So it smells like spring, looks like summer, feels like fall, but yet it's winter... welcome to Virginia!Not too much has gone on this week though. Just work work work! V (blind friend) gets all upset at us sometimes. It's like 7pm and she says "now go home and rest your bodies" And we say "we've got 2 more hours!" She gets all huffy and mad at us, but we just give her a hug and all is well :)
On Monday we went to a Less-active brothers house and the elders and a few members gave him a blessing for his upcoming double knee replacement. It was a great visit, and the spirit was present. Sure love being a part of stuff like this. The priesthood is so real guys. You can just feel it when it is manifest :)
Then on Tuesday, we helped good ol' downtown D & S pass out papers and a survey to ALL of downtown! Yup all 85 businesses! Some of them were closed, some moved, and just some we could not find! But we got most of them, and met a lot of nice people! We would walk in, and they would look us up and down and say, "Can I help you?" As soon as we told them we were volunteers for the downtown association, they perked right up and we left on a lovely note! Good ol' southerners!
The elder's investigator got baptized on Saturday! What a sweet experience! He looked super happy, and the spirit was truly there! After he was confirmed on Sunday, he truly glowed with the spirit!
The ward dinner was a big success! There was lots of chili, too many dishes of it to try! But all were delicious, and everyone seemed to have a great time! We even got V to come! We had her in her wheelchair and tried to explain things to her because she can't see. She seemed to enjoy herself! Other non-members came as well, including L's family! What a treat :)
We also helped a less active sister move into her new home. Poor thing she was so stressed out about it. But we got to work and she seemed much better by the end of it!
We are working with members a bunch too! They take us to see people. One sister even made cookies for someone! So sweet! Members are the best :)
This week we had a serious talk with D and told him we would not meet with him for 2 weeks and give him time to read and pray about the message. If he is truly ready for this, he will do it. This is something we do with people sometimes. They kind of get a chance to see for themselves, and not have us tell them or influence them in anyway. We'll see what he has concluded in 2 weeks!
Other than that there has not been a lot of people to teach. We are working with less-active members a lot and trying to find new people to share the gospel with! I have been praying to find a family, and trying to listen to the spirit to tell us where we need to be. I have felt the spirit in more abundance this week, and my prayers have been more sincere. God truly sees our effort and I know he is going to help us out!
Thought for the week: Something cool we do each day is send a "Scripture of the day" text. A few days this week, people have mentioned how our scripture was an answer to prayer of just what they needed. It is cool to see how the Holy Spirit works in such small means! And that is exactly what I have been reading about in my Book of Mormon studies! Alma is talking to his sons, and he tells them how the Lord works with the children of men. He warns them not to be caught in the wiles of Satan and be blown in the wind. But be firm in your belief in Christ and be patient and look at the little things. God is truly in the details. He does not speak loud... but in a still small voice.
Sure love y'all bunches and bunches!!! Have a blessed week!
Sista Poulsen XOXOXO
Bonus from the Question email:
I have been reading in the Book of Mormon a lot about how Alma wants to be an angel and proclaim that word to everyone! But he humbles himself and says that whatever God calls me to do it my duty and that is all He expects. We each have a puzzle piece to put in the picture. Just one. I truly believe every missionary has their very own purpose on their mission. As long as they pray for the direction and follow it, they have been 100% successful. That has really kept me going this last bit here. I feel that it was an answer to prayer. I was struggling with not doing EVERYTHING that I was "supposed to do" But I was looking at it all wrong. Follow the spirit day to day, and that is what you are supposed to do. My favorite line is "Don't be the missionary you want to be. Be the missionary God wants you to be." Yup THE END
[ Alma chapter 29: " O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God..."
I just have one more thing. We heard a really neat story about a man named Arnold Williams. He was in an airplane crash and did an incredibly heroic thing. See if you can find the story.
[ Here is the Arnold Williams story: The Man in the Water ]
Photos: Spring blooms and swampy swamps
