Week of April 27 - May 5

My trainer has LEFT me!!  I'm so sad.  Sister Brown was a lot of things for me, but the most important and the most prominent was friend.  She taught me a lot, including how to be a missionary and how to have FUN as a missionary, but she was mostly just my friend when I needed a friend!   And she got on the transfer van this morning to head to Jackson to head home! 

So, guess who my next companion is!!!  Guess.  Like really.   I know you’re saying, "Oh, but Sarah, we don't know any missionaries in your mission except the people from your MTC district!"  That's how I felt too.  My new companion is SISTER BARNEY, my MTC companion!  Don't people wait like their whole missions to be reunited with their MTC companion? I just had to wait like 3 months :) 

I am excited. :) I'm SO glad that I already KNOW who my companion is and I already LOVE her and I know I can live with her.  So…so far, my companions have been:

            1) Sister Barney

 2) Sister Brown 

 3) Sister Barney

Okay here's the rest of my week:

I was feeling sick last weekend (which was super annoying for exchanges!) but I feel better. We got to take naps last P-Day (Monday) and had dinner with a member family.  Then, their 18 year old daughter went to a lesson with us because she wants to go on a mission soon! 

On Tuesday, we went to the nursing home and sang gospel songs.  Then I was feeling so sick that I couldn't do anything, so I just kinda slept all day.  I felt really bad because I knew Sister Brown wanted to be working her last week, but I was a ZOMBIE.  I was just too sick to be a missionary.  It's different being sick as a missionary than as a college student.  At school, I could just sniff my way through the day and then crash but, you can't fake being a missionary.  And, when you crash all day you feel guilty.  We had 3 set appointments that day that we did make it to, but that was about it for the day :( 

On Wednesday, I was feeling better but not 100% and Sister Brown had really bad allergies too but -  hey! -  we went out anyways!  We had district meeting in the morning, then went to the Raising Canes restaurant that just opened in Ocean Springs (so good) and then we tracted!!  That night we went to see an older gentleman who may or may not be a member. He's so great.  We went with a sister in the ward, which was so perfect because she invited him to FHE yesterday!! He couldn't come, but that's still awesome that she invited him.  And, it must have been inspiration that we thought to go see him because he told us he felt like he should shave that afternoon and it was perfect because then we came! He's such a nice man.

Thursday I watched almost every single Mormon message on the Mormon Channel website. We get 2 hours of Mormon.org time each week and Sister Brown used them to register for school or something and to write 2 papers for President before she goes home.  He requires all missionaries going home to answer the questions, “How will I stay strong in the church?” and “What advice would I give current missionaries?”   

This week we get the BIKES!  I'm actually really glad and excited.  I have missed riding bikes.  You really feel like a missionary while riding a bike in a skirt with a purse.  It also makes me feel like I'm a little bit crazy, but hey I'm that too so it's fine.  I am also excited for the exercise again!  Since we've been sick, we have not been exercising and have been spoiled by having the car.  Exercise!  Woo! 

Last Friday we met a guy tracting and my companion scheduled a return appointment for this last Friday.  As she was backing up to park and I was behind the car (I really HATE doing that and I don't have to again for at least 6 weeks because I am now the driver!), the man's neighbor was out and he started talking to me.  I told him we were missionaries and he was like, "Well, come inside!!"  I communicated to him that we were in the neighborhood to see his neighbor and that we'd come talk to him after.  When does that happen?  So, after our appointment, we went over and talked to the neighbor.  He is VERY interested in the church so we're going to go back and teach him!!  

Then Friday night was the Youth Fundraiser for camps!!  They had a silent auction and carnival booths for the kids.  It was fun.  I had my fortune read and was told that I'm going to marry Chris Evans (Captain America).  #win 

Saturday was something!  We tracted for a loooong time and met a lot of interesting people.  I think the best was when we knocked on a door and started our intro "We have a message about Jesus Christ."  The guy had this nice smile the whole time and then we asked him something.  His response?   "I know.  I'm Mormon."  Whut.  Yeah!  Hasn't been for years.  We looked later and he wasn't even on our ward roster!!  He's letting me and my new companion come back and practice teaching him the lessons.  #score 

Another miracle of Saturday:  We visited a less-active man with a sister from the ward and he said that he was going to be at church the next day.  And he came!!  It was amazing that, after 4 or 5 times of stopping by and saying hello and 1 lesson on faith (Ether 12:6), he came back to church. He smiled and talked to all the people he could remember and had a great time. It was amazing. 

After church we finished our tracting because, if nothing else, Sister Brown was DETERMINED to get in 7 hours of tracting during the last week of her mission. And we did.  Then we went around to a looot of people and said goodbye. Well, Sister Brown said goodbye and I said "See ya later this week" as we left. #stillhere

Yesterday (Monday) was the busiest day of my entire life.  We were invited to seminary, which started at 7am.   (So…not as early as my seminary was but…still early.)  Then we packed!  I say that "we" packed because I finally packed up all my winter stuff to send home!  I got 3 boxes all set to go and I did absolutely all of my laundry.  And, I updated the area book.  We were really bad at updating the area book last transfer so it took FOREVER. Then we went tracting (Sister Brown promised God that she would tract on her last day of her mission.  So we went tracting.)  

Sister Brown wanted to go tracting her last day of being a missionary! 

I look crazy but we had had a busy day so it's okay. Haha

President has all going home missionaries come up with a "sprint list" of how they're going to sprint to the finish of their missions, but I think there should be a stipulation that the companions of the going home missionaries are consulted! But it was good.  I already have a head start on our tracting for the week and we even gave out a Book of Mormon. 

Whew! What a week! 

Love,

Sister Nash