Saturday, July 31, 2010

July 26 Letter

I am getting transferred. Over the river (Mississippi). I don't know where. Either Dysberg, TN, South Haven, TN/MS, or Millington, TN. But I don't think it will be Millington. But maybe I don't know. Sister Miller and I are both going. They are moving us both due to the fact that there are 2 new sisters this transfer and two came last time and there is a shortage of trainers. I could train if I had to but I only know one way of doing things. I really want to have another companion who knows what they are doing first so I can choose what way works best for me. So I will let you all know where I am next week. I am excited for a new experience, companion, area, everything.
Don was baptized yesterday. That was awesome. It sure took some pulling to get him there but we were super excited. I am sad I will miss Amy's baptism. Really sad about that. We have been working on her for a long time. But she is going to in a few weeks. Oh well. They will HAVE to send me pictures. Oh, Amy was interviewed for Baptism. Her husband and her are getting along and he consented to the discussions. Right as I leave. But at least our prayers where answered. I am just extemely grateful about that!!!! I will really miss the members in the area too. The Hilson's, Martinez's, Arthur ( I will miss them a lot!) Anywho this old guy decided to start talking to me and I had to explain the Book of Mormon to him and that took up a lot of typing time. Always a missionary. Even on p-day. I am just kind of relieved. I don't feel so much responsibility for the people here. All the one's we have been stressed about. They are the new sister's responsibility. But it will not last for long. I will have a new area on Wednesday and it will start all over again. I hope it is a bit cooler in Tennessee from here. Because it is HOT here still. That's all I have time for really.
LOVE FROM THE SOUTH
SISTER BROADHEAD

July 19 Letter

Wow this week has not been bad but interesting. It has been nice and humid but we have been so busy we have not had a whole ton of time to tract. So that is good. I get headaches when we tract in this sweltery humidity. It was not too bad when I got here in March but man is it hot now! We did have some random rain a few times and then the other times are just awful hot. It rained so hard tuesday on the way to District meeting in Pine Bluff that is was hard to drive. The road where sometimes almost like a small river. I have never seen anything like rain here before. I am excited for when the summer is over and it is getting there. I can't believe July is almost over. And we have transfers next week and I am pretty much sure that one of us is out of here. We are getting two new sisters and losing one. I think Sis. Miller will go but you can never be sure. I could just as easily be me. I have been here almost 4 1/2 months myself. You never know with President Drewes and the Lord.
Arthur is doing so much better!!!! He was even at church yesterday. It was awesome! Don was interviewed on Saturday and he is getting there he is just a bit hard of hearing so that presents problems and he has a bad memory so we have to teach and re-teach him. Oh well. In two weeks he is almost done with 2 Nephi so that is cool. We went outside when he was getting interviewed with Elder Morgan (one of our ZL's in Monticello) and it was raining so hard then too. His companion asked us if we knew anything about the major changes that are going on with all the missions. We were like no... well it is secret and he heard because he is comp. to one of the Zone Leaders. He was sworn to secrecy but this Elder is not well known as a good secret keeper and might have held his own if he had not been against Sister Miller. He is no problem for her. Ha. He spilled what he know. That was pretty funny. We got a call later from Elder Morgan, "Were you Sister grilling my companion, ha?", "No of course not Elder Morgan, we would never do that." Don't mess with the sisters. Ha
