seriously.​..

Oh wow! Just another crazy unexpected week in the mission field. Each week I think, alright this is the week that's going to be normal. NOPE! I'm always wrong :) So I don't know why I keep hoping and saying this! I've probably told y'all this about a million times but it just keeps happening! 

So for starters I wasn't even in my area for 4 of the past 7 days! haha yeah. 

Monday after emailing, Sister Wily and I headed up to New Iberia for the rest of Preparation Day. It was fun to spend the day with our past companions and to be back in New Iberia. And yes, I made sure that we got frozen yogurt :) That night we visited a few of our favorite people in New Iberia. 

 

Tuesday morning we headed up to Lafayette for Zone Conference!!!!! I always love seeing the other missionaries and President and Sister Wall! Zone Conference was AMAZING!!!! Some of the highlights I already told you about with the pictures such as the Burning the Boats, Title of Hope and our Zone leaders. Another fun part was President's instruction on Hope. We even watched a clip from the 3rd Lord of the Rings movie. yeah, my mission president is just that cool! So he showed us the clip of Frodo and Sam after they have thrown the ring and they are on the rock and the eagles came to pick them up. He also talked about butterflies. I told you about what president shared with me in interviews a few weeks ago. Well, now in our mission the theme is hope and the butterflies and eagles represent hope. The butterfly represents hope as it struggles to get out of the cocoon but becoming strong and beautiful through the experience. The Eagles represent hope in many ways but the biggest is that after Frodo and Sam gave their quest all their heart and energy the eagles came after they exhausted everything and they carried them the rest of the way. So butterflies and eagles are our symbols for hope. Sister Wall printed out pictures of Eagles and butterflies to put on the pack of our name tags to remind us to be messengers of hope :) 

Our Stake President came for a part of Zone Conference. He informed us that 2/3 of the stake is inactive or less active!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe how big of a portion isn't active. It's so sad! 

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we were in Morgan City. We had some great lessons but nothing too unusual. I did get utterly and completely lost while trying to find a members house. My GPS wouldn't find the address so we called the Elders for help and directions. It was a little difficult because we had NO IDEA where we were. haha. Thankfully the Elders were patient and helped us! Eventually we got to the members house after a lot of time and miles. I don't know how people functioned before GPS! But I know I'm SUPER grateful for my GPS!!!!! 

Saturday we headed to Baton Rouge for the Stake Auxiliary Training Meeting. Our Branch President asked us to go and represent the Young Women's program in Morgan City because we are the Young Women's program. The meeting was great but it was a little overwhelming for Sister Wily and I since we are missionaries but in charge of everything with the young women. One of the speakers spoke about callings vs. assignments. They talked about how we'd all been called to be the young women's leader and to uphold this calling. An assignment is temporary while a calling is something you've been called to. Well, Sister Wily and I are a little different and go against everything they were saying. It was kind of funny. We've been called to be missionaries and represent the Lord in this area while our assignment is to work with the young women's program. Our situation is a little different than the rest of the stake. Also, if anyone has any ideas for fun lesson plans or things to do for mutual that would be great!!!! We are struggling to come up with activities for mutual since we have no resources. I so wish I could hop on Pinterest or something! 

 

After the meeting we walked across the parking lot to go to the Temple with a member that we met up with there. I really love when I get to go to the temple since we don't get the chance very often as a missionary. But I got to see the new movie!!!! It was a little shocking at first but I loved it!!!! Then Sister Wily and I headed to New Orleans with Sister Rice. Her son, Elder Earl DeHart was coming home after completing his mission in Boise, Idaho. We got permission to go with her because she was really nervous about going by herself since she'd never been to the airport or Kenner and I know the area very well!! We got to Kenner (where the airport is) a few hours early so we enjoyed the park on Lake Pontchartrain for a bit then headed to the mall to eat at the food court. Then to the airport we went. He was scheduled to land at 7:25pm. Well 7:25 came and went, then 7:45, 8, 8:15, 8:30.... and no Elder DeHart....... By 9 pm, after talking to a bunch of different people we found out that he  missed his flight in Dallas because his plane had been delayed in Seattle. We also found out that he wouldn't get here until 9:30 AM!!!!! haha yeah. I made a few phone calls and arranged for somewhere for us all to go. Sister Wily and I stayed with the Kenner Sisters, Hermana Walker and Hermana Hillstead. I called my old neighbors, Eddy and Aura and they graciously let Sister Rice stay with them for the night! It was so fun to see Eddy and Aura again and to sleep in my old apartment again. It was a tender mercy that we were able to go so I could help Sister Rice during this emotional and stressful adventure. So we all had somewhere to sleep then Sunday morning we headed back to the airport to pick up Elder DeHart. He had to be in Baton Rouge by 1:30pm to meet with the Stake President, President Riggs, to be set apart. So we left Kenner and headed to Baton Rouge. Thankfully we were able to join the Baton Rouge 3rd ward for Sacrament Meeting. Then Elder DeHart was released and we headed back to Morgan City!! It was quite the adventurous two days!!!!! and a whole lot of driving. 

 

I'm pretty tired after all the craziness of the week! And awaiting the next adventure! 

Transfers are next week. So I'll email on Tuesday. 

 

con amor,

Kim