Howdy ho!

Hi everyone!

We were going to go fishing today, but there's a massive thunder/rain storm right now. So we ain't going nowhere today!

Anyways so my tales this week start on Tuesday. We biked down this gorgeous but super long and hilly road to try and find an inactive gal, only to find that the house looked slightly abandoned and nobody answered the door. Oh well. Except upon biking through an intersection on the way back I ran over a nail that went straight through my rear tire to the metal rim! Major blowout! Basically my flat tire was nailed to the rim, which ended up being a blessing cuz the darn thing stayed on till we limped to the Mays home. Jerry said he could fix it, so we went off to lunch with Katie. She took us to an Asian buffet and it was actually really good and I ate a stuffed mussel.

Katie took us back and stayed to talk to sister Mays while we tracted a nearby neighborhood. No one was really receptive until we met this older couple out doing some gardening. They weren't interested, but they invited us in and gave us water (that southern hospitality!) and they wanted to know all about what we do. Their names were Susan and Ray, and Susan taught sister Mitchell some cool cords to play on the ukulele! Random I know! We also found out that she had seen us crossing Bardstown road- right in front of her! Oops! 😅

We started heading back to the Mays and I had major blisters. My feet were killing me! Then out of nowhere this cop lady pulled up beside us and asked if she could give us a ride to wherever we were trying to get to. And she bought us chocolate milk! We couldn't say no, and she was this super charitable, Christlike woman who sees people in need and just helps them. It was awesome and she wouldn't let us pay her back or anything. She accepted our card though. The Lord seriously blesses us through the lives of others!

My bike still wasn't fixed, and Jerry brought the Springmill elders over to help and I felt bad that there was so much fussing over my bike! Sister Snow came to pick us up for dinner, and she was like, "my husband can fix your bike just toss 'em in my car!" So that was amazing too. The Snows are an incredible family anyway and now they're even more amazing! The bike would take a while to fix, so they gave us theirs (Sister Mitchell's bike doesn't really have brakes) so we've been riding around on these mountain bike things and they look awesome! Mines purple!

We have kind of hit a dry spell with investigators lately, but we haven't lost any of our enthusiasm so we tracted and did finding all Wednesday! Woohoo! We offered to do some service for some less actives, the Goodmans, and ended up not getting home till 9 something because sweet sister Goodman made us this giant meal that took longer than expected, and she called to check on us to make sure the food was good!😂 she's so cute!

Thursday was kinda nuts. We tracted this really cool neighborhood and met this biker guy that follows Nordic mythology as his religion and he had these cool sleeve tattoos. There was also this lady who opened the door and said, "are y'all doing the church thing?" We said yes, and her response was closing the door🤣! I am taking rejection very well I think.

We had a lesson with Robby, then Mary Helen a little later and we had to eat our packed lunch at a gas station and talked to this really friendly Indian guy. We biked like bats outta Hades to get to the Fransiscan on time! We got there 10 minutes early it was mind blowing! Mary Helen was absolutely glowing, she looked like a whole new person and her eyes were all lit up! It was pretty incredible to see the difference in her, to feel the difference too.

Friday we had our district lunch at Red Robin! It was fun! But what was even more fun was well first off tracting, then once we got home sister Mitchell and I went to do some yard work for the Snows! 😆😆😆 apparently Springmill told the Snows they would do what we didn't finish (y'all know I don't like that), so we left nothing for them! Mwahahaha! Then we went to the Cheney's for dinner and they made the most fabulous salad ever! I also got to see some real Georgia peaches that sister Cheney spent $80 on which was crazy! She stood in a peach line for hours. She said we can help her can them when they're ready!😄

On Saturday we tracted this cute little neighborhood. It had quite a lot of diversity, it was cool! There were Latinos and Muslims and black people and it was very fun getting to interact with them all. One guy, this funny black man named James, talked to us for about an hour on his front porch. He became an investigator! He was the sweetest and he told us all about his family and it was just adorable!😊

Later we went to weed the Phelps' landscaping and veggie garden. The Phelps have only recently been reactivated, and not by missionaries. Sister Phelps isn't a member, but I know she will one day soften her heart. She is already more active in church than some members are, it's only a matter of time! Anyways after weeding, her kids- Shili, Saben and Salek took us on a nature hike through the woods in their backyard and it was the cutest thing ever oh my gosh! Except Shili did not like the bugs!😂 we went tracting afterwards and soon got a text from Brother Phelps saying, "come back and have dinner!" So we did. They take such good care of us!

Yesterday was pretty awesome! There was a talk in church on the Mormon pioneers and it was the most vivid thing I've ever experienced. It was incredibly real and I loved being reminded of the sacrifices that were made to restore the whole gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth. There are still saints sacrificing everything to have this gospel in their lives and to share it with those around them! What a cause to rally around! There is no other work I would rather be doing than being part of this united effort to bring all of God's children the restored gospel and to give them a chance to accept it.

There was a fireside as well for converts to bear their testimonies last night. The people we were going to bring didn't end up showing, but we were singing in the program so we kinda had to stay. We were going to sing "How great thou art" but somebody had put that in as the opening song! Whoops! We were able to fling together "Nearer my God to thee" and I have never been more nervous! It all worked out though, and the testimonies were powerful! I cried a lot.

It was nice and overcast most of the week which was such a blessing! It rained on the first day of summer and I was like ah yes this is perfect!

Sorry my emails snowball into these ginormous monster emails but I just can't seem to shut myself up!😅 I love emailing y'all and getting to look back and see the hand of God in my life every single day. I know He is in the details of all our lives and I know that He loves all of you, whether or not you feel it. He is there for us always.

I am a firm believer of prayer, if you are in a dark time in your life and feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders, pray to Heavenly Father and ask for strength. I know it will be given to you. Your burdens won't be taken away, but if you give it all over to the Lord he will make your burdens feel light and you will be able to endure with a joy and a hope that can't be compared to anything else.

An elder last night said that this gospel is the only way to true happiness and joy. He said if you don't believe that and choose to look in other places, you will search your whole life and never find it. That one hit me like a ton of bricks.

I love you all and I hope you have a fabulous week! Enjoy the summer!😘

With love,
Sister Wilcox💗💗💗