Knox South Apartment videos

Merry Christmas Ya'll!

Hey yn's!

This week has been awesome! We had been struggling to hand out all of the Light the World cards we have! And my dear companion, Sister Griffin, came up with the most brilliant idea of how to do that.  We went and bought cookies, put them in a bag, and put our cards on them, and we went around to our entire apartment complex and handed them out to our neighbors.  We got some awesome reactions!  The best thing is the walls in our complex are really thin, and very easy to hear through, so we heard a lot of cool things.  One of the many experiences we had was we gave this man a bag of cookies, and he told us it made his day, and then we went to knock on the door right next to him, but suddenly we heard him get on the phone, and say, "Hey!  I just wanted to call and tell you what just happened.... These two girls came to the door and gave me some cookies for Christmas..... Yeah, they were so sweet!.... They're from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints....  I'm so used to seeing guys in white shirts and a tie. I didn't know they had girls out doing it...."  It was so awesome!  We made a few friends in the process and had a few people tell us we could come back and teach them!  I don't think I'd ever had so much success or made so many people happy in such a short amount of time!  It was incredible, and it made us both so happy!

On Thursday, the whole zone along with the Cookville zone got together and we had our Christmas zone conference/party.  Some wise words from President Griffin were said, and then we ate, played dodgeball, and then (drumroll please) we watched Star Wars!  First movie I've watched in a year!  It was awesome!

The best thing about my week was of course Christmas Day when I got to skype my family.  I cried, I really did.  But that's okay because I love them.

I hope you all had a great Christmas.  May we always remember the importance of this holiday all throughout the year.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

All of us missionaries at church on Christmas Day.

Mormons and Methodists

Hey guys!

This week has been crazy! And it seems like it was only yesterday that I emailed everyone. ;)

It started out with a really awesome lesson with Winnie and Nellie. They are both members, and we take them the sacrament every week because they are homebound, but it's usually the members we go with that talk to them while we're there, so we hadn't had much of an opportunity to get to know them, but we finally did and realized that they were never taught a lot of basic church doctrine, so we went back and taught them the Word of Wisdom and committed them to live it. It was really fun! They're so cute! And they want to work towards going to the temple.

Other than that, we just had a ton of weird hilarious experiences with some people at the Methodist food pantry that we volunteer at.  First of all, let it be known that this is my favorite place that I've ever volunteered at on my mission because everyone there just loves us, and we love all of them.... So, there's one guy there, Steve.  We've been bugging him lately about having us come over so he can make us his famous biscuits and gravy and so that we can teach him, and he finally came up to us and quickly and quietly told us that they were having a little get together at his house that night, and that we were invited.  He didn't want everyone to know, so we didn't get all the details, but Sister Griffiths swore she heard, "It's nothing big. Not like champagne or anything," but I heard, "It's nothing big, just a little champagne."  So we didn't quite know which it was, but all I knew is I wasn't getting biscuits and gravy. :( Also, it was probably gonna be a little weird, but that's okay, because it makes for great stories. Also, we're totally in the in crowd at the food panty..... So long story short, we got there, and Steve asked us if we wanted some champagne, but we were like, "I'll take a sprite." And we were a little scared to drink our sprites still, but they were fine, and people were very drunk, and it was quite the scene to see, but when the night was over, we were one step closer to teaching Steve!

But, it didn't stop there.  They invited us to church, and obviously we had to go to that, and it was cute.  I liked their service, but Steve wasn't even there.  Guys, Steve isn't even active in his own
church.  Should we pester him to go to his church, and then start coming to ours, or should we just jump straight to ours?  Only the future can tell.  But it's okay, because Tony, and Valerie, and Eric, and Sarah were all there, and we like them, too.  It was such a cute little service.  They had all the kids get up and had a little lesson just for them about how nice it is to give presents to others on Christmas, and then they had all the kids go around with fudge and cookies to give out to everyone there.  I loved it! It was so cute!  I love that people here in the south all have such a strong belief in Christ already.  We're just coming in to give them the fullness of His gospel.  It really changes people, guys.  I love watching it change people.  It's truly incredible.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

We love Tennessee!

Erin Dr. :)

　Number of close encounters with alcohol on my mission: 2

One More Baptism, Ya'll!

Hey guys!

It seems like forever since I emailed anyone. Mostly because I didn't on Monday, so I kinda haven't.  Our p-day this week is today, Wednesday, because we had Elder Nielsen of the Seventy come to our mission. It was pretty awesome!

On Tuesday we had a half mission conference with him, which took most of the day, but it was really good. I especially liked what his wife had to say.  She talked a lot about relationships with others.  How we need to marry someone who's on the same level spiritually as us, and how we need to be with our companions.  It was really great.

We also had stake conference this week, and it was really good.  Elder Nielsen was there for that, too.  We went to the Saturday evening session with Emily up at the stake center, and it was so crazy.

I didn't even think about how I'd see everyone from Loudon, too!  It was so fun seeing everyone!  I was crying through like half of it, and then President Griffin got up and spoke, and while he was up there, he invited all of the missionaries to come up and stand in front of everyone.  That's where I lost it.  I looked out and saw everyone from Knoxville and Loudon.  Everyone from investigators to recent converts.  Members who have changed my life, members who I had future plans with.  I swear I knew half of the people there, and that moment completed my mission, and this mission has changed my life for the better forever.

Even with that incredible moment, it still wasn't everything that made this week so awesome.  This week we had a lesson with Emily, and guess what. :)  She said she wants to get baptized!! January 14th, everyone! That's the big day!  Emily is honestly one of the most incredible people I've met on my mission.  She's definitely a friend for the eternities.  I wouldn't trade any of my missionary experiences for anything.  Not a million billion dollars!  It's too good. And everyone should get an opportunity like this.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

Other moments of the week that I did 't have time to write about:

*Relief Society white elephant party

*A lot of sick time

*Dinner with Emily and the Harris'

*Getting our pictures taken by Brother Harris with the Elders

*Family Home Evening with the Dickamores, Prices, and Emily

*Elder Sims' birthday

*Raphujio, Grant, and Bro Kaiser are getting baptized in Loudon

Gatlinburg Fires

Hey ya'll!

This week has been a lot of fun, and from the looks of it, it's not going to slow down with that any time soon.

