Exchanges

Hey everyone! I just want to thank you all for your awesome emails. Everyone's been so sweet and supportive. :)  I really appreciate all the kind words.

1- P-Day

2- Dinner with the Wolseys!

3- Social Media training.

4- Sister McDevitt and Brother Ramsay

5- Restore

6- CRAZY snowstorm!

7- Dinner with the Halls

8- Visiting the Hills

9- Sister Harrison

10- Video call with our friend. :)

11- District Council and car stuff

12- Dinner with the Bohnets!

13- Branch coordination

14- Sister Price and Sister Ramberg

15- Dinner with Sister Belcourt and Harrison. :)

16- Walk with Sister Gillis

17- A couple phone calls and Facebook

18- Dinner with the Hampsons

19- Video call with one of our friends! :D

20- EXCHANGE DAY!!!!! :D

21- Church

22- Lunch with the Wolseys

23- Dinner with the Hetchlers

24- Lesson with our Lutheran friends (FINALLY!)

1- P-Day was pretty good this week. Sister Curry and I did all our shopping and cleaning, then worked on each others' transfer journals for most of the day. (Trying to get a head start so I'm not working on it the day of transfers, haha! XD) Not too much of not happened during P-Day hours. I can barely remember Monday by this time.

2- The Wolseys invited us over for dinner on Monday since we were sick over the weekend. I was feeling much better, and so was Sister Curry. We went over and had meatballs and rice. It was pretty tasty! Also more 'Mormon mimosas' as Sister Wolsey calls them. Juice spiked with ginger ale or sprite. XD  I can't remember the message we shared with them, but there were lots of laughs and jokes at the table. I love being with the Wolseys! They all have such awesome senses of humor. Also, something that had me dying was a lego tree that from a distance looks like it's covered in peach blossoms but it's actually covered in small, hot pink, lego frogs! I got a picture, so I'll be sure to add that! XD

3- We had a rather long social media training on Monday night. It started at 8:00 and didn't end until after 9:00. Sister Curry and I were quite dead. My biggest takeaway was trying to act more like a friend and be interested in what other people have to say instead of just forcing things on them. But that's a lot easier said than done, because it's kind of tricky to relate to Facebook people sometimes.

4- On Tuesday, we visited Sister McDevitt and Brother Ramsay. Sister Ramsay was sick, so we had a video call with Brother Ramsay. Sister McDevitt was telling us we were going to get several inches of snow. We visited her in the morning and honestly I didn't believe her. It was several degrees above freezing, and the occasional, small flakes that fell melted before touching the ground. By the time we had our video call with Brother Ramsay, the snow was sticking on the grass but not the roads yet. The flakes were increasing in size and frequency. I was beginning to doubt my own doubts, but I still hoped that the sun would make a reappearance and that we'd go a few more days without a proper snowstorm.

5- While at the Restore, we priced and sorted some stuff. Mostly decoration-type things. There were a few jars of seashells that I was fascinated with! Everything from gorgeous flame-colored scallops to oyster shells the length of my palm! There was even a little green dried sea urchin about the size of a Lindor chocolate. A few of the sand dollars were so large, I thought they were fake! I tried to identify all of the shells, but with half of them, I just had to be like, 'Okay, I know it's from some sort of snail because it's a spiral shell, but I can't narrow it down further than that.' There were some really smooth clam shells too, and even a chunk of cuttlebone! That confused me, haha... Cuttlebone isn't actually bone; it's calcium deposits from a cuttlefish. Cuttlefish are mollusks, so related to octopuses and snails. (They look like mini squid with flashing stripes) At SeaQuest, we would crush up cuttlebone to be a calcium supplement in some of the animals' diets--namely our ducks because they would try to eat rocks. XD

6- Anyway, enough ranting about shells and cuttlebone. XD  By the time we left the Restore, the roads were starting to get slushy. The grass was covered and visibility was getting pretty bad. It still wasn't too cold--I got a bit too warm in my big coat--but the wind was swirling the flakes around everywhere! We went for our daily walk as usual, and by the time we turned back to go to the apartment, we could barely see our own footprints. Driving was a bit scary; we hit a couple of curbs because the snow just wiped out all shadows and definitions. We saw some drivers that were going way too fast down residential roads. Their tires were spinning and they were sliding so much that their tracks looked like snake slither-marks! :l  It was freaky. We tried to avoid other drivers. Apparently most people here drive too fast in the snow because they're used to super powdery, clumpy snow instead of the wet stuff that makes slush when the temperature's right around freezing.

