Funeral Birthday Party? 😬

FUNNIEST. THING. EVER. Happened last Monday. And throughout the whole week!! HAHA everyday is an adventure. And if it's not, you're doing something wrong. Haha jk, there is just always something new each day! :) make your own adventures, right? ;)

On Monday, we went to Aldi and at Aldi they have no grocery bags so you have to bring your own carrying bags or boxes. Well, we just grabbed one of the boxes that they use to ship stuff and we packed all our groceries in it. We were carrying it through the parking lot, it was super busy, cars everywhere, and we were halfway to our car when the bottom of the box fell out and all our groceries went all over the parking lot!! HAHAHAH it was super funny. Then a sweet member from the Lakeridge Ward comes over a few minutes later with a ton of grocery bags. Hahah what a sweetheart! It was pretty hilarious.

Then we went to a members surprise birthday party! She turned 65. Her husband asked everyone to wear black, symbolizing her leaving her youth years. Her cake was a coffin that said "here lies youth." Haha anyway, so we heard we were supposed to dress up all decked in black, and we get there and there is only two other people who were wearing black. HAHA it was so funny and embarrassing. But we rocked it. It was super fun! The party reminded me of our family parties. Felt like home :) the members here are awesome! I love them a lot. I'm super grateful for everything they do for us. They treat Us like their own daughters. THEN we had a solid night of finding, contacting, found two new potentials, and met a lady named Shelli. She wasn't interested in the gospel, but she got two new sheep dog puppies and she let us in her home to see them!! We were like: UH OKAY!! Miracles right there! :) it was a big tender mercy. Plus those puppies were huge and the cutest fluffiest things I've ever seen! Also our small and simple goal for Monday was to write your five fave things about Virginia! So here ya go...in no specific order:

1. The GORGEOUS scenery! And the RAIN.
2. The genuine, respectful, and kind people
3. Aldi (good cheap groceries)
4. The diversity! So many different kinds of people!
5. The history :)

Tuesday we had an awesome zone training! I am so blessed to serve in the Woodbridge zone. They are super awesome and we are incredibly blessed to serve in some amazing areas! We set a goal to have 108 people on date by the end of the transfer. That's 2 people on date per companionship per week!! WOOT WOOT! I was so pumped, I always get so pumped after each district, zone, any meeting! Then we cleaned out sister Tucker's fridge and baseboards in her kitchen. We were having a blast! Like lil Cinderellas ;) we went contacting and met some really kind people. None were interested but all were very respectful and supportive! Huge tender mercy right there. Then we had dinner with the SWEETEST family, the Crokers. They have 6 kids and she is like a super mom. They are all homeschooled and so well behaved! And loving too! I'm debating on whether I should homeschool my kids too! Haha no joke, it sounds awesome. Then we had an AMAZING lesson with Jim. We read 1 Nephi 1 and watched the two minute restoration video. Serena bore her testimony and got all choked up. It made me teary! Oh it was wonderful. Then we planned a time to go to the TVC for Saturday!! Jim will get to baptism one day. He will, I can feel it. He is progressing and learning and growing so much. I just love him! He is awesome. I want them to get sealed so bad 🙏😭😩

Wednesday we went finding in the morning! Worked real hard and talked to some lawn mower men! We checked on a NI named Matt. Funny story: He always has this gate between the porch stairs and his front door so you can't get to the door without stepping over the gate. Well sister Bennett and I never know if we are allowed to step over that gate or what... We always thought that was another way of saying "please do not disturb" haha. So, we did it Brazilian style. Where ya clap outside their gate? Anyone ever heard of that? So I.... CLAP CLAP CLAPPED!! In Brazil, usually they hear and come out but Matt never came out. FAIL. I just stepped over the gate and knocked on the door. Ain't nobody got time for that clapping clap.

Other funny things that happened... Ran into a bazillion spiderwebs, tracting in the Suburbs to the straight Amazon rainforest, Virginian style. We ran through the rain at the Hales. Came across a terrifying house that looked like a straight death mansion. Super scary. Didn't knock that one. Haha oh! And helped Serena sort things in her house in preparation for gifts of the heart! I got a free wooly sweater and cute skirt from her! :) actually I asked if I could have them and she was so kind to give them to me :) love her!!

We had an awesome Thursday! We helped Serena again sort things for gifts of the heart. We also fasted all day to help reach our companion, district and zone goals. Our zone does this thing where there is always one companionship fasting each day of the transfer. I love fasting. It feels really good spiritually and physically. We had an awesome lesson with a less active, Sister Posey. Sister Posey is wonderful! We talked about her family and she brought up her sister, who is a member but hasn't been active for a really long time. She lives up the street from her. The sister wants to get back into the church so she's coming over next Friday to Sister Posey's home and we're going to have a lesson together! I had a soft thought come into my head while talking with her that we should share the mountains to climb video. Turns out it was exactly what she needed to hear. The spirit was really strong throughout the whole video and conversation after. She was really touched. She told us "what are the chances you would choose that video for today. It could've been any other one, but you chose that one." We were going to share the restoration... But it turns out the Spirit had other plans :) 

Then we had sweet Brenna, a 16 year old from the Ward come out with us. We went tracting, and then for dinner.... We had the coolest dinner. We went to sister bastions for a relief society activity, which was making pizzas!!! She has a legit brick pizza oven. IT WAS SO GOOD. Just like a home Italian restaurant :) so cool!! We were talking with people saying bye and everything and I was eating a cookie. Part of the cookie fell down my shirt while were talking (super awkward!) and Brother Clark was like "can save that for later!" Hahah. I just love these people. They feel like my family, they treat us so well. And Sister Bennett and I were talking in the car on our way to a lesson about how being on a mission has taught us so much about eating healthy and taking care of ourselves... etc. which then came down to other things spiritual and such... which led me to: being on a mission has taught me how to live the way God wants me to! And I just am so grateful. I love being a missionary.

