COVID Missionary Chronicles: We're Going To Blairsville??

¡Hola a todos!

How is everyone doing? Anything crazy happening in your lives? I hope that everyone got the opportunity to watch all of the sessions of Conference this past weekend, because it was really amazing! If you feel inclined, I'd love to hear from y'all about which talk you enjoyed the most! My Grandpa Adam's had his birthday last week as well!!! Happy Birthday Grandpa!!!

This week was a little different, we had a lot of meetings and trainings so we didn't do as much teaching but it was still a really good week! 

Sister Grover and I had exchanges this week, so that was awesome! For anyone who dosen't know what exchanges are, it's when we are split up to work with different companions for the day. We go on exchanges with our TL'S (training leaders) so I spent all of Wednesday with Sister Foster and Sister Mavae! They are both way cool and I learned a lot from my time with them. While I was with them, we taught a lesson to a less-active member who is trying to come back to church. The lesson was in English which opened up an amazing opportunity to share my testimony with her. It was actually super cool, because that morning in Comp study Sister Foster had us reading in the book of Moses. Turns out, what we read that morning was exactly what this Sister needed to hear. I was able to share that story in Moses with her and she really seemed to take hold of that!! The other lesson I had was with Sister Sister Grover. We taught Rosa again and let me tell ya, she gets better and better every time I talk with her! I feel a special connection with her because she is the first investigator that I got to start with from the beginning. We finished talking about the Plan of Salvation on Friday night, and it was a really powerful experience. Rosa has had a very difficult life and lost both her parents at a very young age. It was incredible to see her eyes light up as we testified of eternal families and as she gained the knowledge of where her parents are know and that she'll see them again. Rosa is super amazing and I'm so excited to keep working with her!

On Thursday, we took a little road trip. And by road trip I mean an hour and a half into the Mountains to a tiny town known as Blairsville, Georgia. For my Blackburn side of the family, this little town is the McCall, Idaho of Georgia. Some of you may be asking, why a road trip in the middle of the week to a town in the middle of the mountains? Well, we have two Elders is my District who live up there and because it's so far they never get to come to District council in person. So, we brought district council to them!! Being in the mountains was exactly what I needed. Minus the fact that it was actually 24 degrees it was such a fun trip!! Another one of the hidden treasures of Blairsville is a place known as Jim's Smokin' Que (aka the #6 BBQ place in the nation)!!! It definitely lived up to the hype!! The drive was so gorgeous and being in the Chattahoochee National Forest was too fun!

Alright, so Conference was actually amazing!!! All of my missionary friends always talk about how cool Conference on the mission is, and it's so true! We get to hear messages from people who we serve alongside in the gathering of Israel! I loved all of the talks from this past weekend but the one of my favorites was from Elder Newman in the Saturday Morning Session. He spoke about teaching in the Savior's way. This was such a cool talk to hear as a missionary because this is exactly what we strive to do. I'm trying to teach these people in a way that Jesus would to help bring them along the covenant path. 

We also had a big event back home this week! Most of you probably already know, but my little brother was officially adopted on Monday night!! This was a miracle we've prayed for since July so it was so sweet to wake up to a text from my mom on Tuesday morning saying that Ian was finally ours! It was definitely difficult not being home and around my family this week for that, but I had the amazing opportunity to see this through the eyes of a missionary. I got to testify to people about the truthfulness of eternal families with my brother's adoption in the front of my mind. I got to teach a little about temple sealings with the knowledge that Ian will be sealed to us in a couple months for time and all eternity. It's really cool what being on a mission does to your mindset. It kind of flips it in a way from a worldly perspective to an eternal perspective. I had heard outgoing missionaries talk about this, but I hadn't experienced it until this week. Knowing the joy that comes from being sealed to my family gives me even more motivation to help others I'm teaching get to the temple. Here in the GANM we have a saying when we start teaching someone and that it to "see them in white". As a brand new missionary I thought this meant to see them on their baptism day wearing white, but President Harris took it farther. He wants is to see our investigators wearing white in the temple and they complete those sacred ordinances. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to help people prepare to enter the temple and make these same sacred covenants with Heavenly Father.

Alright, that's all I've got for y'all this week! Again, I hope you all enjoyed Conference and had time to reflect on our Savior's sacrifice and glorious resurrection. If you missed a session of Conference I encourage you to go back and either read or listen to those talks because there is something to gain from each of them! I love y'all so much and I hope you have an amazing week! Keep on keeping on!!!

Hermana Adams

Pictures:

1. My food at Jim's Smokin' Que (some of the best brisket I've had)

2. McCall Idaho has the bears....Blairsville Georgia has the pigs

3. Saturday Morning session with the District 

4. Our view heading into the mountains 

5. My easter box from home

6. In the Chattahoochee National Forest

7. The Sister I taught on exchanges had a brand new puppy