So
we had a lesson with Ro. on Monday, and she was able to feed us dinner-
fried pork chops. (She's the one who came to church the previous Sunday
along with her granddaughter after watching the Restoration DVD and
loving it!) That's a new one for me, we're living in the South! She had
just gotten a brand new printer where you could print pictures straight
from your phone, and Ro. wanted to give me the very first picture from
the printer. So she took a picture of Sister Stewart and I, and voila!
She signed it and everything. :) Ro. expressed to us that she enjoyed
the service, but it didn't move her the way that she thought it would-
it was unlike any church that she had gone to. I wasn't entirely sure if
she was trying to drop us or not, because she said that we'd always be
her girls, and that we still need to come back in the future. I
testified my heart out to her about the Book of Mormon, and how I came
to know it was true, and I honestly believe it made her think. We were
able to read Alma 32 with her, and later on we found out that she talked
to one of the members that we brought previously who really connected
with her. Thankfully, we actually have FHE with her tonight at the
Tuberville's home, and I'm really excited to see what happens!
We
had exchanges on my birthday, and I felt so loved from the Tuberville's
and other members when I told them it was my birthday. Every girl loves
flowers on her birthday, and being a new missionary in the ward made it
mean even more to me. During dessert they even put a birthday candle on
my cinnamon roll and sang Happy Birthday to me. Good stuff!
 |
| I felt so loved by family, friends, and the members of the Covington Ward! |
We
were able to meet with C. (he's the guy we met at the Waffle House and
when we taught him the first time, his mother also wanted a copy of the
Book of Mormon) again this week on Wednesday, and we taught his sister
Da., and his Mom A. the cup lesson. It was so sweet because when we got
there, C's Book of Mormon, Bible, and Gospel Principles book was stacked
up on the table ready to read. As we were teaching them C. would pipe
up and say, "I remember hearing about him at church" or "I know this
part" and he would explain to them part of the lesson. They really
understood the lesson and we were able to put C. and Da. on date to be
baptized on December 13th! A. said that she'd have to pray and read the
Book of Mormon, but we'll see. It's hard because A. works 12 hour shirts
from 7-7am, and she is going to try to come to church this week, along
with Da.. C. came to church again this week, and so did Af.- a
Muslim that the sisters have been working with for a few months. She
absolutely loves the Book of Mormon (especially Mosiah with King
Benjamin) and thinks it's the word of God. Except that she doesn't
believe that Christ is the Son of God. Her husband knows that she's
meeting with us, and she might even be going to the fireside with Elder
Kopischke this Thursday. Sister Stewart and I felt so bad because one of
the potentials we met as we were trying to find less actives, came to
church with his son, and we didn't know he was there! We're meeting with
him Tuesday. :)
We
went by and saw An., and our worries were confirmed that her Mom got
offended. She doesn't want to come to this ward anymore so An. won't be
baptized until who knows when. It's so sad because it should be An.'s
decision to get baptized, even though she's not 18. An. had the
baptismal interview and everything and it was set.
 | ||
| Weekly planning. Got the best candy right there! Sparkly jelly bellys? |
So
as I'm sure you could tell from the email title, I was very, very sick
this week. I'm still getting over it as I still have to take antibiotics
for two more days. It was awful because all we did was sleep, make
calls, make the area book more manageable to use, clean, and repeat.
It's been really cold for the last four days, and we tried to go out
tracting on Saturday after we house cleaned for a member in the ward who
just had surgery on her neck. But since it was so cold, and I wrapped
up all warm and snug as my blessing told me to, the air just burned the
back of my throat as I breathed, and I had immense pressure on my head
so we had to head in. I know that losing my voice on Wednesday let
Sister Stewart lead even more with Ca.l's lesson, so she could teach by
the spirit more. I don't think it's coincidence that Sister Jarman also
got sick when I was being trained, and I had to take over for a few days
because she got sick. Except mine was much worse, and a lot more
extreme.
But
one of the fun things that I got to do while being sick was that I
found a lizard in the garage where we live. Since we live in the
basement of a members home, we have to walk around the back, enter into
the garage where our washer and dryer is, and then enter into our
apartment. Sister Stewart was doing some laundry so I put the lizard on
the washer and waited for her to transfer her clothes from the washer to
the dryer. I got it on film and her reaction was priceless! "Ruude." I
got a picture with him, and his name is Phillip- Sister Stewart named
him. :) He's like my old pet snake George in Fayetteville!
 |
| Phillip the Lizard--our new pet |
So
I got a pretty amazing email from one of my good friends, Franklin from
BYU Idaho, and I just wanted to share a portion of what he shared with
me, because I couldn't portray it the way he could.
"As
you study throughout the day and allow God to fill your soul with light
from the Scriptures, let him also fill you with the great light of His
Son (the Light of Christ) that illuminates our understanding and allows
us to see others as God sees them - children of great worth and
potential, each one worthy of His Son's great sacrifice and a beloved
child that He wants to embrace one day again in His arms. Let that light
help you stumble through the dark passages of trials, and let that
light warm your heart when the rest of the world is cold and indifferent
to you.
Light up the darkness."
I
know that the gospel helps that light shine, and I know that each of
you have amazing testimonies and experiences that will help others see
the light in the darkness of the world. We mean so much to Him
personally, and He knows what we're going through.
Love y'all!
-Sister Sudweeks
P.S. I decided to get new inserts, look at those crazy differences!
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