Lil' M, Kidnapped?

Happy Monday!

Well, I suppose last Monday wasn't the happiest of Mondays for us because of one specific event. V. (our wonderful 70 + year old investigator) called us last Monday and told me that since the sister from California (me) is in Barnesville and the sister from Washington (Sister Warner) is in Los Mountain, she was only going to let us come by until they were both gone. Our theologies are different, and she doesn't want us to come by anymore. I tried to tell her that I was the sister from California, but she hung up on us.

I wasn't going to give up on her that easily, so we went on a blitz in our area with the traveling sisters- Sister Huntsman (one of the sisters that lived with me in Atlanta with Sister Jarman!) and Sister Burkle. Sister Burkle and I knocked on her door and she didn't open the door although her truck was there. I called her and she didn't answer, so I left a message. Fast forward a few days to Friday, Sister Sullivan and I went by again and she opened the door. I waved at her grinning, and then she closed the door just as fast saying goodbye in a bitter tone. I'm pretty sad since I know that Satan was working on her hard. I just know that she got an answer to her prayer that the Book of Mormon is true, which scared her because she's been Methodist for 70+ years.

Sister Burkle and I found an amazing new investigator named J. at the very end of the night that V. ignored us! Diligence is my saving grace, all the time!  J. loves learning about religions since she took a religion class recently, and one of the class projects was to learn about a specific religion that interested her. She knows a lot about us, but she didn't know much about the Book of Mormon. The reason why she chose ours is because one of her good friends converted to Baptist because his wife was Baptist, and it was putting a strain on their marriage. She thought to herself, "What's the difference between the two if they're both Christian?" We had her read Moroni 10:3-5, and most people just read it without much thought, but she was really dissecting it and pondering on what it meant to her. She even works for a LDS jewelry company Origami Owl, and we are seeing her tomorrow! :)

I went on another exchange on Wednesday with Sister Freeman, and we were stuck at Pep Boys for three hours as we got our oil changed, tires rotated, and then they told us we needed new tires because they were dangerous. We got Taco Bell and made weird faces as we were getting brain freezes from the slushies that we got there, it was a happy hour. :) 

 

  

 

Nothing like a "brain freeze" on a hot, humid Georgia day!

 

Not to mention we have matching shirts! :D We tracted in the pouring rain which was fun, but no one wanted to talk to us except another J., who knew V.

 

 

Love our matching shirts and love going out with Sister Freeman!

Remember T. K.? :) He's someone who was a former investigator, but I noticed that he came to church multiple times so I HAD to try to set up a lesson with him back when I was companions with Sister Warner. He's an on call therapist, and the first lesson I had with him, we talked about the church's twelve step Addiction Recovery Program. He's been to church a few times since then, and the last lesson we had with him was a mixture of the Plan of Salvation, and the Restoration because his mother in law passed away recently. Finally this week we were able to teach him the entire Restoration in the Camps home. Before we began teaching, he talked about how much he loved the church, but how he's not going to wear a white shirt and tie because he wore it way too much back in the old days. At the end of the lesson, we invited him to be baptized and he said that it wasn't a problem. Sister Camp chimed in and asked, "So when are we going to baptize you?" We all laughed and T. told Brother Camp, "Take me to your man cave!" and we all laughed again. Then we said, "In all seriousness, we're holding a baptismal service on September 13th, will you prepare yourself for that date?" T. remarks, "I don't see a problem with that!" and he whips out his calendar on his phone to make sure that he isn't working that day. MIRACLES. So exciting!

We noticed that M. and B. (our sweet couple)  were pretty distant this week, and we weren't entirely sure why. Apparently when they were at the church for the tour, B. had a feeling that if they went to church, Lil' M. would get kidnapped in nursery. She's had feelings like this before, and sometimes they come true and sometimes they don't. We tried to console her as she cried and told us about an experience when it did come true about her papa dying. Sister Wood, (a member of our ward) was with us and she has a child in nursery as well. She explained to her that Lil' M. doesn't have to go to nursery, he could stay with her for all three hours. We asked her to pray about it to see if this feeling is from God, or from Satan. She agreed to do that on Friday, but they didn't come to church yet once again. We asked if we could come again this week to make sure that they weren't dropping us, and they aren't thankfully. We'll just have to help her realize that Lil' M. won't be in danger at church.

L. (the mother of T) and Ta. (the daughter of T who accepted the baptismal invitation on her front porch the first night we met) came to church this week, so if L. comes to church again this week, they're all on track to be baptized on the 6th of September! It's been great teaching them because I feel that they are so pure, and they've been so prepared to hear the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

R. B. (our awesome investigator who sadly broke his knee) is being released from rehab this week, but he won't be able to put weight on his leg until October, so we'll have to push back his baptism. I don't know if I'll see him baptized, but I know he's solid! He's already inviting his family to the appointments we have with him, such as his cousin B., who has been an ordained minister for four years. Sister Sullivan and I were worried that this could have gone downhill pretty quickly, but we were planning on teaching him baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost. It went really well, and B. actually had the elders come over once, but when she prayed about it, she thought it wasn't for her. The spirit was there, and it seems like B. isn't going to try and stop R. from being baptized, since he was talking about the entire time about how excited he was and how it's a necessity.

