Letter #13

Hey FaMiLy!! Wutz UP? How ya'll doin? Sounds like you all had a good week eh? Can you believe that it's already fall again? man that went by fast. Before you know it it's gonna be NOV 2010. CrAzY! So Dad's workin in the garden? and Mom's in school? and Alvin and Taters are workin hard in FT ball and V ball. Thats great! I wish I could watch u'ins play! Send me pics k?
Hey mom thanks for the blanket and stuff. I am just glad to be warm again at night even if the blanket says JAN on it. haha. Hows Easty and Little Livvie? Easton looks way bigger and Livvie looks exactly like Jiller. The branch is doin good. We hardly ever eat at members houses because they are so far spread out and we really don't have a lot of members. We get so much money a month to buy groceries and stuff and then we have to pay for our own laundry. It's 2 dollars a load. We do have our own car, but I like to walk a lot and I'm the driver. So we walk a lot. haha. When you walk more you can talk to more people and give them pass along cards. There is a wally world like 30 mins away so we usually go there to do our shoppin and then there are a lot of little TN and Kentucky souveneir stores so we go there a lot. After football season it all goes on sale. So I'm gonna send you all somethin for CHriStmAs! YAY!
SO guess what Joe Strunk is getting baptized OCT 3rd. He is 16 years old and he lives with his step mom and dad. We have taught him basically all the lessons and his sibings are members too. He is the boy who we thought had to get permission from his real mom to be baptized. But our zone leaders called us and said that he doesn't need permission if his dad has custody and we found out that his dad DOES. So I was like Sister Hales he needs a DATE!! so we prayed about it and when we prayed about it Sister Hales was in one of her moods and mad at me for some odd reason (it happens) and we prayed and I got the prompting of OCT 3rd and my companion told me that she got nothing. So we kinda fought about it and I was like well I really feel we should do oct. 3rd and she was like okay whatever. So that night we went and we asked JOE to be baptized OCt 3rd and it was the weirdest baptisimal commitment I'd ever seend. BUT the cool thing was that it all worked out and it was exactly the day heavenly father wanted. OCt 3rd was the only weekend that his dad had off for this month and his mom was gonna be there and Joe told us that for some reason he decided not to go out of town that weekend either. WE all then KNEW that the spirit prompted us to pick that date and joe told us that he knew that was perfect.
Later that night my companion came up to me and said "Ya know sister furniss I'm sorry. WHen we prayed about a date I was mad at you and I let that get in the way of feeling the spirit and I didn't want you to be right so I didn't want that date. You were in tune with the spirit and I wasn't....." I just smiled at her and said "It's okay.. He is getting baptized and thats all that matters! and we get to witness it!"
The spirit is so strong but I've realized that you have to be worthy and being obedient to recieve it. I now tell myself EVERY single day that there is no way I'm going to deny those blessing of anyone recieveing the gospel because I"M not doin what I'm suppose to. Time is so precious. I need to be keeping the missionary rules so people out there waiting to hear the gospel don't suffer because of me. : ) (sorry that I just recieved this personal revelation).. BUT YA I will send all ya'll pics of the baptism!
My companion is really super awesome and I'm not tryin to say she's not or anything and she is an excellent teacher. I'm learnin SO much from her and her testimony. The other day she told me she was threatened by me and really jelous of me and my family. That was just kinda weird to me. But I then just told her how GREAT her family is and how lucky she is to have a family in the gospel! My goal is to compliment her 5 times a day and tell her how much I love
her and how great she is! She has really bad days and really good days and I told her if she's not happy and wants to go home then It's my job to help her cuz thats what havin a companion is all about! She thought I was pretty freakin crazy whenI said that. But I don't care. haha. I LOVe my comps!
We then taugh Rhonda this week and we taught her about how to follow the promptings of the spirit. We brought a member with us Sister Johnson. IT was a pretty good lesson, but my companion was havin one of her bad days, so I tried my best to bear witness of following the promptings of the spirit. I know Rhonda (the lady we're teaching) will come around. I know we touched her heart with that lesson.
We had stake conference last night and President and Sister Griffin spoke at it. I just sat at the door and greeted people. It was fun!! Sister Hales didn't want to and she stayed way far away from the door. BUT I wanted to say hi to everyone (I didn't know anyone) but I did anyways. I met this older lady and she gave me a hug and was like "are you a MISSIONARY??? You're to skinny to be a missionary" HA!! I was like YOU BET I am Sister!
Sister Johnson (a member in the branch) then came up to be and gave me this hug and a kiss and was like. "So are you excited to go home soon?" I was like umm What ya talkin about?? I JUST CAME ON MY MISSIOn! She was totally taken back and was like..
"Are you serious?? I thought that you were ready to go home and I can't believe that you have only been out 4 months. You are such a great missinoary and you act like you know exactly what you are doin. She then was like.. I am so impressed with you and they way you work and I know that you have your work cut out with you and your companion. YOU are exactly what Sister Hales needs and you're so good for her."
I almost started crying. I was like thank you so much. I was like I try so so hard to be a good missionary and I am constantly working on things to get better and I know this is precious time that I have. : )
SO then President GRIFFIN came over and the johnsons were like.. "This sister furniss is such an amazing missionary and she is working so hard."haha.. and President Griffin just grinned and was like. I am so glad to hear that. : )
It just made me feel good ya know? I'm not sayin this to like be all bragging and stuff. Things are really starting to fall into place and I'm starting to feel so very comfortable as a missionary and it just feels good. ITS HARD. but it feels good and this is who I AM. It's gonna be hard to leave being a missinoary but I know that I CAN always be one! just not wear a badge.
BUT yeah sorry to just like blab on and on about stuff. Elder thomas our district leader told me that I"ll most likely get to TRAIN a new missionary in NOV! WOOT WOOT! I am so very very excited and I pray that "ll get that opportunity.
I hope all is well and thanks for you letters and emails!! It totally makes my day and I love you all so very much. Tell everyone HI.
PS- Did tate get my package? I sent him somethin for his birthday. I also sent ALVIN a letter.
TATE AND ALLI ARE YOU STill alive??
Can't wait to hear from you next week. God BLESs!
LUV,
Sister Furniss