The time when Sister Myers cried.....

Want to hear a really embarrassing slash funny slash good story from last Monday?! Well then please read the next paragraph (yes, I'm sorry it's long but it needed the details haha)

So the elders had the car on Monday but there were going to be hanging out at the Vaca's house for the day so we rode our bikes there so we could take the car. Well, when we went there I also borrowed Elder Myers's flash drive so I could put it on mine instead of having to switch the CD's I have. Well, we got to library and I did not have the flash drive. So we search and search in my bag but it's not there. So we go to our apartment and every place we had been and searched. Not there. So I'm slightly panicking at this point. Then we had to give the car back to the Elders. Well, I am like crying so much on my way over there because I just felt so bad that I lost it. And I did not know how I was going to tell him. So we get there and I was still crying so I like sat in the car for a minute. Then Sister Orchard was like,"Let's say one last prayer!" (We had both been praying and praying but not together) So she prayed and we got out. Well, right then Sister Orchard looks on the ground as we walk inside and there's the flash drive!! So then I was freaking out slash still trying to stop crying and the Elders were like, "What happened?! Are you okay?" And I just kept saying yes and they were like, "Are you sure?" And then...okay this just made the whole thing so funny, Amanda Vaca comes out and if you knew what she was like then this would be all the more funny but she rolls up her sleeves and she's like, "Alright who did this?! Who do I need to beat up?!" And Juan does the same thing and it was just so funny because then I finally got to talking and I told them the story and Elder Myers was like, "Oh I don't even need anything on this flash drive anyway. It wouldn't have mattered." So then I just felt ridiculous for crying and I realized how silly it was. But hey when you are in the moment it's pretty intense. 

But anyway, there's a moral to this story. Prayer works! Also, let go and let God. At one point while we were looking for it I just got the impression to quit worrying about it because it was alright and then we found it right at the last second. And it was kind of like God was saying, "Sister Myers. You need to stop worrying about things so much. I've got this." Yeah, so I learned that after I have done my best I just need to give it to Him. How can I do more than my best?!

Anyway, there's the craziest adventure of the week...

Here are a few other adventures:

1. I think we ate deer that was roadkill....it was super delicious though!
2. I burnt my finger on a door because it had been in the sun and it's been THAT hot.....I'm surprised we haven't melted. Although the other day it was like 45% humidity so it basically felt like Utah! (at least in comparison so the 90-100% humidity it usually is. 

3. I went on splits for the first time in my whole mission! Weird! Sister Orchard went with Sister Boekhout and I went with the Millers. It was really good! Unfortunately we didn't get any member present's out of it though because we visited LA but it was still super effective! 

So Beth is doing alright. We saw her this week and she said she didn't really want to be baptized and she just wants to stay non denominational but she wants to keep learning and reading the Book of Mormon. We got on the subject because we were finishing teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. So we taught her about the baptism and the importance of it and it was really good. Then we just promised blessings of the gospel and invited her to just keep reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. I know if she gains a testimony of the Book of Mormon then the rest will fall into place. It was cool because the next day in training we read in Preach My Gospel the section about how we should use the Book of Mormon to respond to objections. It talked about how all objections to the church are based off the problem of knowing whether or not the Book of Mormon is true and Joseph Smith was a prophet. Sister Orchard was like, "Wow! We did that yesterday with Beth!" It was cool. 

The Elders met this lady named Janetta and set up an appointment for us to visit her. So we went and it turns out she is an ex member of the church. She believes in the priesthood but doesn't believe that it's on the earth yet. She doesn't believe that Jesus Christ visited the people in the America's. She said that she made a mistake when she was baptized because she didn't know the Book of Mormon was true and just went off of her faith (because she hadn't yet received an answer) and now she "sees the truth". It was so sad. A testimony of the Book of Mormon is SO important. Like I said in the paragraph just before, any objection people have to the church is really a problem with the Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith, which she doesn't have a testimony of. We invited her to just read and pray about the Book of Mormon again because it would really bless her life. She told us no, but maybe one day she will pick it up again. 

