42 - Happy ValenTransfer Day!

Hope you all had a happy Valentine's Day! 

For us, it was actually transfer call day. Heart break day, how appropriate. But good news! Sister Stephens and I are saying another transfer! I'm very happy. I feel like there's more work for me to do here, and I want to do it with Sister Stephens! Though, I feel like I will be in a different area come April when next transfer hits.

P-day was super fun after emailing last! Our apartment is awesome because we have a community game room thing and President Anderson said we could use it on P-day! 


So the elders in our ward came and played pool and ping pong with us. 

It was super fun! 

Took some good pictures.

Right after our P-day hours we started exchanges. Working out the kinks in transportation and the time to switch back to normal companionships and everything was kind of a mess, but it was a good exchange. 

"Exchanges are not to be used to get away from a companion." It says that in the white handbook, and I agree. But, I do feel that exchanges are to be used as a tool for when you get back with your companion so you can grow closer together.

Sister Dennison is a new Sister Training Leader and its just been a little hard, not knowing the area, and being with a companion who knows what she should do better than she herself knows what she should do. Sister Hawkes has been 'the sister training leader's companion' ever since she's been out really. 

I was with sister Dennison during the exchange and I felt like I was able to help her, to give her someone else to talk to about her struggles. Because it's not fair, the Sister Training Leader doesn't get a Sister Training Leader! So I was able really be there for her that day. It was really neat.

I feel like someday I will be called as a Sister Training Leader. Maybe even in April. Sisters are usually called to fill the position of Sister Training Leader when they have been out on their mission for about a year. So I feel it might happen.

While I was with Sister Dennison, we served at the Butterfly House and some crazy shinanigans were happening!

One of the two turtles was trying to eat a butterfly! Ah! It bit at it like, three times, but didn't quite pull it under. Then the worker guy rescued it by shooing it away with a net. Then the turtle gave an angry death glare for a minute. That turtle is a bully!

And the Butterfly House got a new shipment of moths which is cool.

And we had to put a dead butterfly behind the curtain, where the dead butterflies go. 

So sad. But, it's the circle of life. 

Those blue butterflies, they live about the length of one missionary transfer! Six (to eight) weeks.

Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy (D&C 121:43).

I neglected to mention last week- we went to ward council and we totally got reproved in the best way. This was the first time we had ever gone to ward council and for our little two cents we said basically that we want to work together with the ward to achieve our member present goal. And then one of the brethren told us straight up that it's hard for lots of people to be called last minute, so to call on Sunday night and set up our appointments with people according to the time you set with the members. So that's what we did. We have a missionary assignment list that is on the program that cycles through all the active people in alphabetical order. We called everyone on the list plus more. We were able to have outstanding member involvement, especially on Friday. We had four members set to come teaching with us during the week and they all followed through. It was quite awesome!

Random event to break up the words. 

The Elders totally pawned off a huge bean bag that was actually a bunch of popcorn on us! 

We ended up giving it to the church for the youth dance.

Haha, It was too good not to take crazy pictures with!

So, remember the goal that we had this transfer to find ten new investigators this transfer? Well, we had a solid lesson with this one family that we've been meaning to follow up with, and that bumped our actual investigators found total to a dozen this transfer! How cool is that! The Lord truly does work miracles! 

These investigators are mostly fruits of tracting actually! The only ones who weren't were a previously worked with investigator that moved into our area as well as a family member that was over at a dinner. Four families became investigators, three of which Sister Burt and I found back in December. We are looking at another transfer of similar success, and we are so excited to see where this new investigator family goes!

They are an awesome family, and the mom's sister is actually in our ward! Close connection, and they are seekers of truth, you can tell. There questions were sincere and the member that we brought with us is a convert and holy cow, her being there helped out so much with answering questions and concerns and bearing her testimony! And they have a five year old girl and a ten year old boy, and they boy is super interested! Like, whoa! So awesome! We are so excited to see them again!

Now about Henry and Elizabeth. Did they come to church? 


No. 

But they are so awesome! 

Look at this text that Elizabeth sent us a bit ago! 

She meant to send it to Henry, but accidentally sent it to us. haha.

They have met so many people from the ward, they've met more than a handful. Its been close to ten members that they have met. Satan knows that when they come to church for the first time that things will just fall into place, so he's doing everything that he can to make them not come! First it was the alarm not going off, then church canceling because of the snow, then Henry working and Elizabeth having a sporadic nerve act up, then Henry's back being so injured that they couldn't get ready in time and just... AH!

Conversely, there's Josh. He is awesome and has not missed a day of church since his baptism! Satan works hard! Josh's car broke down just before his baptism, so now he only has a bike. He usually hitches a ride from one of the sisters we work with, but when he can't do that he rides his bike to church. He was riding his bike one night and he ran smack dab into a parked car! The car was black and he didn't see it! He went to the hospital. He had a minor concussion and his thumb was beat up a bit. But holy cow he still came to church five or so days later! So here is someone who is coming to church like a rockstar! Hallelujah!

But man... this week has been rough for Henry and Elizabeth. It started on Tuesday. They got a flat tire and so many other crazy things happened. Long story short, a member tried to help Henry change the tire. Well, it's been really cold outside, and the cold is NOT good on Henry because of the metal in his back. He came into the house and basically collapsed on the brother who had been helping him. So that started it.

On Friday we got a text from Henry saying he was on his way to the hospital. His legs had given out from under him and he had a fall a little ways down the stairs and landed right on his tailbone, a basic source of his grief. Luckily, we were right in the neighborhood and were with a member. 

We got there, and again, luckily the member was a little bit bigger of a women and was able have Henry wrap his arm around her as she helped him more down the stairs. But ultimately, he collapsed again. The pain was too much... and it just breaks your heart when after everything, while Elizabeth was calling the ambulance, to see Henry put his face in his arm and his shoulders shake.. He was crying...

And every new person coming in (which happened about three times), all of them had a double take... saying "wow... what happened?" You KNOW it looks bad when professionals who see this kind of stuff on a regular basis respond like that. Just... yeah, it was quite an emotional time. And we were scheduled to go visiting teaching with a member we hadn't really connected with at all before RIGHT after Henry was taken away. We were so shaken up. It was hard to focus going to that next appointment.

Henry had to go to the hospital twice because this week because of issues with his back. Though, Henry received a priesthood blessing which we were present for, and yesterday they called one of the brothers on their own to ask for a blessing for Elizabeth! (She found out she's pregnant and they don't want to lose the baby, so Elizabeth wanted a blessing.) They have experienced the power of the priesthood now. Their testimonies keep on growing, more than they know.

Oh, and Sister Stephens has been sick. Sad face. But she rocks it.

Hope she feels better soon!

P.S.  The way missionaries park when we are the only ones in the parking lot and we know it.

P.P.S. Look at this crazy truck!

P.P.P.S. This thing was at the library.