GREETINGS

Return: July 21, 2011

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

May 23, 2011 - Lafayette, LA

Hi family and friends!
 
Things are going great here!  We had a killer week.  On Monday we had a really good lesson with Shannon and we were able to teach her the Plan of Salvation.  She really enjoyed it.  One of the Sister's that has been fellowshipping her came with us, and it was a really good lesson.  The Spirit was there, and that Sister's testimony made a big difference to her.  She had lost her husband when he was in his 50's, and her testimony of eternal families was great.  Later that night we went and saw the Siebenbergs, and committed them to have someone taught in their home.  Sister Siebenberg is prego with triplets.  Another Sister in our ward is pregnant with just one child, and she is maybe a month further along than Sister Siebenberg, and her belly is HUGE!  She still looks skinny other than her belly, but her belly is BIG!  She looks like she should be the one having triplets.  It's crazy.  Anyway, enough of my weird comments.
 
Tuesday was Zone Conference, and it was really good.  We talked a lot about the atonement, and how weaknesses are not sins.  I think a lot of the missionaries are struggling with that.  It was a much needed Zone Conference.  It didn't end until about 5pm, and then President wanted to have an interview with me to see how I was doing.  It was really good to talk to him, and he gave me a priesthood blessing.  We found out we will be having a go home interview with him in about 2 1/2 weeks....That is 5 weeks before I go home, so it's going to be weird, but I'm happy about it.  That way I will have a mission president who knows me.  President Wall will be able to give some good advice too I'm sure, but I'm excited to have it with President Woods as well. 
 
Wednesday I went to the doctor and discovered that chiropractors like to scare you into treatments.  You think with everything she was describing I would be crippled!  But no, it is just a back strain.  No bulging disk, or rotating spine.  The orthopedic surgeon said that there was a slight curve in my spine, but that is probably because the pain in my back and it's compensating for something.  So yay!  I'm lots of fun.
 
Later that day we went and saw Shawndre-ia.  She is one of the 12 year old girls we are teaching, and she is just amazing.  We taught her the Plan of Salvation, and the Spirit was totally there.  She is a remarkable Young Woman, and she just needs to stop being rebellious.  Her Dad died not too long ago, and her mom is no longer a stay at home mom, so she has A LOT of responsibility and she has been rebelling because of it.  Hopefully we will be able to help her stop.  She is a good girl at heart, and we know it.  We asked her to read, and when we went to see them the next day, she wrote a report on what we asked her to read!  We were like WHAT?!   Yeah, it was super awesome.  She really understood what she was reading, so it was kind of neat to see her read it, and apply it to herself.  She is SO SMART!  AH!
 
After that we saw Amanda (one of our recent converts), and it was REALLY good to see her.  She is struggling, but she was able to talk to Bishop, so I hope that it was good!  She just struggles.  Pray for her okay?  She is amazing, and she knows it is true...she really does.  She just struggles with keeping commandments.  Ah I love her.
 
On Thursday we taught Shawndrick and Shawndre-ia, and we had a really good lesson with them.  It was a little more difficult because Giovanni was acting us, but we were able to call her brother Jonas, and he was able to share his testimony with her.  We will hopefully be able to do that again.  So yay!
 
So Saturday was adventurous!  Sister Blake came out with us, and we were able to see Timmy (who came to church on Sunday!), and Cheri (a less active member), and then Sister Blake kidnapped us, fed us boudin (boo-dan), and we were able to talk with her and then head home!  It was FUN!  Ha, ha!  Did you know boudin has liver in it?  Yes, I ate liver.  I actually REALLY like boudin, just the thought of liver being in it kind of grosses me out.  Also, it might of had gluten in it, or it was from some brownie batter I licked that had it...I was making them for someone else, and I just wanted it!  It sounded real good.  But yeah.  We had a spirit filled day with Sister Blake, and she is hilarious.  I love her.
 
Later we taught Shannon the Law of Chastity, and we discovered that she and Gregory are not married yet and won't be able to get married until August.  I might help plan her wedding a little after my mission ha, ha, and she wants Sister Holmes and I to be her maids of honor!  We are cool. :D  But yeah.  She texted us before our appointment and told us that she was reading Alma 36, and that she really liked the story and she knew it was true.  It was neat.
 
On Sunday we had 3 of our recent converts at church!  That is 2 more than we have normally been getting!  And we had 3 investigators at church!  WOOOOOOOOOOO!  It was neat.  Later that day Sister Dodd came with us to try a bunch of less active members and we met Myong!  She is the wife of one of our less active members, and she is from Korea.  She is awesome, and she invited us to come have Kimchi sometime and we will hopefully be able to start teaching her.  She wants her husband to go back to church, but she goes to a Korean baptist church.  She is awesome.  Anyway.  That was a really neat miracle.  Later that night we had a good lesson with the Broussards and we were able to commit them to have someone taught in their home.  It was a good lesson and they just have cute, funny kids.  Anyway.  I love you all so much!
 
The church is true, and being a missionary is WONDERFUL!  I hope that you have a wonderful week.  Good luck finding a wonderful house, and I just want you to know that I know this work is SO important, and that it really cannot be done with out the members.  The members are key in this work and I know I've said it before, but being a missionary has taught me how important home and visiting teaching are.  Man it's important.  Members need fellowship!  Anyway.  I love y'all and hope that you have a wonderful week!  Toodles!
 
Love,
 
Sister Stacy Earl

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