Chapter 56: Turkey Bowl

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!! I hope everyone had a most fabulous week! My week was long, and weird, and busy, and good and hard. Buckle up. 

Tuesday we were on exchanges! This time with Newberry. Sister Ashby came and spent the day with me again! It was a gloomy weather day and we were a bit low energy. Most our contacts that day fell through or weren't super positive. But Sister Ashby is literally so amazing and I love getting to spend exchanges with her! 
Wednesday we had dcm! It was also a but low energy there too, but all the missionaries in my district never fail to find the silver lining. I'm grateful to them for that. We also had a lesson with the family that came to church! They're seriously so amazing! And so ready for Christ's Restored Gospel.
THURSDAY, THANKSGIVING! We had a meeting that morning in Greenwood. So about an hour and a half drive from our home. Our mission is switching things up a bit with how we're doing accountability, so all the ZLs, STLs, and DLs from four zones went to the meeting. It was a really good meeting! Helped a lot with what the expectations are for leadership and how we're to help the missionaries with accountability in their areas. 
And b/c it was Thanksgiving, we got permission to play turkey bowl afterwards! That was literally so much fun!! Aiken Zone did pretty darn good! And, I understand football a bit more now. 
After our meetings, we drove back, I got to call my family for a bit. They were in AZ, so I also got to talk with my Grandpa! 
For Thanksgiving dinner, we went to a pmf's house. It was amazing!! They had lots of family over so it felt like I was back at home. We also went to Fabio's house with the ZLs.
Friday we biked. Gotta work off all the Thanksgiving food we ate, haha. Speaking of food, we had dinner that night with the Patterson fam. And they had FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES! My family has a tradition of having this exact meal whenever it first snows for the year, and my family had literally just had french dip. Tender mercy in my eyes! I loved being able to still join in the tradition even thousands of miles away, and with no snow.
Saturday..... uh, Saturday was weird. Have you ever been in a situation where you realize you walked into the start of a scary movie? Well, Sister Kenison and I definitely did that day. We visited this member, she's a sweet old lady who lives in a very very old mansion that's falling apart. It's also tucked inside the woods. So we pull up, knock on her door, she lets us inside and we talk with her for half an hour. I'm not gonna go super into detail, but basically she's like actually losing her mind. She had creepy dolls she thought were actual children. She talked abt things that weren't there. And also talked abt how the "Holy Spirit" visits her in person when he's done with his daytime job as a cement truck driver. We tried very hard to direct the conversation to Christ, but she kept going off. Sister Kenison and I laugh abt it now, but that's just so we don't cry. Jkjkjkjk, only kinda though. There was actually a really heavy, dark, and evil feeling in her home. Before we left we said a prayer and left a blessing on her home, but it didn't change the feeling much. After the prayer we got out of there as fast as we could, def not going back. Anyways, we had to say a prayer afterwards and listen to some hymns to start feeling normal again. 
Sunday I once again was so so so grateful to take the Sacrament. We needed it after Saturday. Sister Kenison gave a talk in the Gilbert ward, and it was fire!! She talked about gratitude. Wish I could post a link of it for y'all, but here's another fire talk instead!!>>
Grateful in Any Circumstances
We also did lots of planning with the Elders for Zone Conference this next week. Glad we got that all done, and it's not the night before!! Praise the Lord! 
We had another lesson with Addy and her family. And she talked about how during Thanksgiving, a member family invited them over, and during the prayer before the meal she got this feeling that Light was just coming from and surrounding the family. She said that really stuck out to her. We told her that's because they have Jesus Christ's restored and full gospel, and that as her and her family continue to learn and accept the invitations we extend to them from God, that her family will be able to have that light as well. 
That evening we asked the Elders for blessings, b/c the creepy house was still effecting us. We seriously felt so much better afterwards! 
If I've learned anything amidst the chaos of this week it's that this truly is Jesus Christ's church. Not that I didn't know or believe it before. Just that it became even more apparent. This Gospel brings a Light that can't be found anywhere else. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to "Share the Light" of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is. He is real. He lives. He loves. And He shows us the way. I know that because Christ is, because He is the Prince of Peace, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Good Shepherd, and the Messenger of the Covenant, we never have to be without His Light and His Divine help. 
God loves you, Jesus loves you, and I love you. Keep pushing on, find gratitude in the mix of it all. It's worth it. 
-Sis Ray
Pics
•thankful Turkeys! 
•Turkey Bowl! 
•Elder Vaivaka, Elder Twiss, Elder Wall, Sister Kenison and I 
•we found a pirate ship!!



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