Cats, Flowers, and Baked Goods

Helloooo everybody!

This week once again was full of finding. But it was still really good. No luck with the typical tracting, but we've been getting creative with how we do things here.  In my short time being in
Rotherwood, I've realized that's the way to go.  Some neighbors that we gave flowers to the other day have been really nice to us since then and have started talking to us!  At the very least, now they know that sometimes Mormons just give out flowers, and that gives us brownie points. Speaking of brownies, well.... More like cookies.... We gave some of those out to a few neighbors, too, which I think also gave us brownie points.  Maybe we'll get so many brownie points that they'll add up to be enough so that we can make brownies... And give them out to one of our neighbors at their baptism!  Hehehe! Our plan is working!...

We did some service this week, too! We went with the Tedrick's over to the food bank and packaged up some food.  It was a lot of fun. I really like the Tedrick's.  The night before we had dinner with them and nerded out about random gospel things!  Add that to my list of hobbies. ;) There's also a really cool book series that I have to look up when I get home. It's called "Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites." Ya'll should look it up, too. I've only heard good things.

On Friday after district meeting, we went out with Sister Mills who is a missionary along with her husband in our ward.  We went to this really random area that I hadn't been to yet. It's called Fall Branch. Our area is really weirdly shaped so the Elders' area actually cuts our area in half, and we don't usually get to go down to this other half.  We went to see a few less active members down there.  I really hope we get to go back soon!

I hope you guys all have another awesome week!  Remember to do random acts of service, because it really does brighten people's day, and they'll be able to feel more Christ-like love in their lives.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

 

This kitty loves me so much! It doesn't look like it in this picture, but I promise you she does....

This cat also loved me! Or... He liked being in a place that he didn't get mauled by little children... Yeah, he totally put himself there all on his own. I was pretty cool with it. #catparrot #missionarypirate

The Perks of Service and Following the Spirit

Hey everyone!

So, this week was pretty good.  It was full of finding.  A lot of it. But before we did finding, we had a couple of lessons.

We met with Ben and Cera who is a part member family.  We were mostly just trying to get to know them, but we really are trying to get them back into reading scriptures as a family.

We also saw Nancy. We went to her house a week ago to meet her son, Ryan, who from what we've heard, sounds like he has a lot of potential.  She's really sweet, and really enjoys us coming over. We'll keep going over until we find Ryan.

During our finding, we were really wanting to go exactly where God wanted us to be.  We really didn't have any idea of where to go, so we got in the car, and we said a prayer.  Then, I picked up my GPS, and I accidentally touched the screen, and it put some random destination in. I looked at Sister Gill and asked, "Should we go?" So we did, and It. Was. Awesome.  We drove over there, and the area looked a little sketchy, but then we saw a house that looked safe to go to, so we knocked on the door.  A sweet girl somewhere in her teens answered the door, and she let us show her a little video about Christ.  Then, her mom pulled up, and she was also very friendly. She knew a few members that were in the Kingsport Ward and said they were nice people, but she was going to stick with her religion, but then she asked us if we wanted some peonies, and she cut some off for us and gave us an extra one just to give away to someone else.  It was so sweet!  Then, before we left we asked if we could give them a restoration pamphlet, and they accepted it.  The daughter instantly started flipping through it like crazy!  It was so awesome!  I don't know if I'll see the fruits of that, but I know something good will come of it.

After that we went over to try to see a less active member, but she wasn't there.  Luckily her sweet aunt who is a member and lives right next to her was home, and she talked to us for a little bit, and she really cheered us up, and was able to tell us more about her niece. We gave her one of the flowers before we left, and then we went home to drop off the other flowers before our dinner appointment.  We saw two ladies outside, and so we decided that instead of taking them inside, we'd give them to them.  Then, one of the ladies asked if we knew anyone who could do some babysitting, so now we're hoping to help her find someone.

The next day we made some cookies and gave them to a lady who we helped move in earlier that week, and the lady who asked if we knew anyone who could babysit for her because she seemed a little stressed, and we just wanted to help a little bit.  We don't know if anything we did will cause them to join the church, but it was still the best part of my week.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

That one time we all matched.

My first week in Rotherwood

Hey everyone!

So this week has been crazy, but good.  In case you didn't read in last week's email, this week was transfers.  It was so hard leaving Grove Park, but so good coming to Rotherwood.  It's crazy leaving an area.  I feel like it wasn't until the very end of being with all of these people that I've been with for months that I truly knew how some of them felt about me, and when I realized some people saw me as their best friend and others their daughter, it broke my heart leaving them, but I know good things are going to happen here in Rotherwood.  I know it!

As soon as I heard the transfer call Monday morning, I knew this was exactly where I need to be. Rotherwood is mostly in Kingsport. It's half in Tennessee, half in Virginia.  It's also right next to my first area, Rogersville, which is half the reason I died when I found out I was coming here. Also, Sister Gill.  Can we talk about her for a second?  She's the best.  She's exactly who I need in my life right now.  It seriously couldn't be more perfect.

