A Busy Transfer Week

Wow, such a busy week. 

-We are teaching a less-active, Barbara M., and we are reactivating her as we go over the Missionary Discussions with her. It is so neat to see her countenance change within each visit, for the better. There is more light in her eyes and she is becoming happier each time. This is a testimony to me that when we missionaries invite to pray, to read and ponder the scriptures, it can help change a person's life. The gospel is so simple, yet so powerful. 

- We visited the Arnolds, who live close by us, and are less-active because of Health, and Sister Bowen got to say goodbye before going to Greenville on the 24th.  

- Jackie took us out to Dinner on the 22nd of July, and we went back to the Thai Thai Seafood Restaurant; Sister Bowen and I ordered the same Phad Thai dish again. Jackie mentioned how she grew up on a farm, and how she wasn't used to anything spicy. She only ate the rice with the vegetables in it (peas, and cubed carrots), with some salt. "This isn't what I had in mind," she said. it was so funny, especially when she ordered a pork dish. Her meals are limited without teeth, but, hey, at least we got to spend some time with her.

- We had a lesson cancel on us, and we will be starting up again, next week.  

-We had a lesson with Teresa, and she understood that there is more than a Heaven and Hell. 

-Sister Carter took us out to dinner one last time before sister Bowen transferred. It was a good time!

- We also had another lesson with Robin and Larry, and that went well. We taught them the Word of Wisdom, and they are willing to quit coffee completely, and to smoke half a pack a day, instead of one and a half packs. 

The elders got sister Bowen good before she left. They knocked on the door, and we couldn't see who it was because they taped the peep hole with blue masking tape. When Sister Bowen opened the door, the elders popped a whole bunch of poppers, which were taped together in a row. Then, they got out silly string in cans, and sprayed us, the ceiling fan, and whatever else they could spray. I was a little upset, as I thought about the mess we'd have to clean up afterwards. 

I am excited for this transfer. My new companion is sister Mahler, as of the 24th. She has been out 13 months, and she is wonderful. Although it is a little difficult at first to teach in unison as we have our own ways of teaching, usually by the end of the transfer we will have something worked out.  She also went to BYUi, just like me, before my mission.

By the next day, sister Mahler and I went tracting around the neighborhood, and we already found a new investigator. I was so surprised that within the first door we knocked at, she immediately let us in to teach her. Her eyes were wide as we taught her about the restoration, and she committed to read the Book of Mormon by our next visit.

Oh! And church was cancelled this week because of Duke Power and its upgrades. We went to Havlock, about 40 min away and brought Kesli, a member, with us. 

Oh! And Sister Bowen shared with me a quote from Marvin J. Ashton, from a May 1992 Ensign, on charity. Here is what the quote said:

"Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other." 

Anyways, this is all I can say for now.

Have a great rest of the week, everyone! 

-Sister Marshall