The Plague!

Hey Y'all!

This week our mission was struck with a PLAGUE!!! Alright, it wasn't THAT bad. There has been this sickness going around the mission especially in the Flat Creek, Fayetteville, and Peechtree city areas. Almost all of the senior missionaries in the office got it, our mission president and sister Foote got it, almost everyone in my district got it, and even the AP's got it. One of them had to go to urgent care! The symptoms included a high fever and heavy coughing, along with several others symptoms. Unfortunately, Sister K was not immune to this virus and it took hold of her last week. We spent the whole week starting on Tuesday in the apartment, quarantined from the outside world. Wow, that was tough. The first day wasn't so bad. I read all of "Our Search for Happiness," which was written by M. Russell Ballard. That is a great book and I suggest everybody read it. After, I started reading "Jesus the Christ." By the end of the day my mind was so blown with deep doctrine that it had turned to mush. But that's okay! It was WAY cool!

The next day was a little worse. I watched ALL of general conference for 2005. ALL OF IT. It was very good, but after that, I had nothing to do. The third day I made cookies and proceeded to be INCREDIBLY bored, re-watching some general conference. The bright side to that day was that Sister K, and one of our senior missionaries who was returning our car after getting a sensor called a Tiwi put in.  She tried my cookies and said they were the best they had ever had. Hahaha! I didn't think they were my best, but they were yummy.  Sister K then demanded that I make them for the next District meeting, when I told the District leaders that, they said they were holding me to that promise. Hahahaha! I guess I'm making cookies next week! :D

An attempted selfie with Sister K hiding under her blanket

and Sister Halford in the back

Day four was quite a bit better. Sister K was still very sick, but our Sister Training Leaders Sister Halford and Sister Makgopa (ma-ho-pa) went on exchanges with me. Sister Halford and I went out into my area while sister Makgopa stayed with Sister K. That was an AMAZING DAY! We were able to contact a less active that we have literally been trying to contact for the past transfer. I had never met her before, and it was a complete surprise to us when she answered the door. We talked with her for a good while, then invited her to practice the 5 PMG discussions with us and she accepted. I am excited to see her again.

We also saw S* for the first time in a while. At first, he was a little closed off to us, but after a while he opened up more. We found out that at some point a pair of Elders gave him a Book of Mormon. S* has a problem with the Book of Mormon because he was raised to believe that the Bible is the only word of God. Sister Halford and I explained to him that we use both the Bible AND the Book of Mormon. They testify and uplift each other. We also testified and asked if we could come back and explain to him more about the the two books supporting each other. He said no, very politely. That was a disappointment, but we didn't stop there. As we talked to him, we found out he was considering coming to church on the 21st. It was funny because at the beginning he said he was 68% likely to come, maybe. And by the end of our discussion, he was a solid 72% percent likely to come. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE, S*! :D We also found out that he had been reading the Book of Mormon and was finished with the first three chapters. This surprised both of us since he had just said he was unsure about the book. We left S* with a commitment to keep reading and praying, and to also come to church.

Day 5, Sister K really wanted to get out and work, but her body was still very week form being so sick. We managed to go out for an hour to pick up some things we needed and were then told to stay home from the mission nurse. We did make lots of phone calls, though and were able to get a hold of M*. However, the contact was not very good. She sounded annoyed that we had called, said she was busy and would call us back later, then never called us back. We are worried about her as an investigator, but hope that she will come around. Pray for her and her family.

J* was not at church on Sunday. That was very disappointing. He also wasn't there when we sent the Elders with Sister Fincher to the appointment we had set up on Wednesday. We hope to get in contact with him this week. Our goal is to get him to accept and be on date for baptism. J* is really prepared for the gospel, if only he would come to church and listen. Sister Fincher was a big help, before the appointment, she had printed up a big list of links to LDS websites and talks about the Church, knowing that James was looking into the church more online. She had a big list of information and resources he could look at that were church approved. She left them at his door, and waited a few minutes after the appointment time to see if she could catch him. What a blessing it is to have her with us doing the work!

Although this week has been less productive than we had hoped, I am still grateful for it. On Tuesday when Sister K was sick with a Fever, we asked our Ward Mission Leader Brother Worthington to come give her a blessing. We aren't allowed to get blessings from the Elders. That was a very sweet, and very spiritual experience. As I listened to the blessing he gave, I noticed how close to the spirit he was, he even got choked up towards the end. I am so very grateful to have members of our ward who honor and uphold their priesthood authority the way Brother Worthington does. I knew, without a doubt in my head that he was the mouthpiece of our Heavenly Father, giving sister K a blessing to heal her. That simple fact was impressed upon me again that night. It also made me realize again, the importance for families to have worthy, priesthood holders heading the house. I know, as I always have, that I wan't to marry a man who is a worthy priesthood holder. Who is a faithful, who respects and honors his priesthood and loves his religion more than anything. I am so grateful to have grown up with that standard, and I want only that for my family as well. I have seen less active's here, who went less active because they chose to marry a person who wasn't a member or who was very less active and not strong in the gospel. It is hard on them, especially as we help activate them. I hope that never happens to me, and I am grateful that it didn't happen to my parents.

I know this church is true. I know that the light of Christ is in all of us, and all we need to do to spread it is to share it with others. That is why I am out here, to bring that light into people's eyes. I hope that we can all remember this very important task as we go out into the world. 

Y'all's Southern Bell,

Sister Welch

Pictures from last weeks district meeting.