Gators, Snapping Turtles, Beaches and Tropical Storms

Last Monday we went to the beach with Sister Sanchez and her kids. It was fun walking around picking up shells and trying to play beach volleyball. We spent some time just sitting in the sand talking. 

After that we ran home and changed into non-sandy clothes. We went to the Babson's home for a Family Home Evening lesson. Sister Babson is the Young Women's President and Brother Babson is in the Bishopbric. They have 4 kids and it was so much fun getting to know them better and teaching their kids about the Plan of Salvation. 

Tuesday we had a lesson with Ryan at the church. We also had a lesson with him on Thursday at the church! It was a miracle that we saw him twice this week! After our lesson with him we went to Ms.Evelyn's and she told us that she's not interested in learning anything from us. Also, Kim decided she didn't want to meet with us the next day. So we lost a couple of people to teach. 

Wednesday we had district meeting and then we did service at the library. That night we had a meeting at the church and then went to the Duncan's for a visit. They have been having some medical problems but are doing much better. They are a lot of fun to visit! I just love everyone here!

Thursday we had a lesson with Brother Evans. He is doing better. It's amazing how you can see people start to change as they read from the Book of Mormon, pray, and come to church. They don't always see it in themselves, but it is there! They are happier! We had a great lesson with him. That day we also did service at the thrift store. We had lunch with a member in Calabash and then had ice cream before heading to Shallotte to visit Autumn Care, where Brother King and Brother Coffey are. We had a good visit with each of them and then had dinner at a Mexican restaurant with Sister Bradford. 

Friday we did our planning for the week and then went to Ms. Hazel's for vacuuming and dinner. It was so good! After dinner we went to visit a member in the ward who broke her ankle last week. We vacuumed for her and dusted. After that she just wanted us to sit and visit with her. She is the sweetest woman! She has had really poor eye sight her whole life and right now she is very dependent on others. I love the Relief Society and how the women will just step up and bring in meals, clean, visit, and do anything she needs. 

On the way home we drove past a pond and in that pond was an ALLIGATOR!!!! It was only about 3 feet long, but it was still an alligator!!! We pulled over for a few minutes to watch him, but we definitely stayed in the car! Yesterday we saw another one in a pond just down the road from the church that was a couple of feel longer. Gators everywhere!!!

Saturday we did some more planning during a tropical storm and had dinner with the Apple family. Two of the daughters had just gotten back from youth conference that was all about missionary work. One of the daughters is excited to go on a mission next year when she turns 19. She comes out with us sometimes and you can tell that she loves the gospel.

Sunday was busy and full of more dirt roads. After church we went to Ash to try and contact a referral. Once again, no success.... even though we heard him coughing and the TV was on. We went to Sister King's and had a nice visit. She has over 18 snapping turtles in her pool right now because her neighbor is trapping them and keeping them there. They are SO UGLY!!! 

After Sister King's we went to the Woods for another good visit and then on to Sister Grantham's for dinner with her and her husband. They are so sweet and fun and nice! They even let us borrow their nice beach chairs to take the beach today. It is so fun having 3 beaches within 10 miles of where you live! 

Sister Behrmann (said like Bear-man) is amazing! I love her so much and I am excited to be with her. Her mom sent some doTerra oil that is good for repelling bugs, so hopefully no more bites!!!

Have a great week! I'm going to the beach to write some letters!

Love y'all!!! <3

Sister Shurtz

Shallotte Adventures with Sister Behrmann

My new companion is Sister Behrmann. She is amazing! Her last companion was Sister Draper, who was my companion last September. Sister Behrmann has been out for 6 months and she has an amazing love for the work and great diligence! We have a lot of fun and a lot of adventures together. She is from Mesa, AZ and spent one year at BYU. She actually was in the same ward as Matt last Spring in Provo!

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On Tuesday we went to Raleigh. The Cheney's drove us and we had so much fun talking for all 6 hours we were in the car! It was a 3 hour drive there, and 3 hours back. We didn't have time to do much else that day.