Oh we got a call on Thursday from Amy. We were in a appointment with a member so we listened to it later. So it was like, "Hey I have good news and bad news. The bad news is my husband kicked me out and we are getting a divorce but the good news is I can come to church on sunday." Sad huh. She seems all right with it because he was a total control freak and she did not like that but it is still sad. She it totally getting baptized soon. She is rock solid. She moved to Louisianna with her parents but she is thinking of moving to Hot Springs, AR. It is nice up there, a bit bigger and she said one of the deciding factors is that there is a big ward and building up there. Ha I love her a lot! She did come to church on yesterday and saw Kathy's baptism. It was great!
Yeah so Kathy was baptized yesterday. It was a wonderful baptism and the spirit was so strong. She is going to be a great member. Better maybe because she waited until now. I would not suggest it because she was denying herself blessings but maybe this time it was all right. Anyway it was great! Don came and one of our new investigators, Casey. And we had a good pot luck. I love those here but I always hurt afterwards. I eat too much, but it is sooo good.
Yeah so this week we had tracted into 3 pastors from this one church in town. Victory (it is Assembly of God, even though most people don't know that. Even a lot that go there, they just know it is Victory). Anyway, let me try to paint a picture. When I first got here I asked Sister Miller if it was a casino. And I am not the first Sister who thought it was. All the other one's did two. The last 4 at least. It is big and colorful and the sign looks like one. I had no idea it was a church. It is just showy. A lot of poor people go there because it is almost like they are bribing them with free stuff and it is just entertainment. It was more like a concert stage with lights, a band, microphones. It is so loud I don't know how they can feel the spirit. I am not a fan of it. The principle of it bothers me. I try not to judge though and last night did not change my feelings that much. A little, she quoted from the KJV bible and did a decent job using it in the right context. Sometimes as she was preaching I was like, uh... that's not right and Sister Miller and I would look at one another. A member and her husband when with us. Brother and Sister Daniel. I love them. She is so funny. Well it was an expecience. Don't worry I think I will be sticking with our church. It was good experiencing though but I just couldn't feel right about it. Most was all right. They had truth's but in the wrong context sometimes. Oh they had a baptism too. It was interesting. They wore street cloths and they just dunked them. And they just start spontaniously praying and the last time we were talking and had no idea they were praying. Woops. The preacher lady had an interesting view on speaking in tounges but not as bad as the penticostals. MMM It was interesting.
Anyway... that was my interesting week. Better than last.
LOVE FROM THE SOUTH
SISTER BROADHEAD

