I Got Re-Assigned?!

Happy Monday!

So this is going to be a very interesting email seeing as I forgot my planner (and so did Sister Stewart) which had what I wanted to write about today. This is a pattern of what it's been like since we've moved on Friday. We didn't want to unpack anything (or we just threw it in Thursday night/Friday morning and couldn't find it.) because we didn't know if one of us was leaving on this transfer. We both keep forgetting things, or losing things, sad day!

So there was an ice storm this past week, and we were told Monday night that we weren't going to the temple because it was snowing in Sandy Springs (where the temple is at) so we hardly had any appointments on Tuesday because it was going to be an all day temple trip and zone training day! Same thing happened when we were told on Tuesday that we were going to go to the temple on Thursday. Wednesday night we were told that the temple wouldn't be fully staffed because most of the temple workers live up north (and we still were having icy weather), so we went to the Conyers building instead. Since we didn't go to the temple, zone training wasn't as long, but we didn't have any appointments set up for Thursday. But it gave us time to do more service to get our apartment ready, and to try to see more less actives in the western part of our ward (we can never afford the miles to get there.)

 

Our Conyers Zone Training

Back to the ice storm, it happened Monday night, but it melted by Tuesday morning when we were driving to help finish the apartment up in time to have us move in on Friday, and I'm really glad we went. :) We found a family where we practically taught them the Restoration during the initial contact. They let us in right away, and they wanted us to come back on Friday. We were so excited to have a return appointment since it's been a good minute since we've found investigators, but we forgot to get their number... They weren't there on Friday and we were so bummed! But they live less than 5 miles away from us so we're going to drop in on them when we can. :)

On Wednesday it was so exciting because we were asked to assist in teaching the Beehives for Mutual. Sister Miessner (anyone from Stockton remember that family's name 22 years ago?) wanted the Beehives to go on missions, so they got to get mission calls, and I was re-assigned to Madrid, Spain! We had language study, the MTC, and so on. It was so cute and fun! At the very end, all of the Beehives were able to ask both of us questions about being missionaries. One of the girls was so adorable and wanted to be a news reporter and write down all of our answers because she had pre-written hers out. All of the Beehives said they wanted to go on a mission, and it was fun bearing my testimony on how I was able to decide to go on a mission, and how a mission is the best thing ever! At the end, we had 'minion'aries that were Twinkies for the treat. :) You can't really see the 'minion'aries in the picture, but close enough!

 

These cute Beehives will make GREAT sister missionaries!

We have been able to teach Va. and Sha., and they have been reading the Book of Mormon again, and we're so proud of them! We taught them the Word of Wisdom, and since Da. has been a fabulous member missionary, they already knew what it was. They have been keeping it since they knew what the blessings were from keeping it, and it was one of the easiest Word of Wisdom lessons I've ever had the entire mission. All of them were super sick (Da. included) for church and Satan is trying so hard for them not to go to church! It's awful! We had to tell them last week that one of us might be getting transferred, and they were so upset, and Sha. even prayed that we wouldn't leave :( They didn't like the thought that I'd be going home in April.

We were able to move on Friday, and we woke up early Friday since we started packing on Thursday (I will never procrastinate the day of packing ever again) because ya know, we're missionaries. We do missionary-like stuff, and we can't afford to go home and pack. We prayed that we would be able to clean and pack by the time the moving trailer got here at 10:30. Well, let's just say Heavenly Father knows we're not superhuman, and so he made the trailer get lost, and got there 2 hours after they said they would! We packed and cleaned for 6 hours straight, and I've never been more tired in my life after that!

Jo. is doing fabulous, and she came to church once again this week. We met her Mom as she dropped her off for dinner at a members home. Jo. told us at church that she read the Plan of Salvation pamphlet (even though she had the lesson in Young Women's a few weeks back) and then read it again before dinner just to make sure. She is such a seeker of the truth, and Jo. helped us teach the Plan of Salvation because she is like a sponge, and loves hearing knowledge. We gave her a baptismal calendar so we're going to be seeing her before Mutual, and on Sunday. She's hoping that her parents will come around, and they've been reading the Restoration pamphlet that we gave to her, to give to them. Her Mom is coming around more, and we hope that they'll start coming to the lessons as well. Jo.'s excited that she's getting baptized on Pi Day 3.14.15 say what?! She gave the closing prayer for the first time, and it was one of the most sincere prayers I've heard in a long time. :) Members are SO important in Hastening the Work of Salvation! Member referrals are the most promising referrals that we can ever get, and I invite all y'all to be aware on who needs the gospel in your life.