We started our week off at the Harris' for Family Home Evening.  It was a lot of fun.  A lot of members showed up, and we ate lots of food and talked a lot and felt the spirit, which are basically my three favorite things to do, so it was awesome!  We even got to show them how they can #lighttheworld  ;)

On Thursday we went with Sister Long over to the family history center.  She invited us, and we'd heard that was a way we could do some finding and other things, but neither of us had done it before, so we didn't know what to expect, so we just kinda went with it, and it was pretty cool.  I mean, we didn't do any real finding while we were there like we were hoping, but we did find people who's ordinances need to be done, which is basically the same thing!  The only problem with the guy I found is that like five different records say he's married to different people, and has different birth dates, so now I'm frustrated because this man might not even be who the records say he is, and he's got to be sealed to the right person and GAH!!!.... Family history probs....  But I'm determined to sort this out....  I might have to wait a little bit until after my mission to really look into it, but it's gonna happen.  And rumor has it, Emily might be coming with us this week to look at her family history!

Friday was a pretty fun day!  We had our ward Christmas party put on by the lovely Brother and Sister Harris.  It was really nice.  It was the start of things feeling like Christmas, which was just so good! It was just nice seeing everyone gather around to enjoy everyone's company.  And then some previously selected people came up and told stories about some of their favorite Christmas stories.  Brother Bundy's was pretty great.  He told a story about the time he made a perfect snowball that hit his wife dead center in her back.  She of course had her revenge.... Haha!

On Saturday we saw Emily.  She's so great! I feel like I don't talk about her enough in my emails, but we see her all the time, and she's really progressing!  Lessons with her are different from any other investigator I've taught, but it's how she needs them.

The next day we went over to the church for a baptism of a little boy in our ward, and then to watch the Christmas devotional.  While we were watching, Emily texted us saying she wants to get baptized!  It was so crazy!  The only thing is she's scared of what her family will think, so nothing is set in stone, yet, but it just made our week! Then, all of the elders in our district showed up a little later, and we freaked out to them.  And we all sat around a little iPad and watched the Christmas devotional together.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect week. :)

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

Elder Wimmer, Elder Dewsnup, Sister Griffiths and me, all partying with Santa at the Christmas party!

We showed up for district meeting, and the church was packed with people making hygiene kits for the people in the Gatlinburg fires. It's weird because this is the first place I've been to that's burned down. I didn't see the fires, but we've been getting the smoke. It's really sad about all of the people who lost their homes. Please pray for them.

IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME EVERYONE!!!!! Oh.... And Happy Thanksgiving!....

Hey ya'll!

I hope yn's were able to have a happy Thanksgiving!  Mine was pretty good.  We went over to the Connaster's for some turkey.... And some sushi!  Konnichiwa ya'll!  However, it's surprisingly not the first Thanksgiving I've had sushi.  We also got to meet the new elder in our ward, Elder Dewsnup.  He's pretty legit. (Speaking of which, if it wasn't for him being transferred to our ward, it wouldn't even feel like a new transfer. #fastesttransferofmylife But anyway....) Later on I got to make a pumpkin pie that was straight from the pumpkin.  Like at the beginning of the day, that pie was a pumpkin.  It was awesome!

We've still been going around this week meeting with members to get them pumped up about missionary work.  It's been really fun to do that!  This week we got in to see Sister Nix, Marissa, and the Harrises.  They were all really awesome. There's something about being with people who believe the same thing as you do that just makes you really happy.  And really, it's fun just sitting down with people (who aren't intimidated by your name tag) to get to know them.

On Friday after district meeting, we went over to see Emily, and it was seriously the funnest time!  We got to help her put up her Christmas tree!  Ahhhh!! It's that time of year!!!  I love it!!!  And
I just love that we got to hang out with Emily for a little bit, too! It made it even better seeing her at church on Sunday watching her interact with the ward.  People know her name now, and they come up and talk with her and invite her to activities, and she's even starting to participate more in classes!  I feel so much love for that girl!  I can't wait until the day she get's baptized! (Because heaven knows she will!)

Things are going awesome out here in Tennessee.  The experiences are awesome.  The people are awesome.  The spirit is awesome.  I would never give up this mission for anything.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

Sister Griffiths and me on Thanksgiving day!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Quotes of the week (from a book): Mary Antoinette joined the group ignorance.
Mary Antoinette: I don't even know what that word means! Lol!
Mary Antoinette was separated from her head.

Number of guns pulled on me on my mission: 2

That One Time Absolutely Nothing Changed at Transfers for Me

Hey friends!

This has been a pretty awesome week!  We've been getting out into new areas of our ward, and it's been doing wonders for the work!  We still are getting some of it figured out, but it's okay because we're getting there, and that's all that God asks of us.

We got to go out to our new investigators, Donna and Terry, this week. They're really awesome! I could talk to them for hours, but I shan't. I've got too much work to do!  But hey, it's okay.  I'm just happy they like us, and when we asked them to come to church, they said they would without any hesitation.  Unfortunately, they didn't this week, but I'd be surprised if they didn't come soon.

We had Zone Conference this week, and it was long! Five hours!  But honestly I didn't realize it was until I looked at the time afterwards.  Gotta love the spirit!  President gave an awesome training on repentance.  He said that everything we need to repent of will fall into one of six categories: disobedience, fears, unbridled passions, pride, bad attitude, and laziness. So, now we all have to figure out what exactly we need to sacrifice in our life to come closer to Christ. I wrote down one thing for each category, and decided what to give up.  I'd challenge all of you to do that in your life as well!  It'll definitely bring you closer to Christ!

***

Later that night, Sister Griffiths and I went around downtown Knoxville looking for a building.  It was late, so we couldn't see much, but from the distant streetlights we could see a tall black
metal fence around it, the kind a gargoyle would sit on top of.  We parked our car, unsure if we had the right address.  However, something inside of us kept pushing us forward as we exited our car. Maybe the spirit, maybe stupidity.  We followed a cobblestone trail that was buried in the overgrown grass up the steps of the porch, as we heard the sharp creaking of the porch swing as it rocked back and forth in the breeze of that chill November night. There were lights shining from the windows. We could tell someone was in there. "Should we go inside?" Sister Griffiths asked as she tried to peek through the foggy windows. I grabbed hold of the doorknob and breathed out a quiet, "Yeah."  My heart raced as I slowly turned it. Eyes widening, "Oh hey, we're here!"  Good ol' institute building!  I hadn't been in one of those for over a year!  I just feel so at home when I see that carpet that's in every LDS building. We were trying to find a referral there, but he wasn't there that day, so we'll try again in a few weeks. But I must say, it is quite the party there.  The Coburns, a senior couple that I just love, were there, and we got some lasagna since we just happened to drop in at the perfect time.  Good times.

