A Real Southern Week 9/12/2016

Yoo hoo! Hey family!

Big summer blow out!

This week has been great! From food to weather, it has been a truly Southern week!

One of the dinner appointments this week, with the Haneys, made my life! They are a cute family, grandma (aka"snookie") grandpa, great grandma (aka
granny") and Maggie (their granddaughter). Maggie has mental disabilities so when her mom and sister moved to Arizona, she wasn't comfortable changing scenery, so she stayed with her grandparents. 

For dinner we had... drumroll please... Grits casserole and sweet potato muffins! So good! The casserole had eggs, cheese, and grits in it, and it was AMAZING! I am in LOVE with grits!

The sweet potato muffins are just to die for!

As we ate, we watched the birds and rabbits eating the food that Maggie had put out for them. We saw blue jays, cardinals, baby birds, wild rabbits, and one squirrel. It was so fun to see! 

Also, and this is mostly for Mom, I only had 2 hamburgers this week. Don't worry. There were only 2. And one bison burger...   

Fun experience from the week: seeing the very large and in charge men at the gas station where we had stopped to eat the lunches we had packed. They pulled up in a large black pick up. Got out, bullet proof vests, guns, badges and all. Then they opened the back door and uncuffed a very tired looking young woman from the back seat. They walked inside, got some Coke and cigarettes, and came out. The girl was then handcuffed to the table, and they enjoyed the things they had bought, the two men looking around and surveying the premise. Then they got back into the truck, the woman once again handcuffed to the back seat, and took off back the way they had come. 

I'm thinking it was one of two situations. FBI agents with a infomant OR a hostage with two fake agents. I don't know which. Probably the latter.

 

Another cool experience: Meeting Sisters Reeves, Cordon, and Marriott and Elder Bluth at the Women in Christ Conference the stake put on. It was awesome!! 

The whole conference was so inspiring, all 8 hours of it! There was a welcome session where Pat St. Angelo (minister for another faith), Lynn Langley (founder of Sue's Home, a half way house for women) and Michelle Turner ( a foster mother and homemaker)

Lynn Langley talked about her "life passage" in 1 Peter 4:10-11. She then talked about Peter walking on water in Matthew 14. She narrated the conversation she had with the Holy Ghost or God. It goes something like this: 

Did Peter walk on water because he knew how to Lynn? No sir.

Did Peter walk on water because he had the ability Lynn? No sir. 

How did Peter walk on water Lynn? Through faith and trust sir. 

It was such a good talk! 

Michelle Turner's talk was my favorite of that session! She told about how she and her husband became foster parents 4 years ago and the 43 children that have come through their home since. She said this, "We don't serve for the outcome. We serve because that is what God called us to do." and "The Lord stretches you so you can serve better, according to His will." 

As she was talking, I was reminded of a part of my patriarchal blessing that I had read just 2 days before, because I was prompted to do so. I thought of the part of my blessing where it says "I bless you with the ability to create a home full of love and the Spirit where your children will feel safe from the wickednesses of the world... you will have a tremendous impact on your children as well as many other children." 

And I had a thought that maybe I could be a foster parent. Maybe that is something that God has planned for me. And it seems right. I will have to give it more thought and prayer, but for now, it sounds like something I want to do. 

"Your job isn't to be the saviour of the world. It is to love the world the way the Saviour loves you."

Sister Cordon talked about our gifts and how we must plant seeds in order to get the plants or blessings. She showed a video by Elder Bednar called "A particle of Faith" It was so good! Her talk was so inspiring and wonderful!

Sister Marriott, in her cute Southern accent and charm, talked about the value of us as women. She read from JSH 1:51 about the Hill Cumorah and changed it to read something like this "Convenient to the city of Gulfport, stands a woman of considerable worth. Inside this woman, beneath a facade that the world sees, is a core of spirituality of immeasurable worth"

It was cool to hear her talk about how much worth and strength we have. She told us of china cups that, though seemingly fragile and frail, but turned upside down, can support a car. She likened it to our appearance and inner strength. 

She also talked about how to truly pray:

1) find a place where you won't be interuppted

2) kneel down (making you body act reverent, makes you feel reverent)

3) pray out loud

4) envision Heavenly Father in front of you, smiling. Then talk to Him

5) Ask His permission to have a personal testimony meeting with Him

6) testify out loud as to everything you know concerning Him

7) Be open to the Holy Ghost's inspiration

8) (this one is my favorite) pour out the whole sorry mess that is inside of you

9) Learn and grow and connect deeper with your loving Heavenly Father as you feel His approval

We then heard a wonderful song "Still, my soul be still."

Then Sister Reeves spoke about fulfilling our potential, the one God sees, not the one the world sees. She said, "We hope you realize the constant and incredible power of your consistent faithful example. Please continue strong and faithful." and "We consistently tried " and "Keep on going. Keep on doing it."

Such a wonderful conference! 

Also it has been raining a lot this week. The storms coming off the coast of Africa are hitting us hard. I will send videos as proof.

I am missing the temple and the wonderful spirit that is in it, but I am excited for General Conference coming up soon! Not really related, but that is how I am feeling so... deal with it.

LOVE YOU!!!