Hiiii Everyone!!
My first full week in Ohio and I am still breathing. (: I do love it here! We will talk more of that as the e-mail continues, just know I am happy.
It has been a great week for me. I would even call it an early Christmas in both the spiritual and temporal aspects. First with the temporal...some one who must really know and love me sent me a WARM down comforter. (Thank you, Secret Santa!!..just found out that it was from Grand-pa and Grand-ma...I should have known!) It is so nice and I feel right at home now. Mom sent me Pictures from Thanksgiving so it was practically like I was there. I loved seeing everyones smiles..and, of course, a picture of the Cowboy's game. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the game. And, to spoil me even more, she added some hand and foot warmers to the package. Those are gems! Y'all are too good to me. We stopped by the ward Christmas Party on Friday night, too. I ate too much. Not very out of character...I will learn one of these days. There was just so much to choose from and then I HAD to have dessert, too. Just a few happenings that made me really happy!...like a little girl on Christmas morning. (:
Sister McAlister and I have been busy, busy, busy. We love finding new people to talk with and to teach. On Tuesday we were out tracting (knocking doors). After an hour or so of that, we went to find a referral whom we had spoken with a few times and we had his address. So we were just going to stop by...Turns out, it was a fake address. No worries. Sister McAlister recognized a house at the end of the street and said we needed to stop by there. So we did. And we met Nancy. She started crying when we were there. She kept saying how she feels "plugged". It was very apparent that she felt that way by how she spoke of herself, she has a few nervous tendecies, and she was just really anxious or something. So we talked with her a little bit and as we were talking, I saw her demeanor change. Not a whole lot, but a little. We have seen her twice since that first time and there is a noticeable difference each time we meet with her. I do not know if she will accept the Gospel in to her life. But I do know that because she now knows that she has a Heavenly Father who loves her and is aware of her she feels a little lighter; that plug is slowly being removed. It has been amazing to see that. Brianna (10) and Daniel (13) Miller are getting baptized on Saturday...or as Brianna says "bathtized"! It will be a happy day. I have loved getting to know the Miller family. We asked Daniel what it meant to him that his family was going back to church...his response..."everything"....Maybe it was a cop-out answer, but maybe not. Either way, it was really sweet. He sounded sincere. So we will go with that one.
In regards to the Subject...Yes...it is blizzarding here. Maybe not a blizzard but it has been snowing for the past two days! It is beautiful...you would love it, Mom. I mostly love it, too. I am getting better about not complaining because I am cold. The weather is not going to change, so I will. We were told by our Mission President that we are not allowed to go out today except for essentials. So we stopped by the Dollar General to get some food to hold us over until next week. Sister McAlister and I were both really hungry while we were shopping for some reason. Needless to say, we went a little overboard. Good thing I like to eat. (: And the next essential stop...the library to write to y'all! Isn't it nice to be counted as essential? I am sure glad of that.
Earlier today I voiced to the Sisters I live with how much I love Austin/Texas. One of the Sisters actually dreamed of going to UT but ended up at BYU (and loves it there!). I invited them to visit me in 2012. We spent about 15 minutes planning their trip. It is titled "Spring" Break 2012...get it, because I'm Sister Spring. We thought it was funny. (: They are going to leave from Provo because just shy of half of the Sisters are from Utah. Then they will drive a 15 passenger van down to spend some time with me and with each other! We will go to San Antonio for a day to see the temple and river walk and Alamo...etc. Then we will play in Austin! Whole Foods, Barton Springs, live music...You know, Austiny things. Good plan, eh?
Thanks for the e-mails fam. I love hearing from y'all. Speaking of "y'all"....I am trying to eliminate it from my vocabulary, at least for the next 18 months. It is just kind of obnoxious to hear everyone give me a hard time for it...all in good fun of course. I'm not doing very well at the elimination of it...clearly. Oh well, it should probably stay in my vocabularly then. (:
The pictures I attached...One is Lake Erie at sunset...SO PRETTY! Then there is one of Sister McAlister and I after tracting Tuesday, it was rainy and cold....It was also a really WEIRD day...Nancy was part of that weird day. Then there is one of me in the snow...Mom...Dad...that's to prove I bought a big warm coat. (: And the last is of Sister Golightly and I. She came downstairs and we were matching! And one of the Miller family, Sister McAlister, and I at the Christmas Party...
Anyways, I hope everyone is doing well. I miss everyone! I think and pray for y'all everyday. Keep being great. I hope my e-mails make sense...I'm known to not be very good at communicating...Let me know if I could do better....(mainly for you Mom...I know you like details)
Love you. Mean it.
Sister Spring