Sister Stanton did an AMAZING job with her seminar on the History of Christianity. We had Bi. and Bo. (the two brothers) come, and boy did she deliver!  My testimony of the apostasy really grew as I learned about how the Christian beliefs were so distorted after all of the apostles were killed off because of the wickedness IN the church, and not just the people outside of the church. We have a couple in our ward that owns a printing press so I helped make flyers last week so we could pass them out to everyone. We had a few non members come (not entirely sure how many because multiple wards came) and Sister Stanton invited one of the workers at Target who she always buys popcorn from.  He came and now wants to take the lessons. J. lives in Atlanta, but I know the Atlanta missionaries will take care of him since he is super interested in learning more!

 

 

At District Meeting we were all waiting for our turns for interviews with President. Elder Talbot said something awesomely profound, and it makes my heart sing. "We use obedience to increase our faith, but Satan uses our imperfections to discourage us." Like whoa.. It made me feel so much better, and then when President told me that I was a great success, and that Heavenly Father is very pleased with me, I wanted to cry with happiness because the spirit testified to me that it was true. He mentioned I can roll with the punches, go with the flow, and that's what a leader needs. So now I will always remember that when I emphasize my imperfections, it's what Satan is trying to do to discourage me, and I won't let him!

I hope everyone will have a fabulous last week of August! Can you believe it's almost September? I can't!

-Sister Sudweeks

P.S. You know you're in the South when you have Bible verses in your eggs.

Getting Hit On in Rehab! Fail!!!

Happy Monday!

What a crazy, stressful, happy, successful, tiring week!

R. (this is the man who broke his knee) is doing great, he's going to be such an awesome member because he wants us to teach all of his friends, and he wants us to teach them in their home so he can help teach the lessons as well. He's still on track for baptism, and his therapy seems to be going well.

We were able to have a church tour with B. and M. this week, (this is the couple with the greatest
Southern accent) and they're continued reading and listening to the Book of Mormon. B. has read up to 1st Nephi 17 which is pretty exciting, and M. is on the 2nd CD because we haven't been able to find anyone to teach him how to read yet. Satan is trying really hard to keep them out of church, so they haven't been able to go because of sickness.

It was really exciting because Alma 32- which talks a lot about faith has been our go to scripture for this week. We were reading it with multiple people that helped them realize that they need to experiment upon the words and make the effort to learn. Ja (she's the teenage daughter of a recent convert that recently moved to Fayetteville)  finally prayed in front of us, and she was paying attention as we were reading it so that was a miracle. She too was able to come to church since none of her family members were sick this week.

As we were tracting a few days ago, we were walking up to a door and I felt this most awful pain in my back on the right side. I knew that I had just got stung and I was flipping out! Apparently there was a red hornet's nest in the bush that we had walked on by, and I had made it mad somehow. We had to go home because I'll admit I was crying since I've never been stung by anything before, and it was pretty painful. It was pretty bad when we looked at it, and it's still inflamed and I have no idea how to make it go down.

We belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

It was so awesome because I was able to see a friendly face as I was on exchanges with the Barnesville sisters! Sister Watts! Now there's a picture you can put up at the church building back home of us two :) Except the sun was in our eyes, blah. She was a little piece of home for 24 hours, and we had quite a few crazy adventures that included getting cussed out for being on someone's porch as they opened the door, seeing a little kid accidentally having his hand slammed in the car door from his Dad, one of their recent converts talked about how we were bringing Jesus to the hood, an investigator almost throwing up in front of us because she was sick, and my favorite one of them all? We were seeing one of their investigators that put himself into rehab so he could quit drinking because he really wants to be baptized. As we were reading the scriptures with him there was another guy who was trying to seduce us by moving his eyebrows up and down while putting on spray deodorant. So enticing, really. Haha! He knew we were reading scriptures with G. so he talked to us as we were leaving, "God is good! I am so blessed! Be blessed!" and all that jazz. Oh man.

How fun is this?  Two sisters serving in the same mission and in the same zone from the same home ward?  

T., (the woman who we met and accepted a baptismal commitment as we were visiting on her front porch the first time we met) Ta (her daughter)  and Le (her mom). are still doing well. They told me that they missed me as I was on exchanges, and gave me a huge hug. They loved hearing about the Plan of Salvation, and T. and Ta. were at church. Since they were so full of gratitude the first week that they were there about how happy they were being there, everyone knows who they are so they're making a lot of friends. Fayetteville Ward rocks!

I was able to see Sister Stephens again as we were in their area on Friday, my MTC Mom! We were able to catch up, and help them find more investigators since they are brand new to the ward. We both couldn't believe that it's been nine months already.

Sister Stephens--My MTC Mission "Mom"

Bi. and Bo. (the two brothers--Bi used to be an elder in the Jehovah's Witnesses)  are doing well, and Bi. has been reading the Book of Mormon. We're thinking that we'll have to have their  lessons separate because they're on such different levels when it comes to learning and knowledge about what we believe.

One thing that made me think this week was Heavenly Father literally gives us everything, but the only thing that He wants us in return is our will. One of the reasons why He wants our will is because His purpose and plan for us is what will make us the happiest in the end.

-Sister Sudweeks


P.S.  Now I can say I've met Justin Bieber! First Obama, now Bieber!  I look somewhat sick in this picture, but I promise I'm not!

He doesn't seem nearly as excited to meet me! 

Polygamy is NOT the Answer!

Happy Monday!

Sorry if this one is short, reporting as a STL (Sister Training Leader) on exchanges to President takes a lot longer than I thought it would!

This week was just full of miracles, and I know that so many of you are praying for Sister Sullivan and I to find solid investigators- because those prayers are being answered!

