THE COOKIE MONSTERS NAME IS SID!

    Yup. That is all I learned this week. The cookie monster has a name. And that name is Sid. My companion is named Sidnee, which is ironic because she bakes a lot of cookies #nomnomnomnomnom.

      So this week we did a lot of service! On Tuesday we went over to an hour less actives house planning on helping her flipping her mattress, and we ended up doing that AND scrubbing her kitchen floor on our hands and knees for three hours! That is the fun thing about being a Sister Missionary, we clean for people ALL THE TIME! So Sister Cassity mentioned that she just mopped and that her floor was still sticky, so I filled a bucket with soapy water and we started to wash the floor with dishrags because we figured her old sponge mop was the problem. And all of a sudden the brown crack designs on the linoleum started to go away! BECAUSE THEY WERENT DESIGNS THEY WERE DIRT! Sister Conder and I made looks of panic at each other, we asked her if she had any scrub brushes and we went to work! At first we both scrubbed, but one of the brushes was tiny. So Sister Conder scrubbed while I lysol wiped her very dirty kitchen, and every so often I would follow behind and wipe up the puddles of mud she was making with her scrub brush. Can I tell you that never have I ever wished I had taken a before and after picture so bad in my life. It looked like a totally different kitchen! 

     Then we helped our relief society president (single mom, full time physical therapist, part time attorney) paint her room! She told us that she had been living in that house for almost three years and she hated the color of her room the whole time she had been there, but just didn't have any time to paint it! And we said "We can help with that!!" well we ended up being there for 4 hours haha but it looked way good! And Sister Conder and I painted and taped that whole thing! And it was a huge room! My arms are still sore.

     One of our investigators showed up at an activity drunk and that wasn't so fun. Thankfully no one could tell! But she threw her bottle and brown bag out the window of her car as she drove out of the church parking lot....

     But the next day everything was made better when we got this text from our investigator Juan...

"I just want to tell you that I really appreciate everything you do for the world, God, His plan, and ultimately for me and my salvation. You two are extra ordinary and I cant help but to love the way you are. You are passionate about what you're doing and your purpose and I love that about you. I wish I would've met you earlier in life and could've joined you in this incredible journey. You make me want to be a better man, in this world and spiritually. I enjoy listening to you two, you are like the two little stars that lighten up my life in the middle of this dark depressing stage of my life. After divorce, death, abandonment you shine just enough to bring me joy and for that I thank you. Your smiles make my day every-time I see you two. Thank you Sisters." 

  I can tell you that after we got that text that we felt so happy that it almost hurt. I love being a missionary so much. It is the best thing I have ever done.

      Last night we met this bible basher, but because of the Spirit I can almost visibly see his heart soften. I could see Sister Conder was nervous because he started grilling us about the bible and was trying to trip us up and say that we believe in salvation by works (still not exactly sure how to teach that...oh well) and she bore VERY powerful testimony during the whole lesson, I started crying after the lesson because I was so proud of her, it really was the best part of the whole lesson. Thankfully though knew what he was doing and I just stopped him and said "Jim we don't believe in being saved by works! But if you don't follow Jesus, obviously you don't have faith in him!" And he kind of just stared at me! I am grateful that I got a little bit of the scriptorium gift from my grandma, because let me tell you that I had to use some scriptures I have never used teaching him! He knew his stuff! But THE PURE JOY I felt when he scowled as he read a scripture 1 peter chapter four, that CLEARLY states that the gospel will be preached to the dead! And he so knew! Once we started to testify and use the scriptures anything he said was redundant and incomplete. Because what we were teaching was true, and though he knew the scriptures his knowledge was incomplete.

    That is something I have discovered this week. When people ask what is the difference between us and baptists the answer could simply be, we have more. We are NOT different. Unless some one is not teaching from the Holy Bible, most likely what they have is truth. Everything we have it is more and it is more clear and more pure. And it will give you more happiness and more joy. The plan is hard, God asks a lot of us. But it is so full of mercy and the reward will be so much greater than any pain or effort on our part.

The church is true, the book is blue and Jesus loves both me and you!

Love y'all!

Sister White

p.s While we were tracting this lady passed out at the doorstep and we lifted her into her chair! She wouldn't let us call 911 so we taught her the restoration!!