Monday, February 23, 2015

New, ah-hem, I mean "OLD" stomping grounds lol.

DAD, 

I am so glad you all had a good week! :D The pictures were great and the content of your letter was just as good if not better. I am so excited you all got to go to the Philly temple grounds! HOW NEAT! And by the way, your hastags are quite phenomenal! I hope, like you said, I am building a strong foundation out here, just like the Helaman taught his sons to do! The building process can be really rough sometimes but it wasnt ever meant to be pretty! I learned a little bit about that when I was reading D&C 101 today in my studies. There was a verse that said, in essence, without trials and afflictions we cannot be sanctified or made holy. So trials really are training ground for become like our Savior and more fit for the kingdom of heaven. I hope I let my trials make me holy. 

This week was pretty cool! It has been weird adjusting from the busy, running around, what time is it again? lifestyle in Aurora to a countryside, farmers paradise, old folks stomping ground lifestyle in Brighton. I'm not hating, I'm just explaining the transition taking place hahaha the old folks here are quite kind though! We live with Sister Roquemore, probably the COOLEST older lady ever! She has a laugh that makes you smile wherever in the house you are! We have great leaders that we work with, mission and ward alike. Our Bishop is Bishop Shaw and he really wants to get to ward more involved in missionary work, he is a great bishop. We have carried on the Aurora tradition of zone blitz on Saturdays and its working out really well! Since we work with 2 zones its interesting to see the differences and the challenges. Sister Pitts called us this week and asked us to come in to her seminary class on Wednesday morning and to be on a panel of missionaries to answer questions from her students. we are really excited to do it and afterwards she is feeding us breakfast! #BEASTLAKEBLESSINGS.

 We had an interesting experience though at the blitz, so we pull up and we see a set of elders walking away form this house and this lady standing outside pointing at them. We get out and she is spitting out profanity on top of profanity. Apparently they had talked to her son at the door and she had pulled up as soon as they were leaving and they offered to help her take in her groceries and she freaked out and said she was going to call the cops for talking to her kid and allegedly threatening him... SO they said whatever and walked away but the lady wouldn't quit so the zone leaders ended up having to stay there to calm her down while the rest of us went on about our business. The ZL's said later that they calmed her down, the cops came and everything worked out but I learned just how unhappy people are without Christ in their lives. Little did that woman know how many blessings she turned down by turning the missionaries down. It makes me sad that people chose to "dwindle in unbelief" but I am thankful I have the gospel in my life. We had almost all of our investigators drop us this week but we have been working hard to find the elect. On Friday we had a funny experience. it was about 8:45 and we saw Christmas lights up in this one house so we thought it would be fun to check it out. We knocked and this older man with a weird little beard thing, a black bandanna and some really gaudy rings opened the door. He said "Oh you came! Beautiful women! Just gorgeous! Please come in, party with us, (he was alone...). I will join your church, come in, party with us." He was SO drunk... There was a huge bottle of tequila on his kitchen table and it smelled like weed as well... Yeah, that was fun but it lifted our spirits and gave us a good laugh! 

We have a great week planned and are excited to exercise our faith and to seek God's will for this area and his people here. Please pray for us to find people to teach. also, the church has released another video for easter! check it out! its helives.mormon.org Elder Nelson has invited us all to discover his sacrifice, embrace his teachings, and share his joy. I am excited to take this challenge. I know my Savior lives, I love him and I seek to feel his love every day. I hope you know I love you and I am doing my best to work as hard as I can so that you and mom and kenyon hailey shelby and calvin can be blessed while I'm here. Thank you for your example to me and the ways you show me your love. XOXO HUGS, KISSES, BEST WISHES. 


<3 SISTER HOOPES

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