So, I am sad to announce that Sister Stewart and I will no longer be companions. This morning we were both freaking out about the phone call because we weren't sure what was going to happen. I pranked her and made our phone ring because I was 'choosing' a ringtone and she freaked out big time during personal study. When she realized it was a joke she got up out of her chair (stubbed her foot on her desk whoops!) and punched me in the arm two times. The funny part was that not even 5 minutes later, the phone rang again and I squealed like a girl, and we couldn't find the phone! Sister Stewart is leaving me for another companion, and she's going to be an STL where she'll be serving. :) I'll be getting a new companion for my last transfer!

I am just so grateful for the time that I have to dedicate myself fully to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. There is no greater work that I could be doing! I'm grateful for the experiences and the lessons that I've learned thus far, and I can't wait to see what this last transfer brings. 

-Sister Sudweeks

P.S. The picture with all of the kids I've attached- I've decided that we're related (their parents are from Lodi) because all of the girls have such curly hair and we look so alike! Cutest kids ever, and I'm so glad that I get to see them for another transfer! :) They hug us sister missionaries every time they see us.

 

 

Gangsters: Dead or Alive?

Happy Monday!

As it is President's Day, Sister Stewart and I were really worried that our library we go to would be closed since it's a college library, and it's been closed before. So we called them this morning, and the guy that always helps us with our visitor passes answers, "Georgia Perimeter College, yes we're open." I laughed, and thanked him because that was our question. When we call, the caller ID says LDS Missions, so he knew it was us making sure it was open. :)

Just like times before, we were having dinner with Sister Trust (shout out to her family, she's amazing!) and we decided to stop by and see Mi. again with her, because she was home the Monday we got her on baptismal date. We taught Mi. the Plan of Salvation, and I loved that she was so trusting, and willing to ask questions about things she's been previously taught from church relating to the Plan of Salvation. She had questions such as "we wouldn't remember or recognize anyone after this life," and Mi. was happy to hear that it wasn't true because she didn't like that idea. We were supposed to see her on Valentine's Day, but she had a family party go over, and our schedules didn't match up with each other so we haven't seen her since. She's no longer on date because we haven't been able to teach her enough, but she will be soon enough! :)

It was so sad because I got the stomach flu on Tuesday after District Meeting, and it was so fun because all of us missionaries brought each other Valentine's. The Conyer's Sisters gave us bracelets that say, 'My ♥ Belongs to Jesus.' How cool is that?! Wearing that everyday for the rest of my life! So anyway, we had to cancel all of our appointments on Tuesday, and I slept all day on Tuesday practically, (along with doing more paperwork).

We haven't been able to get a hold of Sh. and her family this week unfortunately. We're thinking they went out of town because of winter break, so we're going to pop in on them since she hasn't been replying to our texts or calls. Update: Just as I was typing she texted us, and Sh. still has a cold! Yay, she doesn't hate us! :P

We have been helping getting both of the apartments ready as the Lamph's finally left for home. They went to Savannah and Charleston before they headed for home last week, and while they were gone we took out the old carpet and we were cutting carpet squares, and tiling the bathroom. I feel so handy now that I'm learning to do all of these things with Sister Belleville. :) The Payne's are moving into the Lamph's apartment (the Payne's house got caught on fire a few months ago) and we're moving into the apartment that they were living in. So it's going to be a swaparoo moving on Friday! 

If you need my new address, please email my Mom! 

V. and Sha. are still doing well, and still waiting to see if they're moving to Atlanta. They haven't been reading the Book of Mormon recently, so we went over the introduction with them, and it created a new spark for them to read again. As it was winter break, a lot of members around them were out of town, so it was really difficult getting Da. (V.'s recently baptized sister) a ride to church. We were trying to find one that morning, and we're so grateful that a member said yes! We couldn't find V. and Sha. a ride, and we're bummed because they really wanted to go. But thankfully we found one for them this week! :)

The Stake Missionary meeting that we had on Thursday was absolutely outstanding! The shift of missionary work in this stake is going to be so pivotal now. Instead of the missionaries worrying about making appointments with investigators and being there, finding them a ride to church, activities, and so on.... they have redefined on what a 'fellowshipper' is, and it's up to their fellowshipper so we can focus more on teaching other people, and setting up more appointments, than freaking out who's going to pick them up, and which member will come with us. Brother Avery, our ward mission leader (along with the rest of them) has been asked to pray about who their fellowshipper should be, so they will accept their calling because it's been inspired by God. We're continuing on seeing the members weekly, and more members are getting on board so it's been monumental I'd say!

So J. is friend's with Brother Avery's son, Marlin. She was curious to see what he believed, so she invited herself to church, and she came for the 3rd time yesterday. Her parents gave her approval to take the lessons from us, and we were able to teach her yesterday in the Avery's home. She has already done research about our church on reputable sites, and when we asked her who Joseph Smith was, J. told us, "He was one of the prophets of God that led the people in righteousness in the 1800's." or something like that. Sister Stewart and I were so shocked that she already had started gaining a testimony of Joseph Smith we couldn't remember what J. said exactly. :D She understood the restoration pretty well as we explained it to her. We taught her more about the authority, and explained the significance between Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, and how they go hand and hand. She has already been prayerfully reading and is on 1st Nephi 7. She accepted to be baptized on March 14th, and we invited her parents to join us on the discussion, so we'll see what happens with that family this Sunday! :) There are so many out there prepared! 