July 12 Letter

Wow, this week has been just awesome! So lets see. Tuesday I jammed my thumb playing basketball. It still hurts freaking bad and turned purple. But other than that monday- thursday were not so bad. Wednesday the Ap's came down and came to some appointments. That was chill. They are cool. Thrusday was all right but then friday on sucked. We finally got a hold of Lavette but than when we were supposed to meet with us she sent us a text telling us not to come back. And some recent converts ditched on us and told us pretty much the same thing. They want nothing to do with the church anymore. Great...
Arthur is awesome but was hospitolized saturday and almost died. We sent Pres. Olson over to give him a blessing saturday. That was a good idea because the only keeping him alive at that point was the defibrilator. He is doing better now and is waiting to have his pacemaker put in in Little Rock. But he gave us a scare. So pretty much this week was ugh! At best. I am pretty sick of people. Kathy Hilson is getting baptized on sunday so that is good. Sigh I am just tired. Oh and the AC went out again for two days. And we have a leak from our sealing. mmmmmhhhhmmm
LOVE FROM THE SOUTH
SISTER BROADHEAD

July 5 Letter

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY YESTERDAY!!!!
Wow, this week ha been something else! K, to start off we had this appointment on Monday... well she called us to verify the appointment which never happens. Anywho, she invited her "friend" from church. Church of Christ. Great. They are an intense bunch. So, her friend invited us in and asked if we wanted to borrow one of her bibles to study with. We brought our own. She started out (it was weird, we usually do) and offered a prayer. Well we know very well that Church of Christ does not believe that there is any other books but the bible. So I knew where she was going with it. Yeah so she pulled out scripture after scripture teaching us as if we were totally ignorant. We just listened and mostly agreed as she read and preached to us. Until finally Sis. Miller just interrupted her a was like, "Do you know what the book of Mormon is?" The lady was like, "Let me finish." She just went right on talking. Then we started not "bible bashing" but debating a little. Mostly Sis. Miller and her but I was a little annoyed. I just don't like being treated like I know nothing. Yeah, so eventually we just agreed to disagree and the lady we came to see said like a sentence the whole time we were there. We left just spiritually drained. When we got in the car I was like, "We were ambushed. They ambushed us." Uh! Yeah that was only the first. Another trinity lady who tried SO hard to convert us to the idea. And a lady who... ah man. I can't even describe her. And a few Baptists. Oh Baptists. Long long long week.
Then with the 4th of July hardly anyone was at church. Members and investigators. I think we had like 20 people there all together. And everyone was gone so we had nothing to do yesterday. And there would have been no reason to tract because no one was home. Oh fun stuff. Our apartment has decided to revolt. Last weekend the hot water was off. Nice cold showers and the fixer guy only works Monday-Friday and of course it decides to stop working Friday night. Well they came and fixed that but this weekend the air conditioner decides to stop working. Awesome. It is so hot. So... we have stayed the last two nights with members, the French's. They have a giant house and only the two of them. So they don't mind. It is actually nice. They have queen beds and it is so nice and cold. MMM and last night we went and celebrated the fourth with the Martinez's. They lit off some fireworks but it was funny. We had to stop when we saw car lights because it is illegal to shoot them off in town because of the forest. Man and you have not barbecued until you have in the south. That is everywhere. Ha it wasn't us. It was fun though. We had a good time. I have been out a few days and four months. Yay.
LOVE FROM THE SOUTH
SISTER BROADHEAD

June 28 Letter

My 4 month birthday is going to be on the third. This week. It is hard to believe I have been gone for four months. It was stake conference this week. I have never been so excited for stake conference before. And we got to road trip (road trip to me out here means any drive over an hour) up with Sister Cummings. We are always running low on miles. Stake conference was up at the Otter creek building and the stake that I am in is the whole southern part of Arkansas below Little Rock. Since it covers so much area there was not a huge attendance. In fact it was about the size of my ward in Utah but that was nice. It was like home. Not a lot of members from our branch went. It is a far way to go. And we did not have any investigators able to come but the Little Rock elders had about 30 which was great. We had an area 70 come and talk to us. He gave a great talk too.
So an interesting, busy week. So we tracted into this man last week on friday?... anyway he was not interested but he gave us his wife's information and we were not very confiedent that it would go anywhere becuase that happens sometimes and the wife usually says no. Well we called her and set up a time to come talk to her. Well we go and we are like. "Have you ever seen missionaries like us before?" She was like,"Yeah I was baptized 20 years ago." Yeah she is an inactive member. I guess she joined the church with her mothers when she was 19 and moved to Milwakee. When she moved back she never had her records moved back. She had 4 kids, was married a few times. Well she wants to come back to church and we are teaching her twin 17 year old daughters. Carol (the mom) has a smoking problem but we will work on it. Anyway. We get a call the next day. Their house almost burned down. Not an hour after we left a 14 year old boy lit it on fire. They lost all their food, clothes. A lot. Sad. Well we did what we could. Anyway. I am glad we met them. The one daughter, Andrea is really sweet and so willing to learn. Her sister Ambrea (yes their names rhyme and they are twins) is a little more quite but nice too. So we have been doing a lot with that.
It is the fourth of July this week and I am excited we are going to be doing things this weekend with members. We have zone conference on tuesday in Little Rock. That is always interesting. It has been incredibly hot. Ah, record breaking summer so far and we are not even to the worst yet. Just my luck, my first summer here. And another one to go. Yay. Anywho yeah that is what is going on with me.
LOVE FROM THE SOUTH
SISTER BROADHEAD (AMY)