I never knew how heart pounding it would be to train during Zone Training. I didn't think it would be a huge deal but then I realized the President and Sister Harding would be there including the Assistants to the President. But we did well and one of the sisters who just arrived here in the mission told us that Sister Sullivan and I are like the dynamic duo. Woo! I actually know what I'm doing nine months into the mission! The temple was also just amazing!  For those who haven't gone recently, you should. :)

Sister Sullivan and I in front of one of my FAVORITE places in Georgia--the Temple

We had such an awesome lesson with M. and B. on Wednesday (Hump Day!) and it was the funniest thing. My email cannot do justice on what they told us because they have the cutest Southern accents. We finished the Restoration with them (repetitiveness is key) and they both want to be baptized. Sister Sullivan had a bad previous experience with teaching a couple that wasn't married yet so we brought out Law of Chastity right away. We've been focusing on families every since we met them, so it wasn't a huge leap. They both want to get married to each other, but M. is married to another woman but doesn't have the money to get the divorce, although his wife would agree to sign the papers. B. said, "I know that we're living in, what do you call it.. adultery." Then Mitch piped in, "And I know that if I went to Jesus he would tell me, 'You shouldn't be living in adultery.' and I would tell him, 'I didn't have the money to get the divorce.' and Jesus would tell me 'well you shouldn't have gotten with the other woman!' (Please please please envision this in the best southern accent you got. Even put it in a southern accent reader that you could find on Google somewhere.) They didn't justify what they were doing at all, so I'm glad they know that polygamy is not the answer haha! The divorce 'may' cost $82 so I'm pretty sure we'll be able to take care of it. They're not on date but I'm sure they will be soon!

Happy Hump Day!  Do you get the animal cookie camel symbolism?

Sister Sullivan and I celebrating my half way mark!

It's so sad because L. cancelled on us so we weren't able to teach her and her family. (This is the woman we tracted out last week that recently moved to Fayetteville and invited us to teach her entire family last Wednesday night.)   How sad!

I feel like missionaries are the last group of people to know about things. Apparently there's an Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leon? Say what? Well, we found out Wednesday because at least two elders got reassigned to our mission and got emergency SOSed out of there. One of them is staying in our ward and the other one went to the YSA ward in our building. Now we have two sets of elders and sisters in our ward and once again, our ward is as confused as ever. Elder Vernon and Anderson were once companions, but now they split and both have new companions. Gotta love confusing the ward! :)

It was pretty embarrassing, a family invited us in to their home so we could leave the Savior's Peace and Blessings upon their home since it was super hot. After the prayer we go into our spiel about the Restoration and they bluntly told us that they've met with missionaries before. They gave us some ice water and we continued to talk. Sister Sullivan grabs to get one of our cards and she spilled her ice water all over the floor! Oops! They were totally okay with it since they mentioned to us a lot worse stuff has been dropped on their floor. Then once we left Sister Sullivan told me that I mixed up the daughters names and what they wanted us to pray for. Oops again! It's the thought that counts, right?

A couple weeks ago we met this woman named T., and she accepted to be baptized right there on the porch, but didn't set a baqptismal date. She cancelled our return appointment the next day, but we had the feeling to go over there on Saturday and we ended up meeting her Mom Le., and her daughter Ta. We taught them the Restoration as they fed us fried chicken, biscuits, and corn. (My first time having fried chicken and biscuits in Georgia, shocking.) They all accepted to be baptized on September 6th, and they are so excited about it! We gave T. a Book of Mormon when we first met her and she held it so lovingly in her arms as she and Ta. were at church yesterday. She was so grateful to be there, and she even calls us and the church members 'family' every time she would introduce herself. She is so humble and grateful that we invited her to church. Unfortunately, they're living in a bad area of Fayetteville so they can never leave the house unoccupied, which is why Le didn't come. We later found out why she cancelled that first appointment was because her Mom was in a car accident that totaled her car!

I had my first exchange with Sister Hendricks down in Locust Grove. We got completely drenched because I found out my umbrella has holes in it, or the rain gave it holes because it was so violent. She has only been out for 3 months, and we were able to find her three investigators, and some solid potentials. One of them is a family, and the Mom said that she would be baptized if she knew that the church was true. Sister Hendricks later told me that she's never set so many return appointments in one day. I thought bless her heart because we only found three investigators, and we were finding all day. I have felt inadequate when it came to being an STL because I feel like I always need to learn more and more, but I realized that I have gone through a lot of experience in the past nine months that other sisters can benefit from. The feelings of inadequacy isn't completely gone, but it's a start! We have another exchange this Wednesday in Thomaston (the deepest south of the mission), and on Friday we're going on a blitz (all four of us are there and we go out and find) in Griffin because they're whitewashing the area (that means they both are new and they have to start fresh) so that'll be fun! Sister Stephens is in Griffin, and she too was in my MTC district

This is a mailbox we saw in Locust Grove!  Love it!

R. is now in rehab to help heal his knee, and his baptismal date has been pushed back to September 13th because he didn't realize he had to go to church two times before he got baptized. So it'll be next transfer when that happens, drats! Oh well, all that matters is that he does get baptized. :) His family has been MIA since his daughter B. started school last Thursday, we haven't been able to connect with them since so that's been a bummer. But whenever we're visiting him (every day at 1pm) we always meet more friends and family of his which is great because we get to talk about the gospel with all of them. ;)

V. P. is doing well, but I don't know exactly how the last lesson went because it was when I was in Locust Grove. She's still reading the Book of Mormon but she hasn't prayed about it. (Last week I reported that she had gotten to the point where Laban was killed.) We still feel like she's afraid of change, but I don't blame her- 70+ years of being a Methodist, and she already has a feeling that the Mormons are true? I'd be nervous too!

