On Sunday evenings I take some time to read through my journal and reflect on what has happened...and also come up with a list of things I need to inform everyone about. This has been an amazing week. My points will probably be crazy and all over the place --- so just go with it.
First of all I must say how grateful I am to be in a ward that is so missionary minded! Right now our teaching pool would be so much smaller if we weren't around so many people who are doing so much to help us! Whether it's a team-up, a referal, a part-member family or visits with members who don't come as often, we are seeing success because of our Hickory Flat family!
At one of our meal appointments we ended up telling the families that we were there with , ALL about our funny stories, one of which included all the jokes about my hair. This week someone told me that my hair reminds them of the mom from "A Christmas Story"! NOT a compliment! Haha! And I'm just going to say right now... the humidity has gotten to me almost as much as the Spirit has; my hair has never been crazier, but at the same time my testimony has never been stronger. I guess you can't have it all, right? Despite the humidity.. you do get a lot of other great perks being in the south - this week not once.. not twice.. but on THREE seperate occasions a few southern gents called me "honey" --- let me tell you how refreshing it is to be called that instead of "sister".
This week we had a lot of great lessons! It's such a blessing to be teaching more, not that we don't love knocking doors... but it just seems to be a better use of time to be sharing truths and inviting people to do things that will bring their lives joy rather than ringing door bells and freaking out all the neighbors. A few weeks ago we met a lady named Joanne who was going out of town, Sister Kelly got the feeling that we needed to visit her and so we drove to her house! Its a good thing my homegirl has the Spirit because she was home! And we were able to teach her... the Spirit was really strong as we told her about the Restoration of Christ's Church. The best part about this lesson? It was taught outside! Georgia is finally starting to cool down and the humidity isn't awful ... It was really a great night. We are going back to teach her more and she wants to show us her garden!
Another quick story from this week happened while I was on exchange. I was in an area up from mine and me and Sister Paepaetata (who is from Tahiti.... for our morning exercise she taught me to Hula!) knocked on a door... the lady behind, Judy, was shockingly excited to see us and said over and over "Come in! Come in!" - so, being the optimist I was I had the thought going through my mind... "Yeah, probably a member. No one is this pumped to see us." WRONG AGAIN! She was the sweetest methodist lady I ever did meet! We talked to her for a while and then she asked us where we went to church. Because we were out of my area I didn't respond... but then she said "I don't suppose you know a lady in the Hickory Flat ward?" My face lit up and we started making connections because come to find out, she lives in my ward boundaries and across from one of my favorite members! We are going by to visit her this week.
First of all I must say how grateful I am to be in a ward that is so missionary minded! Right now our teaching pool would be so much smaller if we weren't around so many people who are doing so much to help us! Whether it's a team-up, a referal, a part-member family or visits with members who don't come as often, we are seeing success because of our Hickory Flat family!
At one of our meal appointments we ended up telling the families that we were there with , ALL about our funny stories, one of which included all the jokes about my hair. This week someone told me that my hair reminds them of the mom from "A Christmas Story"! NOT a compliment! Haha! And I'm just going to say right now... the humidity has gotten to me almost as much as the Spirit has; my hair has never been crazier, but at the same time my testimony has never been stronger. I guess you can't have it all, right? Despite the humidity.. you do get a lot of other great perks being in the south - this week not once.. not twice.. but on THREE seperate occasions a few southern gents called me "honey" --- let me tell you how refreshing it is to be called that instead of "sister".
This week we had a lot of great lessons! It's such a blessing to be teaching more, not that we don't love knocking doors... but it just seems to be a better use of time to be sharing truths and inviting people to do things that will bring their lives joy rather than ringing door bells and freaking out all the neighbors. A few weeks ago we met a lady named Joanne who was going out of town, Sister Kelly got the feeling that we needed to visit her and so we drove to her house! Its a good thing my homegirl has the Spirit because she was home! And we were able to teach her... the Spirit was really strong as we told her about the Restoration of Christ's Church. The best part about this lesson? It was taught outside! Georgia is finally starting to cool down and the humidity isn't awful ... It was really a great night. We are going back to teach her more and she wants to show us her garden!
Another quick story from this week happened while I was on exchange. I was in an area up from mine and me and Sister Paepaetata (who is from Tahiti.... for our morning exercise she taught me to Hula!) knocked on a door... the lady behind, Judy, was shockingly excited to see us and said over and over "Come in! Come in!" - so, being the optimist I was I had the thought going through my mind... "Yeah, probably a member. No one is this pumped to see us." WRONG AGAIN! She was the sweetest methodist lady I ever did meet! We talked to her for a while and then she asked us where we went to church. Because we were out of my area I didn't respond... but then she said "I don't suppose you know a lady in the Hickory Flat ward?" My face lit up and we started making connections because come to find out, she lives in my ward boundaries and across from one of my favorite members! We are going by to visit her this week.
Even though exchange was fun, it is always good to go home, and always good to be back with your companion! I can't say enough how blessed I am to be serving with Sister Kelly. Not only is she a mission companion, but an eternal friend. We have been companions for two months now... how we haven't run out of things to talk about I will never know! We spend every moment of the day (literally) talking and laughing. When we brought up the fact that transfers are happening in about 5 weeks with one of the ward members he told us that they need to keep us together because we are the most dynamic companionship he has ever seen! This week we were knocking doors... a lady opened her front door.. looked at Sister Kelly and said "You have GOT to be JOKING." and slammed it back in our face. NICE! I'm pretty sure if I wasn't with her something like this would have sent me over the edge... instead it has become an inside joke and a classic memory! Not only in times like this am I grateful to serve around her.. but also as we are teaching. She is just so great!
We met a man named Terry... he invited us in and we listened to him talk for around an hour. I'm almost 100% sure that neither Sister Kelly or I got a single word in the entire time, and if we did it was something like "oh wow" or "cool!". We tried many times to tell him we had to go but then he started into another story! It was so sweet. He lives alone and doesn't have family near, when he said he had a hard time doing some things around the house we both jumped for the opportunity to serve and told him we would come back next week and we would mow his lawn or scrub a floor, whatever he needed.... he said something awfully sad... "You know girls, the only thing worse for a person than being sick is being lonesome... you are doing a much greater service to me by just sitting and listening." As I've thought about what he said... I've realized how heartbreaking it must be for Heavenly Father and Christ to watch us in our life feel alone at times. I think that is the last feeling they ever want us to feel... and I hope that my small efforts as a missionary make people realize they aren't alone.
I can't say enough how much I love it out here! There are trying moments, but the large majority is just SUCH a gift. I love being able to get to know people but mostly, I love helping people to get to know the Savior better. I know that this is His work. I know that the things I am teaching people are true. I know that I love being a missionary.
Godspeed.
-Sister Beasley
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