As we were driving, we heard police sirens and saw two police cars speeding behind us. I was trying to slow down and pull over, I saw in front of us two parked police cars to the left of us. The police officers outside of the cars had loaded guns creeping across the street toward the sidewalk to the right. I realized quickly that where I was about to pull over, was where the police officers were walking toward so I quickly sped up. The officers behind me parked, and as we drove on by we saw a bunch of gangsters underneath the highway bridge on the ground face down. We weren't entirely sure if they were dead or not, so I guess y'all can be the judge! It reminded me of Atlanta when I saw a dead guy in the street a mile or two away from the church. It seems like God is preparing Sister Stewart to go to Atlanta! ;)

 

Downtown Atlanta--My first area!  And maybe Sister Stewart's second area?!

I'd appreciate prayers as I drive to the temple tomorrow- there's supposed to be a huge ice storm that hits Georgia and I'd rather not hit black ice and get into an accident.

I quote the famous Elder Lamph- "There is nothing quite as contagious as enthusiasm, except the opposite thereof." I love to relate that to missionary work, and how, "As your testimony is strengthened, your desire for the welfare of souls is increasing." If we have a strong testimony, a desire to share the gospel with enthusiasm, it will radiate and others will catch the fire of serving our fellowmen. :) 

I hope all y'all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

-Sister Sudweeks

PS  We were helping the Reynold's paint their 7 year old girl's room. Sister Stewart accidentally broke the broom handle whoops!

 

 

Our Area is Haunted?

Happy Monday!

So P-day last week was pretty fun, I took a good minute making my heart shaped tye dye shirt, and I don't think I want to tye dye for years. If anyone has their hands dyed and they can't get it off, diluted bleach works WONDERS!

 

Whenever I wear this shirt, I'll think about Covington and the sister missionaries I served with!

It was Elder and Sister Lamph's last district meeting (they are the senior couple serving in my ward), so they took us out to lunch one last time at the Mystic Grill- famously known because of the TV show the Vampire Diaries. We're going to miss them greatly. Saturday evening we had a Southern Flair Farewell Dinner for them, and it was a huge success! Many members who haven't stepped foot in the church building in years came to say goodbye to the Lamph's. Since we were close to them, they asked if we would sing a duet for them during the program. I hadn't sung a duet since the first Christmas I've been out, but I told myself I wanted to develop my singing abilities. We ended up singing, "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go" and I survived haha! I should be careful on what I wish for because now we're singing next Sunday in sacrament meeting!

A Piece of Trivia: 
Fans of the Vampire Diaries will know all about the Mystic Grill from the show, but until recently it was not an actual restaurant.  However, the building that housed the Mystic Grill for the show has been transformed into an actual restaurant in downtown Covington in 2014.

The Exterior of the Mystic Grill--made famous by The Vampire Diaries

We taught Sh. and her family again this week, and Satan does not want this family to progress in the gospel! We had a strong impression to show The Restoration DVD and Satan did everything in his power to prevent the DVD player, X-box, and TV to work. The kids were working on the wires and buttons for a good twenty minutes, and I got up and tried to figure it out before I suggested watching it on a laptop. They agreed and we started the movie. The CD was skipping whenever a really important scene was happening, and especially during the First Vision! We had just cleaned the CD and I was praying the entire time the movie was playing. Sister Stewart was sweating like a sinner at church, and I'm pretty sure Sister Seegmiller was praying it would work too. But we're really glad that Sh. came in for this lesson, and she was asking us questions on what denomination we were. We let them keep the movie so they could watch it again after it's been cleaned again. Sh. told us that they were planning on coming to church the first week we saw them because Sh. quit her job and is no longer working weekends. :) But they were stopped in their tracks because of darn Satan. The family committed to come to church again yesterday, but just this morning Sh. texted us and told us she got sick on Saturday, and wasn't able to make it. Since she has to go to the doctors on Wednesday, we had to reschedule our appointment. We just know that this family is going to be such a strong family once they're baptized!