It was the coolest thing because we taught a lesson to Bi. and Bo. They are both brothers who are very different. Bi. was once an elder in the Jehovahs Witness, and Bo. has a little knowledge with religion.  Bi. has been constantly searching for the truth, and knows a LOT about our beliefs. We literally talked about every single lesson in that first lesson, although we were trying to focus on the Restoration. Bi. has so many questions, and it's truly because he wants to know the answers to them all. I've realized that I really need to start studying my Bible a whole lot more if we start consistently teaching them on Saturday! It's so funny because Bo. is hard of hearing and the first time we talked on the phone he thought our name was Patricia. Every time we call him he says "Hey Patricia!" and even when we were there. I was able to correct him and tell him I'm Sister Sudweeks, but he didn't look at Sister Sullivan's nametag so he said, "Goodbye Patricia!" Oy.

One of my favorite quotes that I love that I heard this week is, "Treat everyone you meet like they're going through the worst day of their life." I'm going to try to apply that to my own life, and to see what little things I can do to brighten someone else's day.

Have an amazing week!

-Sister Sudweeks

P.S.  Now this is what I call a nasty temperature.  (Try saying THAT with a Southern accent!)

Neighborhood Drug Bust!

Happy Monday!

I am proud to announce that we didn't go over miles so we didn't have to walk everywhere in the hot, humid weather. That was a miracle and a half!

This Wednesday is my halfway point of the mission. It's funny because since the second week of July I was telling people that I was at nine months when in reality I was closer to eight. Psh, minor detail right?! I want to celebrate but I'm not entirely sure how, but I'll figure something out.

It was an interesting experience as we talked to these two teenage boys that were sitting on the curb chain smoking. They've met other missionaries before us but they weren't too interested. In the end we were able to give them a Book of Mormon and they read the last two paragraphs. They told us that they were appreciative of the fact that we respected their agency, but there are consequences to everything. We may not be teaching them, but I have a firm belief in planting seeds in people who will run into the gospel later on in life.

It was such a miracle this week when we met this woman named L! We were tracting in the evening just envisioning a family to teach. She opened the door and she was so excited to see us and to pray with her. L. mentioned they had recently moved and just 'landed' in the Church of Christ. We talked all about families and how they're so important. Sister Sullivan and I asked if we could come back, and she made sure that her entire family would be home so we could teach all of them. She has two boys and twin girls, and we can't wait to teach them this Wednesday! :)

I had an awesome time being able to help with the wedding reception. I was able to do a lot of the floral centerpieces for the tables, and it felt awesome to be able to use these skills once again. I'm not so secretly hoping that there will be more weddings in my future as I'm here in Georgia.

I LOVE arranging flowers! Thanks Aunt Vicki for introducing me to this skill!

We were able to have another lesson with V., (she is the one that's read the Book of Mormon earlier and has visited Temple Square several times) and she's been reading the Book of Mormon more consistently so we're psyched about that. V. is up to the part when Laban was killed, but she wanted to get to the part where they're in America. It's so cool to see how far she's come from the very beginning.

Ja. (she's the young woman whose mother was recently baptized before they moved to Georgia) is still pretty firm on not being baptized, but we did have a great lesson with her about the Restoration with cups. We build Christ's church starting with Jesus Christ, then next to him is the 12 apostles. Then we stack 17 principles on top of the apostles making a tower, with the priesthood authority on top of it. When the apostasy happens and the authority is lost, all that is left is the principles. Then we restore the church to it's original form and the kids loved the visual. Ja's testimony of the Restoration grew because of that lesson, I just know it. We found out that Ja. has never done any of the reading that the previous elders asked her to do in New Jersey. We explained to her that when we ask her to commit to something, it's really Jesus Christ. She read two verses of 2nd Nephi 31, so that's progress!

As we were driving home on Saturday from a member that lived near us, we saw SO many police cars by our house! There was at least a dozen sheriff cars on this field, with hidden police cars in parking lots, in addition to ambulances, two fire trucks, and police cars in neighboring streets. We saw a police officer that was running into people's back yards, and I felt like I was in Atlanta all over again! It was pretty exciting, I wonder why the Special Operations police cars were there for. We tried to get a member to Google it for us, but no luck!

Police Cars, Fire Engines, Ambulances...Oh My! 

R. is back, but in the hospital! (He's the man that's so busy that although he committed to being baptized, is too busy to attend church or be taught.) He broke his knee so we were able to arrange for him to get a priesthood blessing. His family was there and the spirit was very strong there. We saw him yesterday and he said that Heavenly Father did this to him so he would slow down and get the spiritual healing that he and his family needed. He's back on date for September 6th to be baptized, and we're excited to start teaching his family.

We've taught a couple named B. and M. who recently moved here about a month ago. They're from middle Georgia, and they have SO many questions! They have a little three year old M. Junior, and I can see them getting baptized if they get married. I now really understand the phrase, "Questions of the Soul" because not everyone knows about the Plan of Salvation. They got sick on Sunday so they were unable to come this week, but they want to! T.  came and stayed for all three hours for church so that was happy. :)  (T's the man who said if he ever gets baptized that we won't get him in a white shirt and tie.  This is his second week in a row to attend church!) 

The last district meeting before a transfer is always the best- the same thing goes with Fast Sunday. :) It was a spiritual experience during district meeting because we talked about sanctifying, purifying, and consecrating our own lives. We were able to each go into our own door (next to our companions) and really ponder about the mission that we've had so far. What we've done good at, what we can improve, and what the Lord wants us to do. I've been pondering a lot about the last nine months since I've been at my halfway point. I'm sad that it's halfway over, but I'm also excited because that means I still have another half to grow more!

