Update from this past week!

Monday:

A selfie.

- Late in the afternoon we went to Karin and Anthony's with Sister Askew to teach the Stop Smoking Workshop, which is a program that missionaries use, that if followed you are guaranteed to be able to quit smoking!  When Sister Askew was taking the missionary discussions she used the Stop Smoking workshop and has been smoke free from the very first day!  Karin was really excited to start the stop smoking program!  And it was wonderful to have Sister Askew's testimony/experience of quitting smoking, because she had smoked for years!
- We had dinner with the Gilbert family and shared a message on the importance of "building wards/branches that God can trust" through fellow-shipping and reaching out to everyone to make them feel welcomed and loved at church!

Tuesday:
- We went to the church and helped set up for the Relief Society activity that would take place the following night, and then we had our regular service at the community center and history center.  While we were at the history center, Karin and her daughter Angela walked in and were looking at their family book.  But before they left Karin said that she had gotten upset like an hour earlier and had had a cigarette :(  She felt really bad, but we encouraged her that she can start again!  We also asked if we could come by later that evening to see them.

Did I mention that we had a triple X licence plate?

-Something that I have loved about being a missionary is noticing the times that the Spirit works through you, but not realizing it until after a series of events.  Last week we dropped by Brooke's house and no one answered so we decided to write a note and leave it for her on the door, but as we were finishing the note she opened the door!  So we were able to visit with her and we asked when would be the best time to catch her home.  She told us a time frame to try and so Tuesday afternoon we tried her place, and no one was home.  We then decided that we would stop by some of the other trailers, because we had a potential, and a referral we needed to contact.  On the way to the referral's trailer, Sister Porter suggested that we stop by Fred and Stacie's old trailer, because they had just barely moved.  We knocked on the trailer and weren't sure what to expect.  A guy in his early 20's answered the door and we introduced ourselves and explained that we knew the people that had lived here before and we wanted to welcome them into that area.  James (who had answered the door) then said that he attended the Latter-day Saints church when he lived in Florida and that he was baptized when he was 17!  His dad is the one that just moved into the trailer, and James lives in Cedar Rapids, but said that if we come in the evenings he should be there as well!
-We then went and contacted the referral who we were originally going to see, but they weren't interested, and as we were walking back James had just left in his car, and so we had barely caught him at home!  Then as we got closer to our car, we saw that Brooke's car was in her driveway, so we tried her trailer again, and she was home and we were able to have a lesson with her from Alma 43 and the way that Moroni prepared his people with defensive armor!
-Jeff also came up and we were able to give him a large print Book of Mormon and we read 1 Nephi 19 with him, because that is where he is at in the Book of Mormon!  I think it is wonderful how even though he says he is not interested in the church, he still has a desire to read from the Book of Mormon and how one really does become nearer to God by reading and abiding by the things taught from the Book of Mormon!

Mr. Potato Head left his shoes in the road.

Wednesday:
- We had interviews with President and Sister Jensen!  What wonderful people they are and how much I have learned from their example!
-President had mentioned that the thing that will help our mission more than anything is to become sanctified! And how D&C 88 talks a lot about sanctification and how it is the process of becoming pure with an eye single to the glory of God!
- We were also able to see Heidi and have a lesson with her, her kids, and one of the neighbor kids!
-The Relief Society had an end of summer garden party/dinner that Karin, and her daughter Angela came to!

Thursday:
- We were able to see Karin and Anthony, but when we got there, Karin talked about how they don't want to be baptized in August anymore, and how they don't know what to do because Angela isn't as interested in the church as the rest of them are, and they don't want their family to be divided.  It broke Sister Porter's and I's heart, but we were able to talk about some of their concerns and then we taught the message of the Restoration, because Anthony had been working on family history when we taught it to Karin.  How powerful the message that we get to share of the Gospel of Jesus Christ restored on the Earth. That we have a living prophet, that the Priesthood is on the Earth and allows saving ordinances such as baptism to take place!

This bug stayed on our car all day even after traveling
on dirt roads, and the highway!  We named him Frederick!

Friday:
-We stopped by the house that we helped scrape the carpet off of the steps and we met Carolyn, who is the one that lives there!  She immediately invited us in and visited with us for close to an hour!  She is really excited about family history and can't wait to come to the history center at the church and work on her family history!

Saturday:
- Lisbon was having its Sauerkraut day's celebration, and so we helped Sister Beeks with the "Find Your Ancestors" program and so we helped several people get started with their family history!  We even helped the Mayor to find out more information about some of the lines that she has been working on!

Sunday:
-Karin and Anthony didn't show up to church :( but that evening we decided that we would walk to our dinner appointment, and as we were walking there, we saw a blue car and sure enough it was Karin, Anthony, and Angela.  They pulled over and talked briefly with us, and so we are going to see them tomorrow!

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

Love, Sister Call