So I have this crazy theory that the entire mission is going to get whitewashed. We've been asked to have a lot of organization papers when we go to zone training this week and next week. (We're going next Tuesday) and these are the type of papers missionaries would love to have if they were getting whitewashed in (meaning, two missionaries come to an area at the same time, knowing nothing.) We had our email from President this morning, and it makes it sound like it's more possible than not. "We are taking a new step up in out-planning the adversary and building a great foundation so that any area you are transferred into will be better organized for success." So if I get transferred on the 25th, I wonder where I'll go! :P

 

Sister Traina (who we live with), Sister Weng (ward missionary), the Elders, Lamphs, our WML, and us! :)

We taught V. and Sha. again this week, and we taught them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were planning on coming to church yesterday, but W. (their son) was up all night screaming with V., so she didn't get any sleep. Sha. has type two diabetes, and he woke up really sick yesterday so they were unable to go. Ca. officially moved to Atlanta, and now he's going to the ward that I was in originally! :D We think that's the best for him so he can be close to his two sons, and also there's a YSA ward up North that he'll be able to transition to once the missionaries get in contact with him. I'm so glad that I knew where the Atlanta ward was or Ca. wouldn't know where to go.

This week we've been focusing a lot more on seeing members to heed to the prophet's invitation to help the missionaries and members unite together in helping the work of salvation hasten. We had to intricately plan on being down south in our area all day on Friday to see a lot of the members that we're working with. After our last appointment, we had to drive all the way back up to our house (over 20 miles away) and it was really dark as we were taking the shortest way back. The back roads, dirt roads, and abandoned houses don't look intimidating in broad daylight, but it looks a LOT scarier in the dark. There aren't any streetlights, and we got a really eerie feeling as we were driving back. This wasn't the first time we had to drive home from the South, but it felt a lot different than the other times. We started blasting some hymns to drown out our creepy thoughts, and I was focused on the road. Sister Stewart gasped as she looked past my window, and told me saw a ghost in one of the houses. I flipped out and I told her not to tell me anything else, and we kept locking the doors over and over again. She looked so white, and I'm getting the heebie jeebies writing about this. It appears that a good chunk of our tracting area is haunted, and I never want to go on those roads ever again!

My favorite quotes that I've encountered this week,

"If you don't know where you're going, then which path you take doesn't matter." -Chesire Cat

I think that quote is so fitting when it comes to the Plan of Salvation, and when it comes to planning on where you want your life to head in the next direction. We should always have goals and plans on how we can become more like our Savior Jesus Christ.

-Sister Sudweeks

 

P.S.  This is Sweetie.  The member who owns the goats that we helped out with also owns this cat. She's the fluffiest cat I've ever seen in my life. Sister Stewart and I thought about buying a cat this fluffy when we're grandparents, but then we thought about all of the grand kids and their sticky hands all over this cat. -shudder- Thanks, but no thanks! :P

 

Cannibals in Covington!

Happy Monday!

Man, what a week. 

Another thing that we were invited to do with members was to have them more involved with what we do when they're coming out with us. We had Sister Pearce with us Monday evening after they fed us, and our appointment fell through. If something falls through, then something greater is about to come to pass. We had a list of investigators that we could go see, and so we prayed that we would have a unanimous decision on who we should go see. Sister Pearce picked the place, and it was amazing! We ended up seeing Mi., who is related to the recent converts in our ward. Sister Stewart taught them the Restoration when I was on exchanges, but then they got busy due to the holidays. We ended up teaching Ka. the Restoration on the spot, and she accepted to be baptized on February 21st! Her brother J. was also taught the Restoration while I was on exchange, is now being taught by the elders, and is getting baptized on the same day. How cool is that?! Mi. came to church this week, and she loved it. :)

It was pretty sad, but we had arranged to see Pa. (our Jehovah's Witness friend) and T. at the church because they live only 3 minutes away from the church, and they never showed up. We called them, either they hung up on us, or didn't answer. We're not entirely sure what happened to them, but P's family may have gotten to him. :( We're going to stop by P's one day this week to see if we'll be able to figure out what happened.

 

A fun card that we found at a random store...

LOVE IT!

As we had gotten the invitation to tract around members, we had a miracle before we had dinner with one of our members. We met a woman named Sh., and she immediately let us in once we told her that we're representatives of Jesus Christ. She has four kids- J. (10), Jer. (9), Z. (6), and Je (5). We knelt down, and prayed for the family, and for Je. to feel better because she was getting sick. As I was praying, Je. spoke up and told Sh., "Mommy, I'm feeling better!" it was so precious, and the spirit in the house was very strong. Sh. told us that they had just moved into the area a year ago, and her husband told the family that our church was going to be their church home because it was the closest. They tried to go to church on December 31st (Bible study?) but no one was there. Then we knocked on the door, and it was amazing!

Later on that week, we taught the kids the Restoration, but Sh. was making dinner, talking to her friend, and on the phone in the kitchen while we were in the living room with the kids. She was partially paying attention, but not really. We were so bummed, but Sh. told us that we could come back anytime so we're seeing them tomorrow. Sh. told us that they went to a church that only spoke Creole, and so she wants someone to teach the kids about Christ. We're hoping we'll be able to get Sh.'s full attention at the lesson tomorrow when we watch the Restoration DVD.

