New Mission President

Randall Floyd Weed, 65, and Brenda May Weed, six children,
River Mountain Ward, Henderson Nevada Lake Mead Stake
To serve in the  Virginia Chesapeake Mission,
succeeding President Alan J. Baker and Sister Mary Kay Baker.

Brother Weed serves as a Sunday School teacher and is a former stake president, bishop, high councilor, temple ordinance worker, seminary and institute teacher, and missionary in the Austria Mission. Retired chief deputy, District Attorney’s Office. Born in Pacific Grove, California, to Floyd Barg Weed and Deaun Moulton Weed.

Sister Weed is a former stake Relief Society and Young Women presidency counselor, seminary and institute teacher, temple ordinance worker, assistant stake camp director and ward Primary music leader. Born in Denver, Colorado, to Chester Harris May and Melba Clark May.

We Cannot Fail

Sister Poulsen's district sporting homemade wizarding wands

Hello one and all!

Hope your week was wonderful! I heard the weather over there is perking up! The weather here is strange, and lots of people are saying it's quite cool compared to past years. Thank goodness, cuz it's not my definition of cool. Phew. We had a crazy big storm one night, we ran out and played in the rain, getting all soaked in the process! It was tons of fun :) The streets were flooded with water - super intense!

This week, we had the great privilege of shampooing our carpets... yay. It is a carpet shampooer that goes around the zone. It is our turn now. We have 2 floors in our little apt. so, that's a lot of extra rooms to do! But we are almost finished, just one more room and a hallway! Our house smells a lot better now. Our fridge, for some reason is really stinky. We cleared it all out, but, there is still foul odor. So we are gonna try to defrost it and see if that helps :)

We got a new investigator this week! Super sweet, humble man names K. He kept saying "I believe in God, but I feel like something is missing or something. Like I need a spiritual boost." I just promised him that this message will fill that for him! So cool! Can't wait to teach him more this week!

Sister B hosted a Hoot n' Nanny this week! SO FUN! It is a time where a bunch of people from the ward and their non-member friends can come and we sing folk songs with banjos, harmonicas, and guitars! Sister Steinfeldt is a killer on the guitar! And we learned a song real quick before we went over so we could sing something. I was still nervous about the song cuz I had just barely learned it! But it went pretty well :) And we had a grand ol' time just being together singing songs! Sister B made sure they were all missionary appropriate too, it was so funny :) And one of our potential investigators was there, and hopefully we can have a lesson with him soon! He comes to church and stuff... he's basically a Mormon. He just needs to get a little wet :)

We did service ALL DAY Saturday! We went to the C’s and cleaned their outside windows... and we found the biggest spider ever!! We were too excited to torture it with water and kill it that I didn't get a pic. But just imagine this gross ugly big spider. But we worked real hard to get those windows all nice and clean! Then we went and helped V water her flowers... again. We aren't finding a ton of service opp. but we are planning on contacting local vet clinics and volunteering there! And we are gonna look around for some other community stuff!

We finally caught back up with K and her daughter! We decided to just stop by, cuz she wasn't answering our messages. And then she complained about not knowing we were coming cuz we didn't text her... ugh, silly people. We had a sweet lesson on the Book of Mormon and they are sooo excited to read it! We committed her to read to at least chapter 8 and she said "I got a lot of time sisters, I think I'll read more than that!" haha awesome! She has many questions that we try our best to answer, as well as, to continue to teach the lesson we are on. But, we don't want her to think we don't have the answer, because the gospel has all the answers! But she asked this one question. "How come I have never heard of Joseph Smith before?" That was a very good question. We were coming up with several different answers. From how the church is a newer church, to the people rejected his seeing visions and such. All were good, but didn't quite feel right. Then I felt the spirit put into my mind something that I knew was the right answer. So I said "I think the spirit just told me the answer to your question. So I'm gonna say it... It's Satan." Her eyes got all big like and just stared at me. I kept going "It's Satan. He doesn't want you to know about Joseph Smith. He doesn't want you or anyone to hear about the restoration of Christ's church. And that's our job, as missionaries and members of the church, to spread the word about Joseph. To spread the joyful news that Christ is our Lord and Savior and that there is a Plan of Happiness!" So that is where my thought for the week comes from.

