Week 58

Dear family,

Greetings from the land of the sauna. The weather has been ridiculous here! It is waay to hot. Saturday it was 103 degrees. 106 if you include the heat index. It is HOT. They say it is going to be the hottest summer because this is late july/august weather. Any way enough about the sauna I live in....

This week was good. We were pretty busy. The funny thing is, I am not really sure what we did. Not because we did not do memorable things but because we ran out of planners here in Meridian and a missionaries life is based out of a planner and with out one you forget everything. So I had to go the whole week with out one. (I did eventually get one but that is a funny story to tell later). Anyway I will try to do my best to remember...

So I will start off by telling you about this family. They are recently re active members. He was raised in the church and she is a convert. They are awesome. She is in charge of our meal calendar and getting people to feed us and she is so sweet because lately in Relief Society there have only been about 10 sisters, and 3 of them are usually visitors. So basically we have not been getting fed which is fine but we ran out of money so it sucked because we did not have money to buy groceries and point of my story is that this family invited us over 4 times last week. 4. what a huge miracle. They are so sweet and it is not like they have the most money to do it but they are so kind. That is what stuck out from the week.

We went to this art museum here to see if we could volunteer and after looking around we didnt really think there would be volunteer opportunitites, but we decided to ask anyway and they have a whole set of art classes that they are going to let us help with which will be a great way to get our name out in the community so its awesome. We also saw one of the less active ladies we see each week and she has gotten so far in the book of mormon she loves to read it and really does have a strong testimony of it. We also got to see one lady this week. She was supposed to come to church yesterday but didnt end up coming. It was sad but she is still letting us go over there on thursday to actually teach her a lesson and not just a doorstep lesson. We taught on her doorstep on Saturday and it was so hot!!! Like we were so hot. It was so disgusting. It is ok though. Then we also saw the hoarder family and they too made us stay outside. So funny story- so we were talking to the hoarders and all of a sudden a gun shot goes off. And they didnt even stall in conversation. I mean i know it happens and it was not just target practice because we were in the ghetto so that was cool.

Other funny story...so here is my planner story...We did not have any. The elders were supposed to get some for us at transfer point but I guess the people bringing them forgot so then I was just using a notebook/using Richards. So then I call to ask if they will mail one because apparantly the zone leaders have them but we are in the middle of no where and no one comes to meridian so we dont ever see anyone...so I call the supply lady and she is super nice and is going to mail one. She is officially one of my favorite senior couple missionary people ever because she was like I just feel so bad you have no contact with anyone and she kept saying to call if we ever needed anything because she just really wanted us not to feel so alone. In all actuality we really do not feel alone we love not being bothered but she was sweet. So back to the story, I get my planner on friday and open it up and it is a spanish planner!!!!!!! Like hello I am not a spanish missionary why do I have a spanish planner. So it was hilarious because now I am learning my planner in spanish and that is what I am stuck with:)

So onto waldo...we had thought he was dead because he has not been seen in over two weeks so Sister Richards and I mourned for him and got over it...well saturday night we were driving into our apt complex which has a lot of trees and is off a highway so we see this cat in the ditch by the trees before pulling in and it was waldo!!!! We pulled into our apt complex to park and went back to get him but by the time we got back he was gone. But we have been on the look out ever since and at least he is alive. We think he probably hates us after being so nice and feeding him and then stopping. 

So yesterday was a really good sunday. The theme seemed to be dare to stand alone and hold onto the gospel. One of the members said one of my favorite quotes "When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on". He talked about how the knot is your testimony and no matter what happens hold onto the knot. Tie as many as you need to keep from falling. It was really cool. We also were able to visit 2 families yesterday and use our harvesting tool on them (peace and blessings in the home). We are doing it that way because we have no support in our Book of Mormon class. NONE. It stinks because we have tried so hard and last week one person showed up because we invited them at the dinner appt we were at. So we have been trying to visit more members and help them understand. Any way one of the members yesterday was kind of shut off to it and we talked to them a little more about it and by the end they were really opening up and really trying and this couple does NOT open up at all. But the spirit was really working on them and helping them so much. It was incredible. 

Well that is all I got. I get to go on an exchange tomorrow to clinton!!! It is Sister Scotts birthday so we are surprising her. We also do not really have plans for the 4th so that will be lame but it is weird to think about how last year I was here for the 4th thinking about what we were going to do also.

Oh we also got a new mission president...I have yet to meet, see, hear, or talk to him. So maybe this next week I will.

So my mail kind of sucked last week:) PLEASE write letters!! I love you all