Here's her latest email and some pictures she sen!
This week has been incredible! My journal is full of wonderful things that have happened and things that made the day bright!
Day One: June 21
The day of 5 nice strangers. We picked our mantra as usual. This one was from Preach My Gospel chapter one. It said "There are people searching for their purpose. You walk among them." We picked it partly because it made it sound like we were aliens.
It turned out to be exactly what the day needed, to motivate us and inspire us to find those that are searching for their purpose. With God's help, we were able to find some of them! We were on our way home from Book of Mormon study with one of the members in our ward, Sister Willis. We stopped by the mailbox to check if anyone had written us. We will get back to that later...
When we were walking through the parking lot of our apartment complex, I saw a man getting out of his car, looking confused, and debating whether to talk to us. I stopped and said "I think that guy wants to ask us a question." He then walked up and asked us we knew where Braden lived. We did not, but we were able to start a conversation about why we were each here. And his search for purpose!! JV Bernard (stranger #1) came to Mississippi because he felt there was something special for him here. He wants to work with youth and become the greatest youth minister/ speaker that there has ever been. We talked a little about our church and gave him a Restoration pamphlet. He said he would love to learn more so we set up an appointment to do a church tour on Sunday at 5. We were so excited!!
We then walked to the mailbox to check for letters, and met our new mailman Mitch (#2). Remember a couple weeks ago when I told you about the tracting hour we did. We prayed to see miracles and find those that were prepared for us. We went out that hour and found no one, saw no miracles. We tried to think of what could have been the miracle that God had for us. We thought there hadn't been one.... there was. The mailman that stopped to tell us "I just wanted to let y'all know I admire y'all for what y'all do." was Mitch!!! He was our miracle!! We got to talk with him more and thank him for brightening our day with what he said that day. We stayed and talked with him for 10 or so minutes as he put the mail in the slots. We then got ready to leave and asked him if we got anything. He looked at us with a sad and sorry looking face and said "Absolutely nothing... sorry girls."
He's funny! He used to deliver the mail to the mission office so he knows a little about how missionaries are. At least how their families are with packages and mail. Or how they should be...
No mail for 2 straight weeks. Rude.
We headed over to Bellevue and Dollar General to tract and AI (additional invite. Basically we walk around and try to find people to teach as they go about their daily activities. For example, shopping at DG.) We talked with the cashier (#3) who asked us if we were nuns, and if we had to take vows as missionaries. We laughed and said that no, we were not nuns, and no we did not have to take vows, at least not in the sense he was talking about. We talked some more and he even offered to give us a ride after we had waited for our ride to Springridge for a little while.
Stranger #4 was another DG worker who was leaving on his bike as we waited for the wonderful Elders to bring the Doritos Locos tacos that they had picked up on Free Taco day! He asked us why we were walking. (He had seen us walked down the street when he came to work.) We got to explain our purpose and why we were here. He said he admired us and thought we were amazing! So kind!
While we were in Shontay's neighborhood tracting we met Tina (#5). She is a young girl who was riding her bike around and started talking to us. We gave her a passalong card with a picture of Jesus on it. She rode away and we continued tracting. She rode up late with a huge grin on her face and said "Look where I put it!!" She had taped it to the front of her bike so that "everyone can see Him as I ride my bike!" That made me smile!
We then had dinner at Shontay's house. So good. The highlight was when Destiny, her 6 year old daughter, rapped her learning to read book "I like my white boots." In typical black community fashion she replace any word with "st" with "sc" for example. "I like my white boots. I like my white boots. Oh no! Scrawberries!"</>
Also -scraight -scraw -screet
I laugh when she talks. Destiny how do you get to your school? Go scraight down the screet and then turn right! 

Day Three: June 23
We taught Marcie Johnson and her sister Tracie. Marcie is currently in treatment for cancer. We called her to ask if we could drop by since we would be in the area. She said she was currently in chemotherapy but we could come by later in the day. RIGHT AFTER CHEMO! She is an amazing woman! We talked about the Plan of Salvation and then got to talk about how she was doing. She said that the steroids she is taking make her always hungry. She said "It never stops! It is always ragin, like war in heaven fighting!"
She is funny!
Day Four: June 24
MOVIE NIGHT! We had our weekly movie night with chinese food! We moved our mattresses into the living room and watched "Meet the Mormons" It was a wonderful break and opportunity to relax!
Day Five: June 25
Such an awesome day! We went to the Clinton Visitor's Center to try to find a woman that volunteers there, that we were told wanted to learn more about family history and the family history center at the church. We couldn't find her, but we got to listen to some amazing folk/blue grass/gospel music. There is a loose coffee club like band that plays every Saturday. The played songs like "Angel Band" "Waiting on a Miracle" and my personal favorite "Tryin Stuff on" It was awesome! I videoed as much as I could before my memory ran out on my camera. I didn't have an extra card with me, so I just sat back and basked in wonder of the beauty of their music. It was a band of middle aged hillbilly like men, and one woman playing guitars, a bass, a ukele, violin, and some guitar/uke/banjo mix that I have never seen. I was in heaven!!
I also got some old books from the 4Cs when we went to do service. They were free so why not. I cut out the actual book, leaving the binding, and I am going to make them into cute journals by glueing in the binder clips from an old binder. I am also going to hole punch one of them and put rings through it to make it into a cute journal. I am so excited!!
Day Six: June 26
The day of JV's church tour! We had Brother McClain, the young men's president, come to help fellowship JV. They turned out to be more perfect for each other than I though they would be when I thought (was inspired) to have Brother McClain help out. They both have a mutual love for Planet Fitness, experience with working at Herrin Gear Toyota, and both love working with youth. They were perfect!! Brother McClain is a convert of 5 years so he was able to share his testimony and conversion. The Spirit was so strong throughout the lesson! We started in the foyer with the picture of The Saviour and talked about His Church and how He established it while he was on Earth. Then we went into the chapel and talked about the sacrament and Last Supper. Then to the Relief Society room to sit by the font and talk about the Restoration and restoration of the priesthood. Brother McClain shared his testimony of the priesthood and baptism by proper authority in a way that didn't offend JV as he just got baptized into a Baptist church last month. JV seemed to understand why it was different. Then we challenged him to accept Moroni's challenge in Moroni 10:4-5 and ask for his own witness. He agreed to that with sincere heart. We extended the baptismal invite and asked if, once he received his answer that it was true, he would be baptized by someone holding the proper authority. He accepted! He is now preparing to be baptized on July 30th! I am so excited!!!
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