Hello!
This week has been one of ups and downs. We have had a lot of successes, but also a lot of struggles. Or maybe we have had a lot of struggles in order to have a lot of successes.
We went to the VA (Veterans Affairs) hospital's assisted living facility this week to visit an older guy named Joe Thatcher. To be honest, I was kind of expecting it to be sad, but I was wrong. Joe is probably the happiest person I know. He told us stories about Korea and Vietnam. He worked in communications, which sounds really cool! He also told us about when he used to be a temple worker, and how much he love the temple. He was just laughing ans smiling and telling us jokes the whole time. It was also really interesting because Joe's roommate (who wasn't there at the time) has all of his army medals and awards and flags on his walls, while Joe's walls have pictures of his family and book shelves full of books. It was very apparent what mattered to each of them.
We also had a really cool lesson with a man named Blaise this week. Blaise is from Camaroon, and his wife is a member of the church from Mississippi. Jen (his wife) said that missionaries have tried to visit them before, but Blaise was always to wary of them to ever let them in. But he let us in, and we have taught him twice now! Jen was there for the second lesson, which was really cool because she was able to talk to him about how families can be together forever, and how much she wanted that for their family. She also encouraged him to read the Book of Mormon and said she would pray about it with him if he wanted her to. I have high hopes for this family. They are really just the nicest people!
In other news, I had the most delicious smoked ribs at a member's home this past week, and they were probably the best thing I have ever eaten. I thought I wasn't a fan of ribs, but I was wrong!
I have been thinking a lot about hope recent;y, and I wanted to share a thought from Elder Uchtdorf's talk this past weekend. He was talking about a cathedral that was destroyed in the bombing of Dresden in World War 2. The remains of the cathedral were cataloged, and the building was rebuilt, using as many of the original stones as possible. Today it looks like this (the darker stones are from the original):
Then, President Uchtdorf said "As I pondered the history of Dresden and marveled at the ingenuity and resolve of those who restored what had been so completely destroyed, I felt the sweet influence of the Holy Spirit. Surely, I thought, if man can take the ruins, rubble, and remains of a broken city and rebuild an awe-inspiring structure that rises toward the heavens, how much more capable is our Almighty Father to restore His children who have fallen, struggled, or become lost? It matters not how completely ruined our lives may seem. It matters not how scarlet our sins, how deep our bitterness, how lonely, abandoned, or broken our hearts may be. Even those who are without hope, who live in despair, who have betrayed trust, surrendered their integrity, or turned away from God can be rebuilt. There is no life so shattered that it cannot be restored."
I love you all. Have a great week!
Love,
Sister Lemon
This is the King family. We have gotten really close with them, but now they are moving to Texas, so this was our goodbye picture in the wind.
The Kings were having a garage sale to get rid of some things before they moved, and Sister Ireland bought a popcorn machine for $5. Se's pretty excited about it.
This week has been one of ups and downs. We have had a lot of successes, but also a lot of struggles. Or maybe we have had a lot of struggles in order to have a lot of successes.
We went to the VA (Veterans Affairs) hospital's assisted living facility this week to visit an older guy named Joe Thatcher. To be honest, I was kind of expecting it to be sad, but I was wrong. Joe is probably the happiest person I know. He told us stories about Korea and Vietnam. He worked in communications, which sounds really cool! He also told us about when he used to be a temple worker, and how much he love the temple. He was just laughing ans smiling and telling us jokes the whole time. It was also really interesting because Joe's roommate (who wasn't there at the time) has all of his army medals and awards and flags on his walls, while Joe's walls have pictures of his family and book shelves full of books. It was very apparent what mattered to each of them.
We also had a really cool lesson with a man named Blaise this week. Blaise is from Camaroon, and his wife is a member of the church from Mississippi. Jen (his wife) said that missionaries have tried to visit them before, but Blaise was always to wary of them to ever let them in. But he let us in, and we have taught him twice now! Jen was there for the second lesson, which was really cool because she was able to talk to him about how families can be together forever, and how much she wanted that for their family. She also encouraged him to read the Book of Mormon and said she would pray about it with him if he wanted her to. I have high hopes for this family. They are really just the nicest people!
In other news, I had the most delicious smoked ribs at a member's home this past week, and they were probably the best thing I have ever eaten. I thought I wasn't a fan of ribs, but I was wrong!
I have been thinking a lot about hope recent;y, and I wanted to share a thought from Elder Uchtdorf's talk this past weekend. He was talking about a cathedral that was destroyed in the bombing of Dresden in World War 2. The remains of the cathedral were cataloged, and the building was rebuilt, using as many of the original stones as possible. Today it looks like this (the darker stones are from the original):
Then, President Uchtdorf said "As I pondered the history of Dresden and marveled at the ingenuity and resolve of those who restored what had been so completely destroyed, I felt the sweet influence of the Holy Spirit. Surely, I thought, if man can take the ruins, rubble, and remains of a broken city and rebuild an awe-inspiring structure that rises toward the heavens, how much more capable is our Almighty Father to restore His children who have fallen, struggled, or become lost? It matters not how completely ruined our lives may seem. It matters not how scarlet our sins, how deep our bitterness, how lonely, abandoned, or broken our hearts may be. Even those who are without hope, who live in despair, who have betrayed trust, surrendered their integrity, or turned away from God can be rebuilt. There is no life so shattered that it cannot be restored."
I love you all. Have a great week!
Love,
Sister Lemon
This is the King family. We have gotten really close with them, but now they are moving to Texas, so this was our goodbye picture in the wind.
The Kings were having a garage sale to get rid of some things before they moved, and Sister Ireland bought a popcorn machine for $5. Se's pretty excited about it.
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