My last District!  How I miss them!

One of the quotes I enjoyed at church was, "Following Christ is not a  casual or occasional practice but a continuous commitment and way of life that applies at all times and in all places." -Elder Dallin H. Oaks

We must always be fully consecrated to the Lord, and to always try to improve and progress in our lives. The life we live is all about progression, so what could you do this week to improve and progress in the gospel?

-Sister Sudweeks

P.S. These two pictures were taken at the Mission Council Training last Friday!  I ran into Sister Jackman who was with me at the MTC!  

Teaching a Vampire Diaries' Actor!

 Happy Monday!

This was SUCH an awesome week of finding twelve new investigators- two of them being a couple, and a huge family that has been previously taught by missionaries in Fayetteville. It's miraculous considering we've had a lot of appointments set up for this week with member involvement, but almost all fell through. On Saturday our entire day almost fell through, but we were really guided on where we were meant to go and who to see. I love it when I can look back and notice that we were led by the Spirit!

I'm so happy that I am staying with Sister Sullivan here in Fayetteville for at least one more transfer. Lucky transfer #7 woot woot! To top it off, we have been called to be Sister Training Leaders for our zone. That means we go to mission council every month, help teach during zone training, and go on exchanges with each of the sisters in the zone every transfer. I'm pretty excited since I've never been an STL before, and now it's my privilege to serve all of the sisters in this area. :)

We were able to go by and see everyone at the Hope Memory Center. We played Pakeno with them once again (it's like bingo but not) and one of the sons of an elderly woman was there, watching us interact with them and helping them see if they could put a token on their board. We always say good bye to each and every person individually since I've been able to build a friendship with each of them there. As I was saying goodbye to his Mom, he expressed how grateful he was for us to
come by and to share a smiling face with each of them. It really means a lot to them because they don't see so many young people anymore. I don't think I'll forget any of them, and I really wish I was allowed to take pictures with them (safety policy) so I could remember them for the rest of my life.

Another reason why we've been finding a lot is because we are so low on miles! Ahh!  Companionships in our mission haven't been careful on not going over miles, and it's costing our mission more money. So if any of us go over miles, our car gets taken away and we have to walk.
We've been pretty careful the past few days, so I'm praying that we stay under for the next few days. It was hard becoming the missionary who had the most knowledge of an area because I didn't drive so I'm not super knowledgeable of where people live, which results in us driving more than need be. Thankfully I'm learning quick so we can manage miles for the future.

We came to a 'golden' neighborhood three days this week, wanting to find that family who is ready to hear the gospel. We parked the car on a street and tracted multiple streets to save on miles. Sister
Sullivan and I found some pretty good potentials, and met two investigators. One of them is a Bishop for World Changers, and we have an appointment with him this Saturday. The last person we were talking to was pretty receptive so we kept on talking, ignoring the fact that it was starting to drizzle. By they time that we said goodbye, it was raining cats and dogs! Not again! We ran to our car three streets away and we were soaked by the time we got inside. It was hot and humid, so we weren't even able to dry off in the car. I'm so glad that we were going to a member's home next who let me use their hair straightener for my bangs haha. But the people that we met were worth it all!

Da and Dd (the twins of a recent convert) aren't considered investigators because they're only eight.  But we're still teaching them by letting them draw and see pictures of what we're teaching them.
They're very hyper but it's a blessing that Da is learning and he's retaining it all.

I'm so excited for this Friday. One of our member families is having a wedding this upcoming Saturday! We were originally planning on going to have a Journey lesson with them, but we asked the Mom how everything was going. She expressed to us that she's been praying that she figures out how she'll be able to decorate the reception since she's worried that it won't turn out the way she wants it to when they set up Friday night. We realized that setting up the reception is TOTALLY service, and so I get to be their artistic eye and to help them on what should go where. They were all so excited that I'd be able to help them out with decorating their reception, after all, I AM a wedding planner in training! So thrilled to help them out and to be an answer to their prayers!

As we were at a stop light, this lifted truck stopped right next to us blasting bagpipe music with their windows rolled down. We peered over to see who was in the driver's seat, and it was this burly macho man who was acting like everything was normal. We started laughing so hard because it was the funniest thing I've seen and heard in Fayetteville.

Sister Sullivan and I went back to that golden neighborhood and we knocked door after door after door. We found families, but none of them were interested in listening to us. We were tracting for a good while, until we decided that we better head back and go to our next destination. In the distance there were two guys walking toward us and we thought to ourselves it was them that God was putting into our paths. But then a girl walked out of her house to get the mail, and we complimented her on her cute sunglasses. She gasps and says, "Are you who I think you are?" We tell her that we're missionaries and she squeals, "I love you missionaries!" and proceeds to hug us. Come to find out
that she and her family were taught by two sisters in January. Dq is the daughter of a potential who is in our area book, but they moved a month ago. We've actually been playing phone tag with her Mom,
V. for the past four days which just shows me that God places us at the right place at the right time! If we had knocked on one more door, we would have missed her entirely.

We went back and met the entire family, and there's so many people who live in that house. V. met Elder McDonald-Smith on MARTA, and told him that she's read the Book of Mormon and everything, but she's Catholic. We've figured that the previous missionaries weren't entirely focused on teaching them, so it'll be interesting to see how set they'll be to learn from us this time around. But they have been so prepared because they've been to Salt Lake Temple Square so many times,
and V. loves how missionaries are good role models for her daughters. We came to find out that one of her sons, Jo., is an actor for Vampire Diaries. I KNEW he looked familiar, and I didn't know why! Haha small world!

