It Truly is a Wonderful Life!: Missionary Newsletter #62 (Feb 23)

the scary snow we had heard about for days!!! (Not so much)

The Snow Came!!! And I had to drive in it with a poor new missionary on an exchange! So nerve-racking!!! No Salt. Good news, we survived!

We have had LOTS of Snow this week! Two Snow Days! Holy Cow! This is Very Unusual for Alabama! Last year, we had one big snow, but here it had a whimpy snow on Tuesday and then a big snow on Friday! It's also has a 80% chance of snowing next week too. Let me tell ya, it's weird. It's like we brought Utah with us! On Friday, we were in Decatur's District Meeting when it began to snow. I had to bring Sister Layton back to Madison for our exchange. The roads were slick and it was raining pretty hard. I called the Zone Leaders to ask what to do because we can't drive our car when it snows. They told me I had to drive now or I'd be suck overnight. So, we headed off! For your information, it is not NEARLY as scary driving in Utah! I'm invincible there! But here, I had a sister's life in my hands, the church's vehicle, which is paid for with sacred tithing money, and inexperienced snow drivers all around me! I have to admit, it was a bit stressful. By the grace of God, we made it safely home. The second I parked, I collapsed into a sigh of relief! So glad that was over! We then went tracting in the snow! It was a beautiful thing!

Snow in Alabama!

There were tons of birds in our backyard. It was cold and started to snow, so we made them a shelter and put some nuts outside. There were LOTS of birds though! Most we've ever had, but only a few took the bait. :(

Mally's grandson- a cancer survivor party!

One of the miracles this week is that Brianna came to church!!! (She was the sweet mother we tracted into on an exchange about a week back in the last 5 minutes of our time!) She came in late, squeezing next to us with her little girl, Baylee. It was really neat because Baylee and Christina's little boy (the other girl we are teaching), Michael, started playing together in Sacrament Meeting. We were all sitting in the same long, row. These two toddlers had a grand ole time! Also, Baylee and Michael both have diabetes. Christina and Brianna really connected since they had the same doctor and similar struggles trying to learn the ropes of diabetes. Plus, they are both learning the gospel, which I think helps them really feel comfortable with one another. It was neat seeing them bond and we just had to stand and watch. :)

In addition, when we visited with Marcia the other day, she informed us that she has had some stresses with finances and such. She also told us that her boss pulled her aside and told her she needed to wear nicer shirts to work, but she doesn't have any. Being sister missionaries, lots of clothes get left in the apartments, especially here in Madison since we live in a sister graveyard (mission lingo meaning a lot of sisters end their missions in our area). A few days later, we brought the old clothes from our apartment to see if there was anything that would work for her. As she went through it, she was thrilled! Things we never would've thought was stellar or great were very cute clothes to her. It was actually quite humbling to see her love these clothes we would've thought nothing of. There is so much I take for granted and I am grateful for moments like this to see the joy and twirls that one has over something so little. She found a lot of use out of shirts many sisters have overlooked. Josh, playing the perfect boyfriend role, assured Marcia that she looked good in the outfits. She told her, "You look good in everything you wear." That is a true man. Every guy should say that to his girlfriend/wife. They were so grateful and we left with a huge smile on our face. It feels so good to serve others. It was such a blessing to be part of that!

Madison is still doing great! We love it here and I love being here with Sister Zackrison! We are trying to find a place in Provo right now so we can be roommates in school. :) Wish us luck! It's coming to the end of the transfer though, so we are sad because we will know that we will be split up since we both go home in April. We will receive transfer instructions by the end of this week, so I'll let y'all know what happens! It's a bit nerve-racking since this will determine how we will end our missions, but at least we can go through it together! I love you all and pray for you! Know that God loves you and is always by your side. :)