Wednesday we went to district meeting in the morning. Some of the elders in the district are very.... interesting to work with. Let's just say that this transfer is going to be full of awkwardness in District Meeting. After lunch at Burg-Dog, we went to the Library to do Facebook and some service. We ended up talking with a gentleman for an hour and a half, so we didn't really get to do any service. 

Thursday we had lunch in Calabash before going to the Thrift Store to do service and then Sarah Hearn met us and came to our lesson with Brother Evans. She is just amazing! She has really embraced the gospel and let it change her for the better.

Friday we did our weekly planning. After that we went to visit Brother Coffey and tried some referrals. We taught a woman named Kim and have another appointment with her this week. She has been through a lot in her life and I pray that she will see the hope and truth in the gospel and embrace it into her life.

Friday night we had dinner with the Wilson and Sanchez families. We made Sushi and other Asian food. It was the best!!! I love spending time with those families!

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I promise I did some of the work, Sister Sanchez just never took a picture of it! 

Saturday we did lots of vists and I'm running out of time so I can't tell you everything. But we had LOTS of adventures down some dirt roads and knocking on some sketchy looking doors. Being a missionary is fun!!! 

One thing I do want to mention is that we gave Hazel a Book of Mormon this week. We gave her the copy that had Aly's testimony in it. And Hazel told me to tell Aly that she "made an old lady very happy." Thank you Aly for sharing your testimony! You're such a good missionary already!

Love y'all lots! Have a "blessed week." 

Sister Shurtz

Staying in Shallotte for 6 More Weeks!

Transfers are tomorrow and I'm losing Sister Bartholomew! :( It is a very sad day for us, but she has been serving here for 7 1/2 months and it is time for her to start her new adventure. Pittsboro is finally getting Sister Missionaries back, so maybe she'll go there! 

Tuesday we did service at the Thrift Store and then went and taught Brother Evans the Restoration, and then we had dinner with the Burnhams. Sister Burnham is Catholic, and Brother Burnham doesn't come to church very often. They are both very sweet and we had a great meal with them. 

Wednesday we tried to have a lesson with Ryan, but things didn't work out for that, so we haven't seen him all week. We did deep cleaning and weekly planning. That night we had dinner with the Little's and then went to the church to talk with some of the ward leaders. We helped set up for the Relief Society activity that was the next night.

Thursday was a long day, but it was so good! We drove to Fayetteville, which is 2 hours away, and had a meeting all day with Elder Corbridge. He talked a lot about how to help people understand the big picture and to be able to understand what we are teaching them. He spoke about the importance of parents and one day being a parent. Perfect for Father's Day that was yesterday! We drove the 2 hours back to Shallotte and got here just in time to go to the Relief Society activity. Tiffany, who came to church last week, was able to come to the activity and we all had a fun time. We made little emergency kits out of pot holders and little bags. 

Friday we were so tired! But we had exchanges with our Sister Leaders that day. I went up to Wilmington with Sister Avondet and we had a lot of visits with less active members. It was fun to get to see a different area, but I love Shallotte!

Saturday we helped a member make Strawberry Jam and we also did service for Hazel and she fed us an amazing meal as always. After dinner we had lots of phone calls to make and lots of plans to make to get ready for Sunday and for Sister Bartholomew getting transferred.

Sunday we couldn't get a hold of anyone, so no one came to church. But Sarah Hearn came!!! She comes to this area every year to vacation on the beach with her family. It was SO good to see her and she is taking us out to dinner tonight so I will get to see her one last time. It was so cute at church yesterday she always said, "I'm Sarah Hearn, and I'm a convert! This lady (pointing to me) walked into my life last November and has changed it for the better." I love her so much and just knowing her and seeing her come closer to Christ has been worth ALL of the hard times over the last year.

I KNOW that this gospel is true and that it brings happiness and peace to our lives. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He and Heavenly Father love us so much and is always looking out for us.

Hope y'all have a great week! Love you!