It is Satan that makes us afraid to share the gospel or think "Oh, I'll try tomorrow." Because he knows that when people get word of this, it will spread like wildfire. And he sees that it is happening right now. So he is throwing everything he has at the world right now. He is very good at his job. But we are better, because why? Because we have an almighty, all knowing being on our side, and with Him, we cannot fail. Little motivational speech for ya to go out and be your best because Christ and His army (us) have already won the fight. Guaranteed.

Well, as always... have a blessed week! Don't get too hot down there, I heard your weather is pretty toasty! So buy some cute hats, wear sunscreen, and stay hydrated!

Love y'all to the moon and back!

BYE!!

Sista Poulsen

Bonus from Questions letter:

I don't know too much about the new Mission President and his wife -  just that he majored in zoology and that they are sooo excited to come here!!  They will fly in tonight around 7, and he will be the new pres.!!!  The Bakers are super trunky, it's hilarious! But yes, we had one last zone conf with them and we all lined up to say good bye. Lots of tears. It's pretty bitter sweet!

We will have a meet the president meeting in Greenville on Friday, so I can tell you more about him then! We are excited to see what he is gonna do for this mission!

Also I got my retainer all fixed! That sweet doctor man and his staff, love them all! They were so kind to me and Sista Steinfeldt :) I am sending them a thank you letter in the mail and we already referred them to the elders if they ever need any dental work done! Elder Haddock threatened to punch Elder Hyman in the face just so they could get free dental work done... silly elders.

A Little Note in the Mail

Tara sent a cute little note this week.  She was responding to my letter telling her about a pair of sweet sister missionaries that just happened to knock on my door last week.  They shared their amazing testimonies with me and it was so wonderful to visit with them.

Hey!
Waz up?
So, I just wanted to say how cool that the sisters stopped by! Me and that sweet greenie are in the same boat! How neat of them to drop by and share a message! I is always kind of a relief for us missionaries to stop by a member's home and have a gospel discussion with them. It is a sort of refuge.  I hope they stop by more and her, maybe they will even ask you to go with them to a lesson sometime!
I keep praying for y'all.  psh! y'all! The south is getting to me! I sound southern in my head when I write letters. Maybe you should read this w/ a southern twang and it would sound like me!
I hope your birthday was wonderful! we went and got root beer floats from Sheetz and sang you Happy Birthday! It was a delicious treat! Thank you!
I can't wait to hear about the exciting things that happen to you this week!
LOVE YA LOTS!!
*heart*/ Sista Poulsen
#feelingblessed

Strange but Neat

Hello y'all!
This week was full of strange but neat occurrences!
So first, we were helping V clean the church. So, we were getting all ready in the morning to head out when Sis Steindfeldt comes down that stairs limping. She said she had dropped one of our big, heavy whiteboards on her foot. It had already started bruising, and was swelling quick. So she wrapped it with some stretch wrap and we headed to the church. When we finished up there, V was gonna take us to lunch. Steindfeldt was getting way annoyed with her wrap, so in the car she took it off and shoved it in her bag. A few minutes down the road one of V's friends called and asked if she had any stretch wrap on her (because she's a nurse) to come over and help out one of her poor chickens who was born with some deformities. She replied with a laugh in her voice "No... but I'm with the sister missionaries and they happen to have some." What a crazy coincidence! So, we got to go over and help this lady out! I whipped out my vet tech skills and we wrapped the legs up nice, hoping they will straighten out on their own. We told the lady how funny it was that we happened to have the wrap on us and she said "Oh, it much be Jesus sending a sign!" I wanted to yell "YES!" But she's pretty strong in her faith, so we just went and helped her out, gave her our number if she ever needed anything and drove away. But it's true, it was no accident that we had that on us :) Maybe one day she will be open to hear the message.