So this morning I was reading in Jacob 4 this morning and I love verse 14. "But behold, the Jews were a stiff-necked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand,because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble." What is the mark? Our Savior Jesus Christ. The Jews were seeking for things that they didn't understand and looking beyond what is the most important. I think sometimes we tend to want to know all the things we don't understand rather than focusing on our Savior Jesus Christ - the only thing that matters. It reminds of "Returning to Faith" from this last conference when she tells of the girl who lost her testimony except "all that remained was Jesus Christ". This woman let the things she didn't understand take away her testimony, but she still had a testimony of her Savior! What if our focus was ALWAYS on the Savior? We would never lose because our focus is on the one person that lost it all for us. Matthew 14:22-33 is also a great story about not looking beyond and keeping our focus on the mark - our Savior Jesus Christ. 

Time keeps speeding up, don't let it go to waste. 

I love y'all so much and I hope y'all are having a greatest week! Sorry this letter is not that full of stuff...just long stories! Not too much happened this week!

Love, 

Sister Myers

PS Here are a couple of pictures!

1. Roberto put my helmet on Guadalupe haha she's so cute

2. This person has a great view...also our car is so tiny and cute in the picture :) 

More Time for Mayfield!!!!

Well folks I'm staying in Mayfield to finish training Sister Orchard! I don't know if I'll be here any longer after that! I am very likely to leave! Who knows though! Elder Myers and Sister McDonald are on Life Support and they are about to pull the plug. Nooooo! I'm the last one standing of the Walking Dead! Besides Elder Berryhill but he's not in Mayfield anymore!

This week has been great but I don't have a lot of time because it's been a crazy day and we have had a lot to do! 

Remember that referral that me and Sister Sumbot contacted that was in Timbuktu?! Well we went and saw them this week (finally) and oh my goodness they are SO PREPARED!!!!! Some of the things they said were just shocking! We taught the Plan of Salvation and after we were done Kenneth was like, "This is what I have always believed. Preachers just keep messing with it!" And then at one point Kenneth had to take a phone call and so LaDonna was talking to us and we were talking about Kenneth and she said, "He's searching for truth. More than any person I know." Seriously?! And then we were talking to both of them later and Kenneth said, "Yeah I'm still not sure about those modern-day prophets. It seems too good to be true. But I know that if I live right then one day I'll be enlightened about that." Um what?!!!!! JOHN 7:17!!!!! And then they kept on saying about how they have been in turmoil as to what church they should attend because none of them feel right. BINGO! You found the right church!!! :) Keep praying for them! 

So remember how last Monday I was sick? Well I was still sick by Wednesday and so I decided to ask the Elders for a blessing but the thing that was so cool was that President Andersen was there after our district meeting to give Sister McDonald and Elder Myers their departing interviews and so he joined in and gave me the main part of the blessing! So cool to get a blessing from the mission president! And oh man I wish I had been in a state to think about writing it down slash recording it because wowie it was such a good blessing. And by the end of the day I was completely fine! Actually it was more like an hour. God is good!

So the Collins, the branch President and his wife and their family were on vacation for like 2 weeks and oh man we missed them so much! So we went and saw them after district meeting because we were going to put a welcome home sign on their door but they had already gotten home but they let us help them vacuum out their car! Oh I just love Sister Collins! Actually all of them! I missed them so much! We all did! They are the best! She is seriously my Mayfield Mom! Anyway, I just love them.

Also we ate dinner at the Collins this week and I weighed myself at their house....GUESS WHO LOST 10 POUNDS?!!! This girl!!!!! #gottalovebiking

We had trainer trainee meeting this week! That was such a good meeting! It gave me some great ideas as to how I can be a better trainer! Except the last hour I was really sick (this was on Tuesday) and so that was rough! Sister Dunn, one of the office ladies came and just gave me the biggest hug and she's like, "You better feel better!" She is so funny. I love her so much. She's my mission grandma. So is Sister Godfrey in the office. Oh I just love all of them lets be real. I have so many grandma's now. 

We taught Marvin this week. We had called and talked to him and he said he didn't like how we put faith in man (referring to the prophet) and so we talked to him about how we don't have faith in the prophet, we have faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and about how the prophet just helps us to gain faith in Them and how we just respect him and know he is a normal man. He felt so much better after that! We were definitely Spirit guided as we talked to him though and so I think that helped a lot! He is still working on coming to know it's true!