Sister Shurtz

P.S.~ Dad and Renae, no more getting sick or hurt! haha

In His Plan, There are No True Endings, Only Everlasting Beginnings

Here is the quote that I shared with Renae and Dad on facebook when I heard that Gary Applegarth had passed away:
 
"In light of what we know about our eternal destiny, is it any wonder that whenever we face the bitter endings of life, they seem unacceptable to us? There seems to be something inside of us that resists endings. Why is this? Because we are made of the stuff of eternity. We are eternal beings, children of the Almighty God, whose name is Endless and who promises eternal blessings without number. Endings are not our destiny.The more we learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more we realize that endings here in mortality are not endings at all. They are merely interruptions—temporary pauses that one day will seem small compared to the eternal joy awaiting the faithful. How grateful I am to my Heavenly Father that in His plan there are no true endings, only everlasting beginnings."

It is from President Uchtdorf's talk "Grateful in Any Circumstances." The full talk can be found at:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances?lang=eng

This week is one of those weeks when I KNOW that everything we do and everything that happens is according to the will of the Lord and that the Spirit is helping us in all things. 

Tuesday we visited a former investigator, Mrs. Mary, and found a new investigator, Ms. Evelyn. We were able to share brief messages with both of them about how much our Father in Heaven loves us and that He has a plan for us. 

Wednesday we had a meeting in Wilmington and then came to Shallotte to have lunch with Sister Strickland. She took us to Bart's BBQ which has really good fish and barbecue. One of the managers there is a member of the ward, Sister Gilbert, and they loaded us up with food to take home too! As we were leaving the restaurant we noticed a woman in the parking lot with the hood of her car open. She looked hot and stressed out. It was a very warm day and her car had overheated. After talking for a little while, and figuring out that there was really nothing we could do, because we don't know anything about cars, we decided to give her some of the food we had in our car. She had been driving for a few hours already and had a few more hours to go before getting home to South Carolina. We got her some water and ice and gave her some food.

Wednesday night we were supposed to have a lesson with Brother Evans at the Family History Center, but he was not feeling up to coming, so we still went and had some fun looking at the websites and reading about our ancestors. I read about Shadrach Roundy who is my Great-Great-Great Grandfather and found out that he was baptized by Joseph Smith in January of 1831!!! I am so grateful for family who has been close to the Lord and members of the church for over 6 generations now.

After we left the church, Brother Cheney, our ward mission leader, went to Walmart. And while in the parking lot he met Sister Wright's son! His name is Matthew. Brother Cheney took him to the church and showed him where it was and he said that he would be there on Sunday for church.

Thursday we went to Calabash and did service at the thrift store and dropped of some things that Brother Evan's wanted. We had our member cancel on us that morning because of bad health, so we weren't able to teach him a real lesson. That night we had another crazy storm come through right as we were eating dinner. The storm kept us at a member's home until it passed. Luckily no harm or damage done, just some extra rain and some lightning and thunder.

Friday we had a coordination meeting in the morning and then went to lunch with Sister Scheneewis. After we were finished we gave a Book of Mormon to our waiter, Pat, and hopefully we will be able to go back to the Waffle House soon to see if he has read any of it. 

After lunch we did service at the library until the McKibben's called us. They are the Senior Couple serving in our district now and they were coming to Shallotte for the day to visit some of our less active members. We were able to go with them to visit Brother Coffey and he was doing SO good that day! He was smiling and talking a little more than normal and he shook our hands when we left!

Saturday we had a VERY busy day planned... but our plans all got changed on us as we went to our first appointment. We went to Hazel's to vacuum and have lunch and she explained that she thought we were coming for dinner and she had invited her neighbors over as well. We told her that we would be able to come back for dinner, but that meant not going up to Ash like we had planned on doing. So after Hazel's we went to the church for out appointment with Sister Wright. We had our members there and everything... and then we called her and she said something had come up and she needed to cancel. So we called Ryan to see if he could come and have a lesson. He said he couldn't be there for another HOUR! So Sister Skipper and Brother Cheney waited with us for an hour for him to be able to make it there. We had a really good lesson with him though! Clearly the Lord had different plans than what we had for that day! After our lesson we did some phone calls and facebook and then it was time to head back to Hazel's for dinner. We got to meet her neighbors and feed the turtles in the pond. Here is picture of us with Hazel. (Hazel is also the woman who knitted Renae's Mother's Day present.)

