Week 7 - Inman, SC - 8/26/13

So it's Monday again! I never thought I'd enjoy Mondays quite as much as I do now just because I get to email y'all! Anyway, let me tell you a little bit about my week!

This week, we got to go on exchanges with my Sister Training Leaders which was so awesome! I went out with Sister McHaley (Who is from South Jordan, Utah) and I learned so much! I got a lot of new tips on how to be the best missionary I can be which was great! It turns out that we have had some similar experiences that we've both had to go through toward the beginning of our missions so she knew exactly how I could improve. We also got to meet a lot of cool people.

That day, we tracted into this lady T right before we went out to dinner with a member! T is 26 years old and pretty much golden. We gave her a Book of Mormon and asked her to read the Introduction before Sister Craig and I would come back the next day. When we came back, she told us she read the Intro and the testimonies of Joseph Smith and the witnesses. We were very impressed so we gave her 2 Nephi 31 to read, which is all about the Doctrine of Christ. When we came back on Saturday, she read 2 Nephi 31-33 and she loved it! She said that she felt ripped off because no one has ever given her the Book of Mormon before. She also thinks that every religion should study out of it. I was just floored because all of my investigators have been struggling with keeping their commitments and here's T, who did what we asked and more! She loves what we teach and we're planning on meeting her again tomorrow. The only things we need to work on is her smoking, drinking, and living with her boyfriend... But I know that when she finds out for herself that the gospel is true, giving all of those things out will be easy for her!

Also this week was a great food week for me! I've had a lot of Southern food and I've loved it! Last Monday, some members gave us cubed steak and macaroni pie and it was the best! Then on Wednesday, we went out to eat at this seafood restaurant where I had fried flounder and hushpuppies for the first time! And where have hushpuppies been my whole life?! Seriously! They are the best! I'm going to go back to that restaurant again just so I can get those hushpuppies. Oh man. They're so good!

Well that's basically it for this week! Again it hasn't been all too eventful unfortunately... But I love being a part of this great work! It's the best! I hope y'all have a great week :)

- Sister Amy Christensen

After searching practically every gas station in our area, Sister Craig and I finally found Kazoozles! It was the best day!

Sister McHaley and I right by Lake Bowen in Campobello

Week 6 - Inman, SC - 8/19/13

Well I'm already a month and a half into my mission! Crazy how fast that went by, right? Anyway, not a lot went on this week because my poor companion, Sister Craig has basically had a constant headache for like the last week and a half... We called the mission doctor about it and he was like "Oh just take the next 3 1/2 days off!" Are you kidding me? But I was willing to do it if it would help my companion get feeling better, you know? So from Wednesday night to going to church yesterday, we were just chilling in the house. It was kind of the worst. Luckily we got some church movies to watch like "Finding Faith In Christ" and "The Mountain of the Lord" so the weekend wasn't totally boring. But it was still pretty bad.

Something that I've noticed this week is that God knows exactly what I need to work on. I was given the assignment to do a training at our district meeting on the importance of members in missionary work, which I'm not very good at doing, and Sister Craig and I were asked to do a last minute lesson on charity in the Gospel Essentials class, which is the Christlike attribute I want to develop while I'm on my mission. It was interesting for me to teach those two topics because I feel like I learn so much more when I teach! So that was cool...

Ready for my crazy story? So this kid in the Boiling Springs ward wanted to know what mine and Sister Craig's first names were. We didn't tell him because we didn't feel obligated. So what's his natural reaction? To look up my name and mission in Google so he "stumbles" across my blog. He came up to Sister Craig and I in church yesterday and he was like "Amy... Sarah..." It was crazy. Don't worry though! It's not creepy because we're actually pretty good friends with him.

Lastly, Sister Craig and I went to dinner at the W's (members in my ward) house last night and they live on this legitimate farm! They even had donkeys there! They understood that we're both from the city and let us pet and take a picture with one of their donkeys! It was the greatest!

Well I hope y'all have a great week! Until next week...

- Sister Amy Christensen

So here's a picture of us with a donkey! Boom.

Week 5 - Inman, SC - 8/12/13

So I have some pretty good news! I finally got my first legit investigator last Monday! We tracted into this guy, R and his son K and let me tell you, R is golden! He understands everything! It sounds like the church answers so many questions for him! We taught him twice last week and one of the lessons we taught was the Plan of Salvation. He understood everything we taught him! He was like "Yeah... That makes total sense! I've always wondered about that!" He also ASKED us for a Book of Mormon. If that doesn't say he's ready for the church, I don't know what does. We have another lesson with him tonight and hopefully things go well!

This last Thursday I finally had my first legit Southern meal! It was fried chicken, mashed potatoes and vegetables. Oh my gosh. It was the best! I'm going to have to get that recipe (The member who made it loves us so she would totally give it to me)! Seriously though. It puts KFC to shame.

