Strange how it all works out so nicely...

Well, we wander around and the Lord loves us enough to plop us in the right places when we have no idea where to go, it's been cool. Getting off the bus at the right spot when we had no idea where we were, running into members, finding people who live in the same areas by chance....strange how it all works out so nicely. Tender mercies baby!

Well the church is pretty sweet, and so is the spirit if you haven't caught on by now, so go forward with hope! As Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, (who is also German) "Never allow despair to overcome your spirit!"

What a blessing to serve with her!

Sister Whitaker is turning 22 next month. She is from Fallon, Nevada. She has been working as a miner for two years at Round Mountain Gold Mine Corporation (open pit) as a lecher, which means you send chemicals to suck up gold or something like that. She is the baby of six kids. I can't tell you how much I love her. She has great stories about hunting and various red neck activities. The only thing that makes me laugh harder than her stories, is watching the looks on the very prim and proper members of the Solihull ward as they listen to her stories. She has won the medal for cracking me up. What a blessing to serve with her!!

I became a real elder!

I wanted to say that I become a real elder because we don't get a car for this area, and we’re lookin for bikes!!! Yeah!

White washing (for the third time), replacing elders (for the second time), in Solihull - which is part of Birmingham (for the second time), with Sister Whitaker (for the first time). It's a really posh area that is the most active ward in the mission. Despite that, they have hardly baptized - only about 3 or 4 a year. It's a bit of a mystery, so in an attempt to shake things up, president has put in sisters. He was actually going to keep me in Evesham, but when he prayed about the sisters he was putting in Solihull, the Lord gave him a different answer, and I got to go. I really feel like I'm in the right place. In the past few weeks, I've had a few experiences that have been called to my remembrance. I was thinking about a lady I taught last summer when I was serving in Harbourne. She was in the Solihull area (not far from us) and wanted sisters, so we had special permission to teach her. She's another eternal investigator, but a very special lady. She even has visiting teachers...go figure. Anyway she had been on my mind. A YSA aged girl from Harbourne kept popping into my head as well, and last night I met a woman from the ward who said her son is engaged to this girl, and she had been at their house and told them about me when they found out I was coming. How bizarre is that? I just think it's cool how the spirit works. I've found, and I've talked about this with other missionaries as well - that the longer I'm out, district meetings and zone meetings become less and less of a surprise. You basically know what they are going to talk about by the time you get there. Everyone is so connected and in tune to the spirit, it's outrageous! :)

So to awaken the area, president just told us to be creative and mix it up and use them members! This is a great way to incorporate skillz finding - something Sister Rose and I came up with. We made a list of everything we are awesome at, and then worked it into “finding”. It was quite a breath of fresh air. I love whitewashing because neither of us knows where anything is or who anyone is and everyday is a surprise!

The gospel, did you know? It’s truth. Anything is possible, nothing is certain.

xoxox Madie

Bet you never thought about it like that!!!!!

So we got to teach the gospel principles class yesterday - just us missionaries and three recent converts that we are very close to. So we were talking about the Holy Ghost and I ask the class, "What was it like when you were confirmed a member of the church?" One of them goes, "Well, since it's just us, I’ve got to say, that the only thing I can compare it to is the experiences I had had on illegal drugs!" Another one goes, "No way, the only way I could describe the feeling was that it felt like I was drunk. I was so light and happy." Awhile ago, I talked to a recent convert that told us about her lapse back onto smoking weed. She said she realized that the feelings she was getting from being high imitated the same feelings that she had from the spirit. When she realized this, it really scared her, and she gave it up again. It's just a little crazy to think that what everyone is obsessed over -drinking, smoking, drugs - so that they can have a "good time" - are really pursued just to feel the "imitations of the spirit."

What is wonderful is that you can feel those highs by simply qualifying for the Holy Ghost! It's hard work, but well worth the effort. It doesn't go away after one night, it's not expensive, and it occurs over and over....if only everyone knew. Sigh. No wonder people always thought I was high at college. They were confused as to why I was so happy when I was on nothing!

But anyways, put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Or maybe not.

Love!

Madie