SO! Wednesday we picked up a new investigator! Alexa. Sweet story. In the summer she took a quiz on a random thing that was "how well do you know the Book of Mormon?" and she scored something like "you know a little bit about it, you might even like it! Would you like a free copy?" so she thought, sure! Then missionaries met up with her shortly after, they taught her a bit and gave her a BOM and she never thought she would talk to them again. She also shared that that day she met the missionaries was one of the worst days for her mental health wise. Then fast forward until now, January and we call her up out of the blue, ALSO on one of the worst days for her. (mind you, these were the only two days of the past months she has had these terrible days). She said she wasn't really interested in meeting and then she said, "but if you do have people in the area you can give me a call." After we called that day she told God, if this is something you want me to look more into, have them call me back. And then a few days latter we called her!!! She said she would meet with us! We had an amazing lesson teaching about Joseph Smith, the Holy Ghost, and the Book of Mormon! Super excited :)
This weekend we also had a HUMONGOUS storm! It snowed from Friday at 3pm to Saturday around 10 pm. There is snow out here up to my thighs! We weren't allowed to drive until yesterday morning. But even then we saw that our car was blocked in but the men who cleared the roads...
Before The Storm
After The Storm
Our car trapped in!
We did a lot of service! Also the Hermanas who live two buildings down from us stayed with us through the whole storm! Their heater stopped working on Friday! They had to stay with us! It was a blessing in disguise! I love Hermana Hicks and Hermana Dahle! We had so much fun helping others and bonding!
So many miracles in helping people dig their cars out in the next few days!! Here are the highlights!
Vic - Saturday night we went and helped him out! He and his family are from Florida and he and his daughter were out playing in the snow and shoveling out his car. When we went in for the night we left him with our shovel and he worked getting some other peoples cars out too! He is a manager at the Bone fish grill and said we could come by and he'd take care of us!
Helda - Our Peruvian neighbor that asked to borrow our shovel sunday morning so she could get to work. We told her to just tell us which one it is and we would help her out! Also we found out that she and her husband didnt have any food!! So Saturday night we (well really Hermana Dahle) made a great homemade mac and cheese with bread sticks and a salad and gave servings of that and a bunch of other foods we had to them! Turns out she owns a resturaunt and said we are welcome to come and she will give us food :) We were able to dig her out that morning! And she made it off to work just fine! Also she speaks spanish and the Hermanas are totally going to teach her soon!
A man whose name I do not remeber! - After we helped Helda we helped this other hispanic man! The elders helped us get his car out too. He said he owned Wings, Things, and more and also told us to stop by!
Many others- a few other people we were able to help out and just get to know a little bit. It was interesting how nice some people were! we got to know so many of our neighbors it was great!
Reema - One of the neighbors that we helped out was Reema! She is from Liberia! (side note, Sister Krause and I inspire knocked on her door a month and a half ago! Not sure she remembers but I do! :) She was in the middle of moving to Florida! She wanted to get away from the cold. Well she definitely got stuck a day too late! Anyways Sunday night we helped her and then went back monday morning so she could make her train. Well turned out her train was delayed and she didnt need to leave as soon as she thought. What does she decided to do with her extra day home. She makes us an AMAZING dinner! It was so incredibly good! Also in the middle of the day she agreed to take the Hermanas to a much needed doctors appointment at a half hours notice! (we werent allowed to drive our mission cars yet and we didnt want to walk 3 miles for an hermana that was going to a chiropractor, yeah, not a good idea). Today we were allowed to drive cars but our car was blocked in and the Hermana's had a dead battery! So we walked out this morning at 8 am just in time to see Reema about to leave and she just so happens to have jumper cables and we were able to get their car started and make it to District meeting!
Casey - Yesterday night we were able to go help our now new investigator, Casey! She is a rather fragile person physically and is very hesitant to walk her dog, Winston. (PS Shout out to Delaney, every time I see him it makes me think of your Winston). So we got to help her take him out and face the icey sidewalks ourselves instead of her. Winston is a medium sized dog, a liver floppy eared maybe-german spaniel! Looks so much like our dog at home Chloe! Anyways, he pulls a lot and she doesnt have the strength to resist. Winston was able to get out his energy and go to the bathroom. We then got to talk more about gospel things with her! Her boyfriend is Mormon and she is Jewish and trying to find faith in Christ! We are going over again tonight!!
Crystal - So! Reema only had room for the Hermana's in her car so Sister Krause and I decided to go out for a walk. Maybe find walmart or get some food. Well we totally took the wrong turn and walked somewhere I had never been before! We hoped that walking up this huge hill will help us get to some main store that we knew, nope. We had found a dead end at the top of the hill. So we climbed through a huge bank of snow, ontop of some garbage bins and out to a main road that we thankfully did recognize! Well I was pretty tired at this point that we walked all over and just wanted to get some pizza from the papa johns right in front of us! So we did that. Then we started walking back home, who knows how far that was. Anyways on the way back there were some cars stopped at a light and one woman pulled up and looked at us and we smiled at each other. We passed the car and I thought "No, she actually looked really nice!" I turned around, went to the window and asked if we could have a ride! She said "of course!" We hope in she asked where we lived and she knew the place and headed that way. Turns out SHES A MEMBER!! In a ward an hour away! She used to live in the Baltimore YSA. She joined the church 3 years ago. She works at a place just down the street from where we were and happened to be an hour early for work! She brought us all the way back home! How awesome! Tender Mercies of the Lord!!
Last important detail!! Sister Krause is leaving to go over to a ward in Frederick and I am staying and training a new missionary! AGAIN! Hahah how funny! I am just so grateful this time I know what I am doing and I have a car to help me get around (well I have a car as soon as the tons of ice/snow behind it get moved)
Anyways I love you all! Hope your week is amazing! I love this Gospel and I love all the people I get to meet and help in life! Do something this week to help others :)
Sister Nakata