Sister Bartholemew and I with Hazel

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Sunday we had Brother Evans and Matthew Wright and his wife Tiffany all come to church! It was so wonderful! We had an amazing sacrament meeting and an amazing Sunday School class that was taught by Sister Bartholomew and I totally last minute! I can't believe sometimes how much the Lord will guide us if we are trying to and willing to listen to the Spirit. 

Overall, we have 6 people we are teaching and about 4 less actives we try to visit every week. Brother Nemerov and Michael are out of town so we didn't get to see them this week. But Shallotte is definitely a busy place with lots for us to do. We are so very blessed!

Love y'all!

Sister Shurtz

P.S.~ One day we found a snake outside of our door that was about 3 feet long.... GROSS!!!

Attack of the Mosquitos!

So this week has been stormy every other day, and then hot and muggy every other day. This next week is supposed to be cooler and so far it looks good. But with all the muggy hot days come the mosquitoes. As most of you have witnessed... my mosquito bites are not normal in size, shape, or color. Therefore, my legs currently look like I have a disease. But no fear, the bugs will only last for a few months until about September I've been told, and then my legs will hopefully be able to return to normal. Hopefully the bug spray will also be able to aid in the prevention of more bites.... it is great to be a missionary in North Carolina swamp land! I have seen snakes, frogs, lizards, no alligators yet, and the UGLIEST snapping turtles on the planet! Definitely a different world down here. Luckily though I haven't been fed snake yet, like some other missionaries I know down in Southern Georgia.

On Wednesday last week we had a lesson with Micheal. We decided that it would be best to stop trying to talk to him about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and start teaching some doctrine. We had Brother Wilson come with us and he is amazing at teaching the gospel! We taught Michael about the Plan of Salvation and he really liked it! Mostly he said, "I never thought about it that way before." Hopefully he will be able to come to church in the next couple of weeks! We can already see him changing as he learns more about he Savior and everything that He has done for us.

Thursday was a day of service at the thrift store and then a lesson with Brother Evans. We had Sister Bradford come with us. We taught him about faith and repentance and how important the atonement is. He loves learning and has a LOT of questions. He should be coming to the Family History Center on Wednesday night to start learning how to but together a family tree. We are hoping that it will be really good to get him to see our church building and to get to meet some more members because it seems like he is very lonely.

Friday we did service for Hazel and she took us out to lunch at a beautiful restaurant right on the water way. (I forgot my camera but pictures should be coming next week)  As we left the apartment to go to dinner with some members, I thought "I forgot the bug spray!" But I figured we wouldn't need it and it was too late to go get it. That night we stopped by a couple of referral's houses and that is when the mosquitoes attacked! As we were talking with a few people we were eaten alive! We were outside for about 10 minutes, and talked to 3 different people. Sister Bartholomew and I both got in the car and counted between 15 and 20 bites on our legs and each had a handful on our arms. Have I ever told y'all that I really don't like those little bugs? Well if I haven't, I'm telling you know. I REALLY don't like those little bugs!!!!!

Saturday we visited some less actives and had a really good day. We also visited Sister King, who is an older woman who comes to church every week, but lives "way out in the sticks" and can't drive. So most of the time she is at home alone. While we were there she was trying to think of something she could give us for a snack and finally she said, "I know! I've got a gallon of milk and some Oreo cookies!" It was SO good and so fun to sit and visit and snack. I love all the members in the Shallotte ward!

Yesterday Hazel found out that we didn't have anyone to feed us dinner so she insisted on feeding us. She cooked us stake, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, biscuits, and mushrooms and then had ice cream for desert. She spoils us SO much!!!!! She didn't even know it was Fast Sunday because she's not even a member! After dinner we went to the Smigiel's (a less active and part member family who we LOVE). We taught them about the Plan of Salvation and talked about how families can be together forever!

That about wraps up my week. I LOVE being with Sister Bartholomew. She is the sweetest and most amazing missionary!!! 

Love y'all!

Sister Shurtz