7- We had dinner with the Halls. They're about half an hour away, in Daysland. We left early and got their late because the roads were getting pretty bad. We saw a truck in the ditch on the way there. :l  A bunch of semi trucks passed us going into town. They always went so fast that they just sprayed wakes of slush behind them! Every time we saw one approaching in the distance, Sister Curry would flick the wipers on to full-speed. Even then, we'd still lose visibility entirely for a terrifying second when the wave of slush the semi kicked up splattered all over our windshield. Halfway to the Halls, we were actually on the verge of going back because both of us were scared and crazy-fast people kept passing us. Every time they did, they'd swerve and almost shoot off the road. :l

7- We eventually made it. The Halls had pulled-pork sandwiches and spiked juice like the Wolseys. XD  We ate quickly and shared a brief scripture. Brother Hall told us he didn't want to kick us out early, but he also hated the idea of us driving back to Camrose in the snow. He told us that he's a professional delivery driver and someone couldn't pay him to drive that day. :l  The Halls actually told us they were about to call our Mission President to ask if we could stay the night with them because of the snow. *nervous laughter* 

8- After the Halls, we drove to the Hills! On the way, we tried to join an online meeting that we've been attending monthly since I've come to Camrose. (Sister Curry was focusing on the road; I was holding the phone.) We hopped on only to have some Elders say, "Oh, President told us you don't have to attend this meeting anymore. We forgot to tell you." So we left the meeting. XD  We did see a couple more cars in the ditch on the side of the road, though, so that was rather sobering. :l

8- We were late to the Hills as well because of the snow. As soon as I hopped out, their dog, Viking, jumped at me. I've gotten into the habit of carrying dog treats in a little bag in the car door to befriend all the canines I meet. It makes a poor impression on someone if their dogs are scared of me, but if I give it a treat, it's my best friend. XD  Viking was going nuts over the new treats we got; apparently they must be good. He almost knocked me over because he was jumping all the way off the ground, then kind of body-slamming me. XD  He's not the biggest dog ever, but his head was about level with mine when he jumped, meaning most of his weight crashed into my torso and off-set my balance. But at least he didn't bark! I'll take a happy jumping dog over one that sounds like it wants to eat me. XD

8- We went inside and had a nice visit with the Hills. They didn't seem as concerned about the weather because they live much closer to Camrose than the Halls. Sister Hills had a list of scriptures to share with us. It was fun! We all exchanged favorite scriptures for a while, then realized that they all had common themes of unity and loving one another. It was pretty cool! I love when the gospel just intertwines like that! Everything's connected. :)

9- We made it home safely. The next day, we woke up to blankets of snow. All the trees were drooping under laden branches and the roads were white. By the time we left the apartment after studies, the sun was making an appearance, though. The snow was incredibly slushy and it was a few degrees above freezing. We went to visit Sister Harrison. :)

9- Sister Harrison's big gray tabby, 'Catman', was happy to see us. He kept sitting on the arms of the couch and leaning against Sister Curry and I. We shared 4 Nephi 1:15, I believe, talking about how there was no contention because everyone loved God. I also love verse 17, because it uses the phrase 'no manner of 'ites''. Throughout Book of Mormon history, the main groups are the Nephites and the Lamanites, but there are also sub-groups named after different ancestors. Zoramites, Amalekites, Jaredites, etc. I love how it says there were no 'ites', because it means the people put aside all their ancient grudges and became one. They loved God and wanted to follow Him, which in turn led to them all loving each other. :)

9- We also shoveled Sister Harrison's driveway before we left. By then, the snow was the consistency of melting slushies. Sister Curry took the shovel and I ineffectually shoved at the residue with a push broom. XD  I ended up taking off my coat, hat, and scarf because I got too hot. XD Weird how shoveling snow does that! 

10- We had a video call with our friend that's been reading in 1-2 Nephi. She wanted to continue with the missionary discussions. We taught her the remaining steps of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Faith is the first step, because we need to not only believe in God and Jesus Christ, but also act on that belief. Faith leads to repentance, where we recognize our wrongs, rectify them to the best of our abilities, and rely on Jesus Christ's atonement for forgiveness. Baptism is the third step in His gospel. One must be baptized by the proper authority of God (known as the Priesthood) to be able to receive all of God's blessings and continue to grow closer to Him. After baptism is the gift of the Holy Ghost. Everyone can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost, but we can only have Him with us always after we make promises to God during baptism. Finally, enduring to the end. That means repeating the steps and continuing to follow the commandments. We need to constantly grow and nourish our faith, repent daily (because we're always making mistakes), remember and renew our baptismal covenants with the weekly sacrament, and learn how the Holy Ghost speaks to us. :)

10- To finish up, we invited our friend to pray to know if she should follow these steps. We invited her to be baptized a while ago, but she said no... :(  However, she wanted to continue meeting with us, so we obliged. We hope that as she prays, she'll receive confirmation that she should follow the steps of the gospel.

