Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places: Week 30 - West Columbia, SC

Wow. What a week this has been! I feel like every week has been going by faster and faster! I love it! I know that it's going by fast because I have grown a greater appreciation for being a missionary! Well let's begin this email, alright?

Well there was a "snow storm" this last week. I guess it was pretty bad considering South Carolina never gets snow. We got a good two inches over night. It made the roads pretty slick so we had permission to stay in until the roads cleared up. Sister Manning and I tried to work anyway! We walked to a less active's house but he wasn't home... So we went back home until like 1. It was pretty ridiculous because everything closes when they even hear the word "snow." The next day when there was no snow on the ground, McDonald's, Subway, and even the library was closed because it was "too cold outside." It was like 35 degrees. It wasn't that bad. I was laughing because of how silly it was. People in the South wouldn't survive a Utah winter.

We've been working with this less-active lately, S. She's kind of the best. She is a singer and performed on cruise ships for a while. She also cuts hair so she's going to be my new best friend. Hahah. She was only less-active because she had a job at a Baptist church as an organist and their services were at the same time as ours. Well she got fired this last week and we committed her to come to church yesterday and she did! She loves the church though! She's definitely going to be one of my favorite people I work with.

We went to this other less-active's house after dinner (This is important to know) this last week and she was cooking the whole time we were there. We were like "Should we just come back another time?" And she was like "No! I'm making this for you!" She made us spaghetti and fixed it up for us. It was seriously a whole plate, to the edges, full. Sister Manning and I ate the whole thing! We are champions!

So let's get on to the baptisms! They went through! K was baptized on Saturday and confirmed yesterday, on her 10th birthday! She loved it! Then T was baptized on Saturday... She kind of didn't come to church yesterday for her confirmation. We're meeting with her tonight to talk to her about that. Let me just tell you that it was heartbreaking to not see her in church. Man. Let's just hope she'll be in church next week!

We had our interviews with President Holm on Saturday. He's the greatest! He told me that I'm one of the most low maintenance missionaries in the mission and he really appreciated that. I was actually very happy to receive that compliment. He's such a good man. I can only hope that Cody has a mission president just as good as mine!

Well my dear friends and family! It's time for me to depart! I love you all though! Have a blessed week :)

- Sister Amy Christensen

Sticking a Book of Mormon through a dog door. In the words of Elder Holland, "Be a little persistent!" (Side note: I didn't really do that... I just joked about it.)