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| Waiting for the phone to ring for transfers! |
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| A 24 hour threesome. Sisters Murray, Malm, and McCook |
Driving in Florida
Brother Zeleinski
I suppose y'all are wondering about transfers. Well since I had to wait to find out I will let y'all have a little suspense too :)
Monday evening we went to the Switzers and did the Easter Eggs with objects and scriptures about Easter inside. They loved it and the spirit was strong as we discussed the role and sacrifice of our savior. Also, my recent convert Aileen came! I was so happy to see her again. She is shining even more brightly than she was when she was baptized last May. The Atonement has truly changed her life a full 180 degrees. It was incredible to have someone I love so much be the member present at a lesson with another family I love so dearly. I am so excited for them to be baptized on May 10th!!! Best Mother's day ever right there!
Tuesday morning we went to the Jax East Zone meeting. It went well, but role plays took a long time so Sister Gillman and I had to shorten our trainings down a lot, but it was still good. I gave a training on weekly planning and Sister Gillman gave a training on daily planning.
Wednesday we gave the same trainings in the Mandarin Zone Meeting. That one went really well but we got cut short on time there too. Oh, well you do what you can do. President and Sister Craig came to that one (and the Assistants are in the zone so they were there too.) We also got new phones at the meeting so that was super nice too!
Wednesday afternoon we began a trade off with our Sister Training Coordinators (leaders over the STL's). Sister Kloepfer came to Hendricks with Sister Gillman and I went to Mandarin with Sister McCook. We had a wonderful time being companions again for 24 hours!
Thursday morning we skipped exercises to drive to the mission office to pick up Sister Malm. Her companion was going on the temple trip so she got to be in a trio with me and Sister McCook. It was a different trade off to say the least, but so much fun! We stayed busy finding people to teach and Sister McCook treated us to Bruster's ice cream during lunch. Yummy! And it is a great place to share the gospel!
Thursday we had two media referrals to contact. We called one and found out it was a member who had been away from the church for a time and she wanted to come back but didn't know how to contact anyone. So she referred herself! The other was a woman named Theresa. Theresa told us how a friend at work (Wal Mart) gave her pamphlets and pass along cards when she had hard day. Hay all y'all that have served in Arlington, YSA, or Ft. Caroline: remember the Indian man who works at Wal Mart and will talk to missionaries for hours if you have the time? His name is Albert and he is always sweeping the floors at Wal Mart. Well I guess enough missionaries had given him cards that he decided to pass the love along and Theresa got one and called the number on the back so she could meet with missionaries! Isn't that crazy? Miracle!
Friday we had our lovely weekly planning and then we went to mow Terry's lawn. We probably picked the hottest day and time (4pm) to do it... but we got to serve her! And Sister Gillman really likes mowing lawns so she did the larger portion of it while I filled water bottles for Terry.
Saturday was busy and we were able to teach some good lessons. We found the sweetest woman named Rowena. She is living with her brother and he would be mad if she came to church but she is looking for her own place so hopefully she can come soon! She was smoking as we taught her and she asked if smoking was a sin. She said her mother told her it was, but she was confused because it wasn't in the Bible. We held up a picture of Christ and asked if she would feel comfortable smoking in his presence. She said no and we told her that was her answer. I love it when people find their own answers to their questions!
Sunday was probably the only Sunday the Hendricks sisters haven't had a single investigator in church for months. Gratefully part of the reason we didn't have any is that they are all getting baptized! That evening we went and saw Barbara, a nonmember who works in the family history center in Ft. Caroline all the time. We shared President Monson's conference talk with her and testified about temples since she likes family history. It was a good lesson. I definitely believe she will accept the gospel some day--even if its not while I am on my mission.
Monday Sister Gillman and I were all sorts of anxious about the transfer call. I felt confident I would be staying and I was guessing Sister Gillman would leave and train for her last two transfers. That morning on our MLC phone call we were told the Mandarin Zone and the Jax East Zone would be consolidating into one zone. That doesn't affect us too much--it is still the same sisters. (Ocala and Gainesville zones were combined also). We went out and worked all day and you wouldn't believe how many times our phone rang! Every time it did we would run to it thinking it was President calling to release one of us. But it never was. Evening came and we got on the conference call and as President announced Sister Gillman and Sister Mackay would be the sister training leaders in Hendricks I was shocked! He hadn't released me so I kept listening to hear if I would be a STL somewhere else, but that didn't happen either. I have been called to serve in Kingsland, Georgia with Sister Elliot! My first thoughts were related to all the things I didn't want to miss here-the Switzer's baptism, the sisters in my zone, the members, etc. But I quickly realized how selfish that was of me. After all this is God's work and it will be done in His way and time. Just that day the song "I'll go where you want me to go," came on and I couldn't help but think how perfect a song it is for transfer day. I know now that I am going to Georgia for a reason. Perhaps there is just one person there who needs me or maybe I just need Georgia! Whatever the reason I know I will be grateful for the six weeks I have there. Of course, I am still very sad to leave Hendricks and my dear Jax East Zone, but I am sure there are many adventures waiting for me. I don't know much about Kingsland but I believe it is fairly country--there should be some great stories in the making y'all. Also, the Arlington sisters area was closed. And the Arlington Elders are no longer the zone leaders--the zone leaders are in Hendricks now.
Thank you for your endless prayers, letters, and support. I cant explain it but I really do feel the strength from your prayers. Please keep praying for me as I go onto my next (and if I have to, last) transfer!
I love all y'all!
Sister Murray
P.S. In case you were wondering President still hasn't called... haha! Oops... maybe I will just be a STL for eternity. I would definitely be ok with that :) Note: This area doesn't have STL so I will not be one.