We did some service for a member in our ward, and we were able to help her outside with all of her goats! She's having so many baby goats recently, and one was born just before we got there. May I say I never realized how adorable baby goats are?! They just prance around looking all cute and all that jazz. Sister Denison told us that she likes to name the goats to remember when they were born, so now there are two baby goats named after both of us. I've never had someone named after me! (Of course my niece Marie was, if her name was Emily it'd be too obvious.) ;) As I was feeding the goats, one of them bit me and now I can say a goat bit me haha!

Va. and Sh. are still doing well, we don't know when everyone is moving, but we taught them the Law of Chastity, and the Ten Commandments this week with Ca. and Da. That was a crazy hectic lesson in itself!

We saw D. and Se. again this week, but the Mom wasn't there again. Since tax season is getting closer and closer, she's now working 7 days a week. We've collectively decided that it would be best to hold off their baptism until the Mom can take the kids to church herself, rather than having to rely on someone else to give them a ride. We're still going to do service and teach them every week, because the Mom really wants to take them to church if she ever has a Sunday off.

So last P-day, we spent the majority of our day at a members house. She told us that her chickens would eat anything, including chicken nuggets. So, what did we do for part of our P-day? Well, feed her chickens chicken nuggets of course! It was pretty hilarious, and I can't believe that chickens are such cannibals. ;) 

 

Introducing Covington's Cannibals!

This week we're having a sisters P-day, and we're tye-dying shirts and it's absolutely freezing and windy outside. We'll see how they turn out!

I hope that everyone is doing well!

-Sister Sudweeks

 

P.S. So... I realized I have a lot of leopard print, so I put it all on and I asked Sister Stewart if she'd still be my friend if I walked out like this in public. She said no. xD

 

 

 

 

Danger, Moving, Alcohol, Death, and No Tracting?

Happy Monday!

Oh Bessie, not even a fortune teller could predict what happened to Sister Stewart and I this week! Everything that happened majorly, happened on a separate day this week. There were no boring days for us!

One of the members gave us a "dream catcher." 

But, we never dreamed what this week would bring!

V. and Sh. are doing well (heh, that rhymed) and I loved asking V. if she's prayed about the Book of Mormon and if the Church is true. She explained to us that she prayed for guidance, and if this is the right path that He wants her to take. Ever since she's started to meet with us, her life has been going up and up and up. But we found out that they applied for housing in Atlanta, and they could be moving away from a couple weeks, to a few months. We're so bummed because Ap. (the mom in the family) is getting her own place, and we don't know where she's going to end up either. We're not sure if Ca. (our most recent convert) will be able to afford his own place either, but everyone is going their separate ways! :(  A lot of the family has been sick, so we haven't been able to see them as often as we'd like.

Where to even start? I suppose I'll start from an earlier foggy Monday evening with one of our members. She told us that she had a really bad feeling, and that we shouldn't go tracting because it was too dangerous. Our appointment fell through, and we were at loss on what to do. We prayed and asked for guidance, and we intently started to look at the GPS to see where all of the members were around us. I spotted De. on the map, and I knew instantly that's where we were supposed to go. She's been on my mind for the past 3-4 weeks, and I knew she needed us to pray with her. De. was so excited to see us, and she told us repeatedly that she needed us to come by, and she was so happy that we were sister missionaries. De. mentioned she'd love to feed us dinner with her fiance sometime, but we told her we wanted to come by even if she wasn't feeding us! We set a return appointment but that one fell through because she had surgery the day before (she thought she'd feel better for company), so we set an appointment to see her this past Wednesday.

Well, this past Wednesday we were prompted not to confirm because many less active members cancel on us. We drive up to her house and there was half a dozen people around her front door. We asked if De. was there, and Gl. her fiance told us that she passed away in her sleep yesterday. We all looked at each other, and we weren't sure if they were kidding and wanted us to go away, but the Spirit confirmed to us that it was true. Gl. told us it wasn't a good time, but I piped up and asked if we could pray with them. They gave their names individually, and I knew that it was me who needed to leave the Savior's peace and a blessing upon them and De.'s family. I took a long pause before I opened my mouth, and I was praying in my head that I would say the words that would comfort this family. I don't remember what I prayed for as I was choking back tears, and in the end the Spirit was guiding the prayer. Afterward I started to talk about the Plan of Salvation, and Gl. agreed that we could come back in a couple weeks after he recomposes himself. He mentioned that he's had a long list of questions the last two days for his pastor, and we're keen to answer some of them as well. I think that experience was one of the most powerful experiences I've had concerning praying for others. There were tears everywhere, and the spirit was so strong during that short interaction. It really just showed to me that missionaries are literally set apart from the world, and that we DO have the power and authority from God to preach the gospel to the world.

