37 - Meet The Sioux Falls Sisters - Old AND New!

Behind the scenes of Mount Rushmore... 

Bet you didn't know that this is actually what the back of Mount Rushmore looks like! 

That's right, us Sioux Falls Sister's doing fat faces.

This cake took me three and a half hours to make. 

Yay P-day! 

I had this cake idea brewing since just after Christmas. 
In December, Sam took our pictures so that we could send cute Christmas cards to our family and friends. 
In time, we made our cards and Sister Burt printed out a few pictures and used them to decorate her planner cover. On the back she put our "fat face" picture because she thinks it's so awesome, and the subject of cake making came up one day and I had the means now with Sam being able to make the actual cakes... and so the idea sparked!

Sister Burt's Face on a Plate!

Sister Burt had no idea what the cake would be. She would try to guess it and she usually wasn't even close. Probably the funniest thing was when she figured out that she would be on the cake and she said, "just don't make me look fat." Hahaha, if she only knew! hahaha. "I will make sure that you are pleased with the cake," I told her. 

Also, the best things about surprises like this is seeing Sister Burt show off her planner cover to other people. Everytime in my head it was confirmed that, yep, she will love it!

And she did! She thought it was so awesome! And what person wouldn't want to eat their own face!?

...and the extra white frosting before hand. haha. 

Yummm! Frosting Anyone?

She didn't feel so well after she went into a sugar coma. 

But she felt alright after awhile. 

It was a great last Monday as a missionary for her still.

Tuesday we finished up saying our goodbyes and Sister Burt officially packed up all of the stuff she wanted to take home with her. She left a lot of stuff behind that she didn't need. 

And that night we made the switch, and I was united with my new companion, Sister Stephens, who I actually had already met during the time I was serving in Bismarck!

Sister Stephens..."What's Up?"

Sister Stephens says "What's up" (in sign language) by the way.

I actually met her when she was training. 

She started her mission in Dickinson when I was still in my last weeks with my trainer Sister Easter, and Dickinson is in our zone, so I saw her occasionally. 

She even performed one of the numbers in the musical fireside that Sister Springer and Sister Paniagua and I organized. It was great hearing that I would be companions with someone who I could already put a face to.

And serving with Sister Stephens has been wonderful so far! She is so easy to work with because her desire to work hard and be obedient shines through beautifully! She is always anxiously engaged in the cause of being an effective missionary! Her personality is also quite similar to mine, something I haven't quite had in a companion yet. So being similar in that way is a blessing that I am not forgetting to count!

And I am so impressed with her dedication to improve and learn, especially concerning her signing abilities. When I told her that we were in the ASL ward and that we were working lots with a deaf less active, she was pretty shocked. She didn't expect to be coming to an area where she needed to learn sign language. But I came out of the bathroom one night and there she was, on her bed, looking at the sign language book. And she practices the signs she knows throughout the day, and that's more than I ever did. I am so impressed by her!

We heard from Sister Burt (through a member here that she texted) that she was safe and sound back in Oregon. 

We were very glad, because the weather was pretty bad on Thursday. 
There was a blizzard warning that day... and it was my first time driving in this area...

My First Time DRIVING in the Snow

My first time driving in snow and I was technically driving in a blizzard! 

Go figure! 

But it really wasn't bad. Visibility was still pretty good. It was just the wind that was blowing the snow across the street like crazy! 

You GO, Sister Stephens!

We tried to capture the sand like snow in pictures, but it's just not the same. It was really intense though. 

Also, I'm glad my companion, who is from California, is enamored with snow like I am. 

It's not as fun when your companion hates snow.

I even got some action shots of Sister Stephen's shoveling a member's walkway in the 'blizzard!' 
It was fun stuff!

I'm so excited for the work to progress in our area! 

I will be sure to give success stories next week, because I just know, it's gonna be a good week! I'm excited for this cold transfer!