1.04.2016

 Winter is Here 

Happy New Year everyone! This week has been really weird and crazy, and I can't believe it's already Monday again.

Tuesday were transfers, and all the trainers got a call Monday night saying that 12 / 13 new missionaries got stuck in Detroit because of a blizzard, so we were most likely going to be companionless until Thursday. We weren't really sure what we were going to do, but Tuesday morning they sent out new logistics where everyone was paired together with another trainer for Wednesday. Everyone but me because I was the lucky one who got her new missionary. Sister Kwasney is from Canada and served a transfer in Canada while she waited for her visa. Because she didn't fly through Michigan she was able to get here no problem on Tuesday. She is awesome and loves to laugh and have a good time. She also likes sports and is not one of those totally emotional girls, which I am so relieved about because I am not sure what I would do if I got a companion like that. 

Because only one greenie was here on Tuesday the training meeting got pushed to Thursday. Our day was spent in Green Tree, being trained on how to be a good trainer. That really helped me get somewhat of an idea of how to do things. It was also nice to catch up with a couple of missionaries since we no longer have transfer meetings where you can talk to each other. Once we got home for the meetings we had to be in by 5:30 because it was New Years Eve. For the next four hours we were told to deep clean our apartments and then send in pictures to the mission office. Our apartment is tiny, like two mini rooms and was pretty clean, but we really used the time to get the nitty gritty stuff like cleaning the walls and ceiling fans. It felt so good! We didn't stay up for the new year, weird, but I did wake up from everyone banging pots and pans outside. So, I can say that I was up at midnight and stilled obeyed mission rules!

Our investigator pool has been depleted, so now we have moved onto the finding part of being a missionary. We were able to hand out four Book of Mormons to people on the street, and have gained a solid potential. Sadly, no new investigators yet, but they will come eventually as long as we work hard, are persistent on opportunities, and have the faith to find who Heavenly Father wants us to find. That's one thing that I learned recently. In Preach My Gospel there are a bunch of different suggestions on how to find people to teach. All of them are there to teach us how to better our faith in finding people and relying on the Lord to put people in our path. As we have the faith, we will find.

This past year I succeeded at not eating candy. January 1 rolled around and I ate a solid meal only for dinner. The rest of the day I spent shoving my face full of every candy I could get my hands on. The whole day I felt sick to my stomach and was pretty sure I was going to vomit and any minute, but thankfully I didn't. Good thing I am doing no candy again for 2016 because I still feel a little nasty from eating all that sugar. 

I also got the wonderful opportunity to eat / drink a shrimp slushi that the elders in our ward made. A few weeks ago I lost the game "What are the Odds" and had to drink one. Well, the day finally came this week and let me tell you, it was so bad I couldn't even swallow. I was gagging the entire time and it was horrendous! The chunks of shrimp, that they did not shell, was probably the worst part because the texture was like vomit. It was bad, but you can't back down from a challenge! 

E got the Aaronic priesthood today at church and bore his testimony. I felt so much like a proud parent watching their kid win an award. It was great! Their family is doing so well, and they continue to get better and better every single day. We are also going to start teaching Z, S's friend! She needs a little guidance and direction in her life, so hopefully we will be able to help her with that!

It started snowing last night, and now the ground is covered in that wretched white stuff. I'm not sure how I am going to survive the winter because from what I hear, Pennsylvania winters are brutal. 

Sister Morrison

Birch and I at the Cathedral of Learning. That place is legit! We went with a bunch of missionaries and rode the elevator to the 36th floor and then ran down all the stairs. 

All the nasty hair that came out of our sink, yep I wanted to barf, 

At McDonalds eating a McChicken with mozzarella sticks and a McDouble
inside of it. Talk about a heart attack!

Me and my companion, Sister Kwasney