We also got to go out to see a member I mentioned a while back: Emma, who's deaf.  She's really sweet.  We just write notes to her, which makes things kinda interesting, but hey, you have the whole conversation recorded. Haha!  She said something though that really hit me.  She started crying and said, "You know, people ask me if I could hear just one more thing, what I'd want it to be, and I really just want to hear one more sermon about Christ.  I don't want to read it. I want to hear it."  It really got me, and you know, I can't blame her.  Just think about the difference hearing a conference talk makes compared to reading it.  Hearing all of their emotions and the passion they have for it.  It's incredible.  As ridiculous as it seems, after we left, I caught myself thinking, "Maybe we could do this for her, or that or something." But I can't.  Obviously there's no way I can make her hear a sermon like she wants again. It just makes me grateful for the resurrection.  She will hear again some day. It'll be a while, but she will, and it's incredible because I can only imagine that the first words she'll hear again are those of her Savior.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

The last time I got to see Sister Parry out here in the TKM. She's headed home this week to do incredible things with the things she's learned out here on her mission. Good luck, Parry!

P.S. Transfers are this week, and Sister Griffiths and I are staying right where we are, because we're stubborn.

That Week We had Too Many Adventures

Hey yn's!

So this week has been awesome!  We've recently decided to completely flip our area upside down and start over new, and this whole email has more or less been the result of that... Eh... Maybe not the whole email, but hey, it still feels really good to do that!  ;D

So, on Tuesday we started our big switch of doing everything new by going out to an area we'd never been to, and we found a new investigator, Aida!  Whoooo Elders had apparently taught not too long ago, so I guess we're not too original in our area pickin'.... But hey, that's okay!  Because who really cares as long as we're bringing people to Christ? #nobody  So yeah, Aida is really awesome. Her son is apparently a member, and we actually met him for the first time at church this Sunday, so we'll see how that goes!

Thursday was pretty good.... Jk! It was awesome, cause it was Sister Griffiths 21st birthday!  :D We had some planning to get done, and then an appointment, and we were just about to knock doors when we realized we didn't have our phone. We searched everywhere and couldn't find it, then we went back to a less active member's house we tried and found it laying in the dirt.  At that point we had such an awkward amount of time left before our dinner appointment with our awesome ward mission leader, Brother Price, and his family that we didn't even feel like knocking doors was a good option... Especially in the area we were in, so I turned to Sister Griffiths, and I was like, "Sista G, it's your birthday.  Let's go to the Sun Sphere!"  So, we did.  And it was terrifying because we almost got stuck in an elevator, and we didn't even get to the top. BUT IT WAS AWESOME!!! And then we partied the night away with the Prices, after which we taped up their bathroom to get it ready for painting. #stillmissionaries

The next day we went out and did my favorite thing. Knocked doors!  We went out in the boonies of our area, and quite a bit happened.  We 1) got a new investigator and 2) got a gun pulled on us!  But hey, he still wanted to watch our video!  #coolestguyimetinawhile ;)

On Saturday we went over to the other coolest guy I met in a while, Brother Harris, and we helped him with his leaves.  This man is so passionate about everything he does.  I'll just be over there raking a pile of leaves so peacefully, and suddenly he's like, " Aw yeah, Shelty!  Ya gotta walk as ya rake!  It moves um faster!" And then I do what he told me to, and I'm just thinkin' to myself, "Wow, I was such a noob at raking. But not anymore because now I'm Brother Harris' raking apprentice."  And then we'll sit down with him for a while after that, and he'll give us all the life knowledge we could ever need.

But on a more spiritual note...  Sunday's here are really good, for one reason in particular.  This ward, the Knoxville 1st Ward, is so good at taking the sacrament to all those who are homebound.  So, most Sundays we'll go around with ward members and take it to everyone who can't come to church, and every time, it's such a special experience. We go to houses or nursing homes that most the time are worn down and might even smell a little weird, and then each time that we go, an amazing priesthood holder will kneel down and bless the bread and water, and as he does, the spirit fills the room, and it's warm, and it's peaceful, and it's wonderful.  It's the way God wants us to feel. I'm so grateful for the sacrament.  I'm grateful for a church that provides it for each of God's children and for that ability to come closer to Him. That's all I want in my life, and I say that in Jesus' name. Amen.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

 Brian and Mary's daughter, Cailin, has a key blade!

That time we survived the elevator at the Sun Sphere.

 Non-alcoholic Strawberry Daiquiri's, anyone? 

Answers

Hey guys!

So, this week we had interviews with President, and exchanges with my MTC companion, Sister Davis.  It was pretty awesome.  A lot of good came from them.  I feel like recently I've been really searching answers of how I can improve the missionary work here in this area, and for me in general.  And it's interesting because I feel like it has been coming through really sincerely searching for the answers. Don't get discouraged if you don't get an answer right away.  It takes times and work to get it.  And sometimes they'll come in ways we don't expect.  Honestly, I didn't get any answers to questions while I was in my interview with President.  I did, however, get it right after it, when I was talking to an elder who is going home at the end of this transfer.  So keep searching.  Write impressions down. Take time to find your answers, and you'll be blessed.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

Ohlo from the Knox South Sistas!

Number of new investigators this week: 3 BAM!

A Week of Opposition

Hey guys!  So this has honestly been one of the craziest weeks of my mission.  And guess what? I'm gonna be awful and not tell you a lot of it for two reasons. 1) I don't have much time to email. And 2) This is a week of post mission stories. ;)

So, first of all, it's the end of the month, so we had no miles for our car, so that made everything extremely stressful.  And everything important that happened this week was way too far away, and we almost didn't go to a lot of it because we didn't think we could, but because we trusted God, we received some incredible blessings.

