Bryndee Down South: Happy Masters Week

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a fantastic week!

Did you know that there's week long holiday that they neglect to celebrate in Arizona? Its called Masters week, and from what I gather, its not a 'real' holiday, but might as well be one :) Apparently It has something to do with golf, and is a major deal.

Anyways....

Sister Gardner and I have started singing hymns in peoples homes lately. (Yes porter, I sing out loud. In front of people. and they actually like it ;)) I love the spirit that a hymn can instantly bring!! I've made more people cry this week than I ever have in my whole life!

Along with teaching me the power of hymns, Sister Gardner is teaching me all kinds of useful stuff... Like I can now cook all kinds of stuff! I'm becoming a regular genius with rice and beans! (Which is pretty much all Sister Gardner can eat... poor dear...) In exchange, I'm teaching her to organize and prioritize better, so she can get more 'needfull' things done... It works out nicely :)

This week, we started teaching Luther and Tatiana, a couple living in the projects with their two little girls. Sister Gardner met them with her old companion when she crashed their birthday party and started making the kids balloon animals (she does this a lot...) and teaching them primary songs. We taught them the plan of salvation, because they had alot of questions about death. When we explained the spirit world and Resurrection, you could literally see them light up! Tatiana said that she isn't afraid to die anymore, and they are excited to learn more. It was totally rewarding!

We also met Sister Weizer, who is this adorable little old lady from Austria. Its like someone picked up a fairy tale book and shook it really hard, and Sister Weizer fell out... she is so cute! I told her that I was thinking about going into engineering when I got off my mission, and she got super excited and animated and exclaimed that we needed more female engineers and that I was doing the right thing... I was glad she approved ha ha :) She gave me the best advice I've gotten all week.... That as important as the work I'm doing is, it is way to easy to fall into a rut of stress and worry. Its also important to find joy, and enjoy my mission while I'm living it. I can't live on some days....' someday one of these investigators will keep a commitment'....'someday Ill baptize'.... Someday is a dangerous word. Why not enjoy now? :)

How I've seen the lords hand in the work this week: This week our focus has been on sacrament meeting attendance. We have been inviting, and inviting, and following up, and inviting, and anything just short of lovingly harassing people to go to church this week. we ended up having 7 solid people that we were positive would be there, and we were so excited.....until Sunday morning, when every single one of them fell through. We walked into church feeling a little dejected, when there they were: Albert and La'toya... The son and daughter in law of one of the new converts we had been working with, there to see their dad bear his testimony in church for the first time! Even though our own efforts didn't work, The lord blessed us so we would have someone there. I am so grateful for the lords tender mercies... He truly does bless us when we do his work, his way!

Another person the lord blessed us with this week was Lilly Mae. We were in the Dollar store, checking out when we were approached by this black lady who was super excited to see us. "are Y'all the Mormon Missionaries?!?" Us: "Yes Mam, we are! Whats your name?" "Well, I'm Lilly Mae, and Ive been looking for y'all for ages! I used to meet with those boys who ride around in suits on bikes, and then they just suddenly stopped coming! Will you come teach me?!"

We were Dumbfounded. This doesn't happen! EVER! so, we gave her a Book of Mormon, and she asked us for assigned reading! I'm so excited to see her progress!

Welp, I've got to go for the week, but Y'all have a blessed day, Ya hear?!?

Sister Derrick