We haven't been able to teach R. this week because work has been so hectic for him. A family was going to pick him and his daughter up for church but they weren't there, and they didn't answer their phone. We've been trying to call him but no answer. All of us are really confused because he was so sincere. Dang adversary making him busy so we can't teach him! :(

T. was able to come to church this Sunday, and the first thing that he said to us was, "If I ever became a member, I'd like you to know that I'm not changing into a white shirt and tie." We chucked to
ourselves, if you want to be baptized, we don't care that you're wearing a collared shirt and khakis!  T. was actually on call for work, but he came anyway which is a first for him. He committed to come to all three hours of church next week. His life is still pretty hectic so he's going to call us this week when we'll be able to have another lesson with him. T. told us that he considered being able to at least come to Sacrament Meeting a blessing. Happy day! He was downloading the LDS gospel app as he was leaving, so I'm really pumped seeing his progression.

R. arranged a musical number for all of the sister missionaries to perform yesterday. It was composed of In Humility Of Our Savior, and A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief. She played the violin and one of
the piano teachers accompanied us. It is SUCH a beautiful song, and many people told us that it brought tears to their eyes. R. is the Laurel who always come out on team ups with us, and she is such a talented young woman. I wouldn't be surprised if she became a famous composer one day. :)

One of the things that I learned this week was all about sacrifice. If  we all think about it, we want to be able to gain everything that our Heavenly Father has in store for us. If we want something, we should be willing to sacrifice everything. Since Christ gave everything, it would be illogical not to require anything less. I'm trying my best to be able to sacrifice my will and heart to our Heavenly Father so I can become the missionary and person that he wants me to become.

What could you sacrifice to our Heavenly Father?

-Sister Sudweeks

P.S. Forgive us for our silly pictures. This is what we do to cool off after the humidity when we can't dive into our apartment community pool.

Now....THAT was  refreshing!

Sister Sullivan also got really excited about my Dad sending her maps of where he believes the Book of Mormon lands are located. Ifyou're curious or have questions, you should ask my Dad about it, I'm

sure he'd be happy to answer them! :)

Screaming Baptists!

Happy Monday!

What a week- I can't believe that July is almost halfway over and that transfers are next Wednesday, where did the time go?!

We were successful having a dinner and lesson with T. in the Felsted's home Monday evening. Although T. has been coming to church on and off for the past 3 years, he doesn't really remember any of what previous missionaries have taught him. Since his mother in law just passed away, we had a lesson that was really catered to his needs. We taught him a mixture of Plan of Salvation with the Restoration. We have many versions on how to teach Plan of Salvation, and now we have "T. Style" to make sure that they understand it all. Since he's a therapist I thought it was interesting that he doesn't really know what he believes about God. But he said that he'd read the Book of Mormon and pray about it so that's a good start. He didn't come to church for some reason, so we'll be getting a hold of him this week.

We had a dinner appointment with one of our families so we could teach them more about the Journey. The Journey is where we go to the members homes and teach them skills or tools to make them feel more comfortable about talking about the gospel in normal everyday conversations. We role play with them, play games where we bridge a normal object to a gospel principle, and so on. The goal is to have someone that they found invited to their home to have a lesson with us. Sister Th. told us that evening that out of all of the missionaries that have came to her home these past years, we're the ones who have been actually making a difference in her life and helping her progress. It made us melt because she has made SO much progress since we've started this with her! She's having one of her friends taking the lessons, and even admitted to us that talking about the gospel is fun. :)

It was disappointing because we had another lesson with M., and it didn't go how we expected. Sister Sullivan and I really haven't taught actual lessons together although we've role played them. We taught her the Restoration but she feels like that she got baptized already with the authority. Although she's open to learning more, she doesn't have a desire to change or act upon it. Sister Brown was pretty sad about it, and I don't think we're going to be teaching her again most likely. But M. did agree to visit our church sometime, and to continue to read the Book of Mormon a bit. When she was praying she got the answer that she needs to delve into more of the Bible and her religion because she's been slacking.

It's a small world because I was able to meet Sister Berryman when Sister Freeman and Sister Sullivan did companion exchanges with the sisters in Griffin. One of the elders that was in my MTC group is companions with Elder Jones, and he was dating her before their missions! Small world eh?! Elder Olsen told me that his companion's girlfriend got her mission call here and that I should look out for her, but I didn't think I'd meet her in her first transfer. :)

Sister Berryman and I. 

A few weeks ago we met a guy named R. at Walmart. We talked very briefly about how families can be together forever, and he gave us his phone number and address. Turns out that Sister Sullivan met his wife a while ago- she set up an appointment but she wasn't there, and later said she wasn't interested. This week we were able to have a lesson with him in a member's home and it went AMAZING. R. really opened up to us, and he was very honest with his sincere questions. He told us that he was trying to get closer to God and he accepted to be baptized! We gave him a baptismal calendar and R. remarked he'd put it on his fridge, and that if he doesn't come to church that he's super sick. We confirmed that he was coming to church on Saturday but he wasn't there. :(  It's a mystery on why he wasn't there, but we'll see if we can contact him.

One of the most important things about planning for a day is having backups in case an appointment falls through. Well, I met a woman named Chris T. Joseph Smith since she was a potential from Sister Sullivan. I didn't believe her when she told me her name, but her real name is Chris, middle name starts with a T, her maiden name is Joseph, and she married a Smith. Chris T. Joseph Smith! Some of the most important people in my life in just one name! She wasn't feeling well so we just asked how she was doing, and then went on our way. Coolest name ever.