Before I left I said goodbye to everyone in Grove Park, which was the worst.  It was pretty heart breaking, but at least we're able to finish off the day good.  We celebrated Elder Stringham's 21st
birthday.  When we said goodbye to the Maret's, Sister Maret gave us some money for pizza, and a cake she made for Stringham's birthday.  We ran over to the store to get some ginger beer and then met them at the church to party.  It was so fun!  I'ma miss those guys.  The next day was transfers, and it was terrible leaving Sister Murri because she's bae.  But it was necessary because now everything is good here with Sister Gill.  Oh, secret's out.  I get to kill Gill. This is her last transfer, and it's gonna be a bomb diggity one at that if not for her sake, for mine.  We both need it.  Can't just let this mission run away from us.

We went over to see our investigators, Todd and Kim, a few times.  One of the lessons we had with them, we asked if Todd wanted to be baptized, and he said he did!  We don't have a date set yet, because we didn't plan to ask him so we didn't pick out a date, but it'll happen here soon.

We also went over to see this awesome lady named Maxie this week.  Oh, my goodness, I adore her!  She's so spunky and adventurous, even though she's getting a little old.  Those are the best kinds of old ladies. Kinda like Sister T in Grove Park, but not.... They're very different people, but still both older, and they won't let that slow them down.

That's pretty much been my week.  It's been awesome. It's just good to remember that change is more often than not a good thing, and we shouldn't be scared off it because it'll help us learn and grow in a way that we can't any other way.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

Quotes of the week:

Me: I thought President was going to send me out to the boonies this transfer.
Sister Young: This is the boonies!
Me: Compared to the rest of the mission?
Sister Young: Oh... Yeah.....

 Yeah. This just happened. 

It's usually only this red in the sun.

 Sister Roger's cute kitties!

Celebrating Stringham's birthday!

At M's house waiting for dinner!

Me and Sister Gill.

My new district.  Back into a relief society...

God be with You Till We Meet Again

Hey guys!

So, this week has been.... interesting to say the least.  Sadly, Sister Murri and I are still sick.  I think we're more sick of being sick than we are physically sick.  That's why today we're going on a hike even while being sick.  It's more because transfers are this week, and I'm leaving to go to Rotherwood with Sister Gill! I'm so excited, but I'm definitely going to miss everyone in Grove Park and Sister Murri. She is bad. But at the same time, I'm so excited to go be with Sister Gill! She's so cute!  And Rotherwood is cool because of so many reasons.  It's half in Tennessee half in Virginia, and it's right next to my first area, Rogersville! I just feel like I definitely need to be up there. They keep putting me up there.

Despite still being sick, when we did have enough energy to do stuff, it was really good... And really weird..... Bible bashing referrals, and creepy guys calling us on the phone are just a few of the really weird things that happened, not just this week, but all on the same day. Literally everything that happened on Saturday was completely weird.  Those stories are to be saved for after the mission, though. And yeah, weird things happened on more than just that one day, but hey, good things happened, too.

On Friday we went with Harley over to Greg's house, his friend, to record a song that he'd been writing.  Yes, you read that right.  One day in church Harley heard us sing, and he said he liked the sound of our voices and that they'd sound great in his song, so he asked if we could sing back up in his song. We weren't quite sure what to say, so we called up Pres and asked if that was okay, and he responded with, "Sure. Just make sure you give me a recording."  So we went ahead with it!  Hopefully, Harley likes what we gave him. If not, that's okay.  I didn't want to be famous, anyway.... -sobbing in a corner-  I'll be sure to let ya'll listen to it when he's done with it.  Until then, the book is true, the atonement is awesome, and God be with you till we meet again!

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

Quotes of the week:

-After playing the piano-
Greg: Your mother must be a very stern woman.
Me: Yes, she is.

-After singing "I'll Go Where You want Me to Go"-
Bro Long (2nd Counselor in Bishopric): We're going to hear from,
Brother Garcia, after which we will sing hymn #152, God Be with You
Till We Meet Again."
-Sister Murri, Elder Wadsworth and Elder Stringhaas they point at me:
GAH! This is for you!
Me (in a hushed annoyed whisper): You shut up! You all shut up!

Finally, my last week being here, I got a picture of it!

The Time we all Died

Hey er'body!

This week we've been the drivers of the struggle bus.  Everything was fine and dandy, and then BAM! We're sick.  Yup. Both of us.  We were going about our business on Wednesday, and actually it was looking up to be a pretty good day. We had district meeting, President even came to district meeting and we all got our interviews with him, then we had Quilts of Valor, and after that we were both just feeling so dead, so we ended up passing out, and when we woke up we both had fevers. So yeah, that's pretty fun.

We ended up not being able to do anything the entire rest of the week. We just slept and watched Bible videos, and colored in my awesome coloring book, and read the all the scriptures, which hey, those are all great things, but guys! I just wanted to be out saving souls! Instead I was stuck inside saving my body.... Or more like saving other people's bodies. Ours were already gone. There was no coming back for us. We were already burning. With fevers!

But hey, good thing the atonement is real, and we'll have resurrected bodies someday.  I'm looking forward to that!  But really though, some good things still happened.  When we first got sick, we needed the help of someone, so we called up Sister Beal to be our mom for a little bit, and it was just so cool because she came over to save us, and she said she'd been needing to feel like a mom, and coming over to help us was just what she needed.