Beth is doing pretty good! She still has some sort of problem with church but we'll get her there! She is reading the Book of Mormon every day so that's great!

Some random guy sitting across from us here at the Library has been talking to us while I write and he said he wants to get us gift cards to eat! He knows quite a bit about the church and He is so grateful for what we are doing! Don't know if he's interested at all but that's so nice!!! :) Good thing I paid my fast offerings! God is good. 

Oh man sorry this letter was so lame! It's been a slow week! Here are a couple of funny stories because I still have some time!

1. So I play the piano for primary and so we are in the sharing time for primary each week and this little girl said the closing prayer and she is great at praying so she was praying for a while (she is 5 btw) and then after the prayer she was wiping her eyes and we were like, "Are you okay?" And she was like, "Sorry I was crying a little." Hahah oh kids....they kill me. You would have to really know her for it to be funny.

2. So Sister Orchard was getting ready to leave and she was looking for the shirt she was changing into and she said, "Where is my shirt. Shirt! Shirt! Shirt!" But she was saying in a British accent (because a lot of times we randomly speak in accents just for fun)........now read what I just wrote again, but think in an English or British accent and just imagine how that sounds! Hahahah we were dying!! And it was so funny because she didn't realize what it sounded like at first and so I was just staring at her in this funny way and I just waited until she realized...and haha the whole thing was just so funny. 

Here's a cool quote we heard from Tony Jones - a LA: "If I've got a problem with someone usually I can solve it by taking one good long look in the mirror." 

Also I just love Romans 8:28. Look it up. I shared with someone yesterday so I just have been thinking about it. That's a good one. 

Love y'all lots!

Love,

Sister Myers

PS Here are some pictures for y'all!!!! 

1. Just driving to Timbuktu...and our sweet sunglasses!

2.Driving to Trainer Trainee Meeting....Matthew is the best :)...He is headed on a mission! 

3. Trainer trainee meeting! Me and Sister Svedin were comps in the MTC and our trainees were comps in the MTC!!! How funny! 

4. Mayfield Missionaries :)

5. District name: "GO GREEN" haha #hippies #pleaseappreciatemyshirt (If you can't read it it says "I'm not arguing I'm just explaining why I'm right) Family: does this not describe me perfectly? hahaha so funny 

 

Find-a-Thon Champs!

We had our Find-a-thon again this week and once again the Mayfield
Sisters gained the victory over the Spanish Elders and Fulton Sisters!
Wahoo!!! The bonus challenges were pretty funny this time....actually
just super random. Here's what they were:
1. Quote disney
2. Show a video while tracting
3. Relate the gospel to a sport
4. Contact a Lamanite (anyone hispanic or something like that....and
you can probably guess who chose that one! Easy way for those Elders
to get referrals from us!)
5. Use the word 'rug' while tracting (we chose this one...don't ask
why we chose the word rug haha)
6. Make a follow-up appointment to do service.
That last one was the hardest! People in the south are so nice and
polite that they don't want anyone to help them! And find-a-thon or
not we really do want to help!!!!! Hahah service is so much fun!

Well we didn't die in the scorching week. We just got really sweaty
and gross. They always tell us that we must look our best because we
are representing Christ and we want people to want to take a message
from us and I'm like, "Who is going to want to take a message from 2
crazy girls on bikes, dripping in sweat, with frizzy hair and somewhat
stalkerish attitudes!" Good thing the stalkerish attitude comes with
any missionary....haha

Oh my goodness here is a really funny story for you: so we were at
Guadalupe's this week and I was reading the Book of Mormon out loud in
Spanish. Recently I have been listening to/reading along with the Book
of Mormon in Spanish so I could get better at reading in Spanish. So I
was showing them that I had improved a little bit. So after reading a
verse I asked Guadalupe, "Was that terrible?" And Guadalupe said,
"Si." And I was like, "Uh...." And Luis told her what she had said in
Spanish and then we were all just laughing about it and then Luis was
like, "It wasn't THAT bad." It was just so funny because Guadalupe
just assumed she knew what I saying but she didn't mean to say it was
terrible (although it probably was and they were just being nice haha)

