These last two weeks have been so joyful and full of hard work. Last week we had an opportunity to go and serve a new friend of ours outside her house. In her backyard there was a pine tree that had been dropping pine needles for about ten years. When we got there3 feet of needles that were 20x30 feet. All the needles were starting to corrode the fence, so we took a rake and pitch fork and started first moving them away from the fence and into three giant piles, then we put them in giant black garbage bags. Several hours later we filled the last of the 56 bags. It was honestly one of the funnest service projects I have done in a while. I discovered I love using pitch forks. It was hard work, but not too hard that we couldn't talk while working. It was a ton of fun and felt SO fulfilling to look back at our work and see the stark difference we had made in only a few hours.
While on exchanges, we had a service project, but I didn't know about it so I didn't bring any extra shoes, so I ended up doing weeding with my church shoes. Luckily, they are super old, second hand, and already falling apart, but they are super comfy so I can't bring myself to toss them out:)
Also this week, we had the opportunity to heart attack the door of a wonderful young women in the ward who had been going through a lot. My awesome Companion, Hermana Wangsgard, was in charge of the tape and, since we needed to go as quickly as possible, she found a creative way to prepare. Haha, it was so fun decorating the hearts and thinking of what to say.
Last Monday I discovered something marvelous. My companion, Hermana Tailleur, graduated from beauty school before her mission. She was kind enough to cut my hair, and now it is so much easier to manage.
Also, we made another new friend named Brother Ohler. We have phone calls with him once or twice a week and he is such a spiritual giant. He has such a desire to do what is right and wants to help those around him. We would talk to him and he would share his miraculous experiences with us, of how he first found the church and all the work he did to grow his testimony, and we were always so blown away. At church on Sunday we didn't know what to expect. We didn't know what he would look like, how old he is, and we were all super excited to meet the man behind the stories. Then he rode up to church on his motorcycle and we were almost jumping with excitement. It felt like meeting a dear friend that we had never met before, haha. We hope to one day meet his daughter and grandson, who he has been trying to help during some difficult times. Later last week we were talking to him again over the phone, and he shared with us that at an addiction recovery meeting he shared about our conversations and some quotes from General Conference we shared, and in the meeting he called us "My Three Angels." He encouraged others in the meeting to reach out to the missionaries, and we hope to be making more friends in the coming weeks.
We are so excited that fall is coming! I love the colors, the cool weather, and the taste of pumpkin spice. The walks we have been going on have been so fun. Everyday we can see the leaves change more and more. One day it was particularly chilly outside, so no one was crazy enough to play at the park. No one, that is, except the missionaries. It was a ton of fun.
I am grateful everyday that I am able to serve a mission at such a time as this!
