Exciting Times

Exciting times are happening in Vestavia Hills. Last night the Assistants to the President called us to tell us that we would be getting another companion, Sister Haslam, and would become a trio. We're here now in the computer lab so Sister Haslam can email her folks and get them her new address. So ya'll get to hear from me again! Woo hoo! 

It was kind of a crazy night last night as we prepared the apartment for Sister Haslam's arrival. Since Sister Thorup has been here forever, she's spread her stuff all over the apartment and had turned the second bedroom into her second closet. We had to clean that bedroom up so that Sister Haslam had somewhere to put her stuff since our walk in closet was full. We also sat in the hall while the elders came in and moved the bunk bed from the spare room into our room. I'm now on the top bunk, so that's pretty fun. I think it's kind of funny, because earlier that morning we had decided to move our desks and rearrange the front room so we could have a change of scenery, and then we ended up rearranging the rest of the apartment, so our whole place has been re-done. 

I'm excited to be working in a trio. I've never met Sister Haslam before, but she seems really sweet and I think we're going to get along just fine. At least that is my hope. This is definitely going to be an interesting rest of the transfer

Member Missionaries and Groceries

I love working with the members and I think everyone should do it. See if the missionaries have any investigators and invite them to do lessons in your home. That's always awesome when we can get investigators into members homes so that the investigators have familiar faces on Sunday when they go to church. If you see someone new in the ward, go up to them and talk to them. Our biggest thing is having fellowship for our investigators and recent converts. Ask your missionaries what they need, even if it's just something small to you, it's huge to them. Member missionaries are my favorite people ever!! We went to a dinner appointment last night and just in casual conversation the mom was telling us about two families that she wants to share the gospel with and thinks would love to have the missionaries over. It was awesome, because we hadn't even asked for referrals and she was giving us people to go see. This lady is amazing!

The elders had a pretty good idea that we helped them execute. We chose a place to draw out the Plan of Salvation in chalk and wrote "Mormon.org" at the bottom of it. It was really fun to do and I feel like it was a pretty creative way to share the gospel and let people know our beliefs. Hopefully at least one person logged onto Mormon.org because of this.

So my favorite story from this week includes a new born, a mom and two other kids. Sister Thorup got permission to go down to her first area, Greenville, for a baptism. She took her old companion because they are the ones who found this guy and taught him. We did an exchange and I stayed here in Vestavia Hills with another sister. Sister Gustafson and I were walking the aisles of Wal-Mart looking for people to talk to and we turned the corner {into the cookie aisle} and saw this huge MOUNTAIN of food right in the middle of it. Turns out, this mountain was actually in a cart and a little mother holding a new born with two other children around her legs was trying to push it. So of course we ask her if she would like us to push it for her around the store. I wish we had found her sooner because she had just finished and was heading to checkout. We had to start loading another cart while the first one was unloaded onto the conveyor belt. This little momma spent $636 on groceries for her kiddos. Long back story short, after living with her brother, they were all evicted, they haven't had much food the past several weeks and her car is acting up so she's worried it won't start again and she won't make it to the store to get food. This sweet little woman was doing all she knew how to provide for her three little ones. She doesn't want them to go hungry so she loaded that cart as full as she could possibly get it. We've set up a teaching appointment for this Wednesday and I can't wait!