On Sunday Sister Peck came up to us unexpectedly wanting to do everything with us this week, and we didn't know what to say to her because of miles, and we didn't know how things would go because she wanted to come see our investigator, Emily.  I haven't written much about her, but she's our top investigator right now, but lessons with her are interesting, so I haven't known what to write about her.  We were basically planning on laying down the law with her, and we weren't sure about bringing someone to the lesson, but in the last minute, we decided to take Sister Peck up on her offer.  So we got there, and instantly, the atmosphere was different, partially because we knew she'd read the Book of Mormon a lot recently, and Sister Peck was unexpectedly perfect for her.  She said everything she needed to hear, and then Sister Peck invited us all over for dinner on Sunday.

So, on Sunday after church, we didn't have miles to go home and drive back, so we had our studies at the church, and had a lesson with another lady we were questioning if we should go to, but ended up being perfect.  Then, we went over to the Peck's house, and had dinner with Emily and the the senior missionary couple, the Simes.  It couldn't have been better.  It was the turning point for Emily.  And what made it even better was when she texted us telling us how much she loved us and Sister Peck, and everything else like that! She doesn't ever say things like that, guys!

It was really incredible, too, because even though we weren't sure about taking Sister Peck at first, we saw her when the meal calendar went around, and she looked at it very intently, and we know the spirit told her to come see her especially considering she's moving this week, which is unfortunate, but it is what it is.  Guys, we're probably going to commit her to baptism this coming week.  This is what member missionary work is about. This is what following the spirit is about.  I know this wouldn't have happened without Sister Peck. She was our Godsend.  You don't know what God has in store when the spirit tells you to do something, but I can promise you, it's better than what you have in store for yourself.  I haven't even written half of the opposition of this week, but I'd go through all of it again just for Emily.  :)

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

Guess who hit nine months!

One Hilariously Spiritual Week

Hey guys!

So, this week has been really fun! Just yesterday we had a pretty crazy adventure.... So, a few weeks ago, we knocked some doors, and a girl named Jocie answered who said she was a member of the church but had stopped going recently.  Her records weren't in our ward, so we didn't have any info on her, so we told her we'd come back and see her.

Well, we've come back a few times, and nobody answered, but we thought we'd try again.  This time, some guy who she was with last time answered the door and said she'd moved just down the street, and without us even asking just gave us her address, which was bad that he did that, but good for us so we could track her down.... And she seemed to like us the last time we saw her, so we figured she wouldn't be too terribly upset if we showed up at her doorstep.

So, we went to this apartment complex, and it was pretty hilarious. We knocked on number 18, like the guy told us, and this big black guy from across the complex yelled out, "She don't live there no more! The girl that lived there, she ain't there no more. She's in numba nine!"  So we walked down the stairs over to 9, and he was like, "Wait! She's not in numba  nine, she's in three!"  And then he ran half way down the stairs and leaned over the railing and pointed at another door, saying, "Wait, she's in two!"  So, we finally settled on apartment 2 and knocked on the door and a man answered, and we asked if Jocie lived there, and guess what! She did!  It was seriously a miracle that we were able to track her down, but now she's pretty much our new best friend, and we'll probably see her a couple of times in the coming week.

This week on Tuesday, we had Zone Training Meeting! It was awesome! We focused a lot on how to include members in our missionary work. It was a lot of thinking outside of the box. That's something I really hope I can get better at.  President also gave an incredible training as always.  It was about the why to things.  He said how you don't have to understand the reasoning behind the rules to follow them, but as you do follow the rules or commandments that God has given us, you will find out why, and it will bless you.  I loved what he said.  He said the Telestial Kingdom is full of people who were wicked through disobedience. The Terrestrial Kingdom is full of people who are righteous through rules, and the Celestial Kingdom is full of people who are perfect through principles.  It's okay if you don't understand the principle behind the rule right now, but just be obedient to what God asks of you, and someday you'll know.  I know that all of the commandments God has given are for a reason.  Some of them take a little bit to understand, but they really are for our benefit no matter what. God only wants the best for us.  So when God asks you to do something, just do it. It's worth it in the end.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

Guess who showed up this week in the TKM! ;)

New Transfer, New Start

Hey everyone!

So, it's official. It's just me and Sister Griffiths now. My little Hampster's left me.  But it's okay. She's gonna go on and do great things!

But a lot of good has happened this week. We started off on Tuesday, before transfers, going over to this rally for the elections coming up, as a whole zone.  We helped feed all of the people that were there. We made around 5000 sloppy joes, and then we handed them out to everyone. It was pretty intense.

Wednesday was the big switcharoo!  I got to see a ton of people I haven't seen in forever, and say good-bye to lil' Hamp.  And then, we came home and died....  This has been such an exhausting week, guys. In case any of you are wondering why I may not be responding to your emails today, it's because I'm napping. I've never wanted to just nap so badly.

Then, Saturday was a pretty great day!  We got to help out our dear friend, Brother Harris, make his yard beautiful, and then we went and had breakfast with him, as he imparted all of his wisdom on us as always, and it was greatly appreciated.

Later on that day, we went to try a less active family, the Fosters. Hamp and I had tried this family almost every week since I've been here, because they used to see them all the time, but for some reason, we couldn't ever catch them.  But since this was Sister Griffiths' first time trying them with me, I figured we'd have no problem seeing them.  And I was right! We came over, and they instantly loved us, and we instantly loved them, and now we're just gonna be best friends. That's just how it's gonna be.  :)

So yeah.... That was my week, and it was wonderful. There really isn't anything I'd trade for the people I've met, experiences I've had, and lessons I've learned since being on my mission.  Well, maybe Celestial Glory, but I'm pretty sure this is helping me with that!  TKM #lifechanging #hisworkhiswaybyhispower #findteachbaptize

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

That one time I killed Sister Hamp.... Oops....

Am I fan-girling over these cute matching elders? Probably. ;) RIP Wadsworth and Evans.

Our new district government! Judge Judy is behind the camera. ;)

Quote of the week:

Random lady in Relief Society: When Abraham was sacrificing Isaac, Abraham was pretty old so Isaac could have just been like, "I SACRIFICE YOU!!!"

Most Exciting Week Ever!

Kay guys,

Here's the deal. This was the most exciting week of my mission, but I have no time to write about it... So, I'll try my best.

Pretty much all you need to know is on Wednesday there was an emergency transfer, so Sister Griffiths showed up on our doorstep, and we let her stay. Then Brian got baptized, and that's the most exciting thing ever, and then we had the transfer call, and after telling president how much we love each other, Sister Griffiths is staying, and we're probably going to be together forever now.