Random thoughts:
1. So we were at this guy's house and he asked us if we wanted a stop
light with an arrow on it and we were like, "Uh....no I think we are
good." So he pulls one out and oh my goodness I didn't think they were
so HUGE!!! Pictures attached.....
2. Luis made Ceviche this week. Best. Thing. Ever. Oh my goodness it
was so delicious. Shrimp, crab, tomatoes, garlic, lots of fresh lime
juice, onions and carrot...on chips. SO GOOD!
3. There's a leak in a pipe in my bathroom. That's been an adventure.
The guy isn't coming to fix it till Wednesday so I just have to keep
towels down in the mean time.
4. My bike is also out of commission because a screw/bolt came loose
on the pedal and I need a socket set to fix it. Matthew says he has
one and he said he would let me use it so I can tighten that and be
able to ride it. In the mean time I am riding one of the Elder's bikes
so that's been fun.
5. Us and Elders sang "My shepherd will supply my need" yesterday. It
was different than the one by Mac Wilberg but really good. And Brother
Millers son who is a concert violinist and REALLY amazing, played with
us and wow it was incredible. We got a lot of compliments. And we had
only practiced like 3 times. #talented

Oh but I just remembered a cool story. So I realized my pedal was
loose and so I was trying to figure out how to tighten it on the side
of the road and this guy walks us and looks at it and tells me what's
wrong and how to fix it and we get to talking to him and it turns out
he has taken the missionary discussions before in like Washington DC
or something like that and he has the Book of Mormon, D&C and Pearl of
Great Price. What?! He really didn't want to talk to us though....I
guess he's not interested but I am thinking because he talked to us he
is going to be thinking about what missionaries taught him and maybe
he'll pick up that Book of Mormon. Anyway, it was just kind of a cool
experience of God putting us in the right place at the right time.

We took a couple steps back with Beth. We took a member couple with us
to her lesson (which they were super good for her and we were really
grateful they were there) and it was a pretty good lesson! the only
problem is that Beth says she doesn't want to come to church because
she feels pressured by us. I think we just talked too much about the
importance of coming to church. We asked why she wouldn't want to come
and all we could get out was "I don't know". We think there may be
some sort of underlying concern that maybe she doesn't even know
herself....we are praying the Spirit will help us to discern what that
is.

We taught this old guy named Marvin this week. I think I told you
about him. He's the one who his friend in Utah referred us to him and
he wants to marry her so he's learning about the church. So we aren't
sure about his motives and stuff yet. But anyway, we taught him this
week and he has trouble remembering things. It was basically the first
lesson all over again. Also he was talking about how he was baptized
on his bed once. Like the powers of heaven came down and spoke to him
(like baptism by fire I guess) and he felt God's power to strongly and
all this stuff and I had no idea how to respond....I mean I like asked
him at one point if he would like to be baptized by water by God's
power and he was like, "I have." And I as like "In the water?" "No, on
my bed. But I was baptized in Kentucky lake and in Paducah" No Marvin.
Hahah it was such a struggle. He just did not get it.

So here's something pretty cool. A couple weeks ago we met this girl
and she referred us to her mom who then referred us to her mom....so
we are teaching 3 generations! Well yesterday we went and taught the
oldest generation, Ann and her fiancé Cody. Last time we only vaguely
taught the restoration and this time we taught the whole thing with
the cups because they had a bunch of questions about it. Well we
invited them to pray about it and it was so cool because Ann was like,
"Alright I am going to pray about this and read the book. You have
done your part and now i need to do mine!" Oh man I wish everyone
would understand that it's all up to them after we teach!!! So yeah
that was super cool.

We met up with this lady this week that I had only met once who is
Community of Christ (aka RLDS). She really likes the Sisters but has
no interest in changing whatsoever. While we were eating with her (she
took us to lunch) she was like, "This is good. We are just here to
talk. I'm not trying to convert you and you aren't trying to convert
me." And in my head I'm just like "uh....welll actually..." Also she
said that recently she became a priest in the priesthood and actually
got to baptize someone. That was the weirdest thing on the entire
planet to hear. It made me sick. And we had no idea what to say....we
just sort of nodded our heads and took a drink. So sad.

