Week 32 - Have you ever heard so many fireworks?

Dear Family,

 

This might be the first week I actually have no pictures for you! I am so sorry! I will first blame it on the fact that I need you to send back my other SD cards because I am almost out of space on my current card..and then take responsibility for the fact that I forgot to take pictures...yes I just forgot. I was so busy being a missionary I just forgot! This week I will take a lot of pictures to make it up to ya'll..sorry!

 

Happy New year!! Can you believe that it is already a new year? I can not..it does not feel like 2012..I am going to be 22 this year...weird! I was wondering what ya'll decided for your new years "resolutions" or what you are going to do to recommit yourselves? I am still working on deciding what I am going to do and will let you know next week.

Soo.. Another week has gone by and we still are trying to find more people to teach. This is going to sound really weird..but it feels like this past week everyone we have found that we could possibly teach ends up just wanting to meet with us because they want to date us..yes this is a bit discouraging. We have gone through the area book and found some really great sounding potentials and are going to try them all this week. After a series of unfortunate events we were not able to this last week, but we are going to hit the pavement this week. Bring on the biking! (even though it has been pretty cold we are going to do it..) Please pray someone in the south decides they need more sidewalks down here...and that we find women to teach.lol

 

This week we had a baptism! The elders had one of this guy who you could tell really had a change of heart and was prepared to receive the gospel. We prayed that his family would come to the baptism, throughout his whole conversion process his family has been the complete opposite of supportive. His dad did come though! Throughout the whole service you could feel the spirit in the room and you could just tell that his dad felt it too. It was as if he were squirming under it and was very uncomfortable. He could not leave fast enough after the service was over. Before his baptism the dad had made a few comments about how he had been baptized into many different churches and he felt it did not matter where he went to worship as long as it was to God. I have a feeling that after the baptismal service his views regarding this matter might be a little different.
On Sunday we, sisters, had a baptism of sorts, of an eight year old boy we taught. This does not count as a convert baptism, yet it was wonderful to see this little boy that we taught come into the fold as the newest member of the slidell ward.

On Saturday we did a "chalk talk" in the park and actually found a couple people from it. A "chalk talk" is where you take sidewalk chalk to the park and draw the plan of salvation or the gospel of Jesus Christ or different scriptures on the sidewalk. While you are doing this you involve the people that are at the park and share with them the gospel! it is a lot of fun. (especially when it is not that cold) We met a woman and her two little daughters, she spoke broken English, but we could understand her very well. She let us show her our chalk drawings and we shared with her the plan of salvation and she said she would probably be interested in coming to our church because it is a lot closer to where she lives then her church she is going to which an hour away. This week we are hoping to meet with her again. 
During the chalk talk we also met a man that spoke no English who was from gulfport. We got his information and gave it to the gulfport Spanish elders. After calling and giving it to them they said that they have not been able to work with very many Spanish people and were so excited! I guess we were an answer to someones prayers this week.

 

I have not been to the hospital as much as I have as a missionary. It feels like we are always visiting people who are in the hospital. This is not always a bad thing, just an observation. Crazy!

 

Southernism: I don't know if Ive used this one before..but I heard someone call the police 'them heat' or' the heat' the other day..haha :)

Scripture:Phillip 4:11-13

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am in, therewith to be content.

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Love Sister Urie