Doing our weekly tradition of going up and down the escalator at the mall. Nbd.

Ice cream at Kay's. #notreplacingtictocs

General Conference for Days!

Hey guys!

So, this week has been really great!  We started it off by going out to dinner with the Elders and Senior couple from our ward (the Simes!). It was so fun! We don't usually get to go out as a big group of missionaries like that, but senior couples just get away with everything. ;)

The next day we went over to help Mary out with sanding the paint off of the framing around her window so she could repaint it.  It was pretty intense. We got the power tools out and everything!  That came to an abrupt end when we realized we were running late for out next appointment. So we drove over to see our new investigator, Derrick.  He seems really interested, and the lesson went a lot better than we were thinking it would.  We'll see how it goes from here!

On Wednesday, we went over to an area to find a less active member in the ward.  He'd moved, but we knocked the doors that were on that street, and after knocking a few doors, we realized something pretty different about the people in these houses. Each house had a few mentally handicapped people in it and at least one person who was straight from Africa, accent and all, who was taking care of them. We didn't have time to knock on all of the doors, but from what happened that night, we had one girl who said we could come back to see her and two guys that said they'd try to come to church, and they all really seemed like they meant it! It was crazy awesome! We're going to go see one of them later today.

On Thursday we went over to see a less active member named Virginia. We went over to mow her lawn,   #firsttimeinmylife   and then we hung around and talked with her and played a board game with her because she was feeling kinda lonely. It was good to just clear someone up with service, and just by being there.

Then, in case you didn't know, we had conference, and it was awesome! We went over to the Bundy's house, and three of the four sessions, we had Virginia, and our two investigators, Emily and Brian, and Brian's wife, Mary, there. It was so cool that all these people were able to be there who are really making an effort to come closer to Christ! And it's even better because we have less than a week until Brian's baptism now!

I think my favorite talk from conference was by Elder Nelson.  It was about always being joyful, no matter what your situation is.  Remember guys, if a group of pioneers who have been kicked out of their house and persecuted can be smiling and laughing in the freezing cold, you can be happy, too! It's not worth it to be unhappy. When things get difficult, just laugh at the situation, because it's either laugh or cry!

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

Vols Won!

Hey ya'll!

So, this week has been good. We got a new investigator, which is always fun!  His name is Derek.  We only met with him once, so there's not too much to report, but let's just say that he should be invited to a fast and testimony meeting, because he is very passionate about Jesus, and that is awesome!

On Thursday we went over to see our investigator, Dustin, at his job. He works at a place fixing cars.  Lessons with him are always interesting because he always has someone pulling up with a jacked up tire at any given moment, so sometimes we have to sit around and wait for him to fix it, but we try to not let there be any wasted time or anything, so we have talked to quite a few of his customers about the gospel, while they wait, and even given away a Book of Mormon while we were at it.  It's pretty great!

Ever since the new change where members can feed us if they come on a team-up with us, we've been getting a lot more food, and a lot more team-ups.  It's really awesome! Good for everyone!  It's awesome because we've been able to meet a lot more of the ward members this way, and gain their trust as well.  (Disclosure: This paragraph was mostly put in just for the sake of my mother's sanity.)  ;)

On Friday we went over to see a less active member, Emma. She is really sweet! She's deaf, and doesn't know sign language, so we just have to write to her.  But we're totally good with that! She's just the sweetest lady ever, and you can just tell how much she enjoys our visits! I just hope she can tell how much we love going to see her!

On Saturday we were able to track down a less  active family: the Zellers.  They're pretty cool, and they have the cutest kids!  We mostly just got to know them, but we shared a brief message with them as well, and we'll try to see them again in the next coming weeks!

Later on that night, we went over to Sister Bundy's house to watch the Women's Broadcast with our less active member, Virginia, and our awesome investigator, Emily! It was so fun to be there with both of them!  I loved the talks that were given, like Uchtdorf's "fourth floor, last door."  Some times you just have to keep on going until the end.  If you didn't get the chance to watch it, I'd definitely encourage you to do so!  Just go to lds.org!  And be sure to watch General Conference this Saturday and Sunday!  Incredible things happen when we follow the council of the prophet and the spirit that's there with it.  I can't begin to tell ya'll how excited I am to hear our prophet speak.  He truly is a man of God. But we can't just listen to what all the speakers have to say, we must act.  "In the end, we'll only regret the chances we didn't take."

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

Also, just thought I should let ya'll know, the Vols won this Saturday! We were knocking doors right across the river from the football stadium, and fireworks would go off every time they made a
touchdown.  First time in over ten years, baby!

Sister Hamp got her ears pierced today, guys!

Baptism Date: Check!

Hey everyone!

This week has been pretty good! We had zone conference this week, which is always amazing! I got to see a ton of people that I love, and hear from Sister Parry about how Loudon is doing, which by the way, it's doing great! But that's just Loudon for ya. ;D

On Friday we went over to this Methodist church to help with their soup kitchen. It was so much fun! The people over there were so friendly, and I know I'm gonna love going there each week while I'm here in Knoxville! We even had a potential investigator come through the lines, and I mean.... Maybe someday because of our awesome meeting up at the food pantry, she'll be more than just a potential
investigator. ;)

We also went to see Brian and Mary this week a few different times. And without Brian even being there we committed him to a baptismal date! October 8th! Woohoo! Yeah... Mary was the one who told us that he was thinking of that date, so we're super excited, and they are seriously some of my favorite people out here!

Saturday was a crazy day.  At first it seemed like nothing was going to happen that day, but after going and knocking on a couple of doors, we came back to our car to go to a different area. As soon as we got in the car, we got a call from Brother Harris asking for a Gospel Principles book because he was teaching the lesson, and as he said very passionately, "There's a difference between using the electronic book versus a physical book that you can break the spine and let flop open," which I have to agree with. So we made a deal, if we brought him his book, he and his wife would feed us dinner. So, there we go. There were some plans for our day.

Then, in the middle of the call, we got a call from the elders saying that there was a member from the Whitley City Branch who just had a baby and needed some sort of contact from the church, so we went over to the hospital, and.... She wasn't there.... So we were a little stumped for a minute, but then we decided to keep going, and since we were in an area we weren't normally in, we tried hunting down some less active members around there.