We're teaching a lot of part member families this past week. We had seven lessons in a members home, and five of them came from three part member families. One of the recent converts have twin boys- Dt and Dd. Dd is three years behind developing mentally, so we're teaching them both, but we and the family are striving for him to be baptized in August as well. We teach them very simply, and we let them draw pictures of what we're talking about such as the Godhead and prophets. It's fun to teach them and they give us the biggest hugs as we come and leave.

Another family just moved in from New Jersey, and the Mom J., and the eight year old daughter N. got baptized in May. They have a four year old boy named Jn, and a twelve year old daughter named Ja. who hasn't been baptized yet. We're teaching them the new member lessons while also teaching Ja. as well. She's been taught everything and even had her baptismal interview, but decided not to four days before the baptism. She mentioned that she feels like she doesn't have enough faith, but we believe that Ja. told some of her friends that she was getting baptized, and they made fun of her so she didn't want to anymore. We're hoping the next time we see her this week we'll be able to get her on date and resolve her concerns.

So we've met a few interesting Baptists this week... One in particular stood out to me since I'm pretty sure Heavenly Father asked us to knock on his door solely because he knew it would make us CRACK UP. We knocked on his door- no answer. Rang his doorbell- no answer. We had a feeling to knock one more time- *pause* A shirtless guy who probably thinks "he's all that" going to the gym, opens the door and screams! He didn't hear us knock on the door and immediately closes the door almost all the way, but leaving it open just a crack so we could talk. He noticed that we are LDS so he wasn't interested, but it made our day. We were walking to our car and we were almost there as we looked back and saw him peer outside to see if we were still there, and then walked to his car. Funny funny! Then there were not so funny funny ones where they told us we were against Jesus, which happens to make no sense since it's "The Church of Jesus Christ" all righty then! :P

One of the girls that we have out for team ups a lot, just had her missionary farewell and Open House last night. She's leaving for the Philippines on Wednesday and I'm so excited to see all of the miracles that are going to happen as she's out in the field. She's super prepared, as a lot of missionaries are nowadays. I feel like these really are the last days, and that Heavenly Father is sending out the young ones to spiritual battle. It's been great to give her advice and answer her questions the past 2 1/2 months since I've been here in Fayetteville. In her farewell talk, she quoted 3rd Nephi 5:13,

"Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life."

We are ALL Disciples of Christ!

We are ALL disciples of Jesus Christ, and we have all been called to preach the gospel to everyone we meet. It's been amazing to see the progression of missionaries and members alike when it comes to missionary work. I know that this past week as I've been held accountable for planning most of the day since Sister Sullivan doesn't quite know the area yet, I've been learning to go with the flow. I used to hate it when things that I thought were set in stone didn't go through, and having to plan as the day went on. Now I'm not stressing out so much about what's on paper, versus on where our Heavenly Father wants us to go.

"God doesn't care nearly as much about where you have been as He does about where you are and with His help where you are willing to go." - Jeffrey R. Holland

Hope everyone has an amazing week!

-Sister Sudweeks

Angry Birds: Missionary Edition!

Happy Monday!

What an amazing week! Sometimes the days feel like weeks, but the weeks feel like days. ''

President Harding asked the Fayetteville sisters to swap companions for the next three weeks, (to the end of the transfer) so we can build up each of our areas, and to learn from one another, and give a new perspective for all of the potentials/investigators that we have so we can help them progress. I'm staying in my old area, and Sister Sullivan is my new companion. Our last names are so similar we keep calling ourselves Sudivan or Sulliweeks. It's like Sudford back in Atlanta haha! The ward is completely confused with this swap, but I know it's going to be benefiting so many lives so it's fun to have a new companion. :) Sister Warner and I are together on Wednesdays since Sister Sullivan and Freeman are sister training leaders and they go on exchanges on Wednesdays.

It was Sister Sullivan's birthday on P-day, so we were able to go to Broadway Diner to celebrate it along with some of the Laurels that go out with us and teach with us as well- so that was fun!

 

 

Happy Birthday Sister Sullivan!

 

 

I love these sister missionaries and Laurels!

I was asking around on where the sisters in the ward get their haircuts because I direly needed one super bad. One of the sisters was so excited because EVERYONE in the ward goes to this stylist and she said she'd pay for it as long as I would do what I was called to do- be a missionary! We were answering A.'s questions and talking about the Restoration as she cut my hair. A. accepted a Book of Mormon and Restoration pamphlet, and she seemed pretty open about it since she's willing to read it. We're not sure where she lives, but there's a lot of sisters in the ward that will follow up about it.

I love it when the Spirit directs us exactly where we need to be. We were having a lesson with the Davis family, and we needed a team up for P.  Brother Davis was all in once he heard we needed a member with us. Unfortunately, P. wasn't home. But Brother Davis recalled meeting an investigator from a long time ago that lived near P. and wondered how she was doing. We got in our cars and drove around trying to find her. It ended up being E's (our 11 year old investigator) Mom, A! We didn't park in their apartment complex because we turned around a lot trying to figure out where it was (and I had to get out of the car several times and make sure we backed up safely) so we parked when we could once we saw Brother Davis standing in the parking lot (we were looking for his car, not him.) As we were walking toward him, we met a guy named S. who was working on his car. He's E's neighbor, who is actually a member of the church! He thought he was baptized as an infant because he doesn't member it, but he hasn't been active in a long time. His parents are active and live in a nearby town, but we don't have record of him in our ward. We met his fiance A. L., and she's met with missionaries before at S.'s parents house. They're moving in and hopefully we'll be teaching her after they get settled. If it wasn't for Brother Davis coming out with us, we wouldn't have met either of them!