We're officially moving into the apartment that we've been going over and doing service for on February 20th, the day before Se. and D. are getting baptized! This week we were helping the Belleville's up in their attic, where some of the flooring isn't completely stable. I felt a sense of danger as we hopped from piece to piece on the floor that was safe so we wouldn't fall through the attic. It was scary as Brother Belle was helping us with some of the wiring, and he fell because he didn't realize where he stepped had no flooring! He didn't fall through, nor break anything, but I'm sure he received a few bruises on where he hit some of the wood. We've had some close encounters where Sister Stewart has slipped off the chair trying to get something above the fridge, and I thought she was going to hit her head on the couch armrest or tile. Good thing missionaries are kept safe!

I'm sure everyone is just DYING to know whether or not the lesson with P. (a Jehovah Witness) went well, and it did! Remember how P. asked us to pray for the world and how the people around them needed to better their life? Well, the day after we did, his 'homie' moved into his house with his family, and he invited To. to join us in the lesson. It was a heart wrencher when P's Mom drove into the driveway (we were meeting outside) and she saw us on the front porch with our Books of Mormon in hand. All she did was say hi to us, and walked inside. P. explained to us that they gave him religious freedom when he turned 18, and now he's been searching ever since. We taught To. and P. the Restoration, and it was the best lesson I've ever had outside! (Perfect temperature too.) They both told us that they'd be baptized if they found out Christ's Church was restored on the Earth again, and that they'd go to church every week! (Except for the fact they didn't come to church this week, but we won't talk about that haha!) We're seeing them again on Tuesday, and now we'll be able to answer some of the questions that we had to hold off on for tomorrow. :)

We saw the V family again this week, and these kids are just too cute! (They are the ones getting baptized February 21.) They're cherishing the Books of Mormon that we've given them, and their prayers are just journal worthy. Se. loves to pray for those around her, and she never fails to mention how grateful she is for us coming over and teaching them, and how much she loves Jesus Christ. We taught them the Ten Commandments with hand actions so they could remember, and they already knew what most of them already were. :) 

Seriously...the skies in Georgia are GORGEOUS!

Just get slightly jealous of the Georgia skies :D

So remember how I mentioned that Ap's family has been sick? Welp, I got sick on Saturday really bad. I had this insane sinus/migraine headache that wouldn't go away, but we HAD to get DQ 1/2 off. A small Reeses blizzard for $1.75? Heck yeah we're going! We met a member there so we could go out and see her visiting teachee, and some of our investigators afterward. While we were visiting her VTee, she asked if we wanted anything to drink. Sister Stewart got to try this drink that looked really questionable called Malta, but she tried it to be polite. Our member pointed out that it was a 'non-alcoholic drink' but it actually had less than 5% of alcohol in it! Sister Stewart had no idea that it did, and the VTee felt so bad for what happened! She's actually allergic to alcohol (she was a convert) so she's glad that she found that out because she's been sick because of her recently moving here.

We had ward conference yesterday, and we've been given specific instructions on what to do with the members, and President Harding has given us the assignment to contact every single member that's assigned to us, and see them weekly. We're stepping up the notch and we're no longer allowed to tract for days on end. We're supposed to see the members all day every day, and find around them. We've been trying to unite with the members for so long now, and our stake hasn't been giving us referrals. It's practically a plea for help to the members that we'll find solid investigators that will be a blessing to the ward. The entire Conyer's zone is getting special training (it might be the entire mission too) from President Harding in three Thursdays about it all, and it's going to be big!

I hope that y'all have a wonderful last week of January!

-Sister Sudweeks

 

 

Invite a Jehovah Witness to Baptism?

Happy Tuesday!

So I'm apologizing in advanced, because I have no idea how long I'm allowed to email until someone kicks me off this computer. We had to do P-day differently today because of the lack of miles. We have the same amount as last month, except the fact we had to drive to the temple ourselves a few weeks ago, which ate up over 110. We were supposed to have car clean checks, but since it was so cold, they were unable to do so which made us really upset because we could have gotten a ride from the Lamphs. We have to drive ourselves to the temple again in February, and I have no idea how we're going to make it this time.

At least gas prices are low!

Cute Gracie--the one that wanted to baptize her cat!

Since it was the first week of the transfer, we went to District Meeting and we were really surprised that none of our district got transferred. Our District Leader Elder Wood told us that our district is leading the mission in performance. We were really shocked since we've all felt that we could do better, as we never want to be in a standstill. Always keep moving forward! I found out that Elder Anderson (my District Leader from Fayetteville) is my zone leader in Conyers, and I did a fangirl scream when I found out. This is going to be a GREAT transfer!