We knocked on this door looking for a guy named Seth, and turns out he moved, which is  unfortunate, but that's life.... We knocked a few more doors, and then decided to move on, but when we got in the car, I turned to Sister Hamp and said, "I just feel like there's someone here for us." And she was feelin' it, too, so we got out and knocked a few more doors. We came across this girl named Alexis, and her mom, Rene. They apparently had a lot of family who were Mormon, but they were not.  They were super nice and invited us in, and we talked to them for probably an hour and a half.  I feel like I'd never talked so easily to someone of another faith about both of our religions.  They were so awesome!  Then, at the end of it, they both gave us their numbers, and they said we could have dinner with them and talk to them more about our church! They are seriously so cool! And then, on Sunday we met a lady whose son, who is also on a mission, is good friends with their son! It's the best thing ever guys!  I can't wait to go back and see them!

On Sunday I finally got to meet the Bundy's.  I've heard so much about them and even been in their house, and yet I had not met them. But they are as great as everyone said they were.  We got to go with them to take the sacrament over to Winnie. It was a really cool experience. The spirit was so strong giving it to just one person.  It just shows how important the sacrament really is.  :)

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

Just found out my good friend, Elder Evans, from the great TKM got turned into a meme. Hope ya'll enjoy!

Sometimes you just Need a little Break: The Adventures of my Year Mark

Hey everyone!

This week has been really fun! Monday evening we went over to a referral we received from the Bishop, named Emily.  She's super sweet and very sincere!  She was meeting with online missionaries, so she knows most everything by this point, we're just helping her along now. :)

On Tuesday we went over to the Harris'.  Brother Harris is a recent convert, but he's really strong!  It was nice to just sit down and have dinner with them and enjoy their company for awhile.  Sometimes you just need a little break.

Wednesday was pretty crazy.  It started off with district meeting in the morning, and then a doctor's appointment in the afternoon. I got an ear infection. :/ But it's all good.  I'm recovering now!  After that we had a lesson with Tyree and Lakeesha.  Their mom is a member, and Tyree is really thinking about baptism! I'm so excited for him!

We were knocking on doors one day, and we started with a prayer.  I got this prompting to say something I don't think I've ever said in a prayer before. I asked God to make sure that anyone who might need to talk to us would have the courage to call.  Well, after knocking doors for a while, and a nice kid named Bobby gave us water, Tyree called us.  He said he just needed us to pray for him, so obviously we did. I just know that he wouldn't have called if it wasn't for that spiritual prompting I'd received.  And it's so good to know that he trusts us and knows he can call us.  Whenever you need help, just call the missionaries, guys. They want to help!

On Thursday we went on exchanges. I went over to Pellissippi with Sister Wagner, while Sister Hamp manned the fort in Knox!  It was so much fun!  We went to visit a ton of people, and then we went over to the Christensen's little apartment.  The Christensen's are a senior couple serving out here, and it was so much fun to see them!  It was nice just hanging out with them and talking for a while. Sometimes you just need a little break.

Then, the next day after our weekly planning, Sister Hamp and I went over to the Strub's house to celebrate my year mark! We invited the Campbell's over, too!  We burned one of my shirts to celebrate and had dinner and a lesson. It was kind of like... A little break! Lol I know! I'm so funny!

Just remember guys, don't ever run faster than you have strength!  If you need a break, take it! It won't ever harm you!

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

 

Sister Wagner and me getting ice cream to celebrate my year mark! This girl hasn't ever been my companion, but she's celebrated my 6 month and year marks with me! Maybe she'll just happen to visit the mission at 18 months. ;)

There goes that shirt of mine!

First Week in the Heart of the Mission

Hey ya'll!

So, this week's been crazy with transfers. Packed up my bags, said my goodbyes, had one last Tic Tocs, and went to Knoxville.

I'm here now trainer breaking Sister Hamp.  There's a lot of good things happening over here.  On Thursday we went to a less active member's house, named Clark.  He's pretty cool. He's all into music, but he's actually just learning the guitar, but he has a whole set up in his living room.  Oh yeah, and he's a lot older than you'd think he is, which just makes him even better.

The next day we went to see Leia, a less active member, and her daughter, Lakesha, and her son, Tyree.  They're super awesome.  We were planning on just teaching the restoration, but it got all emotional, and they all told us their life stories, and I just got deep, but it just made me love them that much faster.  They're gonna do awesome things in the world.

On Sunday we were coming in from a long day of nobody being home, and we were just about to go home, but on the drive back we decided to knock one last door.  We found a street we thought was good, and then chose a door.  I just knew it wasn't the right door, though, so I said, "Let's knock this whole street till we find the person we're here for."  So we did, and we ran into Zack.  He's super cool and has the cutest daughter.  I also totally related to him when I was like, "Hey man, nice Twenty-one Pilots shirt, and Jesus is awesome, too."  I mean, he loves Twenty-one Pilots, I love Twenty-one Pilots. He loves Jesus, I love Jesus. There's no way he's not gonna be baptized.  We have a lesson set up with him tonight, so life is good.

Hope ya'll have an awesome week!    #lifeisgood

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

 

Me and my new compy, Sister Hamp!

The Last Week in the Promised Land

Hey friends!

This one's been a crazy one..... A crazy awesome one!  Especially Wednesday..... Oh, that Wednesday...  It started off awesome and ended awesome, but what happened in between the awesome was.... Well.... I don't really have words for it....  I mean..... I called 911 for the
first time in my life.... So....  No worries. Our investigator that we had to call for is doing just fine.  And we're good, too, and then we went on our merry little way.

Before that, though, we woke up bright and early and headed over to the mission office to pick up our brand new car!  #42miles  We had to hang out at the office with the Abingdon Sisters and the Watauga Elders until they could install the tiwi's in our car, aka the worst thing ever that only missionaries have to deal with, but hey, we'll survive. It was quite the party.  Seriously, just hung out with some of my favorite missionaries for a few hours, and it was awesome!

Then, to finish off our Wednesday, we picked up Essence and got Aiyana to come with us, and we walked over to the church for Young Women's. We were in charge that time, and so we just partied because we could. We also had our investigators, Sam and Debra, come, and they loved it. We played Uno and Bounce Off, and it was the best!  Seriously love those girls!

