OK starting with Wednesday (because this last P-day was on Tuesday) we spent the morning with a nice older lady feeding feral cats and she bought us ice cream cones. That was fun. The rest of the day was insane we were scrambling for rides from here to there. Not really seeing who we wanted to see. We had dinner at a restaurant that took way longer than our alotted dinner time and just nothing seemed to be going our way. We got back to the apartment exhausted and then DING DONG! the pizza lady! Sister Quinton's mom had ordered her a pizza for her half way day! She didn't even know it was her half way mark. It really helped end the day on a good note.
Thursday we had another lesson with Amanda. This girl is driving me crazy, sister Quinton and I feel like her exasperated parents. We love her but she is a handful. We even set up a curfew with her and she's been following it!
Friday was ZONE CONFERENCE!!! we got smart phones, which we are still getting used to, and we were taught the new way of planning. It makes so much more sense now and I'm so greatful for it! The whole zone conference was just a wonderful experience. We got to hear testimonies from all the departing missionaries, it's so inspiring to hear from missionaries who have actually made it through because sometimes that feels impossible.
Saturday was a special day (it's the day to get ready for Sunday). The first half of the day really dragged. I felt myself getting frustrated every time we would pass someone and I didn't open my mouth, or we would be talking to someone and I just didn't know what to say. I was really done with the whole day at this point
We had tried to contact everyone we planned on seeing but almost no one was available so we were done with our daily plans by noon. Just when I was feeling super unmotivated and just wanted to go home sister Quinton suggested we say a prayer to know where to go. Well it felt a little awkward praying on the street corner but we did and then just started walking. We turned the corner and a lady from across the street started to yell to us. She said "Hey! Do I know you?" Turns out she thought we were Jehovahs Witness, but she's OK with the Mormons too. She was super sweet and eager to hear what we had to say. We will definitely be meeting with her again. Just after that we remembered a referral that was given to us and we went to find her. Outside her house we met Molly and Lance instead. They were super willing to hear us and we shared a video and message right there. The spirit was so strong as we talked to them it was amazing. Also going to meet with them again.
Sunday was stake conference! Amanda came and even said she liked it though it took giving her my fruitsnacks to get her through it. We also met a lady when we were lost. She is 30 and single. She has a cat named Lawrence. She has a testimony of the book of Mormon. She knows Joseph Smith was a prophet. She's taken some of the missionary lessons. She's not baptized... WhAt?!? We talked to her for a long time and can't figure out why she never got baptized. Oh well we will find out soon enough, cuz she invited us over for dinner! So yah we are kind of confused about her, but we are so glad we met her!
A couple other things that deserve mention this week though I can't remember when they happened...
I pet a snake! It was a white king snake (if I remember correctly) not dangerous but still pretty intimidating.
Sister Quinton sounds like a smoker haha! because she's sick :(
We had dinner with a homeschooling family, it's so fun to hear other homeschoolers perspectives, and apparently some parts of Oregon have big homeschool communities.
Shout out to the young woman of my home ward!!! They put together an amazing box of goodies, letters, bookmarks, and stickers! It was really a sweet surprise! Love you guys!
OH so in our area there is a Jefferson Street, a Washington Street, a Madison Street, and a Lafayette Street! It's super hard not to break out into song when passing them.
We got fortune cookies that really sums up our personalities so we had to take pics with them. (Pic of us and cookies attached).
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT! We were looking for a talk to send to Amanda and found this gem by President Thomas S. Monson. It's called "We Never Walk Alone". Super good talks about the importance of prayer and scripture study. This is a quote from the end of the talk but I recommend reading the whole thing." He says:
"My dear sisters, your Heavenly Father loves you—each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there.
As we seek our Heavenly Father through fervent, sincere prayer and earnest, dedicated scripture study, our testimonies will become strong and deeply rooted. We will know of God’s love for us. We will understand that we do not ever walk alone. I promise you that you will one day stand aside and look at your difficult times, and you will realize that He was always there beside you."
Trust God, seek Him through prayer and the scriptures and you will be able to feel his hand in your life on a daily basis.
Hey! my email actually turned out to be a decent length! :P
Love you all! Have a grand week!
-Sister Anna Peterson
(Editor's note from Genevieve: In case you can't read it, Anna's fortune cookie says, "In silence man can most readily preserve his integrity." And Sister Quinton's says, "You have enough energy and enthusiasm for two people."
(Editor's note: Here are a few pictures that a wonderful member of her ward has sent to me.)
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