Hi family :D
So I just opened that email and was really confused about what was going on. After reading a while, I understood. I'm sorry to hear about Kevin's death. Tell Uncle Don that I love him and I'm sorry. I still am not sure what happened, but I have a guess. Tell the family hi, and that I love them.
So you talked about the guy that hears voices. Don't worry, he is on medication, and we went by with a priesthood holder. Don't worry, we got a phone call from his mom and she said I don't want him confused, don't come by any more. So we are supposed to go and pick up the Book of Mormon we left him.
So Wednesday was an interesting day! Our Elder's left us and I was quite sad ha, ha! We went and did work up by the transfer site. We went tracting there, and we also went and tried some Potential Investigators. We went and tried a woman named Tonja, and we were able to go into her home and talk with her for a couple minutes. Can I just say holy buckets it was COLD this week! After we talked to Tonja, we went tracting in the cold and like no one was home! It was insane. As we were walking back to the car, I started running and what do you know? I tripped really bad and fall into the asphalt ha, ha! Sister Aka didn't know wether to laugh at me or help me. I didn't either. I thought it was funny, then I realized that it hurt, and then that I was bleeding. Yeah, I was wearing my thermals AND the thick wool tights, and hitting the ground ripped through those and destroyed my knee. After limping around for a couple of days (because it was nice and bruised), I have a big beautiful scab that I just want to go away ha, ha! But I'm doing pretty well now, so don't worry about me :D
On Friday we had a really good District Meeting about contacting and our purpose. I don't know if you knew, but I am TERRIFIED of just walking up to people, stopping them, and talking to them about the gospel. BUT, I am working on it. My goal is to talk to 10 unplanned contacts about the gospel today. I have already done 4. It has been really neat. We met an older gentleman named Charles Cook, and he lost his hearing about 15 years ago and doesn't know any sign language. We were communicating with him through paper and reading lips! He was a really neat man, and I think he could be interested, there is just a communication barrier. How do you get past that language barrier? He doesn't want to come to church because he can't understand anything. But we gave him stuff to read, so hopefully he will read it and feel the Spirit. We also met a cotton farmer, and another farmer. It was neat.
BUT! Back to Friday. After we had a lesson with Timmy, we decided to run to WalMart to see if one of our former investigators was there. She wasn't, so we decided to go store contacting...my worst enemy. I LOATHE store contacting. So we went! Ha, I was so proud of myself. I stopped one lady. I only gave her a card, but I still stopped her. I was proud of me! Ha, we will do better today! But Sister Aka was on fire! She would just walk up to people and stop them! It was awesome. She is a really good missionary, and I am happy to be serving with her. We are learning a lot from each other.
Later that day we went to go see a member named Sister Hurley, and she cracks me up. She just talks talks talks, and her mind is always moving. It's funny. We sang a song for her the last time we were there, and she decided she wants me to sing a song that she wrote so she can send it into Salt Lake. We'll see what happens. I don't know when I would have time to do it. Meh.
So REALLY cool thing happened on Saturday. After lunch Sister Aka and I were going to go tracting, but then Sister Aka had the thought that we should go try Kim. Kim is one of the Elder's investigators, and she was coming to church a lot, then they had a little scuffle, and she stopped coming. We told the Elders that we would go by and try her and tell her we missed her, and ask her what's up. Well they got transferred, and we put it off a couple days and it was perfect timing. When we pulled up to Kim's, we were waiting for a phone call from Sister Woods and decided to wait 10 minutes in case she called. So we waited an no phone call. We got out of the car, and just when we got out, Kim walked outside! She had just woken up after being up all night taking care of her mom, and was coming out to have a cigarette. Apparently that night she had been thinking "I miss the Mormons." And then she wakes up, and here we are! We talked with her for a good while, and just listened, and invited her to come to church. Well, she came! And we came out of Gospel Principles, and she said she's getting baptized! And we had a big part of it because of when we showed up! Hopefully there are other things factoring in there too, but it was really neat to hear that. She wants us to teach her friend Avalon who sounds really interesting. Apparently he has a skin condition where he gets 3rd degree burns when he goes in the sun, so he always had to wear long sleeves and stuff and stay covered up. He got teased in school and was called of vampire. He got sick of it, and he ended up embracing it. We went and got porcelain veneers fangs put on his K-9's, and he wears like a spiked collar and all this other stuff. He looks really intimadating and I'm guessing like the store Hot Topic. From how Kim talks about him, his personality seems really cool, so we are excited to get to know him. He wants us to teach him and not the Elders. (I guess the Elders knocked on his door, and also on Kim's when he was there, and he opened the door, and the Elders said "Uh...we'll come back." Ha...he caught them off guard and scared them a little bit, and they may have judged him a little) So yeah. He wants us to teach him. Ha, I'm excited. He sounds really nice.
Well this week I get to go to a 4 day training in Baton Rouge. It's a Leadership Training meeting, so I will be leaving Sister Aka for 4 days. I think it'll be kind of nice. Nothing against Sister Aka, it'll just be nice to have it change up for a couple of days!
Anyways, I need to get going, but I want you to know that I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation. I am grateful for the gospel. I LOVE it. I love the values I have learned in it. I love you all so much. Thanks for being such a wonderful family... You know, I was just sitting here in the Library, and that song "I Can Only Imagine" came on... I love it:
Surrounded by your glory
what will my heart feel
will I dance for you Jesus
or in awe of you be still
will I stand in your prescense
or to my knees will I fall
will I sing hallelujah
will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine
Right now, I know I can wait because I am still have work I need to do with other people, and with me, so I can wait, but I am excited for the day that I get to give him a hug and say thank you. This week I have had a lot of appreciation for the atonement and Jesus Christ. I just love him! I also love 3 Nephi 11....before my mission I didn't understand why that was everyone's favorite chapter, but I love it now. I don't know that it's my favorite, but I sure do love it! It really just makes me happy. I want you all to know that I know Jesus Christ is my Savior, and I am so grateful to be a servant of him at this time. Thanks for being such a wonderful family I love you all!
Love,
Sister Stacy Earl
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