I am serving in Knightdale (which is right next to Raleigh.) My new companion is Sister Zoolakis. Her cousin, Elder Holle, served in the Raleigh mission and was my zone leader for a LONG time. Her other cousin, Jeremy, was in my freshman ward at BYU. She is 21, almost 22 and she is amazing! This is her 4th transfer and I am her 2nd companion.
So backing up a little bit.....
Monday was my last day in Shallotte. It was raining so our plans to go to the beach didn't really work out. Instead we spent the day packing and cleaning and saying goodbye. We stopped by the Cheney's the say goodbye one last time. I have pictures... but no way to get them on the computer. I'll send them one day :)
Tuesday we drove up to Raleigh with Brother and Sister Riggs. It was a fun adventure and when we got to the meeting I still had no idea where I was going or who with. I was so excited when they said I was going to the Raleigh Stake because I was ready for a little bit of a change and being close to Raleigh means being closer to the temple and the mission home for firesides.
That night we had a lesson with our investigator Sister Little. She is amazing and asks really good questions! We talked more about the Restoration and Joseph Smith and she was asking all the right questions to lead into the next lesson which is about the Plan of Salvation. She didn't make it to church this week, but hopefully she will next week.
Wednesday we had district meeting and then Sister Zoolakis and I headed out on our bikes to visit a less active, Sister Reid. We went about 20 feet from our door when I made friends with a few dozen fire ants. Luckily I only got bit about 6 times and it was all on my left foot... but those bites itch and burn all at the same time! And then my whole ankle and foot started swelling! You know how well I react to mosquito bites... multiply that by about 3! It was painful and uncomfortable and my foot is still a little swollen. But I have been lucky enough that it hasn't stopped us from getting out and walking and biking.
On our way to visit with Sister Reid, we also saw a huge snapping turtle trying to cross the road. There was a couple coming down the street in a truck and a golf cart and the man, his name is Chief and he is Native American with two LONG braids, tried to pick it up by the tail but it almost got his finger! Those are not things to mess around with! After a little bit he finally stepped on it's back and picked it up by his tail and carried it to a safe place off of the road.
We finally made it to Sister Reid's and she was outside smoking. She said that the elders from the ward, Elder Perse and Elder Hampton, had come by the day before. After being there for a little bit she got a phone call that had to do with her job and it made her really mad. She proceeded to vent for about 45 minutes about her boss and how much she dislikes her. Somehow we managed to share a scripture and we were able to make a good impression on her and she told us to come back at the same time next week!
Thursday morning we went to the Alligood's home and did some service with Sister Chard, the primary president. Sister Alligood just had a baby last week so we were helping to redo the nursery because it is all blue and she just had a girl. We also mopped and vacuumed and cleaned up a little bit. After doing weekly planning and elevating my foot, we visited Sister Thompson. She lives in an assisted living facility but is the sweetest lady you will ever meet!
Friday we had more adventures. We biked to the library to do some facebook time, only to realize that I had forgotten my bike lock, and Sister Zoo doesn't know the combination on hers. So we decided to bike to the church which is around the corner from the library. On the way there her skirt got caught in the chain on her bike so we had to stop and fix that because when we got her skirt out (with no holes in it) it took the chain off its track. She ended up getting oil and dirt all over her hands but we finally got it back on. Biking didn't help my foot out... in fact it made it even worse so the rest of the day was spent in the apartment finishing weekly planning and getting everything organized and appointments made.
Saturday we went to go see our investigator Allean. She is 76 years old and so sweet! She loves learning and we had a great lesson with her on the Word of Wisdom and invited her to church and to be baptized on Nov. 1st. She didn't say yes, and she didn't say no. But she also wasn't able to make it to church on Sunday.
After Allean's appointment we walked around our neighborhood to see some less actives and some potentials. We met with Sister Mead and her 8 year old daughter Samantha. Sister Mead is from Honduras, and her husband is as well and he is not a member. Samantha was asking us such great questions! It was sweet to see the mom bearing her testimony of prayer to her daughter. They also were not able to make it to church yesterday, but we're not giving up hope!
As we continued walking around we happened upon a member who is in the Spanish Branch in Raleigh. He joined the church when he was 17 and he returned from his mission two weeks ago. He was the only member in his family but he just baptized his younger brother and his cousin. And now he is teaching his parents and they are going to church together. He is an amazing missionary and told us about everyone who lived on his street and who we should try to talk to.
That night we had dinner with the Kirkpatrick family. They recently moved here from Connecticut. They have three children who are so adorable and so energetic!
Sunday morning we went to ward counsel and had a great meeting! The leaders here are so dedicated and work together very well. Sister Reid showed up at church! We were all very surprised but were so happy that she came and she stayed for all three hours and the linger longer luncheon afterwards! The sisters who knew her welcomed her with open arms and it was so great to see her accepted and made a part of everything.
A little update on Joe: Sister Behrmann sent me an email that said Joe has a baptismal date for October 11th! I am so excited for him!
To sum it all up, I love my area. I love my companion. I love the Savior and I know this is His restored church. I know the only way to make it back to our Heavenly Father and have eternal happiness is to follow the gospel of Jesus Christ: have faith, repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. Never give up! The Lord loves you.
Love,
Sister Shurtz
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