Another neat thing! We were teaching our very old investigator, O. Now she has pretty bad Alzheimers, so she never remembers what she reads, which doesn't really help. So, we were thinking of dropping her just because she isn't accountable and just saying "Well, she will be prepared in heaven!" So we were going over, for what we thought was the last time, and her whole family happened to be there! How cool! So, we shared a quick message about faith, and gave them restoration pamphlets! One said she'd be back next week so we made her a new investigator! Sis Steindfeldt says "Well, I think we found out the reason for teaching O!"
HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!... Yesterday. But still!! There were some great talks given about fathers! And funny story there, I had to speak last minute! I looked at the program and it said "Sis Poulsen and Elder Hyman- speakers" AHHH I freaked out! I ran over and showed Elder Hyman... he went super white! But come to found out from Bishop-  just before the meeting, he came over and told us that one of the youth speakers cancelled, and he was wondering if we could just bear a simple testimony. Phew, no big deal! But Elder Hyman said "I have been thinking about fathers... well, because it's Fathers Day. And since I can't spend this day with my father, I can spend it with my Heavenly Father." Oh boy, got my eyes a little damp! Both thinking about my daddy and my heavenly one. So thanks Dad, for being awesome, love you :) And let's all remember our Heavenly Father as well, and how much we love him as well : )

Something cool and southern, we went to Smithfield’s Chicken N' Bar-B-Q. It's supposed to be the best! Now their chicken... well, man, I am surprised I didn't have a heart attack right there eating all that grease.. but BOY it was super good! And the southern BBQ isn't anything like you'd expect. It isn't the BBQ you're thinking of, it is just a vinegar base with peppers. Super odd, but not bad! So there's my southern kick for the week :)
Now something to make you laugh: So, we were at a member’s home (the A’s) And we were telling them about the new mission president. We said "As soon as he steps on Virginia soil he will be the new Mission Pres.!" To which Brother A. replies "I haven't stepped on Virginia soil since Pocahontas died!" HAHAHA He is so crazy and very funny.
Speaking of the new mission president: That's gonna be super exciting! They will be set apart on the 22, and be here in the mission on the 27! And as I said before, as soon as he steps on the soil, all the authority and keys will go to him! Lots of prayers for them please!
Thought for the week: "He who points a finger at someone points 3 back at himself." I love this. It is so true. As the Savior said "He who is without sin shall cast the first stone." No one is perfect, including us. So we shouldn't be dogging on others, when we aren't good ourselves! As we develop this charity and love for others, forgiving and not judging disappears. I am working really hard on this. From road rage, to stubborn investigators, to even companions.
Love y'all, and hope you have such a great week! Hear it is getting a little warm in your neck of the woods. Just think of it as me sending a little southern heat your way!
Till the next time :D
Love, Sista Poulsen

Bonus Stories:
Those storm videos you guys sent were pretty crazy! We have had a few storms here too, but you never really hear the thunder. But the other day may have been cause for concern... there were tornado clouds. Well at least we thought they were. Big and green and moving fast. But we didn't hear anything from anyone, so it was probably just our imaginations :)
I did want to tell you my homesickness is better. As I was reading the 4th missionary, it said that this is a new chapter in my life book and that nothing will ever be the same. I think that is my problem. That I am holding onto home too much, thinking when I get back it will all be the same. But in reality, it won't... it will be different... but even better! So yeah, that's how that is going.
[One of the brackets of Tara’s permanent retainer popped loose – she has had a hard time finding an orthodontist that would repair it over the last 2 weeks. One even told her they would need to have a completely new one made at full price.  It was very stressful and a pain to try and get it taken care of.]  So, here's the final story about my retainer prob... I am going in tomorrow to get it fixed... for free!!!!! The doc and staff had had a missionary come in before, so they were familiar with what we do. So he said "Yes, we will be able to rebond it just fine. And I won't make her pay anything. Because she's a missionary and a long way from home. I thought that was just about the sweetest thing ever! I am writing them a huge thank you letter. I just got back the apartment and cried because I was so grateful. So yeah, people are pretty great over here :)

Photos: My new floppy hat, a sunset, Southern BBQ, fields and fields. Also we are at war with the elders. We flip up our wipers and such. They aren't as good as getting us back though, so it's kinda lame. But it's something fun to do here in the middle of nowhere. :)

Obedience Brings Blessing - Exact Obedience Brings Miracles!