On Saturday we set up a booth with our branch over at Riverfest.  It was pretty awesome! #alldaypantsday We had coloring pages, and Book of Mormons, and all sorts of fun stuff!  A few hours into it, President Griffin and his cute family showed up, and it became even more fun
because let's be real now... Who doesn't love President Griffin? Nobody! That's who!

We also had our investigator, Ella, invite us over to her church for their "Youth Explosion," which was super awesome, so we snuck away from our booth for an hour to watch it.  It was at a black Baptist church, so everybody was just feelin' it, and my hands were very sore from all the clapping that happened by the end of it, but it was so awesome.  They also had shirts that said, SWAG: Saved With Amazing Grace.

We ran back to the booth after that and finished up there.  President gave us permission to stay out late and watch the fireworks they had. It was super fun!

All right, friends.... This is the end of my time here in Loudon.  We had the transfer call this morning, and I'm going to go to Knox South to serve with Sister Hamp.  I've actually known more or less where I was going to go since Saturday when President gave me a ton of hints trying not to give it away, but so obviously did.  Lol! Silly President!  Also, my dear companion, Sister Parry, is going to be turned into Hermana Parry for the last three months of her mission, because we don't have enough Spanish sisters in the mission to train the amount coming in this transfer, and hermanas have to be trained by hermanas. We've know about it since Saturday, too, so she's been brushing up on her Spanish, and I've been saying random sentences in Spanish that really probably don't mean anything at all trying to encourage her. We knew it was coming, though.  Really I just don't know if I should laugh or cry for her!  But hey, that's just the life of a missionary for ya!

Loudon, Tennessee: The place that stole my heart.  T-2 days.  Over and out.

-Sister Shelton

That one time I went to Fields of the Wood in North Carolina.

That one time we got a brand new car.

Quotes of the week:

Me: Being in pants and having a booth and staying up late with you guys makes me feel like a college student with a nonprofit organization like "Save the pandas!"

Elder Leon: Oh yeah! Save the pandas!

　

Essence: What if there was a missionary Pokemon Go, and the rare one was Jesus? Would you play it? Jesus would be the rare one and the 12 apostles would be the second most rare, and Judas would be the one that runs whenever you get close to it.

Sometimes We're just Models

Hey everyone!

So this week's been pretty good.  We started it off by going and seeing our investigators, Michael and Ashley.  We'd been trying to see them for awhile, but it never seemed to be the right time.  We were getting a little discouraged, but they finally let us in!  They are so excited to meet with us, too, and we are with them, too. We'd taught Michael the restoration before, but not Ashley, so we went over it again for Ashley... Or as much as we could.  Michael likes to talk so.... Haha! No, he's hilarious. I love them both so much!  At the end of the lesson, Michael was like, "Could you guys come back again tomorrow at like 5?"  We wanted to, but that just happened to be the one time that day we had something set, so we had to come back two days later instead, but that was okay because we finished up the restoration then!  They are so incredible, guys.  They're so sincere in their desire to learn and find the truth!

We had Zone Training Meeting this week, too.  We went over to Farragut, and things went really well.  President gave a training about not picking and choosing commandments to obey.  It was really good and really inspired me.

On Sunday we taught Primary. It's always fun doing that.  Last time we taught, one of the little boys afterwards went up to his mom and said, "Mom, they messed up a lot!"  Then his mom said, "But did you have fun?"  And he said, "Yeah."  She responded with, "Then it's all good!" Haha! I loved it! But this time when we walked into the Primary room, one of the girls cheered.  I think we've made a good reputation for ourselves with the Primary kids. :)

Later that night we had dinner at President Terry's house along with Carolyn and the Kaser's. It was a lot of fun.  It was relaxing, too, which is always good. We got permission from our Mission President to go over and watch some videos on YouTube about the scriptures, so that was exciting! ;)

It's been a crazy fun week, and it'll be fun to see what the coming weeks hold in store!

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

We had a photo shoot on P Day.  Here's just a few of the many awesome pictures that were taken.

The train that just sits on the side of the road that I've always wanted a picture with.

The old water tower that I've also always wanted a picture with.

Me and Par Par.



Not the photo shoot anymore, but still an awesome time at Red Robin with all of the Sisters in the zone after zone training meeting.

We went to a place called Fields of the Wood today for our adventure. It's in North Carolina.  It's super awesome!

A Week of Service

Hey guys!

This week was kinda backwards and weird, but it was awesome nonetheless.

It started off with interviews with President.  It's always so interesting seeing how inspired he is as my priesthood leader.  He just seems to know everything about me before I even tell him.  But it's also so interesting to get a little bit more of an up close and personal look on the revelation he receives for me and the mission. So it was fun!

We had a lesson with Amber later that day, and we showed her President Monson's last conference talk.  He talked about how in Alice in Wonderland, Alice asked the Cheshire Cat which of two paths she should go.  He responds with, "Well, that depends on where you want to end up. If you don't know where you're going, it doesn't matter which path you take." So we asked her where she wanted to end up, and she said she wanted to be like us (minus being a missionary) which was both flattering and reassuring, and we're going to keep working with her to get her where she needs to be.

Wednesday night we took Essence with us to Young Women's. It was really fun. We played foot golf, which is just what it sounds like. You kick a soccer ball into large holes in the ground. Yes, folks, here in Loudon we have parks that are just that cool. And more!

On Friday we had exchanges.  I stayed here in Loudon with Sister Blickenstaff, and Parry went to Pellissippi with Sister Wagner. Sister Blickenstaff and I seriously partied it up.  We went and got
ice cream at Tic Tocs and ate it on the roof of the funeral home, and then we played a ton of games, and tried on all of the random clothing hanging around the apartment, all while still having a couple of good lessons and getting service done. I seriously love that girl! #mostsuccessfulexchangeever

On Saturday, literally all we did was service.  Blickenstaff and I did service at Carolyn's trying to help her clean up her house after she bug bombed it, and then we exchanged back, and then Sister Parry and I went over to the Ramsey's and helped them clean up their house with the elders the rest of the day so that they can adopted a couple of kids.  I'm so excited for them.

It was a crazy week!  And we did a ton of service, and got hardly any finding done, which was very backwards, but hey, gotta do what the spirit tells ya to do.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

 Cute little Loudon.  This is the movie theatre down here.

