Transfer Week!

November 20, 2013

It has been a long week. It is transfer week and tomorrow I will be back at the Belmont chapel. The results of T-texts.... (drum roll) Sister States is going to be going to Rhode Island (or for those of you who follow Studio C, " Rhooooode Iiiiiiislaaaaaand!!!"). And coming to Merrimack to join me is, Sister Brown! What were the chances of that?!?!  She also is an Hermana (called to speak Spanish) so I will have someone to practice with. I had some time during language study yesterday so I made a bunch of post it notes with the spanish names of things and I put them up all around the house. I will have to take a picture of the little salmon signs. They have only been up for an evening but I have picked up on a few words already. This is going to be good!

Karee and Sister States

The Pearsons, Sis States, and Karee

Sis States baking at the Robinsons

Karee, Sis States, and Sis Robinson

We went on splits(mom note: going on splits is when one missionary goes with another member and the other missionary goes with another member also and they go visit) with Myklyn and Tabitha on Tuesday. Myklyn and I went to a few young women's houses, but none of them were actually home. We went to a home thinking it was the home of a less-active, we made sure to have a restoration pamphlet just in case they had moved, but as it turns out we went to the wrong address so we will have to look again.

Myklyn, Karee, Sis States, and Tabitha

Karee without the big glasses

The highlight of the week was definitely Zone Conference! We left a little later than we had planned and had to make a stop at the church to print off a talk that we should have printed off earlier. Plus there was traffic! So on the ride up I was feeling a little like one of the five foolish virgins, who wasn't ready when the bridegroom came.
We ended up getting there before it started and then one of the speakers (Sister Nielson) told an old fable about an ant and a grasshopper. It was interesting because she shared a personal story about how they are usually running late and how she feels like she is the one always forgetting things. It was good to hear not only that I am not the only one, but that it's ok. She told us that she is more like the grasshopper that is a little crazy, likes to have fun (sing and dance) and a little unorganized, but that her husband is more like an ant, organized prepared and ready for the winter (or whatever hardships come).

 But that they work together and they use each others strengths and try to strengthen their weaknesses. It is a team! I really liked that. Plus I felt a little better about being running a little behind.

Sister Packard was the first speaker and spoke on the first principle of the Gospel, Faith. She shared a really good point that faith allows us to see others like they can become, including ourselves. Then acting on that faith is what allows us to change. Change was actually what President Packard spoke about. Well actually repentance, but he broke it done to the root words and to the original meaning to help us to better understand what it means to repent. The Old Testament was originally written Hebrew and the word that they used was Shub, which means: to turn back, to turn to, to return. The New Testament was written in Greek and the word that was used was Metanoeo. Metanoeo has a few words to break down.Metanoeo It is a compound word – Meta and noeo. "The word “metaneoeo” means a change of mind, thought, knowledge, spirit and breath that is so powerful that it changes our very way of life. Metanoeo means a person is becoming like the Lord." It then becomes a word of hope. We repent so we can change to become more like God.                                                         

Elder Nielson
 talked about how we are most happy when we are being obedient. Not just obedient because we have to but because we want to be. He talked about different covenants that we make and the promises that God gives to us. He mentioned that God did not send us here to Earth to flat line or to simply be satisfied with where we currently are. He wants us to keep progressing and moving to a better us.

We also heard from the four stake presidents in the zone. I found out that there was a child who was run over along with the mother in the Worcester area. He spoke about how it was an opportunity for the missionaries in the area to reach out in a different way.

A poem that was shared:

It takes broken clouds to make rain.
Broken ground to make grain

Broken grain to make bread

Broken bread to always remember Him.

A broken Savior to make a perfect atonement,

and a broken heart to accept Him.

(I believe that was by Elder Holland and the last two lines by Sister Nielson).

We went visiting teaching to a few women in the ward, but we did it in different ways. We helped one sister with her freezer meals while we talked to her about her life. And then we went to another sister's house to help her rake leaves. It was so much fun to visit in different ways.

The holidays are just around the corner and so people are getting busy, but it is so cool to see that they are still willing to open their hearts and their homes to the missionaries. We sure have a lot to be thankful for this coming week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I love you all!

Love Hermana K. Brown