Wow! I cannot believe that another week has come and gone here in Knoxville. It feels like I just got here yesterday! I am really loving it here though! And Have I mentioned how much I love my companion! She is so awesome and she helps me through so much! I am really going to miss her when she goes home.
On Monday we had a bi-zone activity with the Cumberland Zone. Which means that I got to see Sister Stapleton. She is going home next week too and I am so incredibly sad! I feel like all of my older sisters/ best friends are leaving me behind. It's a very lonely feeling. I know that I will make new friends and that I will become the "older sister" and I will just get younger sisters.. but it's still really hard.
For the Bi-Zone activity we went to a park and played frisbee and soccer and just chilled. It was really fun to see everyone and to make some new friends..
Monday night I went to Rockwood on exchanges. I was with Sister Edwards. Last time we were on exchanges together was when I was in Johnson City! She had been out only a couple of weeks and I had been out about 2 months... It's been fun to see where the mission has brought us and to see just how much we have grown since then! I love Sister Edwards! She is so stinkin funny! Monday night we went to see one of their investigator's, Rose. Rose is kinda crazy!! But she is really funny. Then we came home and I caught my first firefly!! they are so cool!!! I hope you all get to experience that at least once! It's so fun to just watch the fireflies at night! I love it!! As Sister Harmon says "they are Celestial bugs!"
Tuesday we went tracting and found this really cool couple. We taught them the message of the Restoration and they had a lot of questions. I hope that they really will read from the Book of Mormon and pray about it. We had lunch with a recent convert named Tommy Long. He is the sweetest/ sassiest old man ever! What a kidder! He made us fried pickles!! They were SO good! I will have to get the recipe and make them when I get home! I think that's the most southern thing that I have had yet! After lunch we met back up with our companions and exchanged back. Sister Harmon and I went to a dinner appointment at a members house and they made us ham and rolls and it was so good! Brother Mendenhall is from Signal Mountain, so he could empathize with me on how hard it was to serve up there... he said that the missionaries there never have success because the people there are all set in their ways and very content living the lives that they live!! I was like, "AMEN brotha!!" It was really hard, but I learned a lot and I loved the members there. I would really like to go back and visit them!
Wednesday we went and did service at a members house. She just got divorced and she is moving to Provo, so we were helping her de-junk and pack. I love Kaity and I am so excited that she will be in Utah and that I will be able to see her when I get home! Her situation is really crappy, but I pray that she will find peace and happiness in Utah! I know I love it there.. but I am partial. Wednesday night we saw Josh! He is doing good. Just a typical 20 year old boy. haha
Thursday was a great day! We did our weekly planning sessions and talked a lot about me taking over the area when Sister Harmon leaves... I think I am still in denial that she is actually leaving me! When we were finished with planning, we got a phone call from a guy named Will. Will just got home from the Salt Lake City South mission about a week and a half ago and was talking to his friend Elizabeth about what he did while he was there. She had a lot of questions, so he told her that he would have his friends come and teach her more... so we met up with Elizabeth at the park in Downtown and we taught her the Message of the Restoration. She had a lot of good questions and she is so legit! She has one of the closest relationships with the Holy Ghost that I have ever seen!! It's amazing. That's actually one thing that she had questions about.. she said that because she believe that the Holy Ghost is in her and directs her wherever she needs to be and in whatever she needs to do, she doesn't understand why we need a prophet... we tried to explain that that is the way that Christ has set it up.. but finally we said that she is just going to have to pray about it and find out.. I know that because she is so close to the spirit that He will teach her all things that she should do. She said that she has been on a long spiritual journey the last year or so and that she feels like God has led her to where she is today and she feels happy with her faith... I wanted to shake her and tell her that God is now leading her to the truth.. but I didn't ... yet! I know she is being guided and I have so much confidence in her and in the Holy Ghost teaching her what she needs to do! I know she will be baptized. It's actually been kind of a miracle that we even got that referral. Because of Sister Harmon's toe still hurting, we have not been able to go out and tract.. which means that we haven't found any new investigators... So we have been praying real hard that we would find someone to teach.. and VWALA!!! Elizabeth= prayers answered!
Friday might have been the funnest District meeting I have ever been to!! I love all of the missionaries in my district! They are all so hilarious! Sister Harmon and I got to district meeting about 30 minutes early so we had some time to chill in the car.. We have this tiny stuffed panda that is in our car so we were just being silly and taking pictures with him.. Well he has this HUGE tag on his butt so I was trying to rip it off with my teeth... but that wasn't working.. then we decided to try some nail clippers. I had clamped "Peter Panda" to the sunglass clip attached to a book so that I could have both hands free... Well I reached back to get something out of my backpack and I remembered that this little boy in Dayton gave me a FLASH action figure... so I thought.. wouldn't it be funny if "Evil Dr. Flash" was the one doing surgery on Peter Panda? Needless to say.. we made a video and everything of the adventures of Peter Panda and Evil Dr. Flash!! I was bustin a gut! It was so fun!! We got the whole district in on the video and I can't wait to show you!! You will love it!
Saturday was a great day. The Elder that are serving in our ward had a baptism. Sarah is so legit!! She is as cute as a puppy. haha. (people in the south talk like that all the time!) "Bless her heart" we helped her after and everything! it was awesome! Then we went to see James, one of the recent converts. He is doing well... but he has a lot of questions still. For instance: do animals get resurrected.. try explaining that to someone that thinks that animals don't even have souls.... haha. It was fun.
Well that's about all for this week. Today we are going to Maryville to hang out with our district leader and his comp. We are going to play ping pong at their church and then go to the Smokey Mountains! I'm pretty much excited! Oh and sister Harmon and I are going to go thrift store shopping before! I love thrift stores!!
Well I hope you all have a great week! Keep Elizabeth in your prayers!! (and me.. and sister harmon!)
Thanks for your love and support!
Sister C.
