Raccoons and Surprise Parties

Well this week has been super crazy! And awesome! And tiring and who knows what else! It's been a missionary week. So yeah, that basically covers all emotion or adjectives to describe the week. :) 

Guess what I did. I definitely held a baby raccoon. Yep. That happened. There were some baby raccoons that were hiding in a bush and then under a car right by our house and we told the Elders. Obviously...being 20 year olds...they decided to pick them up. Haha then they handed them to us. Now when I say hold....I mean we held them like a cat because we did not want them to attack us. They were so adorable though. 

I tried a food truck for the first time in my life and it was like...the best food ever. Man it was so delicious I was dying. 

Okay so guess what I did for my birthday? Dishes! Yep, we did dishes for 2 1/2 hours....service, man. Also Sister Phillips and the Elders threw me a surprise birthday party and I had NO IDEA!!! Well, actually I did but I will explain......so Friday night the EQ president...who we are "buds" with because he's only 19 came and gave us candy and stuff for my birthday. He was like, "Sorry I don't know if I'll be able to make it to your party tomorrow but here's this!" And afterwards Sister Phillips was like, "What party is he talking about?" And I was like, "Maybe the Elders are planning something?" and we didn't know.  So then the next day we didn't even hear from the Elders so I told Sister Phillips, "Ha! They forgot! (after she kept saying something would probably happen) I told you Elders don't plan things. Maybe Matthew was just confused when he said that." So then after dinner we were planning for a lesson and Sister Phillips thought of a video we should use and so she was like, "Let's go download on our way to their house." So we walk down by the Elders house and Guadalupe's to get it because they have wifi. Then as we walk up Guadalupe signals us to come inside (she's always doing that so I figured she was going to try to feed us or something) and I went in and SURPRISE! Hahaha! Sister Phillips knew the whole time!! 

Man she is such a good actor. They had been planning for a couple of days and whenever we were talking to the Elders she would air drop them notes on what to get and they were planning when it would happen and all that. Then the Elders did all the work. Then the day of, she would text them and delete the text and I just had no idea. And she doesn't even hold the phone! I do! That sly girl! And the thing that made it even MORE funny was that every time something weird happened that was totally a clue that it was happening I would think it was for some sort of party but then say, "Nah! That can't be it!" For example when she was texting the Elders she said she was texting this LA and I was like, "What if she's texting both the Elders and the LA?....Nah she wasn't on the phone long enough" or when we were walking down to Guadalupe's I was like, "What if the party is at Guadalupe's?.....nah the Elders would have called us and told us to come or something....plus the car isn't even here so they aren't here." Nope! They hid the car haha. It was just so funny because I totally knew but I kept rationalizing it. Hahah so funny! I am SO DUMB!!!!! Sister Phillips is definitely one smart cookie though!!!! It's tough to plan a surprise party for someone you have to be within sight and sound with 24/7!!! 

Also they made 7 layer bars for my surprise "cake". Oh man I love those WAY too much. 

So guess what? George came back! We were going to go see Frank and George was totally there and we were just like, "What's up George!" He totally was ready to read with us and stuff like that. He says he still wants to be in Murray (where he had left to) but its just not time yet because things are crazy over there. So yeah....but that means that we get to keep teaching him! And he was totally going to come to church on Sunday, but he wasn't ready when the ride came sooooo that was too bad. But when we went to visit him that night his friend called him and he was like, "Sorry not right now I missed church so I'm reading with the sisters." Alright! He's still got a long way to go. He feels bad for a lot of the things that he has done but he's still not in the 'hope' stage of being able to overcome. We are working with him on that. Yesterday we gave him Alma 36 to read and I think that he will really be able to relate to that. 

Frank is.....Frank haha. He's been being really weird this week. Just like how he acts has been really odd.....but he we talked to him yesterday he seemed his normal self. He's just an interesting individual. He's in the "this just might work" phase in the gospel. He's still unsure but he's willing to keep testing it out. He's already received some answers to his prayers since he just started praying again but I think that they just scare him a little bit and so he's maybe a little fearful? Who knows. Only God I guess.

So I don't remember if I told y'all about Rosetta but she's this lady we are working with that has been taught by missionaries for like a year. Definitely an eternigator. She told Sister Phillips and Peterson (her last comp) that she was just going to read the Book of Mormon until she got an answer. That's all fine and dandy but she doesn't come to church or pray consistently and diligently about it and so she's not really receiving any answers. We had a good lesson with her about that but she still hasn't come to church. This week we are going to give her the "pre-drop" talk and let her know that we can't keep teaching her if she won't keep commitments! It's about time though. One day I am sure she will join. Maybe she's just not in the right place right now. 

The branch is doing great! It's still super small but the Elders are teaching this family...and they have 6 kids! Oh man we need kids! They have 1 in YW's, 2 in YM's, and 3 younger kids! It's so cool! Oh yeah and they are getting baptized on June 13!!! Well, not all of them. I think the 15 year old isn't. Also 2 of them aren't old enough but later in June one will turn 8 so then the dad will be able to baptize her.  That'll just be so good for the branch! They are such an awesome family! :)

Okay so you wanna read like the best Ensign article ever?!!! It's called "It isn't a sin to be weak" in the April 2015 Ensign. Here's a couple of quotes from it that I just love: "Though He was without sin, Jesus Christ joined us fully in the condition of mortal weakness. He was born as a helpless infant in a mortal body and raised by imperfect caretakers. He had to learn how to walk, talk, work, and get along with others. He got hungry and tired, felt human emotions, and could get ill, suffer, bleed, and die....We cannot simply repent of being weak--nor does weakness itself make us unclean. We cannot grow spiritually unless we reject sin, but we also do not grow spiritually unless we accept our state of human weakness, respond to it with humility and faith, and learn through our weakness to trust in God."

Wow sorry that email was SUPER long. My bad. There was just so much to say! Well....I hope y'all have the best week! :) 

Love, Sister Myers

1. Raccoon picture.....poor raccoons....haha once in a lifetime opportunity there #onlyinkentucky

2. Southern people...

3. Delicious cake slash the candles are classic 

4. What do YOU do with 800 sticky notes?

5. Raccoon pic 2