Mary Powell (recent convert) is doing a lot better!!! she hasn't been
to church since President Dennis came to our branch and that was a
while ago! She didn't come 2 weeks ago because she was cleaning her
house. So the Elders didn't give her the sacrament (because President
collins said only if she missed for medical purposes) and they didn't
explain why so when we called she was kind of freaking out so we went
and explained why they couldn't give it to her and she was like, "Oh
okay! Tell them boys I'm not mad at them! i should have come to
church!" Whew! it was sad though because she thought she had done
something wrong! She said she would be at church but then last week
when we called her she said she was going to be going to a church
concert with her friend! what?! so we went and saw her on Tuesday and
she just cried and cried at all the things happening in her life and
she said she didn't feel like she was okay to pray and she felt like
God was mad at her.....we had  a really good lesson with her and she
called us the next day and said she felt soooooo much better! Then
yesterday morning she called us and she was like, "I woke up not
feeling good in the stomach this morning! But I know it's the devil
trying to keep me from church so I'm going to come anyway!" And she
did! She was only able to stay for sacrament because her knees can't
handle sitting for very long but we were so grateful she came! She is
such a funny lady haha

Well that's I have for this week folks! I have been feeling rather
under the weather this week and it's caught up to me today so I think
I'm going to take another nap (I already took a 2 hour nap earlier).
So much for catching up on my journal. The struggle is so real. Let me
tell ya.

As for my spiritual thought: the power of the priesthood is so real. I
felt prompted to get a priesthood blessing this week and so I did and
it helped me in a lot of ways I didn't even realize. I realized I have
been carrying a lot of weight of the stresses of missionary work and
who knows what else and then it was gone just like that! And that's
because of the Atonement. Jesus Christ already carried those things so
I don't have to!

I love y'all lots! Sorry if this letter is lame....I'm very tired.....
Love,
Sister Myers

Woo-wee! What a week!

So the most interesting thing that happened this week was that I went to the hospital........to eat food. Haha I just wanted to freak you all out. Someone make sure my mom didn't have a hard attack. It was so funny because one of our investigators, Hubbs and Martha Waller invited us to eat dinner with them at the hospital because for some reason they really like to eat there because they get a discount. And the food is actually really good. It was just so funny though that we went there just to eat. An no that was not the most interesting thing that happened this week :)

Okay so we've had some pretty cool moments this week! So every month there is this Methodist church that puts on this community and a lot of people we know go to it and this one guy we do
service with at the food pantry always invites. So this week we went over there with Beth. It was so fun. And we met the coolest guy - well Roberto and Guadalupe and the Elders met him but introduced us. His name was Jerry and he was this old man that spoke sign language and randomly Roberto like...knows sign language! It was so funny! He was seriously the cutest old man ever! I just loved him!! Anyway, after the breakfast, we were driving home with Beth and she brought up how she had been reading and stuff and she told us that she felt in her heart that the Book of Mormon was true! Wow!!! So we went and saw her yesterday and had a super awesome lesson with her! We talked about how what it means since she knows the Book of Mormon is true. It took a while to get it all sorted out. At first when we invited her to church she said she was going to try some other churches and we were super bold and talked about the priesthood and how if she knows the Book of Mormon then this church is true so she should go to this church. Then we committed her to baptism! She is getting baptized on September 12th! And by the end she was telling us how she was going to make sure she got up early enough to get to church next Sunday! Yahoo!!

So Sister Boekhout has this neighbor that is interested in the church. She was going to come to the baptism last week but her husband wouldn't let her so she told him she was going to church and so she came last week! I don't remember if I told you....anyway so this week sister Boekhout invited us over her dinner and then she invited Kris over and we taught her the restoration because she on the way home from church, she was asking questions about the church. It was a really good lesson! She seems interested in knowing whether or not the church is true! And sister Boekhout bore her testimony and it was so cool!

