awesome sisters in our ward. They always come out on team ups with us. Anyway, Courtney just got back from her mission in Rio and she's been praying for a long time that Faye (her grandma) would be open to taking the lessons. So we started praying with her! And lo and behold, she has been being prepared by a missionary who used to serve in this area... and now she's very open and very interested! So that was amazing.
The other is a little girl. She's the stepdaughter of a less active member in our ward. Her dad is taking the lessons and now she wants to take them, too. We're hoping it will help to reactivate their mom as well! They're such a cute family.
Another blessing was the exchange that we went on! I took over the area for my first time on Monday and it actually went really well. I was kind of intimidated because the sister that I was going on exchanges with only has 6 weeks left on her mission, she's been a trainer, she's been an STL... she's pretty much the coolest person ever. So I was like, "well I don't have anything to offer." But we ended up having such a good time!
On Monday night, we made cookies for all of the people that we were going to visit. It was so embarrassing... I guess I just forgot how to make cookies and they turned out pretty horrible. We had a pretty good laugh over that, though.
We had a good day working together on Tuesday. We taught 3 lessons! Then we headed back to Lewisberry at 4 to exchange back. I was very happy to see Sister Jones again.
We stopped somewhere for dinner on the way back to our area and Sister Jones realized that she left her bag in Lewsiberry. It was soooo funny! We had to drive all the way back to get it. We were so embarrassed when we showed up at their apartment.
The reason the exchange was such a blessing, though, was that it really just boosted my confidence. Not only in my new calling, but also in my knowledge of the area and in my ability to help the people that we're teaching. It was a much needed lesson. It also helped out with the work for the rest of the week.
We had so many incredible members that were willing to come out and help us do missionary work this week. We had at least one team up every single day this week, sometimes more than one. That's a huge deal! The members are just so wonderful and willing to do so much for us. We had one member that called us up because she has less active members on her visiting teachers list and she wanted to have us come see them with her. So she drove us around all night and we were able to serve and teach and it was amazing!
We have also been able to work with some of the laurels! Working with the youth is so fun. We had one laurel team up that came out with us for four hours one day. She's contemplating serving a mission, so we showed her a little bit what missionary work is like. We taught a couple lessons and went out to lunch with her. It was so fun. We were all laughing so hard. :) We even got to pet a guinea pig!
The Clarksons spoiled us last Monday and took us to this awesome Civil War museum and we watched a movie about the civil war and I bawled like a child. It was amazing. The spirit was so strong. I love American History!
We also spent our Sunday with them. Pennsylvania has this fun weather that they call "ice rain" and it's truly as brutal as it sounds. It's just like... rain... that freezes everything. Literally. Everything is ice.
So it wasn't a very good idea to be driving around in that. So we spent Sunday evening with them and they told me that I could come live with them in England while I travel through Europe. They told me they'd find me someone to marry, too. Someone with an irish accent. So that's exciting. :) Haha I love the Clarksons.
Of course, this week we were able to have dinner with the Shearer family. We also attended the adult session of Stake Conference with them. That was wonderful. I think that's the first adult session I've ever gone to. I have been missing out my whole life!
We were able to have dinner with the other Shearer family as well. (Brother of our Brother Shearer.) Anyway. He was awesome and he makes his own guns. Like hand makes his own guns. How legit is that!? And she made us pie. So that was an automatic win.
So basically just anyone with the last name of Shearer is awesome!
Something cool that I re-realized this week: The Lord wants us to ask questions to him when we pray! He doesn't want to just hear what we're grateful for or the blessings that we stand in need of (although, he does want to hear those things, too.) He wants us to ask Him questions! He wants us to have things that we're concerned about and things that we need to know. If we come to Him with questions, He can teach us! And our relationship with him will grow. I have been working on asking specific and direct questions to Him this week. I already have seen a difference in the level of sincerity of my prayers. It's been so neat!
Something crazy that happened this week: We got a call from President Johnson and some big changed are happening to our district. I don't know how secret they're supposed to be so I'll write about them next week after the transfer happens. :)
Something embarrassing that happened this week: So for some reason I'm like horrified to ask to use people's bathrooms at their houses when we go over for dinner. I don't really know what's wrong with me. But anyway. So we were leaving the other Shearer's house Friday night and I really had to go to the bathroom. Well they live out in spring grove, which is like 25 minutes away from our apartment. So I'm like trying to be all obedient and not speed down the road, but secretly I'm dying. So miraculously, I make it to the apartment. We fly up the steps and I put the keys in the door, drop everything on the floor and FLY into the bathroom.
Problem solved. I felt like a total boss.
BUT. The next morning, we were looking for the keys... and we couldn't find them anywhere. I was mortified. I didn't know where I had left them. All I remembered was that I couldn't have cared less about the keys, I just needed to get to the bathroom!
Jokingly, Sister Jones says, "Maybe you left them in the door?"
"Doubtful." I respond.
But then she opens the door and... there they are!
It was awful! They sat there in the door all night long. Anyone could have come along and taken them. People could have broken into our apartment and stolen our cereal!
Luckily, the crisis was averted. I felt really bad about it though!!
Anyway.
Sorry this email had ZERO structure to it. I can't really do the day by day thing. I get too bored. :)
Let me know if there's anything you guys would like to hear about to spice up the weekly email. I don't want people to fall asleep!
This week we're headed back to Pittsburgh. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!
I love each of you! Thank you for all you do for me!
Love,
Hermana Bills
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