 Me and Blick on exchanges! Love her!

 Meeting at Panera to end the exchange!

Finally, the first picture we ever took of just us together. #we'reterrible

Just Anotha Week Here in the Great TKM

Hey everyone!

This week we got a lot done.  We had a lesson with Sam and Debra. Debra has been taking the lessons for a while, but her daughter, Sam, has just recently been feeling comfortable coming out and seeing us, but she's super awesome!  She had a lot of really good questions, and we did our best to answer them.  We taught her about the restoration, and we're just slowly digging out her questions.  It's pretty great. Then we had dinner with them, and it was super good!

Earlier that day we went over to our investigator Sandy's house, and helped her sand down a table so she could repaint it. We called it "Sanding with Sandy!"  It was pretty awesome!  It took a lot longer than we thought it would, but hey, we love her, and she needed the help.

On Thursday we had a pretty crazy day. We were just going around like usual, and we were thinking of where we needed to go next, and the thought came to my mind to go see Beth and Belle.  We'd been trying to see them for weeks, but they seemed to be MIA.  We'd met with them for awhile before now, but they just weren't there.  But it just seemed so clear that we needed to go there, so we did, and we pulled up, and their car was there! I was squealing and jumping up and down with excitement when I saw that, and we ran up and knocked on their door, and they were there!  They answered!  It was so exciting! We didn't teach them too much, we just saw them, but we're going to be able to see them a lot more often, and I'm so excited to see what happens with them!

Friday was interesting. We told a guy named Hawkeye that we'd come by and help him on his farm, but he seemed to have forgotten, so his son took us around. He showed us his chickens and goats and pigs and cows, and we got to feed them. I think the cows were my favorite because I got to scare them. :D It was quite the adventure.  We even got a couple of fresh eggs to take home, which was great.

On Saturday we went to the baptism of a little boy in our branch named Trizden. It was awesome, but it was also a little different. It was the first baptism I've been to on my mission in which no missionaries had been involved. We were just there for support, but it gets even better. We walked in and I saw Brother Wilson, who moved out of the branch a few weeks ago, and then I saw his wife, Sister Wilson! It was so exciting to see them again! They were just here for the weekend, but it was awesome! They should be coming back again in the next few weeks just to visit! I just love them! :)

It was an awesome week here in the TKM.  The Lord's work just keeps moving on, and I love seeing that and being right in the middle of it!

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

A picture of that awkward time I realized I didn't take one picture that week, so
I quickly snapped one just to send. Hey ya'll!

Watching the World Change

Hey ya'll,

How yn's been doin' o'r yonder?  This week seemed slow, but it hasn't been.  It's just that the past month or so I always have something to report on like someone getting baptized or confirmed or receiving the priesthood, and for the first time in a long time that's not the case, and that's okay. I've been pretty spoiled for the last transfer, so I don't have anything to complain about.

On Tuesday, Sister Shuler stayed home with Carolyn and packed up her bags while Sister Parry and I went out to do some finding.  It was kinda awkward for a little bit because we were trying to stay close by so we could run back at a moments notice to get Sister Shuler so she could say goodbye to everyone, and we had no idea when that would be. Because of that, we ended up knocking doors at a really awkward time of day, but we couldn't figure out anything better to do.  It was kinda discouraging, but right at the end we found 3 potential investigators that we're going to go back and see during the week.  Then we came back to get Sister Shuler, and said bye to everyone with her.  It was hard to see her leave all these people she loved. I feel like, from watching her, I haven't cried in a long time, but it was good.

Wednesday morning came, and the Breeden's came and picked her up and took her over to the mission office.  It was hard saying goodbye, but now she's onto the next stage of her life, and she's gonna rock it!

Later on we went over to Young Women's, which was the biggest party of my life.  I feel like I hadn't had that much fun in a while.  We did watercolor pictures.  I never knew how riled up I could get just from watercolors, but it was awesome!

The next day we went over to see our new investigator, Helen.  We found her from our other investigator, Debra.  Here in Loudon we have ambassadors for our church.  This is the second investigator we have that has gone around to all their friends and told them they need us in their life.

On Friday we went out to the boonies of our area.  We had a lesson with a less active member and then knocked a couple of doors around her.  We got a couple of potential investigators, one of them being Brittany.  She was sitting outside, and we walked up to her and talked to her for a little bit and showed her a little video. At the end of the video she told us how grateful she was that we stopped by because she had been struggling with a breakup, and she felt like she wasn't sure she knew Christ or was saved even though she told everyone she had been.  It was incredible talking to her, and I can't wait to go back and see her again.

Then we went over to see Marissa and all of her family. It was our last time to see her before she left to go back and live with her dad. She's seriously incredible guys.  She definitely has a piece of my heart.  We halted them a little with getting organized before she left and had dinner with them.  I love this family so much, and I'm sure I'll see Marissa again some day. :)

On Saturday we had our branch activity. We went up to Melton Lake Damn and had an awesome lunch and played a lot of fun games.  Sister Parry and I got there, and we had our skirts on, and then we saw the Elders in normal clothing, and we just thought, "I could be wearing pants right now.  Why am I not doing that?!"  I even thought to wear a slightly more casual skirt, but not pants.... #missionaryprobs  It's all good though.  We were boss at volleyball in our skirts.

Later on that night, I got permission from President Griffin to call my awesome recent convert, Harley, and chat with him for a little bit.  He just keeps progressing in the gospel, guys.  He got his patriarchal blessing since I've been gone from Grove Park, and he got it in the mail a few days ago. I'm so proud of him!

So there yn's go.  I love it here in Loudon.  It's just so crazy seeing everything change.  I got to see the fruit of one of my previous areas, and see two good friends leave. One is starting a new phase in her life, while another one is staying strong with the gospel no matter where she is.  As for me, I'm just in the middle of it keeping the work going and watching the world change around me here in Loudon, Tennessee: The place that stole my heart.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

 Our last picture with Sister Shuler. She's going to do incredible things back home.

 Look what someone put on our windshield! It completely made my day!

Another of the many animals I hold out in the Tennessee wilderness. This is

Hawkeye's chicken. We're gonna do some service with him this week!

Quotes of the week:

Water coloring with the young women:

Me: I've never had so much fun in my life! Except that time I baptized

Marissa....