Hello Family!!!!
Well thank you all for your emails. I am glad to hear everyone is still alive and kicking and enjoying life. Good to hear. Well as most of you guessed - yes we got snow this week. And I have quite the stories for you! Snow and I are best friends. Rain and I however are not so good friends.
So Tuesday was spent in Shoshone, and it was actually a good day. We contacted some prospective Elders as we have a list of 83 prospective Elders just in Shoshone ward so we are slowly going through the list to first check if the list is up to date, and then second to see if the people on the list are interested in coming back to church.
So we did that, then we held a Book of Mormon class that night. We have a few investigators who wanted to get to know the better so we hold a Book of Mormon class and it was awesome. We are going through and choosing characters and studying their lives and their stories to see what Christ-like attributes they have that we should be applying into our life.
We did Enos last week and this week were doing Captain Moroni - I may have been biased in choosing him... but still I am so excited to talk about him and I loved reading all about him and his amazingness. But Tuesday was awesome and lo and behold - no snow. We got home and did our nightly planning then we got an early bed (10pm not 10.30pm) because we were up at 5am the next morning getting ready to head to Boise for our New Missionary Training.
So Wednesday it was supposed to snow and like I said last week everyone says it’s supposed to snow but it never does, so we were skeptical about it. We left our place at 6am and headed to Jerome to park our car while we car-pooled with the Sisters in Twin Falls to head to Boise.
Normally it takes about 2 hours to get to Boise so we thought we would leave at 6.30am from Jerome get to Boise by 8.30am and be in time for the 9am training we had to be at. Well that was good in theory but the reality was a lot different. The minute we stepped out of our house at 6am it started snowing.
Awesome! We drove to Jerome and parked the car; the other sisters were there so we got loaded up and off to Boise. We hit the freeway about the same time a snow storm did, so instead of going 75 miles an hour like we would on the highway we were going at best 35 miles an hour because of the snow/ rain/ wind that was going on outside.
Every time a truck passed us it would almost blow us off the road and for a while I just shut my eyes because I was so scared something was going to happen even though I know the Lord protects his missionaries. Anyways we got into Boise and it was already about 10am.... That’s how long it took us to get to Boise. The APs were texting us the whole time so they said don’t worry about being late just get here safely.
As we were going along the freeway people were spinning out in front us, you couldn’t see the lanes so we were driving who knows where it was literally a white wash. Then we got to the mission office only to realize the training had been moved, so we got back in the car, got lost, and ended up back at the mission office.
Got a map, then an hour and a half later we got to our training. SAFE mind you so President Cannon didn’t mind that we were late. The Training was AWESOME. Absolutely an awesome rejuvenation and he showed this clip from a talk that Jeffery R Holland gave in the MTC called “Feed my Sheep”.
Cola you should watch it if you haven’t. I was almost crying by the end of it. Then President said we could stay the night in Boise if we wanted because the training finished at just after 3pm. We checked the weather and it had stopped snowing and wasn’t raining so we decided we were going to attempt the drive home because we had appointments set for that night.
Well it just rained the whole way home so the drive was alot better home and as we were pulling into the car park we saw our car and it was COVERED in snow. Absolutely buried in snow. And it had a snowman on the front of it so we busted out laughing because we knew it was the Elders in our district who would have covered it.
We went over and it was pretty funny to look at (I will send a picture) and then we saw the ZLs come out of the church and they walk over and are like we’re sorry...... and were like are you serious this is hilarious - why are you sorry?
Then they pointed out that while our car was buried in Snow a snow plow thought it was a pile of snow and rammed right into it so we have a huge dent in our car. And the Elders just felt so bad for causing a dent to our car. They thought it would be funny to bury our car in snow little did they know a snowplow would hit it. Fortunately our car was still workable and the ZLs unburied our car while we had a snow fight.
It made for an interesting night. But the poor Elders (there were 4 of them involved in the burying of our car) all felt so bad that it got hit, and the snow plow driver was a 19 year old boy who is going on a mission in 2 weeks and was just trying to make some extra money for his mission. So the whole situation just got worse. But we were safe. Anyways we finally got back to Shoshone it is just after 7.15pm by this time so we head right to our appointment and then we headed home.
Anyways I have another experience to share with you. This is a little more on the spiritual side. So at the new missionary training they talked a lot about the spirit and being able to recognize the spirit in our lives. And that night when we went to our appointment we were testifying about the spirit and I kept thinking I need to learn more about the spirit.
So on Wednesday night when I was praying I said I want to learn the role of the spirit and exactly what it does in our lives when we say it’s a guide, or it brings peace etc… So the next day I woke up and thought well I will study about the spirit but nothing came. My personal study just wasn’t right or didn't feel right, companionship study was more going through the motions then inspirational like it normally is, then it was weekly planning and we normally get about 3 hours to do weekly planning.