Friday was simply UH-MAZINNGG!! We planned all day, and I got to wear this super cute old skirt Serena gave me! Always a plus right? :) Then that night we had a really cool lesson with Jim and Serena. Jim opened up about his religious beliefs and what he likes and doesn't like. We read 1 Nephi 2 and talked a lot about prayer and how we can pray to know truth. We asked if he had prayed to know if what he has learned over the course of the last few years as sisters have come by and taught, if he's prayed to know if any of it is true. He said he has a few times. We invited him to pray when he has that desire to know. We also talked about hymns and singing in different churches and then we sang America the Beautiful together!! SO FUN! I loved it :) We are gonna make that a regular thing. Then after that lesson, we both had the impression to go check on a potential investigator we had met last week, named Geneva. She let us in!!! And we taught the restoration. She was quiet, content, and agreeable throughout the whole lesson. She has a strong faith and belief in God. When I recited the first vision it was hard to hold back tears. We looked each other right in the eye and I know she felt the spirit. She showed a soft grin afterwards. And I bore my testimony of how I know Joseph Smith had that vision. It was such a powerful lesson!! And guess what. SHE BECAME A NEW INVESTIGATOR!!! It was a complete miracle. I had been praying we would find a new investigator and God blessed us with one. I am so grateful!! I just wanted to sing my heart out!!

We helped out with Gifts of the heart on Saturday, which we helped fold clothes and things like that. We also got to go shopping to! Gifts of the heart is when everyone brings their stuff to the stake center they don't want anymore and then you can shop for stuff you want or need! So I got some nice ooollddd dresses haha but hey I'm on a mission so I don't really care what I wear! Haha

Later, we went to the temple visitors center with Jim and Serena!! Cutest people. I LOVE THEM. it felt like we were goin on a road trip with our grandparents!  Haha! They would occasionally yell at each other like a cute old married couple. Serena is so stinking cute, she has a hard time reading things because of her eyes. She wears glasses but she also uses a magnifying glass and her glasses to read things. It is the funniest and cutest thing ever! I tried to get a picture but never could catch one. One day one day, no worries :) the TVC is always awesome! We watched the Testaments, which Jim and Serena had ever seen. It made me bawl and Serena too. That movie is SO GOOD, I love the ending where Christ comes and helps Helam. GAH and calls him by name! I KNOW that He knows each of us by name. I know He can heal us. Jim said his favorite part of the whole day was watching the "long movie" haha. Totally made my day to hear that! They spoiled us and took us to Red Lobster afterwards. Which a miracle happened! First we got to talk with a cute couple while waiting for our food and gave them a pass along card, and then on our way out, one of the waitresses asked what church we were from. We told her and she said she was looking for a church to go to! WHAAATTT. That never happens. Like MIRACLEESS! Gave her a pamphlet and a card. But I completely spaced on grabbing her number and address.. Complete fail on my part. Plus she was in the middle of working but.... we are praying really hard that she calls us!! 😰

Sunday we had Ward Council and Serena spoke in sacrament meeting! She did so awesome, she is seriously so funny. What a cutie!! It was a wonderful sabbath day. We had dinner/lunch... "Linner" at the Bastions home! It was upper good. Rice, gravy, steak and chicken and veggies. And my fave... PUMPKIN PIE!! From... COSTCO WAHOO!! :) haha then we went finding that night. We had to drop a new investigator but guess what. Heavenly Father blessed us with two separate new investigators! And they have FAMILIES!! We are so blessed and excited to go back and teach them! It was a huge miracle to receive those new investigators. I was feeling discouraged these last few days! I was trying my best to do everything we are asked to do as missionaries, working hard and trying to be better each day... And wasn't seeing very many results or the work wasn't progressing. BUT I was supposed to learn patience. And learn to trust the Lord, because he's got it all under control. Heavenly Father also knew we were trying to do our best, and he definitely led us to those two NI. I AM SO GRATEFUL. I was so so SO happy. I couldn't even keep it inside! I love the ups and downs of missionary work. It allows us to grow and become better. "Trials allow us to become more like our Father in Heaven." It is the BEST work I have ever done. I love it so much. 

I hope your days are filled with smiles, happiness and lots of laughs. I try to do each of those things every day. The cool thing is, that when I'm trying my best to follow the Savior, those three things come naturally. I love this gospel and I know it's true. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

I send my love all the way from Northern Virginia :)

XOXOXOXOXXOOOOXXXOXO

Sister Hymas :)