Missionary Chronicles: From Fans To Fires

Hola a todos!

How was everyone's week? I hope it was great and you were presented with opportunities to serve. Before I get into the email, we have two birthday shout-outs! My cousins Lydia and Greyson both had birthdays this week! Happy Birthday y'all!!

Alright, so this week was one of the most emotionally taxing weeks I've had on my mission. It was a Rollercoaster and looking back, there was a lot of opportunities for growth.

For starters, y'all remember our friend Macy who we're teaching. Last Sunday she didn't come to church and that really disappointed me. I've said before that the purpose of my mission is for me to become more like the Savior. Feeling the disappointment that comes from someone not keeping the commitments we give them is one of those ways I feel like God is allowing me to become more like Jesus Christ. Because Macy didn't come to church last week, we were forced to brainstorm ideas for a new baptismal date. Sister Christman likely will be getting transferred next week, so she kind of delegated that task to me. I spent a lot of time in prayer this week asking Heavenly Father when he wanted Macy to be baptized. On Friday, we taught Macy the Plan of Salvation and it was one of the coolest experiences. In my 9 months as a missionary, I've never seen someone so excited to learn the Plan of Salvation. It was such a spirit filled lesson. And the best part....MACY CAME TO CHURCH YESTERDAY!! She absolutely loved it!! She leaned over and asked me part way through Relief Society if she could participate and then proceeded to ask questions and share comments throughout the entire lesson! She really impressed everyone there and it was amazing to experience her new love for the ward. Macy's new baptismal goal is Nov. 27!

Along with the highs and lows we had with Macy this week, we had a really hard experience with Sam and Felix as well. For a long time now, we could sense that something wasn't clicking with them and the things we were teaching. We kept trying to find more scriptures, we brought members to lessons, we fasted and prayed, and nothing really seemed to help. On Thursday we taught them the Plan of Salvation as well. At the end of the lesson, Sam basically told us she was worried for our souls because we were teaching false doctrine. Y'all, this hit me in a way I wasn't prepared for. Sam and Felix have become amazing friends and hearing Sam say that was super hard. At this point we have stopped teaching them. This is another example of me being changed to become more like my Savior. Many times during the Savior's life, he was accused of false teachings and turned away. It's comforting to know that even though this was one of the hardest things I've faced on my mission, there is still a Savior who knows exactly what I'm feeling. 

Now, on a happier note, I'll explain my email title. As y'all know, this weekend was Halloween. I haven't had very many Halloweens outside of Florida so this year was pretty different. My mom sent me pictures of my siblings at their trunk or treat and they had fans hooked up in the car. My Trunk or Treat looked vastly different. You see, it was 40 degrees and raining here lol. Not exactly a Florida Halloween. Then, last night as we were driving home from our member dinner,  we realized that all of the people handing out candy had built little fires and were all huddled around them. This was honestly pretty funny to me but it made sense. I wouldn't want to sit and hand out candy in 40 degrees either hahah. 

And the last thing, so y'all know how much I love Brother Terry. So, last transfer Brother Terry asked me if I'd ever skinned a deer before. I told him I hadn't and that lit a spark of motivation within him to get a deer this season. He's been trying tirelessly for the last few weeks and hasn't had any success. Then, on Friday morning we got a call from him. He said, "Sister Adams!! We did it!! We dropped two deer!!" He was so excited and I really fed off of that. We went over to the Terry's on Friday and helped them skin the two deer and process all of the meat. I have a bunch of pictures, but because I know my sweet mama reads these emails, I won't include them. If you'd like to see the pictures let me know and I'll gladly show y'all lol

So yes, this week was full of highs and lows. However, the mission is the refiners fire and I have faith that all of these experiences will make me a better person. I love this work and this opportunity to grow!

Alright y'all, that's all I've got for this week! I hope this next week is great for y'all! Thanks for your continued support! I love y'all!

Hermana Adams 

Pictures:

1. Halloween Dinner last night

2. Trunk or Treat with Jackets and sweaters lol

3. Last time hanging out together before Elder Crofts left for Brazil