Hello everyone!
We did a lot of good this week! This area is much different from Kempsville, just because there is a lot of contacting to be done! And it takes 15 + minutes to drive to anyone's house out here! But I love the farm fields, they are beautiful!
So, cool story about obedience! We were listening to some Disney Jams on Monday, but when I looked at the clock, it was 6 (P-day ends at 6) So I hurried and turned the music off. Moments later, we get a phone call. It's this girl, W, who has this crazy story about meeting this Mormon boy who gives her our number and a Book of Mormon! She said she wasn't gonna call us, and she was gonna burn the BofM. But she told us that when she tried to use it as tinder, it wouldn't catch! So she kept it, and read just a little. Then she gave us a call to figure out where our church house was and said she would come! Sad end to the story, she didn't come but that's okay, cuz we have all her info and we will be tracking her down! But that is just one of the cool miracles we saw this week!
Another fun story. Brother C has been talking to one of his buddies at the gym about the church. ANYWAYS, we were knocking on a door of a family that had just moved in. Their neighbor had told us that, so we thought we would knock and see if they needed any help. They said No, but were nice and then we left. A few days later, Brother C called and said "Sisters, guess what? I was talking to [my gym friend], and he said he thinks some of my church’s missionaries knocked on his door. Is that true?" We were like "Well, yeah!" So without even knowing, we had knocked on this guy’s door! And Brother C said "Well, I told him that next time that they knock, let them in and let them talk to ya!" Wahooo Go Brother C! We will be doing that this week, so we will see how that goes! So excited, it is fate!
We helped a less active and her recent convert daughter set up their pool on Saturday, skirts and all! But it was really fun, and we are trying to find as many opportunities as we can to serve! There is a new initiative that the church just send out called "Just serve" You can find more info at justserve.org. SUPER GREAT! Service is a wonderful opp to show people the love of Christ!
Other crazy things... Sister Steinfeldt ran over a squirrel... pretty nasty. But hey, it ran right in front of us, there was no stopping it! A dog ran in front of us too... but we didn't hit that, thankfully! These roads are just full of critters!
The mission is really working on active member lessons as of late. Making those meaningful and uplifting. So that's our goal! As member trust and love increases, referrals from them will go up and we will be able to be teaching a lot more people about the gospel!
Teaching the gospel is so simple! Putting it in a way that the learner and the teacher understand is key, and with the spirit as the driving force, it can be so powerful! This area is really teaching me a lot about teaching, especially being bold! These southern people like to walk all over you if you aren't careful
Thought for the week: " There are those who give of their means, their time, and talents, and then there are others who give themselves." -Lawrence E. Corbridge
This talk is amazing! It is called "The Fourth Missionary." It talks about being consecrated and really giving everything to God. Because He is going to change you into the amazing God destined person you are meant to become! So this week, let's work on submitting to Gods will, and truly giving Him our all! I have been slacking in this area, but Brother Corbridge promises that as we do this, it will be hard at first, but the reward is beyond compare to anything you could ever dream of! Let's see what God can make of us this week!
Well, that's all for now folks, till the next time!
Y'all are amazing, thanks for everything! Love you to death! And... as always... have a blessed week!
Love, Sista Poulsen

SD Card in the mail

Lisa writes: We loved getting an SD card in the mail from our girl.  They were mostly ones that we had seen and posted here before.. but a few were new and super fun.  Here is her joy at finding a Utah plate, a tag pic, and the Sunrise P-day adventure from Virginia beach.

Our girl at the Virginia Beach.. err... beach!

Sister Poulsen and Brakey

We Are Those Messengers

A very warm hello from North Carolina!

Howdy! Can I just say I have missed the country! We were on the transfer van, and it went from crazy busy city life, to wide open fields with hay bales and lilac galore! It is beautiful! It took about 3 hours to get down to the Greenville chapel, but it was a fun ride with all the other missionaries!

North Carolina is great!!! I'm loving it!
And driving here is so great, there is like no rush hour and you can see nothing but road for just miles! Maybe I'll ask to be certified to drive so I can drive on exchanges! The country is beautiful, There are a few pic I'll send ya that are just so great! It reminds me of Wellsville :)

The lights here are just hanging on wires and it is just so redneck! Such a cute little small town. But boy our area is big! Rocky Mount is the biggest area in the whole mission! So if we run out of the amount of miles we can use each month, we have to bike, which is pretty cool actually! Or get rides from members which is super easy to do here because the members are AMAZING at missionary work! We got 2 new investigators from member referrals, which was really hard to do in Virginia Beach! And we had like 5 investigators at sacrament meeting, which was great! Haven’t had that happen yet so that was fun! Blessings abound!

Our district is just tiny! It is us, the Rocky Mount elders and the Roanoke Rapids elders... and that is it! It was a weird district meeting, being the only sisters there! And we are wayyyyy far away from Roanoke, so it is just us and our elders most of the time here. Sister Steindfeldt says we will become good friends with them!

