Sister Sudweeks' Southern Stories: Hot Mess Express, Literally.

Happy Monday!

So this week was an interesting week, that's for sure! It's crazy that another Christmas is here as a missionary. My last one, unless I go on a mission with my future husband decades from now! :D

We arrived home to our apartment and there was a "roaring" fire waiting for us. Of course, that meant we needed to roast some marshmallows!

So we had some pretty funny experiences tracting this week.. One of them is that we were tracting around 7pm so it was dark, and a little girl peeked through the blinds. She ended up locking the door, running away, turning off the TV, and all of the lights. We just started to laugh and we're guessing she was home alone! Another experience in that same neighborhood is this little seven year old boy answered the door, thinking we were his Mom. He squealed and ran away really fast because he was only wear a shirt and his boxers. You'd think he'd look before answering the door haha!

We've been getting into this routine of store contacting, and tracting, so we went to Mutual with everyone and sang Christmas Carols at a nursing home, and at the Square. It was so cold, and no one was really at the Square, but it was fun getting to know the youth and youth leaders better because they're not in 2nd or 3rd hour of church with us.

We're a bit stressed because our miles were cut by 200 for this month due to it being the last month of the year and of course many missionaries go over their miles... We were already over miles even before they were cut. AHH

My district before the last transfer.

Ap., Ca., and Da. are doing well. We taught a few of them individually due to work, but we went over to their house a total of four times this last week. We watched a talk from President Monson with Ca. and Da. so they can gain a testimony of the prophet, but Ap. will still busy at work. We were able to teach them the Law of Chastity, and that was an interesting lesson to talk to them considering certain circumstances. Ca. doesn't want anymore kids (he has two toddlers) so he's willing to keep it. It was precious because he pulled down a poster that he bought a few days ago (a male anime character) and he wanted to make sure it was appropriate. Nothing wrong with it! Ca. was relieved and happy that he didn't waste money on it. They're on date for the 27th of December, but it's just a goal (as every baptismal date) and we'd really appreciate prayers that it'll all work out and they'll be able to make their date.

I was really happy because we were making an appointment with Sab. for their appointment on Sunday, she was talking to her husband Ant. on when we could come over! (This is the couple where she told me that a lot of churches "wanted him" but he's hard. Yet, I felt prompted to give him a Restoration pamphlet.) She wanted to make sure everyone would be there for the lesson. Sadly we confirmed with them, and they forget company was coming into town Sunday morning, so we had to reschedule for Wednesday. But there's still interested in us coming!

I don't think I mentioned Na. E. in my Thanksgiving email, but Sister Stewart and I tracted into Na. E. after we made a fail of store contacting Thanksgiving evening. We knocked on two doors, and the last door we knocked on was Na. E.'s at 9:10. She's an elderly lady who's a 'nice Catholic girl' but let us right in as she was wearing her bathrobe! :D Nan. offered us soda and leftover pie, and talked to us for a little while. Come to find out she took the missionary discussions with her now deceased husband 45 years ago! The elders came over every Tuesday for cookies and juice, and she fed them Christmas Eve. She knows Sister Traina, who we live with, and she actually goes to a gardening club with her! We invited her to the Christmas party on Friday, and she absolutely loved it. She even called us back asking what she could bring, and we told her it was an all deserts social, so she did!

Na. is so cute, and she's having us over for dinner on Thursday, and we're hoping to invite her to another Relief Society activity that night. She's also inviting her granddaughter that's 22 to dinner because she'll find us 'interesting' and we're really excited to see where it's heading. She apparently loves our church because it's so industrious, and wants to learn more who we are.

There were three tables loaded with desserts which Sister Stewart and I replenished frequently. I think I gained five pounds just LOOKING at the food!

We were so excited to be able to make candy trains this year, but we didn't have any shortening to make the frosting so we borrowed some from the Traina's upstairs. She didn't have any that wasn't expired, but we figured we never eat the frosting so it'd be okay. Then we realized we only have almond milk, and we didn't have any measuring spoons to measure everything out. The frosting turned out interesting, and it most definitely didn't stick as well! Oh well, we just have to make sure that we don't eat the frosting for sure. Despicable Behavior Train was mine,


Christmas 2014 Candy Train--Despicable Behavior

A Closeup of my Candy Train

and Sister Stewart had the awesome idea to make a Hot Mess Express, I'm sure Sister Sullivan would be proud, considering we used that phrase all the time in Fayetteville! :D