That same night, one of the members told me I look like Kate Middleton. I've never heard that one before but I've heard it twice within a week now. It must be true!

Alright. My last story for you is about this guy, T. We saw him while we were tracting this apartment complex and he's... interesting. He told us about how he found this 7 1/2 foot tall mole digging underground. When Ty pulled out the mole from under the ground, he found out that "he had eyes, arms and legs just like me!" Then he decided that it would be a good idea to take this mole man to Sam's Club with him. It wasn't a good idea though because people were afraid of the mole man so T had to put the mole man back underground... I thought I missed the part where he said it was a hallucination or like a dream so I asked him where he found this mole man. He told me he found it in South Carolina. Yeah... He needs to make that a children's book or something.

Anyway, that's all that's really happened this week. Unfortunately we haven't had anything too exciting happening right now just because all we do is tract and see less-actives (And there's nothing wrong with that)! Hopefully the work will pick up this week! Love you all!

- Sister Christensen

Great American cookies! I don't know if you guys remember my catch phrase "You're a great American" but I sure do! So I took a picture with these cookies!

Apparently SC thought this would make an excellent street name.

Check it out! The F & W Flintstone family? Sounds like Fred and Wilma Flintstone to me!

 

Week 4 - Inman, SC - 8/5/13

This week hasn't been too eventful unfortunately... Sister Craig hasn't been feeling too well lately so we've spent a lot of time not doing anything too productive. I do have a good stories for y'all though (notice my southern slang). I've definitely noticed the hand of the Lord in my life this week for sure.

First of all, we saw on Monday that our tire pressure was pretty low but since we didn't have a tire gauge in our car, the senior missionary over cars told us to just go in somewhere to get it fixed. Since all of the car repair places we could go to are out of our area, we put it off until Saturday. When we went in on Saturday, I looked at our tire and it was pretty flat. They patched up our tire for us and told us that we've been driving with a nail in our tire and if we drove much further it, it could have done some damage to our car. Considering the fact that we were driving with it in our tire for 6 days, I consider that a huge blessing!

Then yesterday was fast Sunday. Our church is from 11 am - 2 pm so when we came home, my companion broke her fast. I decided that I could fast for two meals so I just took a nap instead. We went out to work around 3:30 and we found a lady that we've talked to but haven't taught any official lessons to her so she's not an actual "investigator." She said she was going to come to church yesterday but she didn't so we wanted to see what was up. Our conversation ended up being like an hour long on her porch (Keep in mind that I didn't have any food in me). Half way through the discussion, I started to feel like I was going to pass out, luckily I brought a water bottle with me so I started to drink that. Then when I was saying the closing prayer, I started to feel like I was going to pass out. We said bye and the moment I turned around I started to black out. I sat on some stairs and I was feeling horrible. The shortest distance to our car was like down this grassy hill so I looked at my companion and I was like "Sister Craig. I won't be able to make it down that hill to the car. I need you to get the car and bring it up here to get me." She was freaking out a little because I was telling her to leave me but I told her I'd be on a bench a few feet away and just to get me. She finally gave in and got the car. Just so you know, I would never tell my companion to leave me. I knew that was the best option especially when I thought I was feeling better and I got up walked a few feet. Then I stumbled over my feet and fell and my knee is all sorts of scratched up. Now imagine if I went down that grassy hill and stumbled over my feet. I would have been suffering more than just a scraped knee. The Lord really looks after his sister missionaries. I wish I could say that my pride hurts more than my knee... But I'm not that embarrassed about it and my knee hurts pretty bad. Hahah.

Sister Craig and I went tracting on Friday when we got to this house. I introduced us as missionaries to this older guy at the door. Then he started to ask me some questions like "Do you keep the fourth commandment (Keeping the Sabbath day holy)?" I told him yes. Then he said that we didn't because we observed the Sabbath on Sunday instead of on Saturday. We asked what religion he was and he was a Seventh Day Adventist.  He kept like bugging me about it and he was like "You need to go study your bible more because the Sabbath falls on a Saturday!" So I said back to him, "You know what? That's great advice! I think we could all study the bible more! Don't you think?" His total countenance changed and he was so much nicer to me after! He said "Absolutely! We should do it daily!" Then we ended that conversation with a handshake. Why am I telling this story? Because the old Amy probably would have been so mad at that guy for bashing the church the way he did. I take no credit for the words I said though. That was all the Lord's doing. I mean, even my trainer was impressed with the way I handled that guy! That's saying something! I've seen how the Lord has changed me though especially with talking to people about the church. I have so much more patience with them.

Anyway, that's really all this week! I love y'all and I hope you have a great week :)

- Sister Christensen

So apparently they sell infants in Inman... awkward.

The Noah's Ark that we found in the Toyota car place where we got our car fixed!

Me and my scraped up knee :(