Remember Do. and Le., the part member family that we taught when Do. and his friends were high? Well, their Mom Sh. came to church two weeks ago, and we saw her twice the past week. She wanted to have the lessons taught to her again, and she asked us so many good questions. We love her so much, and we're so happy that she's deciding to get back into the church again! We're hoping that we'll be able to continue to teach Do., but Le. wasn't too interested.

We were able to finish the Plan of Salvation with V. and Sh., and I love this couple SO much! They had so many questions about what would happen if they died tomorrow, and if they'd still be able to get to the Celestial Kingdom, or how ensure themselves a spot in the Celestial Kingdom. Sh. was telling us that he went to church when he was younger, and he still had questions for his minister. But now that he's been taught the Plan of Salvation, life makes so much more sense to him because he's never been materialistic and all that jazz. We saw them another time last week and we asked them how their Book of Mormon reading was, and both of them told us that they've been reading it together. They've read the first four chapters at least 3-5 times to make sure that they were comprehending it. Sister Stewart and I swooned on the inside, and tried to hide our excitement as they asked about Laban, and what did 'casting lots' meant. Did I forget to mention I love this couple?!

An. (the nine year old) was being very sassy when we stopped by and had to teach her the last few principles of the discussions. For some reason she found a certain TV show really fascinating. We told her that it'd be a short lesson, and she replied, "Here's the lesson: Hallelujah! Amen!" and then walked away. Finally after it was over, we said out loud so her Mom could hear that she's finished all of the lessons so she could get baptized (nonchalantly of course) and her Mom didn't bite. We're not sure if she'll get baptized this transfer as their family didn't come to church this week, but we're not going to give up!

 

Way back when I got really sick after my birthday, and Sister Stewart was really sick of making all of those phone calls!

We've been tracting a lot this week next to the church building where they have a lot of nice homes, and we've been running into a LOT of pastors! Someone told us that there was six pastors total in their neighborhood, and two Jehovah Witness families. It was funny because I felt prompted to go to this neighborhood, although I didn't even know it existed. We thought it was just a place to go running. We knocked on every single door this weekend, minus a few of them. The Jehovah Witness's came to that neighborhood last Saturday and left some of their brochures. We had to leave Mormon.org cards so the people who lived there could have something to choose from. :) Well, we knocked into three pastors, and both Jehovah Witness families, and one of them became one of our new investigators!

We knocked on this one door who had rap music blaring inside the house, and he didn't hear us the first time we knocked. We knocked again even though we wanted to leave due to the rap music. Pa. opened the door, and he agreed to let us pray with him because the world is so crazy right now, and people need to get their act together. We ended up finding out that he's a Jehovah's Witness, but he only goes once every two months because he doesn't like it. He has wondered why there's so many Christian denominations, and he agreed that he'd be baptized if comes to find out it's true! We're teaching him tomorrow afternoon, and we're really glad that he's our age, otherwise his family would never give him permission.

We taught Da. and Se. again the Plan of Salvation, and they were so cute playing with the pictures. We continued to help clean, and I got some footie pajamas out of it! Sister Va. told us that because we're coming over practically as strangers, her husband's heart is softening. He was asking her all of these questions about the cup lesson, and wanting to figure out what each cup represented, and why we were making a tower. We hope that he'll accept to listen to the Spanish missionaries when they come around.

Sister Va. gave me these footie Eeyore P.J.'s.  Love Them!

I was reading the General Conference edition of the Ensign, and this is one of my favorite quotes of the week:

"When these trials come, the adversary’s minions begin broadcasting that you did something wrong, that this is a punishment, a sign that Heavenly Father does not love you. Ignore that! Instead, try to force a smile, gaze heavenward, and say, “I understand, Lord. I know what this is. A time to prove myself, isn’t it?” Then partner with Him to endure well to the end. Spiritual confidence increases when you accept that “often trials and tribulations are allowed to come into [your life] because of what [you] are doing right”

-Sister Sudweeks

P.S. They brought back my favorite cereal from the 90s. French Toast Crunch! Sister Stewart and I had to buy our own box because we didn't want to share. :P

We Lost Our Phone!

Happy Monday!

This week felt so long, yet so short. It feels like I was emailing y'all just three days ago. I have less than three months until I'll be back in reality. Two transfers left to consecrate all that I have completely to the Lord! Time flies when you're preaching the gospel! :P

One of the members in our ward has this AWESOME chair!

We had a very successful lesson teaching Ca.'s sister V., and her boyfriend Sh. We taught the entire family the Restoration with the cups on Christmas Day, and V. remembered a lot of it which was exciting. Da., the 17 year old sister helps us teach every time we go over there, and V. and Sh. ask really good questions. They both had the gospel library app downloaded before we even started to teach them because we told them about it at Ca's baptism. They wanted all of the books on their phone just like Ap., Da., and Ca. :) They want to get married because Ca. told them that they should get married in the temple so it can be for time and eternity, and not just for this life. 