We've been teaching V. ever since I've been here. She has an awesome story because Sister Warner and her previous companion was asking one of her neighbors "Who do you know that we could share this message with?" and they told them anyone on this street, except V., she'll eat you alive! Challenge accepted, am I right? They knock on her door, and she lets them right in! She is so intelligent, LOVES to serve others, and is fascinated in anthropology. We've been going by almost every week or every other week. Last week we brought the Smiths who are an elderly couple who also does Meals on Wheels every week like she does. Brother Smith had a stroke so he can't hear at all. V. brought up some of her concerns about prophets, and also had some realizations about the Book of Mormon--she shouldn't be reading it to study anthropology, but to study it spiritually because it is another Testament of Jesus Christ. Now she's decided to read it and pray about it. I have such high hopes for her, and I'm really excited to meet with her again this week!

We were able to have lunch with Sister Brown, and her neighbor M. who had one lesson with the missionaries before. M.'s Catholic, and goes to church in Atlanta. It was awesome because I was able to have a connection with her because I knew exactly where her church was. I took pictures of it because it's one of the most historic churches in Atlanta, and it's so beautiful. We drove past it every Sunday going to church. We had a really casual but powerful lesson about family history and temple work because it's what she's interested in. We're having lunch once again this Tuesday with her since M. said she wants to learn more. The power of member missionaries!

We went store contacting in Walmart in hopes of finding new investigators. Sister Sullivan and I actually met a group of friends that are going to be moving into our apartment complex by the end of the month! We also met this amazing girl named S.. Her Dad is a pastor, and we asked her if she's ever wondered why there are so many Christian denominations. We just talked to her and figured out her needs, and she even told us that she was trying her hardest not to cry after we prayed with her. Crying in Walmart, I wouldn't be a fan either. (That was my second choice of subject title options by the way.) She said she'd be baptized if she knew it was true, so we were able to give her a Book of Mormon, and we have an appointment with her this Thursday! We've met a lot of promising potentials this week, so hopefully it'll all go well this upcoming week.

It was pretty amusing... As we were walking in for a dinner appointment, a finch attacked Sister Sullivan in the face! Okay, exaggerating a bit much. A bird hit her on the side of the head, hit the door, and flew inside the house. We didn't know there was a nest next to the front door, and we're guessing she felt threatened because there was eggs in it. We originally thought that she was injured, and we all scrambled to try to catch the bird to put it outside. It was funny since the family had a lot of little kids and they were going CRAZY. The bird wasn't injured, just frazzled. :)

We were unable to get a hold of G. (the grandmother) and her family this week. We had an appointment with them and G. wasn't there so we couldn't come in. We've been calling and calling and she's never home. Thankfully I got their home phone so maybe we'll be able to catch her sometime this week. It's hard to stop by because they live out of our tracting area, so if they aren't home we waste miles that we could have used to go to one area, and see many other people. But we're still in contact with S. (her granddaughter), so I refuse to give up hope!

E. got baptized, and it was such a great day! The Relief Society room was packed, and the entire program included boys he goes to scouts with, the Campbell Family, and people we've brought to his lessons. His Mom, grandpa, brother T., and his brother's girlfriend S. all came to the baptism. They were all excited for it to happen, and I know that they were able to feel the spirit. After E. was baptized, he was just so happy. He's an 11 year old boy so he's really not going to tell the missionaries how he felt. But as we were socializing and having refreshments with everyone he was just running around with a smile on his face with all of the kids. I could barely catch him so I could have a picture with him! 

 

 

E. and Brother Campbell

Just a few of the people who love E!  What a happy day!

I was also so excited to see that S., A. (E.'s mom), and T. (his brother) went to church as well! A. stayed for all three hours, and I think the other two had work. We taught S. (the brother's girlfriend) a little bit more about what our message is, so hopefully we'll be able to have a lesson with her and A.. T. is a member of the church, but he's very inactive so I can see great potential for this family. Their future is as bright as our faith! :)

Another T. who is a great potential investigator, has been taking care of his mother in law because she got more and more sick so we were unable to meet with him after he came to church a few weeks ago. We've been texting him uplifting scriptures, and staying in contact with him. The funeral was not last Sunday, but the Sunday before so we've been giving him some time to himself. But tonight we're having dinner with him in a members home, and hopefully we'll be able to teach him the Plan of Salvation. I pray that he'll be able to go to the Family History Lab on Wednesday, and go to church this week because he won't be on call for his job this Sunday (if my memory is correct.)

 

. 

We had zone conference this week (no temple sadly), and something stood out to me that Sister Harding (our mission president's wife) mentioned. She talked a lot about pioneers, and how they were just average people. But the thing is, they did extraordinary things! With the help of God, we too can do extraordinary things if we simply ask for the Lord's help, and the strength to go day by day on what he wants us to accomplish. My faith grew a lot just realizing that, and now I have no doubts that we all can achieve spectacular things in our lives.  I know that ALL OF YOU are just more than ordinary, so we ALL can achieve remarkable things in our lives!

This week has been just a change for the better versus the last month, and I'm so grateful for all of the prayers and support on my behalf. I'm truly grateful for each and every one of you, and I hope everyone has an amazing week!

-Sister Sudweeks