Week 50-February 10, 2014

This week was so exciting!!!

Ok after e-mailing last Monday we drove up to South Bend to spend our preparation day with the zone. Tuesday was President Cleveland's birthday so we took a group picture and the ZL had it framed for the next day. We weren't supposed to start our exchange with the sister training leaders until Tuesday after interviews but we started Monday night instead. I LOVE SISTER FULLMER!!! I was PUMPED to be able to spend another 24 hours with her. I'm firmly convinced that it me that she was called to be a STL in South Bend (selfish? yeah I know). Monday night I didn't really get any sleep, those race car mattresses aren't too comfy. I laid there staring at the ceiling thinking how grateful I am to be here and how my life is going to be so much different now that I've served a mission. I thought about some regrets, wishing I could have learned to love being a missionary sooner. But I recognize I wouldn't be where I'm at without all those experiences.

The next morning after studies we had interviews with President. President Cleveland likes to talk, so he's always running late. We played a little corn hull in the gym while we waited. Anyways, interviews with President always go different then I expect. He told me he didn't know what he was going to do with Sister McDowell and I because he hadn't pray about it. I asked me my opinion about training a new missionary in Plymouth. The best news!!!!! I CAN STAY ON MY MISSION AFTER MY BIRTHDAY!!!! I explained the situation with my license expiring and he said they send missionaries home with expired drivers licenses all the time. When the time gets a little closer I'll just need a copy of my birth certificate, etc. I was was excited after that! So now I'll probably be coming home around the 26ish. Who knows.

Being with Sister Fullmer was great. I had missed her a lot. After interviews we got to go teach two lessons. Originally we weren't going to go home until Wednesday morning after studies, but a storm was headed our way and President told us we had to come home early :(. I was super bummed. But in Sister McDowell's interview he told her she would be leaving and training and that I would be staying. So that's what we were thinking for the entire week, however, President is known for changing his mind, so I wasn't really banking on it. Some elders made a cake for President and at one point the entire zone was there, so we went into the room and sang happy birthday and gave him his card, cake, and the picture. I think it made him pretty happy. He told us it would be a birthday he would never forget....so precious.

Tuesday night we got dumped with about 5 more inches on top of what we already had. Wednesday morning we went out trying potentials and 224ing, no luck. But this lady did let us shovel her walkway for her! I always like when people let us serve them. We had dinner with a single sister in the branch. Her husband had a stroke about 17 years ago so she's been on her own for awhile. I may have said this before, but I think my favorite dinner appointments are with the single sisters. They are just so sweet!

I don't really like Thursdays that much because we don't have a lot of proselyting time. We do service and planning which both take a huge chunk out of our day.

Friday we had zone meeting in the morning. It was kind of sad because I knew it was going to be the last time I would see Sister Fullmer. The entire zone went out to eat afterwards, expect the sisters. I started freaking out because they weren't answering their phone and I didn't get to say goodbye. Finally after lunch was over Sister Hain called and I told her I needed to say goodbye. So we went over to their apartment. She got out of the car and I immediately started crying. Gosh dang it! Anyways I told her how much I loved her and hugged her about three times. Luckily I don't have to say goodbye to anymore companions! I will be forever grateful for that transfer. When we were on our exchange I told her that that transfer was a really hard one, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. She taught me so much! I kept crying after was said goodbye, good thing sunglasses hide tears :)

Saturday morning we drove out to Knox to see Sister Jackson in the nursing home. She recently had surgery down in Indy and is now recovering. After being there for a few minutes she told us how just that morning she was thinking about us and asked Heavenly Father for us to come. Who knew a little inspiration during a planning session the night before would answer someone's prayer?!

We got two new investigators Saturday! Wahoo! So it was snowing ALL DAY LONG!! But we tried a potential that we had met about three weeks ago. She had told us that she was sick and had a lot of doctor appointments so she wasn't home much. She let us in and invited her husband to listen as well. I have to admit, the lesson was all over the place because I wasn't quite sure what they needed. In the end we touched on some aspects of the Restoration and left a Restoration pamphlet for them to look over. He looked at the back of it and said "Mormons? You're Mormons?". Funny how some people still don't make the connection. He asked if he could read a Book of Mormon. We were more than happy to give him a copy. Because their lives are kind of crazy we don't get to see them for two more weeks.

Sunday morning it finally stopped snowing. I don't even know how much snow we have now. I need to remember to take a picture. It's funny because I thought this is what winter would be like here. But all the members say this is the worst winter they've seen in years. So I guess I adequately mentally prepared myself for this winter. The problem is none of it melts so it just keeps building up. So one of the elders started the rumor that he and Sister McDowell would be leaving so they asked both of them to bear their testimonies during sacrament meeting. Everyone was so sad! I told Sister McDowell it was going to be really funny if she showed up to church next week. After the block we had a linger longer (potluck). It was fun to continue to mingle with the members.

Then it was the waiting game........President was correct! I'll be staying in the area and be "training a missionary how to work here" and Sister McDowell is leaving and training a new missionary. President Cleveland is so funny, he thinks Plymouth is so different from any other area in the mission, it's different but not that different. During my interview he said he would never double transfer Plymouth again. I thought "thanks for putting me through what you wouldn't put another missionary through". It's all good, I'm so grateful to have been placed in this area, I've learned so much!

The other elder that is staying came out with me. So we'll be celebrating our year mark in a couple of weeks. I seriously can't believe time has gone that quickly! This transfer five sisters are going home. I remember when I came out I thought how when those sisters go home I'm not going to have much time left. That's why I'm so grateful I can stay after my birthday, it will add on another two weeks to my mission.

I'm excited for another transfer, of coarse always nervous for a new companion. I've set some goals for myself of things I'm going to do differently. All I know is this last transfer has flown by! We were sitting in mission correlation yesterday and President Kelly was telling us how we needed to call him as soon as we knew who was leaving. It literally felt like a week ago when he was telling us the same thing. Time is exponentially getting faster and I hate it!