Af. (our investigator who wasn't raised Christian) was so sweet and asked if she could say the opening prayer. She wrote down what she was going to say in English, so she wouldn't have to worry about translating it into English while praying. Af. first said it in her language, and then in English. We went over the testimonies of the three and eight witnesses, and of Joseph Smith. We were able to answer some more of her questions about Joseph Smith and how he translated the Book of Mormon, and we're going to continue to help her gain a stronger testimony of the Book of Mormon.

It was a pretty funny encounter. Sister Stewart and I both had the prompting to go to the exact same street where we met T. and his golf cart. We sat in the car making calls, nervous that T. was going to make an appearance in my rear-view mirror on his golf cart. We finally got out of the car, and we saw a vehicle coming towards us with a white ceiling, and almost had a heart attack! Thankfully, it was just a white car and not a white golf cart, and we went on our way. As we were walking we decided it was way too cold for him to be out and about because it was below freezing a lot this week. Sister Stewart had the prompting to go to the very last house on the street, and we met J! He has a family and did some deep soul searching when he was 18 or 19 and read the Book of Mormon. J. has issues about the church of man, and how many churches are becoming more like businesses. We were supposed to teach him yesterday, but he had to cancel. 

We continued on about our day, and we realized that the phone was missing. We were far from J. and K's street, so we tore up our car and purses multiple times, and asked a member that was at the church to call it for us. Sister Stewart felt prompted that it fell out when she got out of the car to walk toward J.'s home, so we had to drive all the way back there (*cries* miles *cries*) to search for it at 8pm at night. It was so cold and we drove around, and no luck. There were a few people out and about walking their dogs, and they hadn't seen it. We got out of the car and had to walk around and PRAISE we found it! (Praise is my new phrase whenever something good happens. I'm going to say such Southern phrases when I get home.) It was the scariest thing ever because we had over 500 contacts on that phone! Never again!

Zone training was fabulous, and we were able to learn more about the Cycle of Faith. When Elder Kopischke came and had the first half of the mission, he taught it to them. But since we weren't there, we talked more about Alma 32:27-28 more in depth.

27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

 28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

The cycle of faith discussed in Alma 32.  This was one of the BEST Zone Trainings I've attended!

A part of Zone Training was discussing the importance of Family History.  This Elder's response about family history had us all smiling. 

It was just amazing, so amazing we read the last half of Alma 32 with V. and Sh., and they were so focused and paid attention! We were taught that there are actions that people must do, in order to gain a perfect knowledge of things. Give priority to the word of God, don't cast out what you're learning with unbelief, have an inkling of a desire, and you'll receive certain results such as swelling, enlightenment, and good fruit. Sh. and V. know what they need to do to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon, and they're making those steps to receive one! I asked Sh. if he's felt any of those words in verse 28, and he told us that we've been over a lot and he wasn't always included in the lesson because he was busy, but he felt something different whenever we were there. Now that he's been taking the lessons just for a week, he feels a lot more calm because of it. They're amazing! They have to find better jobs first so they can move out of the house, and then they want to get married, and then get baptized. They have a goal to get married by June, so it's weird thinking I won't even be in Georgia when they get baptized.

We taught Da. and Ca. part of the Plan of Salvation again because they need their new member lessons, and V. and Sh. sat in as well even though it wasn't directed towards them. Ap. received a priesthood blessing from Brother Avery yesterday and we're hoping that'll help her in progressing in the gospel. But she's been listening to the Book of Mormon on CD and praying a lot.

We went back to the Val's home (where we cleaned their house on Christmas Eve because Sister Val. had knee surgery) and we taught their three kids the Restoration- D., Se., and Jo. D. and Se. are on date for February 21st, and it's exciting because Sister Val. has been inactive for a minute, but she helped us teach the lesson to her kids. Jo. is five but he was still good during the lesson. :)

It was so exciting, but An. and her entire family came to church this Sunday! It's been over 2 1/2 months since An.'s Mom has come to church, and we're praying that her heart has been softened so An. will be able to get baptized soon. (This is the nine year old who was supposed to be baptized when I first arrived in Covington and then her mom withheld permission.) We've been over to that house weekly to see how they've been doing, and I'm praying she'll be able to get baptized this transfer.

One of my favorite quotes of this week is, "No amount of sorrow can make things right, only the perfect love of God can." We had sisters zone p-day last week, and that was mentioned in the Emma Smith movie. :)

The sisters in my zone during last Monday's P-day activity

-Sister Sudweeks

P.S. I guess I should tell y'all that I'm not being transferred. I'm dying in Covington! :D

It's been really cold, but I was sick wearing my boots... So I wore my leggings underneath my skirt. They're both animal print! xD