June 21 Letter

Ok week number 2!!! Of the transfer! So... let me think. Wow this week has gone so fast. Lets see. Oh funny. So we are teaching this one lady named Amy and she is super into the gospel but her husband is anti. Anywho this baptist preacher (from a church that she does not even go to) heard that she had been meeting with us and felt the need to come to her house and warm her not to meet with us anymore. Haha I honestly thought it was kind of funny. Who does that. She just thought that is was not very christian (which is isn't). I am kind of sick of it sometimes. It is annoying sometimes. Sigh. Oh well. 14 1/2 more months.
I don't really know what else to say this week. We are just busy doing missionary week. Happy fathers day to everyone. There was slim pickings at church because everyone was gone for the holiday. But next weekend is stake conference in Little Rock and I have never been so excited to go before. A lot of members in one place and in a normal building. he he Oh Utah. Kathy Hilson should be getting baptized in 2 weeks because of stake conference and her family in law are going to throw a big party. They are super excited! I would be too they have been waiting for this for 10 years. Yay.
Ben wrote me a letter. YAY! He will be coming home in a few months. He is a much better letter writer now that I am in the south and he is curious how my mission in the south is. Since he is down here too. Ha it actually sounds like him. He asked me if I had bashed with any baptist (which I actually have not, maybe a jahovah's witness, but only a little and in a nice way) and then he said, isn't the food down here awesome. Can I get an amen. What a nerd. ha How has he not been shanked yet. In two years. Weirdie. I miss that kid. I miss everyone. Anywho. The south is good.
LOVE FROM THE SOUTH!
SISTER BROADHEAD (AMY)

June 14 Letter

Today was the day we got transfer calls. Sister Miller was super nervous. I was not really. Whatever happens happens. I would suck if she left because I would have to take over the area with a new sister and things would be different and I like the way there are most of the time. I just have nothing to compair it too. Oh well I love Camden and I get to be here for the fourth of July. That will be fun! We will obvously go over to the Martinez's and would probably not have if I was with someone new so that is good. But this will be my third transfer in Camden. Well the only other sister areas are Millington TN (which is a hard area I hear) or the new sister area New Haven which is right on the border of Mississippi and Tennessee. So I could so be there at some point which would be cool. The area covers some of Misssissippi so that would be cool. There is one Sister who is leaving after this transfer who never got to come out of Tennessee her whole mission. Which is funny since the mission in Arkansas.
Oh man there is this AWESOME member who just is one of the greatest ever. Sister Rose Hilson. Who's family is from the Italian mafia. AWESOME I know. Her great-grandfather was a high up mafia guy in Texas and there was a lot of shady stuff in her family history. SO COOL! Anywho she made us an awesome dinner. Very southern. White chicken chili (Awesome. I am getting the recipefor all of it. It is super easy), hot water corn bread which is just the best corn bread ever! and fried green tomatoes! OH it was fantastic. What a great night. She is just a neat lady. We just love going over there and eating and talking. We know when we go over there for the night we will be there until almost curfew. Ha Her husband who is just funny and the greatest Sunday school teacher ever drives trucks so he is gone during the week. So we just chill with her.
Ah sunday was Branch conference and the stake presidency came down from Little Rock and it was just a great meeting. Jarred and his dad came this time. We were so beyond thrilled and they really enjoyed it. I think we have almost gotten to Don and Jarred just needs a little push but six weeks are finally paying off. They stayed for the pot luck and got to know the members. It was fantastic food as I knew it would be. The members here are such good cooks. I was super excited. Oh and Kathey Hilson is FINALLY going to get baptized! We were walking out with her, her husband and their little family and his mother in law (Rose Hilson) and he told us she was going to "take the plunge" soon. In two or three weeks. We were super excited. This is YEARS in the making. We were excited but you should have seen Rose's face. Her mouth just dropped. Well they got in their car and left and Rose like freaked out, she could not contain her excitement anymore. It was super funny.
Oh Elder Andersen is getting transfered. That makes me sad. Since I have known him the longest of anyone out here. Oh well. I will miss him when he is probably over the river in Tenessee. We get to restock our supplies today. We are like totally out of everything because we did not know if we were leaving ha. Anywho. Pray for me not to die of heat stroke. ha LOVE FROM THE SOUTH
SISTER BROADHEAD (AMY)