Easter Week!!

This was a crazy week!!! So i will have to give you a day by day play :)

MONDAY April 10.
 Remember how no one came to our church tour? well at one point when we were handing out flyers at SIUE i saw this girl (Samantha) and I KNEW i needed to talk to her. She wasn't able to come to the church tour but we were able to meet with her and we picked her up as an investigator!!! :) See all in Heavenly Father's timing!

TUESDAY April 11.
 Exchanges with Sister Weyburn! (Farmington, MO sisters) they live like 2 hours away so that was a fun road trip.

WEDNESDAY April 12.
 District meeting in Centralia (like 1 1/2 hours away) 

we also did some FAMILY HISTORY!!! I AM 7th cousins twice removed with LUCILLE BALL. i may or may not of got teary eyed of joy when i found this out haha. i <3 Lucy

also sister Hubbard and I are 5th cousins once removed! 

THURSDAY April 13.
 service day!!! We did SO much service. We weren't really planning on doing service but we stopped by a members home and asked if there was anything that we could do for her and she said yeah! we went outside and there was this GIANT dead fluffy bush on the side of her house and right there in our dresses she pulled out her little chain saw and we took that bush down hahahaha. it was fun. It was cool because she kept thanking us and mainly Heavenly Father because she really needed help getting it done. 

Also we went and helped weed for one of the Branch Presidency's wives, Sister Arnold.. she is adorable!.. anyways  we went over there and were cleaning haze off of the new tile, but it had to sit for a bit so we went outside and were pulling weeds and her adorable rich neighbor, Judy who's 74ish and her husband unexpectedly died last august. Came over and was talking to us and she invited the Arnold's for easter dinner, and then invited us and we were so excited to go!...... story to be continued on Sunday :)) #itsagoodone

Side note. I am telling you right here and now if you are feeling down please go serve someone. it will change you.

FRIDAY April 14.

We had Zone Leadership Training (ZLT) it was fun to lead out discussions with our zone. we trained on weekly planning. We compared the planning that we do for investigators to how Heavenly Father planned for us, with the plan of salvation! It was really impressed upon me how truly unique and individual our plans are. Yes Heavenly Father has a master plan for everybody but he knows EXACTLY what we need! I am still trying to wrap my whole head around this idea but when you really think about it, it blows your mind.

FUNNIEST THING EVER! So we met our neighbor who is black and is from Nigeria, his name is super cool it's  "Ifeanyichukwu" yeah that's real haha. Well, Ife had recently returned from visiting his family in Nigeria and was telling us about it and it was really cool, well, it eventually got to the part where he told us his family really wants him to marry a white girl and have white babies. And he was like I've noticed that you girls are different than the other ones.... so we set him straight in what we do as missionaries, so even though he doesn't get to marry one of us, he has a Book of Mormon and might come to church some time! :) So funny!

SATURDAY April 15. We have been working A LOT with the YSAs of our branch and trying to help give them the tools to prepare their friends to one day receive the gospel. We were able to meet with Elizabeth and her non member friend Audrianna, over ice cream!! win, win right?!

Something we have really been hitting hard is how this gospel is all about LOVE! the reason we plan for and help our friends to one day receive the restored gospel is because we love them! It's so true that a lot of our friends aren't ready for the missionaries to come over. but every one is ready to have purpose. Every body is ready to feel loved. That is what this gospel brings.

SUNDAY April 16. EASTERS!!! I started the day with highlighting all the "jesus Christ Resurrection" topical guide scriptures and it was really powerful to see how many times it is testified in the scriptures (before, while and even after Jesus Christ was on earth) that Jesus Christ LIVES! I know without a doubt he had over come death. Because he lives we can live again too :)

Dinner at Judy's! so this is where the good stuff comes in. There were about 20 people at Judy's. The Arnolds, and us were the only members there. The dinner conversation started off with talking about dead people........ because bob was a 5th generation mortician! let's just say i've seen too many cadavers so i couldn't bring myself to eat the ham.... hahahaha but  Luckily our name tags draw attention and they asked questions! We were able to share Joseph Smith's first experience when he knelt down in prayer asking Heavebnly Father which church to join.
"I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head
above the brightness of the sun
 which descended gradually unitl it fell upon me
and when the light rested upon me
 I saw two personages
whose brightness and glory defy all description standing above me in the air
one of the spake unto me calling me by name
 and said pointing to the other
This is my beloved son, hear Him!" 

It was such a powerful experience. The spirit was so strong! It's amazing how silent the room became. No one could deny what we felt. It was the best Easter ever! 

MONDAY April 17. Exchanges with Sister Mayne! (Glen Carbon Sisters) We had a CRAZY DAY!!! I literally can't describe all that we did or all the little miracles that occurred. but i know this is the Lord's work! there is no such things a coincidences! 

sorry this was really long... so Here are some pictures!!

#1 LIX the best ice cream place! \

- exchanges with farmington

#2 hahahahaha we tried

#3 Sister Weyburn <3

#4 proof i am related to Lucy