11- During District Council, we did some roleplays. (Going to split it up for dialogue purposes) 

Elder Yakota told me to pretend to be someone on Facebook while he was a missionary. He held up his phone and pretended to start a random audio call. I didn't move. 

"Go on," he prompted. "Answer it!"

"Am I allowed to hang up or decline the call?" I questioned.

Elder Yakota looked confused. "Why?"

"Because I'd never answer a random call from a stranger on Facebook," I told him. Especially not a random guy, I added in my head. "It goes against all my instincts and all the internet safety my parents have ever taught me!" 

I went on to explain a bit more. There's been a bit of a push lately for us missionaries to just randomly call (either audio or video) people on Facebook when they're active. I'm too chicken to try. :l  Also, as I said, I'm never going to answer a call from a stranger on Facebook, so why the wolf spiders should I expect someone else to answer me if I call them out of the blue? Elder Yakota didn't give me the option of declining his call in the roleplay, though. XD  So I pretended to be a hesitant, disgruntled stranger.

11- After that fiasco, we went to get some car maintenance done at our vehicle coordinators' request. We got an oil change and a tire rotation and went on a walk in some snowy neighborhoods while we waited. When we got back, we realized our bluetooth audio was still running. XD  We amused ourselves for a bit imagining some burly mechanic driving our car while the speakers blasted Youth Album songs. Also, Tiwi probably barked for a login a few times. XD

12- Dinner with the Bohnets was so fun! They asked me if I'd ever had a cat get shaved, because their ginger Maine Coon, Noodle, is getting a bit matted. He's a super friendly cat and rolled all over while we pet him. I told them that our cat Lily back home gets shaved regularly. XD We had chicken-taco type stuff for dinner, along with apple rings! They have a cool device that cores and slices the apples into rings. It was really fun to watch! We also showed them a little video about Easter because we didn't get to see them right before Easter. Ella stole my hat for a bit and was prancing around with it. She's such a cute little squirt! I love kiddos! 

13- Branch Coordination on Wednesday night was pretty good. We managed to get fellowship for some of our friends. Also, it was the best-attended Branch Coordination meeting we've had, because a high councilman decided to join! Brother Payne re-invited everyone after we'd invited him, and his word holds more weight than ours, evidently. XD  It was really productive!

14- Around blocks of weekly planning, we visited with Sister Ramberg and Sister Price. :)  Sister Ramberg was a video call. She has some family visiting from Australia that she hasn't seen in years! We're so happy for her. Sister Price had some good thoughts to share on the scriptures. It was nice to talk to her.

15- We had dinner with Sister Belcourt and Sister Harrison. Chicken--like a whole Costco rotisserie chicken--veggies in a tasty sauce, mashed potatoes, and gravy. It was super good! I could barely finish it because I was so stuffed! Sister Harrison also tells funny stories, so it was good to laugh. :)

16- We had a lesson with Sister Gillis on Thursday evening too. She asked if we wanted to walk with her, so we agreed. It was nice! We walked around the neighborhood near the church. She shared some good thoughts and we shared a scripture. She also insisted that I borrow a windbreaker and some mittens. (I hadn't brought my coat because it was supposed to be warm that day.) I'm glad I took her up on her offer, because the wind began to kick in that evening. :l  The sun felt good, but the wind just sucked the life out of me!

17- We had some phone calls on Friday. A lot of in-person stuff canceled. We also did a lot of Facebook. Not too many noteworthy things happened, aside from some lady cussing me out and then blocking me on Facebook. Some people...

