Faith, Flirting, Fast Offerings!

Hello family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So mom to answer your questions: for District Training this past week I did nothing because we had Zone Training which I'll talk about later. I gave my talk yesterday.  So I talked on Sunday about tithing and fast offerings.  My talk went well.  I talked about how if we not only tithe our money but tithe our talents and our time, and sacrifice ourselves, we can do things we didn't know we could.  Here's a line that I love that was in "True To The Faith:"  Remember, that paying tithing is not as much a matter of money as it is a matter of faith" BOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!  How cool is that?? I love that quote sooo much!!!! My training is this Wednesday.  HTBT is "How To Begin Teaching" it's in P.M.G. Chapter 10, first section- it's my favorite section 'cause that's our purpose! Yep. I shared my cookies with my District and yes I liked them and my District liked them as well!!!! Man, Dad has been traveling a lot.  That's sooo cool that Kyle will be in town in 26 days.  I wish I could see him.  That would be great.  I wish I could come back for one day on that special day when Tyler and Hannah get married,  AGGGGGHHHHH It's so frustrating!!!!! Why do I have to miss out on the first wedding that has ever happened in our family?  So sad!

My personal studies are going well.  I really love studying the scriptures.  Ya know I'd have to say my favorite book of scripture is probably the New Testament.  It's just so cool because it contains the account of Christ's life and ministry!!!!! What could be better!?!?!?

Well this week went by very quickly again.  It is now Monday can you believe it!?!?!! It stinks too because I always forget so much that happens during the week that it makes it hard to share with you all I have done in the week. This week went pretty well.  We started out with our service at Old Economy.  Dean was pretty busy because it was opening day and all the kids were there and the workers were up in the trees cutting them down. They were also taking stumps out of the ground- those roots went pretty far down into the ground! Dean was really busy and so to help him out we asked if we could stop by again on Wednesday to help out!  We showed up the next day for Dean ready to work and help him out again! He really did need the help that we were offering so I'm glad we could do that for him. We just continued digging out the stumps and moved the soil from one spot to another. I just love doing service so much- it gets our name out there and it clears my mind.  I find a lot of joy in doing it!

 

Some pretty scary news this week.  One of the sisters in our District has a heart condition and she wasn't feeling too well one day.  She had had a pain in her chest for a few days.  We gave her a blessing but the pain was still there so she went to the ER.  The news from the tests that were run was good.  She's ok but it is just weird that it lasted so long.  She rested the remainder of the week.  I'm glad she didn't try and go out and work because it could have gotten even worse!  We had a District prayer for her over the phone.  I want my District to be like a team, a brotherhood.  I want us to be like brothers and sisters with a deep love and respect for one another.  I want them all to work together in their missionary work so I am going to step up my game as well!!  On Wednesday we taught a lot of lessons.  We taught 5 lessons.  That night we had a lesson with Brother Mc.  Elder Schofield wasn't feeling too well- he had a headache and couldn't really think straight.  As we were teaching Brother Mc, Elder Schofield just stops talking as it was too hard.  I immediately took over.  That's why our companionship is awesome- if I feel sick or can't do something, he can take over and if he feels sick or something, I can take over and neither one of us has to say a word- we just know,  That is why our companionship unity is so strong!!!!!!!!!!!!! Speaking of strong, this week for some reason I was doing 1 handed push-ups.  I told myself I was going to do 10 for each hand.  I did it but the last bit was a struggle.  I was pretty excited.  I felt like Rocky in the movie!!!!!  Just to make sure it wasn't beginners luck, I did them again today!  I was pumped!!!!!!!!!
 

In our Zone Training we talked about things we can improve on in the zone.  It was really awkward in the beginning because they were talking about things that had happened before I got here.  Remember, I was an emergency  transfer.  We then began talking about other things and I kept raising my hand and talking.  The whole Zone Training was basically Elder Schofield, Elder Mink and me talking, everyone else was pretty quiet and didn't want to say anything.  Afterwards we had a Zone activity which is awesome.  Some missionaries don't like the Zone Activity because they think it takes away from missionary work.  I  disagree.  You can still have fun and laugh!  It is good to have a little change from the regular missionary work.  Don't get me wrong, I love it but it is a nice change of pace at times.  When I was in Pittsburgh Zone in McKeesport,  my Zone Leaders hated zone activities.  I believe that as a zone and a district you want to come closer together and I honestly believe Zone and District activities bring us closer together! In the Pitt Zone we didn't know each other at all.  I didn't even know the Sister missionaries in Greensburg and they were our neighboring area!!!!   I didn't even now the names of the missionaries in my Zone. As an emergency transfer here, I didn't know anyone in the zone and they had just had transfers before I got here so I lost even more but the great thing about this activity was that after just one day in Pittsburgh North (my area), I now can name everyone in my zone!!  So if anyone's against Zone activities, I'm going to be very VERY upset!!!!!!  Anyways, that's my rant.  Well after our wonderful zone activity, we had a testimony meeting about General Conference so it was even better!!!!!!! I brought up Mervin B. Arnold's talk.  Some more insight I gained about the sinking ships is that I would be one of the people that would go
immediately and help.  That is just who I am.  But I realized that if I wasn't prepared by having the right tools, I actually wouldn't be a help but that I might also even end up putting my own life at risk.  Sure I can have the best intentions but if I am not prepared then I am just hurting myself and those around me.  I thought that insight helped me a lot!!!!!!!!

That same day we had dinner with the Js.  Mom, I hear you're Facebook friends with her hahahaha!!!!!!!!! She is the sweetest lady.  She reminds me a lot of you mom- lots of energy, always cracking jokes and smiling big!!!!! I actually almost called her mom one time but I dropped my napkin so that was a blessing.  hahaha!!!!!!  Well we had dinner at a super fancy country club in Tresdale (very nice area)!  I also adore their Down Syndrome boy Ty.  I got to sit next to him at dinner and we had so much fun.  He reminds me a lot of Scott if he were a kid!  We talked and laughed.  I just love the J family because they are so nice to us.  I don't even deserve it but they treat us like their own kids and it means the world to me!!!! She took a picture of me and Ty and I had her send it to you to send to Grandma J.  I really want to visit them after the mission and have you guys meet Ty as well as the rest of the family!!!!  This week I met another kid with special needs.  Her name was Ashley we were at McDonald's doing our weekly planning.  I didn't even realize she was special needs at first because she was high-functioning.  Now get this- she was hitting on me! She was asking if I had Facebook and if we could be friends.  She even asked me out on a date. hahaha It was the sweetest thing.  If I was back home I would've set up a date right there and then and took her out on a date.  She was making me blush with all her flirting.  hahaha

This past Sunday we also taught Gospel Principles.  We taught The Restoration.  Then after church, we had this Interfaith gathering where several other churches, along with ours,  gather to talk about their religion.  We went to the Buddhism, Unitarian Universalism, and Bahi Faiths.  I enjoyed all of them.  I love how they teach good morals and such but that's really all they teach.  I respect all religions and it was very interesting to learn about their points of view.  The best part of the evening was when Franklin, a very talented piano player, played the closing song.  He played a song from the Piano Guys and it was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!  I was smiling the whole time and it was sooooooo dope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was freaking out!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so so so so so so so good!!!!!!!!!!! I wish you could've been there!!!!!!!  While he was playing the Spirit testified again to me that the Church is true!  Well that's about it for this week.  Take care.  I love you all.  Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️

Elder Cahoon the Baboon