My companion is stellar! She had said that I have helped her so much already, which makes me feel wierd cuz I'm not good with compliments. But she is super cool and I love her!
She is so great! She talks like Miranda Sings which is so great! And she is a total nerd too, so we get along really well! We are gonna do some good things here :)

There is just one little church building, and it is just for our little sweet ward! So cute :)
The south though?!? It is really hard to understand the people here! I don't want to answer the phone cuz I know I would just be super confused! But it is a new culture, and it is pretty cool! Not too much culture shock happened, which I'm glad for! The members here are great! They love missionary work, and love all us missionaries! But boy, do they love to feed us! I have to be super careful about what i eat so I don't get fat!

We taught this mom and her daughter the other day, it was a great lesson! She kept saying how she has been praying for angels to come and speak to her like they did with the prophets in the bible. I was bold and said "I'm gonna be bold and say that we are those messengers, here to share the good news!" She just lit up, and they are so excited to learn more! K and T (we think) are their names, so cool!

We have a lot of investigators here, but they are just stubborn and won't set dates and stuff. So I have been studying really hard to know how to help them, and let them know baptism is just the beginning and the blessings will be amazing!

Thought for the week: Now with these tricky investigators, it makes me sad when I teach my heart out, an they still won't accept. But that just makes me realize I am just bringing it to them. And if the spirit is there, He is touching them too. In the end, it is up to them. Which is frustrating, but true. In Alma 26:27 it says "..Bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success." I will be working on patience, and waiting for them to soften their hearts to truly accept. And also being patient in learning. I still have tons to learn and do, but I keep praying to bear my afflictions with patience, and the Lord has promised me success! And He will bring you success as well as you patiently persevere!

Love you all to death, and as Brother Holloman would say "The gospel is the jumbo shrimp!"
Keep on keeping on :) Have a very blessed week!
LOVE, Sista Poulsen

Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Rocky Mount is a city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plain region of the U.S. state of North Carolina.

The city of Rocky Mount dates from the beginning of the 19th century. The first post office was established at the falls of the Tar River on March 22, 1816. At that point, the name "Rocky Mount" appeared in documented history. The name undoubtedly derived from the rocky mound at the falls of the Tar River, which was also the site of one of the first cotton mills in North Carolina.

The city's population was 57,685 at the 2010 census. The racial makeup of the city was 32.4% White, 61.3% African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.0% Asian, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.7% of the population.

42.52% of the people in Rocky Mount, North Carolina are religious, meaning they affiliate with a religion. 1.46% are Catholic; 0.55% are LDS; 24.41% are Baptist, 1.75% are another Christian faith; 0.03% are Jewish; 0.00% are an eastern faith; 0.00% affiliates with Islam.

 There is one LDS ward in Rocky Mount, NC.

Rocky Mount has a growing arts community. The city operates the Maria V. Howard Arts Center, a Children's Museum and Science Center, and a community theater at the Imperial Center for Arts and Sciences.

Recently, the city renovated the Douglas Block, located in downtown Rocky Mount. Six historically significant buildings, all of which comprised the African American business district of the downtown area in the early to mid-1900s, was a part of this renovation. The Douglas Block includes Thelonious Monk Plaza, named after Rocky Mount native and jazz musician Thelonious Monk.

Rocky Mount is served by Amtrak. The train station is centrally located on Main Street in downtown Rocky Mount.

A scenic drive to Battle Park will take you through the area from which Rocky Mount got its name. The park is the site of the original village of Rocky Mount and its first post office circa 1816. The park offers picnic facilities, scenic overlooks, walks along the Tar River, and a marble monument to local Confederates who served in the war.

Source: Wikipedia, City or Rocky Mount Website.

Cotton Mill on Tar River  (closed down)

Tar River Falls

LDS Chapel in Rocky Mount, NC

Renovated Downtown in Rocky Mount

We got a super cute post card in the mail. It was hard to take a photo of it because it is one of those thick hologram type 3D images.  Neat tho!

Hello Family!! So this is my last card I'll send you from virginia Beach.  i still have cards that say Virginia beach But they won't be sent from VB - it won't happen again! So, here is a really fancy card as a last hurrah! Hope you get my sunset pics soon, it was beautiful! Love y'all so much! #blessed
*heart*  Sista Poulsen *heart*