Week 9: Moving on to another area...

Hey y'all. Transfer calls are in...and I am leaving the B-hood. I have no idea where I'm going. But I am heartbroken. My whole district has been decimated,  basically. Elder O will be a district leader in Newberry, Elder M is a zone leader in West Columbia, Sister Hansen is going home and I know nothing about anything except for that I'll be in a trio with someone else who came in with me. SO PLEASE PRAY FOR ME CAUSE HEAVEN KNOWS IMMA NEED IT.

JUST SOUTHERN THINGS:

-We listened to a group of old ladies critique the barbecue they bought from the high school baseball team as a fund raiser. Apparently it wasn't that good, but I loved it. It was probably the best barbecue I ever had in my life.

-Tried butter beans!

-Tried Carolina Gold barbecue sauce, and MAN that stuff is really good.

-Haven't had to make a meal pretty much all week, because everyone wants to feed us before we leave.

This is audio of Sister Pew singing and playing  Nearer My God to Thee at Zone Training (last week).

So Monday we hung out with the other COLA (columbia) zone sisters at the STLs' apartment. It was way fun! We played What If, and they all loved that game.

The next day was district meeting, where I gave my first training! It was about how to be a better missionary using the examples of Jesus Christ and His apostles. I'm not sure how it went, but studying for it was really awesome. Then we did exchanges with the STLs. I stayed in B with Sister Buckey and Sister Hansen went to Columbia with Sister Vorkink. Sister Buckey is basically the coolest; she is a convert of about 2 years and was totally anti-Mormon until she had a literal and metaphorical change of heart (she got heart surgery, lol). We taught a really powerful lesson to a less active member named Vanessa, who really opened up to us and told us she wants to figure out if she really wants to be involved in the church. The Spirit was so strong! I am so glad it was there to guide us to the questions to ask her to get her thinking. Sister Buckey stayed the night, and we had a good time chatting.

The next morning we went and did service with SBP again, restoring the same house that was damaged in the floods. This week we did drywall in the same room we did insulation in. We were there with the STLs, the Hopkins elders, Elder H and Elder F, and the Columbia elders, Elder E and Elder B. It was way fun. They're pretty goofy, all of them. Elder H wants to start a band with me and Elder F and another elder in our zone, Elder L. Elder H will be playing the guitar, Elder F will sing, I will play the piano and Elder L will play the drums. Apparently. It was fun though.

Thursday we went to Sister D's house for dinner with the B elders, where Elder M broke the news that he'd be leaving us to be a zone leader and predicted that I would be transferred. We were sad. But the food was good, so that made it a little better.

Friday we did weekly planning for Sister Hansen's last time! It's weird that she's leaving. Then we taught V and I from El Salvador about the restoration! V is less active but he's way cool. After that, we picked up the elders' recent convert, L, and took her to our recent convert E's house to do one of her new member lessons with our district and the elders' investigator R who is dating a less active named D.

Saturday we did not receive a transfer call, but at stake conference that evening, President Turner interviewed Sister Hansen and told me I'd be leaving B to be in a trio. I still don't know where! But we've been incredibly busy getting everything ready for us to leave so that the new sisters being whitewashed in will have SOME information. Hopefully they have a GPS, because W is 10 miles away from where we live in B, lololol. But stake conference was way good. Elder Alba of the 70 was there, and he is adorable. He showed a video of the song "the Spirit of God" being sung by a Presbyterian choir and a boys' choir - not only a Mormon hymn with Mormon doctrine taught in the lyrics but THE MACK WILBURG ARRANGEMENT AS WELL, so that basically pumped me up a lot. People were crying in the choir while they were singing it. It was awesome.

Sunday was stake conference again, which was great. Afterwards we had a passoff lesson with the elders and M, because the B elders will be teaching him from now on. I know Elder L and his new companion will take good care of him. When he is baptized, I hope I will hear about it! Brother W, one of the less actives we have been meeting with who is returning to church, received the Melchizedek priesthood yesterday also! How cool! We also had dinner at the Bishop's house. It was quite fun.

Today we received the official news that I am being transferred! We've been packing all day and blasting MoTab so that we can try to not think about things because when we do we get sad. Sister Hansen doesn't want to leave. I don't want to be transferred. But it is the Lord's will and we must do it! I am sure it will all work out. My faith in God has increased so much in this past month and a half. I trust Him to take care of me, and you should too!

I love you and miss you all! See y'all soon!
Don't let the muggles get you down!

Love,

Sister Pew

(sorry, no pictures today.)