18- Dinner with the Hampsons was great! Our friend who usually joins for their dinner was able to come. He's feeling better! :)  The Hampsons made us pork chops, mashed yams, and homemade applesauce. The pork chops were to die for! Also, the applesauce tasted really good with the mashed yams! I was dubious at first, but after a tentative bite with both, I promptly mixed all of my yams with my applesauce. XD  And then homemade yogurt for dessert, of course! It was awesome! Also, Brother Hampson said there had been snakes out in the yard earlier, but it cooled off so the snakes hid before I got there. :(  Hopefully next week we'll see some! >:D

19- To finish up Friday, we had a video call with our friend who was in the hospital for a while. He's doing much better, and we're so glad he still wants to meet! We got through about half of the Plan of Salvation with him. He did have some questions, but we could tell they stemmed from genuine curiosity, not criticism. I felt the Spirit really strong during that lesson. :)

20- Also, we got to go on exchanges this week! IN-PERSON exchanges! Sister Curry's never done an in-person exchange, and she was over the moon with excitement! What made it even cooler is that I got to go on exchanges with Sister Spackman, one of my trainers! She's in a little area called Greenfield, I belief. It's in south-central Edmonton. Smallest geographic area in our mission!

20- While I was with Sister Spackman, we got to talk and catch up about what's happened in the 6-ish months since we've been companions. :) We also had some lessons with sweet members and people there. I saw a couple big snowshoe hares on a walk; they're all turning brown for the summer. It got up to almost 60 Fahrenheit! I think about 15 Celsius, haha. It felt almost hot for me! XD We went to a public library to do some Facebook stuff on the computers and I felt rather awkward. XD  I'm still not great at doing Facebook finding, but... Eh. My strengths lie elsewhere. Oh, we also got pictures by the Edmonton temple, because Sister Spackman and her companion use the church right next to it! They get to see the temple almost every day! Honestly, the rest of the day was kind of an exciting blur; I wish I could remember more about it! We got home kind of late so I just rushed writing in my journal, and we had a late Zone Prayer/call. I was so tired! But I loved exchanges, and Sister Spackman is awesome! :D

21- Church was pretty good this week. We were going to give one of our friends a tour of the building before church, but he wasn't able to make it. :l  Next week, hopefully! A couple people got called as Branch Missionaries, which is super exciting! (They won't wear name tags like full-time missionaries, but they'll help us to fellowship and teach our friends. :) )  Also, Brother Gillis gave an absolutely hilarious talk about his sons being the 'Terrors of the tributaries' on a canoeing trip! XD  He had the whole congregation laughing. Relief Society was good too; Sister Hills shared Elder Bednar's talk from last General Conference and we had a good discussion about it. :)

22- Lunch with the Wolseys was great! Brother Wolsey grilled some delicious steaks! (Mine was a bit more done than I would have liked, but still super tasty!) He also made a massive tray of nachos per Sister Curry's request. They were covered in green onions, lots of cheese, and beef. There were also hash browns and green beans. It was a very hearty meal! We had lots of fun talking and laughing with the family. Then, the boys went out back to do flips and stuff on the trampoline, and we got to hear a bunch of crazy family stories that had me dying. XD

23- We had dinner with the Hetchlers on Sunday as well. Only Sister Hetchler, Rose, Elsbeth, and baby Vance were there. Gordon, Edward, and Walter went to Edmonton with their dad to visit family. We had fun with the girls--and little Vance--and practiced teaching the Plan of Salvation with them in preparation for a lesson that night. 

24- We were finally able to get another lesson with our friends from the Bible College! I showed them my little wooden set for the Plan of Salvation and they were fascinated. We had a good, long discussion--nearly two hours, RIP--about God's plan for us. :)  Once again, their beliefs are so similar, but it's incredibly frustrating that they can't grasp certain concepts. :l  I feel like it was a great, Spirit-filled lesson, though. One of our friends kept asking some 'deep doctrine' type questions. I was able to recall so many passages of scripture from the Book of Mormon and the Bible. It was crazy, because they weren't even the scriptures that Sister Curry and I had prepared for this lesson! But I hope they were able to answer our friends' questions. 

24- Also, at the end, they told us they're both moving next month to run summer camps for the Bible College, so they won't have time to meet with missionaries. :'(  I was so shocked and crushed to hear that... I felt like we were finally making headway with them, but time might erase the progress. Not going to lie, I started crying during the closing prayer. I'm going to miss those two exasperating headaches like crazy! It just makes me so sad to see them on the cusp of getting everything right... and then being pulled back because they're hung up on unnecessary details or differences in beliefs. I really hope that one day, their hearts will be softened and their eyes will be opened.

Anyway, enough of my rambling! I hope everyone's doing well! I know I have a crazy week up ahead, so I'm just going to pray and hope for the best! Love you all!

Exchange pictures with Sister Spackman and others, cool cloud formation, a hare I saw, a Lego tree with pink frogs at the Wolseys, and the huge dumping of snow on Tuesday!