Week 14 - Nebraska City - Whirlwind!

Hello! I've been out for 3 months this week!! Crazy how time flies. 

This week was probably the craziest week of my mission so far. 

Tuesday we had a blizzard and got 10 more inches of snow on top of the 13 that was already on the ground, and we weren't allowed to go outside that day so we played lots of cards and painted a ton. 

Wednesday we went knocking in Auburn and we weren't having any luck, then we came to this building in the neighborhood we were in and we couldn't tell if it was a house or a church, (this happens a lot in the midwest) so we just knocked anyway and immediately there was a man screaming at us from inside asking who was there and we just replied "the Sister Missionaries" and he continued to scream so we were about to just leave, then he opened up the door and that's how we met Jordan. He told us that it wasn't a house, it was an abandoned church, I asked if he was restoring it (because the inside was torn apart and cluttered with pipes and tools and wires) and he replied, "Nah, I live here. I'm a bum." This is when we realized he was also on drugs. We told him why we knocked and he started crying and said he was so happy to see us but told us he wasn't really interested in our message, but would love to talk, so he told us about how he thinks Jesus was a monk in Asia and how the Rasta movement and "free love" was the best thing that happened to the world, then gave us some of his rock collection and sent us on our way. 

Thursday we went to Lincoln and had our last district council for the transfer, which was really sad.

Friday JOEI WAS BAPTIZED!!! we all went to Lincoln together and her whole family came! (Which is a miracle) the spirit was so strong and you could see she was just glowing. We love her so much and she has been working so hard towards this step in her life, it was a really amazing service. She chose Mosiah 18:21 for her baptism scripture and it was perfect. I'd recommend reading and pondering that scripture sometimes.

Sunday we had a beloved ward member pass away. This small ward is such a tight-knit family so it took a toll on all the members. It was a sad day, we went and just shared scriptures and prayers and comforted the family and friends. He will be missed, but there is hope in the Plan of Salvation, and I know he is having a happy reunion with his parents and his brothers and sisters that have also passed on. 

I love you all so much, and I love hearing from you all even though sometimes I don't have a lot of time to reply to all of you. 

I know this Gospel that I have the opportunity to share is true, and that patience brings blessings. hahaha. The Lord's timing is perfect. 

Cold!

Last District Picture :(

The Whole Family at Joei's Baptism

Pizza with the District! 

Me and Sister T., Joei and Brother Martin :)

This was really cold! 

Week 13 - Nebraska City

At the Temple with Michael and Brother Jenkins!

Week 12 - Nebraska City - Snow in the Boonies

Hi! 

This last week was interesting. Monday I was wearing no coat no tights and basically sweating in 50° sunny weather, and by Friday night the temperature dropped to about 20 and it dumped snow for about 24 hours straight. We got a little over a foot and weren't allowed to drive on Saturday at all because of road conditions, so we studied a lot and played monopoly inside for a day. Sister Tuala and Sister Martin and I shoveled all the snow out of the driveway ourselves and then later that night we went and shoveled some other members driveways. I'm now aware of muscles I didn't know existed on my body. 

Yesterday we went to dinner at 5, about 30 min or so out of town in the middle of nowhere, and after dinner driving out got our car stuck in some snow on the dirt road. We had the members come to try to help us get out and just pushing the car was making it slide into a ditch with even more snow and not helping, so they brought out their truck to pull it out and their truck also got stuck hahaha. Long story short, we were there for about 3 hours and nothing budged so we ended up staying the night there and in the morning they called all the neighbors who all came with their trucks and we basically had the whole town helping us pull our car out of the snow hahaha. We felt so bad, but it shows how great the community here is.

Harley came to church and had a great time! We are trying to work with her dad to get her baptized but he lives in the middle of nowhere Missouri, 50min away from the nearest missionaries. Hopefully, they will find a way to meet with him and he will be willing and open to let her be baptized soon. 

Joei is still doing much better than before and is so excited to get baptized on the 25th. We love her and she has worked so hard to get here so we are praying the weather will be okay to drive to Lincoln and all will go well with that. 

Nebraska is super weird, but it's a great place and I'm so happy to be here nonetheless. I'm so thankful for the Gospel and for the happiness and peace that it brings to our lives. I know Jesus Christ is my savior and through his Atonement, we can overcome any trial or weakness that we might have, so long as we are faithful and obedient and remember that we have him to lean on.

I love & miss you all!

13 Inches of Snow

Genna!!

Hahaha

Sister T. and Sister Martin

George's bird, Sally

Bigfoot Sighting...

Finished Product

My Doodles

It's Cold!

Self Portrait 

Getting to Work

Week 11 - Nebraska City

Madi didn't have much time to write this week so she sent me a bunch of pictures and asked me to share those instead.

--Jessica 

Touring the Windmill Factory!

Mural in Lincoln

There is a part member family in the ward who owns a bar, and we teach them sometimes, but the only way to teach them is to go to the bar.

Joei and her family at Church!

On exchanges in Lincoln with Sister Munoz, we found this weird car and met the guy who owns it. Sister Munoz invited him to church and he said he would go if I was there and asked me for my number hahahaha! So we left. 

A kid at Mutual in the Lincoln ward and his sweet shirt...

My best friends in the ward, Aubrey and little Hannah

Train we got stuck behind for 50 minutes

I love these cactus gardens