We had interviews this week!!! I LOVE interviews! And they went back to the old way of doing it where we get to have an interview with sister Andersen! Although, they still do it during district meeting. Anyway, my first interview was like that but they changed it after that. So that was so great. I love sister Andersen soooo much. President Andersen too. I learned a lot in this interview. This one was different than all the others and I'm not totally sure why but it was just cool! President Andersen is very inspired. :)

We have this new investigator named Josh that the Elders found and he's pretty cool! We finally met him yesterday and he is reading and praying about the Book of Mormon and he says he believes it's true...but we aren't sure he really understands what the Book of Mormon is but we are going to go back and teach the whole restoration and so hopefully that will help him understand. He seems sincere though - we invited him to be baptized if he knew it was true and he said he would of God told him that this was the true church. We'll see where that goes!

So yesterday after we got out of ward council this random guy walks into the church and we thought he must be a high council speaker or something because he looked like a member but no he was just this member that lives in Idaho and he was here on business. But you wanna know what he does? He cuts corn mazes! How random! All summer he just travels around and cuts out the mazes. And he has this GPS system that is super detailed...he says it can go down to an accuracy of 2 inches and that's how he knows where to cut. Also, this guy was just sooo cool and all about missionary work and helping people. He was so willing to go and wake up our investigators for us. Then he went out with the Elders after church.We're just like, "what? Who is this guy?!" He was super awesome. Sister Orchard and I decided he's probably one of the 3 Nephites, haha. Now some random woman who loves missionary work who's on business just needs to come out here and go out with US! The Elders are so blessed. Well, we are too but just sayin. 

Random thoughts of the week!:
1. Chiggers are terrible.
2. Me and Sister Orchard played pooh sticks this week. Both times epically failed. The first time we tried we dropped the sticks in and they just sat there. Lame. The second time we tried there was a
blockage of sticks under the bridge that didn't let anything by. Haha one day....
3. I've made so much zucchini bread this week. Yum!
4. The transfer Find-a-thon starts today!!! FIND ALL THE PEOPLE! :)
5. We ate tamales at Gaudalupe's this week and that was seriously the best thing that ever happened to the world. Gaudalupe's tamales are sooooo good. Oh my goodness I ate sooo much.
6. We contacted this guy who was a referral this week and the lady that answered said someone had requested missionaries for him as a joke. It was sad.

7. Today and tomorrow are supposed to be scorchers....and we don't have the car. Yikes. We are going to be sweaty hot messes and yet we still expect people to want to hear a message about Jesus from us. Pretty insane haha

So here's something kind of cool: so as missionaries we don't pay tithing but we do pay fast offerings. And seriously, when you pray fast offerings you get more dinners. Well this last Sunday me and Sister Orchard didn't have cash so we couldn't pay our fast offerings but we both said that when we got cash we would pay it. Well, this week we had a dinner every single day. Except Saturday...they had to cancel. We have so much food. It was just crazy and I was like, "wait,
and we didn't even pay our fast offerings!" But, then I thought about how we both planned to pay it and it just goes to show the God knows our hearts and he knew we would pay it and so even though we didn't do it right then he still blessed us. It reminds me of when Dad and I were going to miss the Trax we needed to get on if we got tickets for the way home (because our tickets had exported) and Dad said, "when we get to the end, we will buy our tickets." But I was so worried because I was worried we would get kicked off. And then the Trax patrol got on and checked our tickets but they didn't even look at the expiration time and moved on. And when we got off the Trax at our stop we bought tickets and then drove home. God knew we would and so he blessed us! Anyway, so that was cool. Except for the fact that I'm gonna get fat with all this delicious food.

We got to watch President Boyd K. Packers funeral this week. It was good! What a great man! I died when Elder Oaks said that he said, "I didn't come down here to break all the banjos in Utah county." Bahahaha classic! Also, my favorite quote from him that I heard at the funeral was "Let the pending items...pend." Sometimes we just need to wait and be patient when we are waiting for answers. They are pending and there really isn't anything we can do to speed them up. So while we wait are we going to be miserable and just wish we got answers and direction faster? Or will we exercise patience and faith and that the Lord will answer in His time?

I love y'all lots and I hope you have the greatest week!

Love,

Sister Myers

Pictures!

1. Picture Roberto took of us while using wifi on bikes...haha

2. Me and a baby chick

3. Zucchini...um heck yes!!!

4. Chiggers and my crazy awesome tan line....

5. Candid picture while eating a cupcake...hahahah so funny 

6-7 Just some fun pics with the STL's...I LOVE THEM SO MUCH...PS that jumping pic is on self timer and it took like 5000 tries haha

8. My Illinois picture I forgot to send last week! 

9. Selfie with Dave, the corn maze cutter, who came to church!

 

'Murcia!

