Modern Day Korihors/Sherems and Power Lifting! 2/6/2017

The world is crazy y'all. In ward council yesterday we were told that 3 members have had their names removed from church records after listening to a guy. He apparently sounds just like an apostle or leader of the Church would sound. He begins his talks building upon what you already know, but by the end of the talk, he has left you shattered on the floor with huge questions about the Church. One of his big things is that he tells you to just have your attorney send a letter to Church headquarters, because any questions to your bishop with result in discipline. So basically he takes away the opportunity to receive counsel from your leaders. So sad to hear about. And maddening. Satan is workin overtime to get God's children down to hell. 

This past weekend we got the opportunity to serve those affected by the tornadoes. It was such a good outlet for stress relief. I got to do some heavy lifting and throw some heavy pine logs and get out all that stress. Also, it made me think of when we all banded together after the windstorm in 2011. It felt really good! Brother Gwin, one of the members of our ward that was also helping out, was laughing and said "Sister! Were you a power lifter before you came out?!" He even went so far as to tell the Ward Council about it! So funny! I told him my Dad raised me right. 

The poor families in the area of the tornadoes are in need of so much help. We helped at 3 different houses. The first involved cutting down trees that were leaning, and then cutting those up and hauling them to the trailer to be driven to the road. The people were so kind! They were so grateful for the help in cleaning up, and we were happy to help them! We got to spend a couple hours there helping them, and then moved on to a different house about 2 miles away. They needed a HUGE tree cut up into more manageable pieces. It was a HUGE tree! We ended up calling the Bobcat over and getting a Brother from the Oak Grove ward to drive the pieces off to the road. Sweet family that prayed with us and told us they would pray for us, their angels. 

The last house was in the neighborhood that got hit the hardest here in Hattiesburg. I will send pictures of some of the devastation. Sadly, this was one of the neighborhoods where someone was killed. A older woman that was in bed when the tornado hit. She got trapped under the debris and couldn't be reached. The houses in the area are missing roofs, and on some, even parts of the house. 

We got to help two older woman pick up their yard and cut up their deck that was demolished when the tree that it was surrounding got uprooted. I got to do some more heavy lifting and haul the huge pieces of the deck off to the road. One of the disaster relief people was there surveying the area for what was still needed and helped out. He was amazed at how much I was lifting. Again I said my Dad raised me right and taught me the value of hard work and how to love it. My Mom did as well, just not in the same way. 

I ended up getting cut by one of the rusty nails from the deck. No worries. I am fine. 

As for the stress, I am doing better. There is still an almost constant stress, but it is lessened. I am focusing on putting one foot in front of the other and taking deep breaths. Both Sister Olson, the mission president's wife, and my Mom told me something that is helping. Let go of what you can't control. Just say a prayer, take a deep breath and let it go.

I am trying to focus on that and work with the Lord to see the good and the blessings that are coming from this. Please just pray for me. I am focusing on the task at hand, even when it is hard to get out of bed in the morning, I know that the Lord is there helping me.

My new companion is Sister Allred. She is from Centerville, UT. We are both very alike, and we are only finding more ways we are similar. She so kind and wonderful. I already knew her to some degree because she was in the zone when I got here, so we had that going for us. We are working together to do what The Lord wants for us and for this area. I am learning to work with her quirks and she is learning how to work with mine. 

When you see this on the mailbox of the house you just go done knocking on.  NO, they aren't members.  Yes, I did go back up to the door and ask them:

This house was across from all the ones that were destroyed....somehow it was untouched.