Well because of all the calling around about our car we had to do and because of the mood that we felt over us we ended up weekly planning for 5 hours it was ridiculous. Then everyone we called to go see wasn't home. It was an awful awful day. Unlike any I have ever had on my mission. I felt very off and very uneasy about everything. I couldn't even have a normal conversation on the phone I just felt like I was struggling and I couldn't figure it out.
Well we finally got to see one of our investigators and we were teaching her and then it hit me - how does it feel to not have the spirit with you? I had gone that whole day without any guidance from the spirit. I had gone that whole day without feeling the assurance or the peace the spirit brings and while I was relaying our day to this lady I was able to truly understand exactly what role the spirit plays in our lives, and let me tell you - you never want to go a day without the spirit.
Confusion, anger, any emotion besides happiness and peace is pretty much how it felt and I was like “Wow - thank you Heavenly Father for teaching me!”. I also learned that because the Hold Ghost is a member of the Godhead it means that when the spirit is with us we literally have a member of the Godhead with us always. It was such an experience and definitely something I won’t forget. It helped me to realize how blessed we are as members to have the spirit in our lives and for that I am grateful.
So on Thursday night we headed to Carey for the night because we were planning on spending Friday in Carey. We got to the peoples home that we stay with and went to park our car only to realize we were now stuck in the snow. So we dig around the car and tyres to get the snow to give us some leeway but nothing - it wouldn’t move. I was in charge of pushing the car and it wasn’t budging an inch (probably because of my lack of physical strength).
Next thing we put the car in neutral and my companion came and helped push and nothing again, and so we decided what if we put it in reverse and then pushed it from the front and low and behold our car finally moved. The people we were staying with weren’t home so we were on our own. We ended up parking our car in a less snowy area and then heading in for the night.
Well then Friday comes along. Friday was a much better day. We saw a lot of people in Carey and we were able to meet some new people as well.
We were heading out to look for this one less-active guy who we wanted to visit and we were on a back road and none of the houses here really have house numbers its more the blue house, or the yellow house with the green trim, or do you know where the such and such live - they live next to them so all our directions aren’t house numbers its just what we call “Idaho directions”.
So we were heading along this road, its been snowing so signs are covered we don’t really know where we are or whose house it is who but my companion is like I think it’s this house. We pull into the drive way and in order to get into the driveway we have to go over a bridge. They have a barn and a garage on their property so we go to pull around to park and what happens?
Yup! We got stuck in the snow again - but this time in a stranger’s driveway. My companion looked at me and we laughed. You can’t help but laugh in situations like this. So she tries to rock the car (which means put it in reverse and drive as quick as you can to get the car out) and while she’s doing this – the car comes free and we realize that thank goodness no one was home to watch us rocking in their driveway.
We get out of that driveway and off we go to our next appointment. I have to tell you though these experiences definitely help me have greater respect for people who do live in snow and have to deal with this all the time. Then came Friday night and all our appointments in Carey cancelled because of a basketball game that is on at the local high school and we felt real discouraged so we decided to head back to Shoshone and we were glad did as it actually turned into a miracle. When we got back to Shoshone we visited some people and that was great. But the miracle came the next morning, when we heard that Carey was snowed in and no one was getting in and out of Carey so if we had stayed there and had our appointments we wouldn’t have made it back to Shoshone till midday on Saturday. The Lord truly does take care of us.
Then Saturday we did work in Dietrich but it was raining by this time. And I learnt quickly that my boots are not waterproof. So the worse thing is that after it snows a couple inches, then it rains so all the snow melts and it almost floods. Finally the night hits and the water freezes so there isn’t just snow to worry about but no there is frozen water (ice) and water to worry about not slipping on. So on Saturday I couldn’t wear my boots cause I would have had wet feet all day so I borrowed President Robert’s boots and wore them all day. They are these chunky man boots but I kept thinking I have warm feet and that’s all that matters - who cares about style. So I have a picture of that as well. But Saturday was good.
Then yesterday we had church and it was actually a good end to the week. We are finally finding direction with the investigators we are working with and we had two really good lessons last night. People trust us more and we have some referrals that are close to being taught by missionaries so we are excited for what is happening in this area.
Trust me when I say it was a great week this week. I learnt a lot and besides being preoccupied by the snow we have done some good missionary work. Our ZLs said we lead the zone every week in the amount of lessons we teach etc so that’s kind of encouraging but we still know their is always more to do.
SO needless to say I am excited for everything that is happening, and today I am going shopping for water proof boots. (Mum you ring in my ears at a time like this cause I remember when we were shoe shopping you kept saying what about boots, what about boots? and I should have listened to you)
Anyways I love you all. The Church is true. And one thing I have come to learn this week is that the more we know and understand of the Character of God the more we learn and understand ourselves so it is very interesting to be able to study Heavenly Father. I hope you all have a good week and just an update not eating Dairy is actually helping me. But I’m praying that means it’s only American Dairy I can’t eat. I don't know what I will do about my favorite Goody Goody Gum Drops ice cream.... I love you all.
Take care and enjoy the sun for me. Sister Chadderton. xoxo
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