Oh my goodness this week has passed by so fast and so much has
happened!! So on Monday we drove to Paducah because we did exchanges
with the STL's and I got to be with Sister Sumbot!!!!! Best day
ever!!!! But anyway before we met up with them we actually drove to
Illinois!!! Haha it's part of their area and so it's still in the
mission so we drove over the dirge of the Ohio river and took a
picture with the sign! Woot!!

It was so weird being on an exchange with sister Sumbot because we
were in a different area and I was driving and it was just weird but
also felt like we hadn't been apart! Crazy! It was so fun though. On
Tuesday we had like 200 miles we needed to use because our car was in
the shop and the miles don't carry over....so we had this referral
that was in TIMBUKTU! Like seriously....bottom of our area...actually
right on the border of Tennessee....and funny enough we had to go into
Tennessee because the road that they live on curves into Tennessee and
then back into Kentucky so we got to go to Tennessee....twice! Haha
anyway so this referral was from the Calvert City Elders. They had met
this couple at a fair and they were talking about how they were really
interested in family history...like the wife, LaDonna has been working
on family history and has had trouble finding some ancestors. So
anyway they gave them over to US. And we finally went and contacted
them. Haha but it was such an adventure getting out there.

First, we don't have a GPS so we looked up how to get there on Google
maps...so Sister Sumbot was directing me and she totally read a direction wrong...she told me to turn left and I was supposed to go
right. So then we finally figure out after like 5-6 miles we are going
the wrong way...so then we get turned around and somehow we got lost
again and ended up totally off the path. I still have no idea how that happened...well actually I kind of do but I will get to that in a second.
So we look more at the map and realize that somehow we had missed an
entire direction...like skipped a step. So we get back on the path and
finally get there. Well, we drive up this tiny road with like 2 houses down their long driveway and Kenneth, the husband, comes out and he
invited us right in...oh my goodness the sweetest people ever! So we
taught them the Restoration and it went so well! They were practically begging us to give them a pamphlet and a Book of Mormon! It was so cool.
Then they just kept saying thank you for coming and they were like,

"You know, even if this doesn't pan out and we don't join your church
we are sooo glad to have met you!!!" Oh man they were adorable. Also
they know the Millers (Brother Miller is the branch mission leader and
he like, knows everyone...haha) so that was cool. Unfortunately they
couldn't come to church this past Sunday but we hope to see them again
soon! Oh also GET THIS: so they were telling us how they had been
working out in their field that day and they had actually just come in
like 30 minutes before....if we had not gotten lost we would have been
about 30 minutes earlier....how crazy is that?! 2 Nephi 2:24 - I'm
telling you!!

Speaking of that scripture, on Wednesday evening we tried to see this
part member family and a couple of investigators and none of them were
home or not busy. So we were standing there trying to figure out where
we should go next and sister orchard was like, "should we knock this
house right here?" And I'm like, "do you feel like we should?" And she
said yes so I'm like, "Alright let's go!" So we go and we knock but
then we saw that the windows were covered and there was tons of mail
stuffed in the mailbox and we realized it was empty. So Sister Orchard
was like, "Why would I get the feeling to knock this door if no one
even lived there?" Well, probably like right then the Elders drove by
and stopped to talk to us. And I asked if they had seen this guy named
Josh (an English guy they met that they were going to hand over to us)
and they were like, "oh man we forgot! We will go right now...we will
set up an appointment with him for y'all...when should we set it up?"
And so I was thinking about the days and somehow in the process of
thinking about the days I remembered that we promised this lady that
we would bring her a Book of Mormon that night but we had forgotten!
So the. They left and I was like, "2 Nephi 2:24 Sister orchard! If we
had not knocked that door then we would have been gone when the Elders
drove by and we wouldn't have reminded them and in the process
reminded us about appointments! God is good. Also don't think that we
are terrible because we forgot. It was a crazy day.

