Monday, February 2, 2015

Week 15- The Most Adventurous Week Yet

Hold on to your seats because this week has been SO crazy.

Monday: Sisters P-day! YAY! We went to the Gateway Arch which was so fun. I loved it. They have a really cool museum underneath and a cute gift shop. We even went up to the top as well. You get into this small pod that barely fits 5 people and it's about a 10 minute ride to the top. The small pod tilts back and forth to fit through the tight curves of the arch. It was really neat. At the top they have small windows you can look out to see the skyline. So fun.

Later that day we hit a fox! It was so sad. We saw a squirrel run into the road and then it got away before we hit it but we had no idea that a fox was chasing it. We ran straight into it! We heard the thud of it hitting the car and we thought we killed it but then we heard a cry underneath our car followed by another thud as it got unstuck. We stopped the car but we could not find the fox. Our grill was popped out of place. We were so sad. It was really hard on Sister Gunter. She was devastated about it but she is doing better now.

Tuesday: We picked up a new investigator yay! It was a really neat experience and the spirit was really there. She has such a strong desire to really know the Book of Mormon. I pray that she will feel the spirit as she studies.

Later on Tuesday we got stuck in an ice pond. haha We were trying to contact a less active member in a trailer park. Many of these parks do not have roads that are taken care of very well. We came to a part that looked like there was some ice that we could drive through but we had no idea that it was actually several feet deep! We didn't get very far. Only our front of the car got stuck. The ice covered about half of the tires and it was enough to where the car would not more an inch. We thought hitting the fox was bad enough. haha. We called some members who we knew had a big truck. We ended up waiting over an hour by the time Brother Bradley had a chance to come tow us out. He just laughed at us and he was very surprised at the mess we got ourselves into. There was no real damage to the car at all. It runs fine.

Wednesday: My 21st Birthday! Horray! Sister Gunter gave me a sweet card. During lunch this old man came out to our car thinking that our car was having troubles but we were just eating lunch. he invited us into his house asking if any of us played the piano. I told him I did and I played his old piano for about a while. It was a great way that we were able to talk to him. I hope Sister Gunter gets to go back and see if he is interested in the lessons. Sister Cox took us out to dinner and we went to the St. Louis Bread Co. (Panera Bread). It is the mid-west equivalent of Kneader's, but better. It was soooo good.

Thursday: Zone Conference! What a great Conference. I learned so much and it was a day filled with the spirit. We learned a lot from President and Sister Morgan as well as our District Leaders, Zone Leaders, and STLs. The fed us lunch and Sister Huppi and Sister Heaps took me and Sister Gunter into a room. They had news to tell us that there was going to be an emergency transfer and that I would be leaving. I did not see this coming. They told me I had to be packed and at the mission home by 1pm the next day. Apparently one of the sisters has some circumstances in which she needs to be closer to St. Louis. So I would be taking her place in Champaign Illinois.

Friday: Ever since the news I was so nervous. I was sad that I wasn't going to be able to say good bye to many of the members because I have gotten so close to them the past months. Packing in less than 24 hours was crazy too. Sister Gunter and I were so sad to be separating but I knew that President Morgan knew that it was needed. We went to the Mission home and waited for the other sister to arrive. President and Sister Morgan assured us that this change was not because any missionary had been disobedient or and situations that were unsafe. There were just circumstances that required this change and I was the one chosen to be a part of it. My new companion is Sister Edgel from Las Vegas. The car ride to Illinois was 3 hours long. I am now part of the Mohamet ward in Chanpagin Illinois.

My new address is:
2503 W Springfield Ave apt. G6
Champaign, IL 61821

I was very nervous but I got through the day. The first lesson we had together as a new companionship was with this man named Johnathan. He is from the Congo and his first language is French. I noticed that through all this stressful changes and anxiety, I found peace and comfort in teaching the gospel and bearing my testimony. It seemed the only thing that I could rely on through all the changes. It was also amazing to hear Johnathan's testimony of the Savior. He stumbles with the English language but one of my favorite things that he said was "Jesus . . . . is awesome!" He knew that the Savior was an important part of his life. It was so neat to hear him talk about Jesus with such enthusiasm even though I hardly know him.

There have been some hard adjustments but I am doing a lot better know. The ward welcomed me warmly on Sunday and I really like this area. It is very flat. so flat and so different from my Sandy Creek. I am looking forward to finding what I can do for this new area. I know that there are miracles waiting to happen. thank you for all of your love and support. Love you all!!

"Good timber doesn't grow with ease. The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees."


Sister Gunter and I near the Arch

So pretty.

Someone had scratched "Elder" into the side of the arch.

 This is the door to the pod to go up to the top. It is about 4 feet tall and only a couple feet wide.

This is the west side of the arch

Sister Gunter looking out one of the small windows.

These are some of the sisters in our zone

Sister Gunter and I

You can see the shadow of the arch over the Mississippi River.

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