It has been so hot this past week.   Apparently for at least three days in a row were record-breaking heat days when no one thought there would be.  I guess the heat followed me from Texas.  They say that the Fair weather is always rainy but it has not rained this week until yesterday and it was only a drizzle. For P-Day last week we went to the State Fair, of course. Everyone in this town is so focused on the Fair that many people aren't home. 

We always perform service to everyone, so this past week we did a district service project of two things:  weeding out of top soil and moving logs.  The first member's home we were at, we pulled the grass out where they want to start planting with rakes and put it in the huge tractor they have to transport the remains.  At least for Sister Nield and I, we ate lunch prior to the service but then an hour into it we stopped and they fed us lunch so we had a double lunch that day.  Sister Nield said on occasion you'll have a double dinner because investigators will call wanting to feed you that day.  Thank goodness that hasn't happened yet.  Later we then went to another member's house to move logs.  He had a lumber jack come and teach us the technique of how to cut down a tree.  We then took an ax and begin to cut them into smaller pieces which is easier said than done. I apparently was using the heavier ax the whole time till one of the Elders switched with me.  That was really fun and we bonded as a district.

So the first of the month = money + miles.  Our allowance is then renewed and we start back over with zero miles out of the allotted 1600 we can use in a month.  So in celebration of this we ate at DQ.  Well mainly to turn in our mileage reports so they can be handed into our vehicle coordinator.  We were first last month to turn them in so we got cookies.  It is easy for us since Brother LaVoie lives in our zone.  

Another moose story: We were getting ready in the morning and saw two moose right outside our window. They get so close to humans and don't care about us. We just need to make sure we keep our distance and don't appear to be a threat. They apparently kill people so frequently around here.

We had transfer calls this week but we knew we were staying because I'm still in training. The Colony sisters called us saying they were going to be white washing a new area in Anchorage because of the great job they did in Colony.  It turned out to be a prank but their whole district and our Zone Leaders believed them.  We were all told that this transfer was going to be the craziest ever.  It makes sense why they were gullible into believing it.  What is crazy about it is that the two STLs (Sister Training Leaders) are being split up to each train new sisters while they are being single STLs in different areas.  That apparently doesn't happen.  This mission is just so young with so many greenies (new missionaries) that there aren't enough people to train - well at least not for the sisters.  President Robinson asked Salt Lake for more sisters and he got what he asked for. There were (8) when I came out and another (5) come out tomorrow.  

Mary and Lizzy had their baptismal interview on Friday and everything is ready to go.  I am so excited for them. As we were planning for their lesson yesterday we got caught up in what to teach them still before baptism. They should have been baptized this past week, but oh well. They are even more excited than we are.  We are pushing Timothy's baptism back a few weeks because of General Conference, so hopefully he will be ready by then to be baptized.

Miracle of the week:  I am not big on tracting (knocking door to door) or OYMing (opening your mouth in which we basically walk and talk).  We do so anyway to fulfill our purpose as missionaries.  I find that we always have some kind of miracle that happens when we do this. This week we met one man named Glen who seemed interested in the Church but wouldn't give us an address or a phone number.  We invited him to come to church at 9:30am, but how many people actually come? Well he showed up!!!  He apparently participated in choir practice before church started and bore his testimony up at the pulpit like everyone else.  He came to Gospel Principles class and there we realized who he was and we got his address so we could go visit him.  It is so cool how The Lord prepares His children to receive the gospel.



Many Thanks!!!


Sister Shelley Willden