So, there you go guys.  There is your spiritual thought for the week. Allow others to serve you because anyone who's ever done service knows that serving others makes you feel better, so let someone feel better by serving you.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

#faithwalking

Hellooooo theeeere everyone!

This week, like all the weeks of my mission, has been a good one. Remember my last email when I said we went to see Harley in the hospital three days in a row?  Change that to four.  After our awesome P-Day adventures, we went and had dinner with a cute girl in our ward, Amber, and then we went to see Harley with her.  We were planning on going to see someone else, but we felt like we should hang out with Amber, and the person we were going to go see can be a little difficult.  We knew Harley would like a good surprise visit, too, but I think this last visit was more for her than him.  Let's just say the spirit does miraculous things. ;)

We also got two awesome new investigators this week.  Jamie, who we tracked into and is so sweet and is happy to have us come back, and Austin, who has been coming to church with his girlfriend for awhile. Not much to report on them, yet, but I'll keep yn's updated. ;)

On Thursday we got to do something really cool!  We started a Book of Mormon study class!  It's sooo fun!  I just can't get over my excitement for this class. It's for anyone who wants to come every first and third Thursday.  It was pretty small this time just because it was the first time, and there wasn't much of a way to advertise since we had conference, but that's okay because the people who did come loved it, and we know more people will come.  It was kind of a test run this time, but from the looks of it, it seems like it's mostly just a discussion that we initiate and lead on the way. We read over all of the stuff that comes before the actual Book of Mormon, like the testimonies and title page and all of that good stuff!  We talked about the books in the Book of Mormon and where they all came from and all of that fun stuff, and the importance of reading it and finding out for yourself to know if it's true.  If ya'll want to read along with us at home and email me your thoughts, that'd be awesome!  Next time, the first couple chapters of Nephi!

A few weeks ago when Harley came to church we were passing along our meal calendar, and Harley saw it and asked, "Do you have to be a member to sign up on that?"  We were happy to give it to him, and he's been so excited for this big barbecue he's been wanting to throw for us and all of his friends.  So, Saturday we got to finally go to it!  It was so fun!  We all just hung around and enjoyed each other's company.  He and all of his friends just jammed out, which is a very normal occurrence over there, and we loved it!

Anyway, I love all a yn's; keep living the gospel!  It's the way to be!

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

P-Day Sun Sphere adventures!

 Hey guys! Look what musical came to town!

The beautiful Knoxville Theatre on Gay Street!

 This is a cake Harley made just for us when he had his barbecue!

Harley also gave us each this cute little cross.

 

Quotes of the week:

Harley: I just want to be able to remember Jesus all the time, so I'm thinking of getting a Tree of Life tattoo.

Sister T: Verily verily, I have spoken from the book of Sister T first chapter third verse.

Me: I want him to live in my basement.

That One Weird Week of General Conference

Hey er'body!

This week has been quite the adventure.  On Wednesday we had exchanges, and for the first time in my entire mission, they finally let me stay in my area for the day! Woohoo!.... (Even though they almost had me go over to the other area and I had to tell them....) but it was so fun! Sister Sulivan came over here, and it was packed full of fun!  We first went over to see Carol, a less active member.  We taught her all about temples, and oh my goodness, does she want to go!  Right as we were leaving, we heard something in the distance. The ice cream truck!  We went and hunted it down!  It was kinda interesting, when we got up there, the ice cream man called us sisters, and nobody who doesn't know us knows to call us that. He comes around all the time, so I think he might have talked with missionaries before.  We'd better track him down the next time he comes by.  We ended the night by going over to the Son Light Baptist Church for AWONA, having dinner with the Petersons and having their famous pizza, and going over to see the wonderful Hutchens.

On Friday we were going to go over to give Harley a lesson, but then he sent us a message saying he had to have a surgery on his leg, so we got permission from President to go out of our area and went to see him.  He was pretty happy to see us.  We taught him a few of the commandments, and then as we were talking to him, he said, "I've decided I want to join your church, and I want to be baptized on Cinco de Mayo." Gah!!! Harley is getting baptized, you guys!

We were planning on bringing Harley over to the Beal's house to watch General Conference (which he was so excited to watch), but since he was in he hospital, we ended up going over to the hospital for the Saturday afternoon session and watching it with him after going to Sister Aubry and Weaver's house for brunch and the first session.

On Sunday we watched conference at the Beal's house with the elders. We watched both sessions, and it was so fun!  We had lunch and played some fun games in between sessions.

After conference was done, we found out Harley had another surgery, so we decided it would be best to come over with Brother Copeland and Hinson, and they gave him a priesthood blessing.  It was such a powerful blessing!

It was a little weird that we saw Harley three days in a row this week because that never happens, but if the need is there you've got to do it. Always remember to follow the spirit because it's when you do that, that miracles can happen.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

All of us partying once we were reunited! (And it feels so good!)

Quotes of the week:

Harley: You guys are my friends and I don't even know your names!

Harley: Double 0 seven. Sent from heaven.