Fwd: Newbie STL, Dimple, Athens on Fire!

Date: Mon, Nov 3, 2014 at 11:08 AM

Subject: Newbie STL, Dimple, Athens on Fire!

Yall!!

I am absolutely LOVING the Athens 1st Ward!!!! We are teaching a LOT. Our week totaled twenty-eight lessons, eighteen of which were with investigators, and we found six new investigators in five days. And we have a baptism this Saturday. I feel incredibly fortunate to be in an area on fire!!

Leaving Lawrenceville pulled some heartstrings, but I know it was my time to leave. We visited the Allens before transfers (two moms who were baptized as kids and want to bring their families back into the church), and the Spirit  was strong. I don't know why I clicked and felt so connected to them, we are completely opposite-- but there is something very special about their family. I felt prompted to invite them to be active in the church. I was nervous, but they accepted. One said "Of course!" almost before I could finish saying it. I can't wait to hear what happens with their family. :)

Sister Bedke is wonderful, and our companionship is off to a great start. She's 22, from Pleasant View, UT. We're the pleasant companionship because we're from the two Pleasants in Utah. :) We came to the mission at the same time so we've both been out thirteen months. She's soft-spoken yet bold, serves with so much Christlike love, and so pure in heart. To welcome all the new sisters to the zone, we wrote a get-to-know-you parody to the tune of hymns describing each sister, then sent it out as a voicemail. It was hilarious and way too much fun to write. :) I couldn't be happier with her and with this area!

I don't have much experience yet in the Sister Training Leader department, but I am enjoying it. It's an adjustment from training, where I always had the lead, to here, where I'm the newbie in my calling. But I'm doing my best to love these sisters and serve them the way Christ wants me to. One thing that has changed, is that there is no down time ever!! None. Zip. Nada. Zero. Usually you have from 9:30-10:30pm to get ready for bed, write in your journal, etc...but I've had three to four minutes to get ready for bed each night, and we still have things on our to-do list. One day I literally had to make PB&J sandwiches on my lap in the car while we sped down the highway to our next appointment. It's a blessing to be so busy!

Athens is awesome!! It's geographically huge, compared to my last area. Athens is very poor. Lots of duplexes, looootts of duplexes...trailer parks, and small neighborhoods, and lots of highways. It'll probably take a minute to learn my way around. I literally have felt like I'm in a movie, walking through a gravelly duplex lot in the 1990's, with folks sitting in plastic chairs on porches,all wearing withered denim and old t-shirts. We stand out a lot in such a poor area. The other day we were in a trailer park checking on an investigator, and two police cars were parked next to the trailer we were going to. The two cops greeted us and watched us as we walked. No one was home, but as we were leaving the two cops called me over. "What are you doing here?" they asked. "We're missionaries!" I said. "Well, you stick out like sore thumbs around here," they said. I told them a little about what we did, then we went on our way. We do stick out! I like it though. There are more opportunities to share the gospel when people want to know who you are. :)

We're also close to UGA campus, which is interesting (you know the frat and sorority houses with greek symbols on them that look like mansions?? They exist outside of movies!!). The people here are incredible. They are so real, and love talking about the gospel with you. 

Another tender mercy! A family that I loved in Canton, the Stricklands, moved to Athens while I was still in Canton...and now I'm in their ward again! Sister Strickland was baptized 1.5 years ago, and she, her husband, and two kids live in a one-room extended stay motel. We visited them Saturday, and Sister Strickland said that Autumn (her 5 year old) talks about me and Sister Alvey all the time. "We've had a lot of sister missionaries, but you were the sister missionaries for us," Sister Strickland told us. I love their family, so it was nice to hear them say they loved me too. :)

Dimple, age 20 from India, is getting baptized on Saturday. Her story is amazing! Her LDS professor was lecturing on evolution, and when she approached him after class insisting that there must be more to our purpose than animal origin, he smiled and said, "You're right." He referred her to us, and that was just a month ago. Now she's getting baptized! She is so pure and loving. She accepts the doctrine so easily and loves to learn! I feel privileged to be here during her conversion.

A miracle this week is that while we've had little to no time to tract, almost half the people we did talk to became new investigators! Yesterday a lesson fell through, but a young mom across the street was outside and expressed interest in the Book of Mormon. Another day we checked on a referral and met his mother instead, who had some questions about the afterlife since her father's recent death. People here are so receptive. It's wonderful. I want to focus on finding families to teach.

Challenge this week: Read the Book of Mormon every day. A verse, chapter, page, whatever you can make time for. I felt impressed to read the Book of Mormon cover to cover in the next transfer (six weeks), so I'll be doing this right along with you! It brings a sense of direction and peace to your life. That's what it's done in mine.

Have a lovely week!

Sister Taylor