Speaking of the lady we have the big Book of Mormon to...her name is
Beth! We met her last week and we saw her this week and taught her the
restoration and she totally loved it! She was excited to read the Book
of Mormon. And she was like, "I've been thinking about starting a
meditation time where I will read the bible, and now also the Book of
Mormon and just think about it." Um...heck yes! It was awesome! We
invited her to be baptized when she knew it was true and she said yes!
Also we invited her to the baptism and 4th of July cookout that was
happening in the branch on Saturday and she was like, "I'll come! And
I'll invite my neighbor Karen to come." Oh man she's awesome!

Saturday was...weird! Basically no one was home or wanted to talk to
us, which makes sense. So it was a pretty terrible day but then we
went to the baptism for 2 more of the Vaca kids! (That huge family the
elders taught) Nano, the 13 year old got baptized and so did Veronica
- she had just turned 8 though so she's not a convert baptism
technically. But Juan was able to baptize them and when he baptized
Nano he couldn't even speak because he was crying and I was crying
because it was the cutest thing in the world. Oh man it was a
beautiful baptism. Also our investigators, well eternigators named the
Wallers came! But here's a crazy story about that: so we called them
on Friday morning to invite them but our service was bad so they said
to just call them back later. So we told them we would. Well as we
were praying that night, Sister Orchard remembered that we didn't call
them! (I wasn't the one on the phone so I didn't know) well after the
prayer she was telling me this and all of the sudden they start
calling!!! And on the phone they were like asking if there was a
baptism because their friend Beth told them about it." Beth!!! She
knows the Wallers! Haha it was crazy! And they came to the baptism but
didn't stay the whole time.

After the baptism we had a branch cookout and it was super good. Then
they had a couple of big water balloon fights and that was fun. I love
the branch sooo much. So many great people! Then afterwards we had to
go in at 8 for our safety. At the high school, which is close to us,
they were doing fireworks but unfortunately we are kind of on this
hill slash there are huge trees around us so we didn't see any
fireworks. None. It was terrible. But the elders were super nice and
they took like 25 minute video of the fireworks for us haha. I haven't
watched it yet though.

Oh here's something that is SUPER ironic. So me and sister Orchard
found the John Tanner movie on the gospel library and we watched it
and I told her it was my 5th great grandfather and she thought that
was so cool and so she told the Elders and Elder Westberg was like,
"Wait. He's my 5th great grandfather too!" So we looked at our family
trees and yep...it's the same one! Except he's from a different wife
of John Tanner...haha so we're like 5th cousins or something...I'm not
really sure but we are more closely related than me and Elder Myers so
I thought that was super ironic/funny.

So George moved to Murray, KY. Sad day. But the elders there are
taking good care of him as far as I know...but he might be moving
again...to Illinois so that's crazy.

Random shtuff:
1. The food bank thing that we volunteer at gave us a bunch of fresh
zucchini and cucumbers and corn on the cob....YUM. BEST DAY EVER!
2. We contacted this guy yesterday and he said he was busy but then he
came running out after us and said his son wanted to talk to us so we
taught him the restoration...that was pretty cool.
3. Interviews are this week and I'm stoked!!! Woooooot!

So I hit my year mark this week and that was just weird. I just can't
believe that it was a year ago that I went to the MTC. Oh man I
listened to my setting apart recording on the night I got set apart a
year before. TERRIBLE IDEA! Then I had this idea that I would record
my testimony....oh man that was also a terrible idea. It just made me
realize that this has gone by way too fast and I just don't want to
stop! It needs to slow down...pronto! Oh man. I just love my mission.
I love the people. I love the gospel. I love teaching people. I love
seeing people come closer to Jesus Christ. I love seeing people
change. I love seeing the gospel bless families. I love read the Book
of Mormon every single day (not that I can't do that after my
mission). I love helping others grow in the gospel. I love my Savior
and I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!

Love you so much! Hope y'all have a great week!!!
Love,
Sister Myers

1. Lost while finding a referral
2. The Elders got sweet sunglasses that they let us borrow...so
naturally we had to take a selfie
3. Cheesy one year photo...which actually was taken the day after hahah
4. Me and Veronica at the baptism. Oh I just love her. We've been
teaching her in primary so we've gotten to be buds!
5. Us and George when we said bye!