NERF WAR - WEEK 23

Time has never moved this fast in my life! I blink and another week has gone by. Last p day was so fun!! It was pouring rain all day so of course we decided to go play outside with the elders and a bunch of missionaries from our zone. We played football, soccer, and ultimate frisbee at a stadium near Belle Meade. Only got body slammed so hard I landed on my back one time (thx Elder Gee). We all took off our shoes and the field was like a giant puddle or a slip and slide haha. In the words of the YSA elders, "get splashy." Played some basketball at the church afterward even though we were all still soaked. Also got my first dose of the covid vaccine that day!

Had a lesson with Anthony and Amanda that night and talked about how much they want to be baptized but are waiting for the right time! They're gold. We had more lessons on Thursday and started teaching our friend Mathius who is super excited to find more purpose and joy in his life and come to church with us! Institute that night was insane and we had 5 friends we're teaching come!!

On Friday morning we woke up then went straight to Abbey's apartment to spend the morning with her and said goodbye since she left to move to Utah :((( Gonna miss her like freaking crazy (Abbey if you're reading this, please come back queen, I miss you). It was also Trish's birthday so we went to El Tapatillo's with some people and all the YSA missionaries to celebrate. Had dinner with Jordan and the elders on Friday night at Old Chicago Pizza and their Thai pizza was phenomenal!!

Saturday was action packed! We went to a cute cafe in East Nashville with our friend Lila. She asked so many great questions about our doctrine and we were basically able to teach the whole Restoration and Plan of Salvation lessons! We also made friends with the UPS guy that always comes to our apartment, gave him a few Popsicles because it was a super hot day, and then got his number so we can keep in contact and he can come to church with us! Also had a few more lessons over Facebook messenger. After that we went to the Green Hills Mall and met a bunch of people outside Cheesecake Factory who wanted to hear more about our message and come to some church activities!

Fast and testimony meeting on Sunday was incredible! The meeting went over time about a half hour but every person who shared their testimony brought the spirit! Jared, a member of our ward, shared his conversion story. Several years ago, he was feeling so lost and prayed to know if God really loves him. No more than a few minutes later, 2 elders knocked on his door and they said they had a message to share with him about how much Heavenly Father loves him. He was taught all the lessons then got baptized not too long after that. His story reminded me how important our callings as missionaries are! We can be instruments in God's hands, answer the prayers of His children, and guide them to the truth.

Kole is a friend we've been talking to and teaching for the last month or so. He got up in front of everyone too and bore the sweetest testimony ever about the spirit of God he's able to feel in this church, and how he sees light coming from every person in our congregation! Kole said that after meeting with us missionaries, he has come to learn that it's the light of Christ. He tagged along with us later that afternoon when we gave a church tour to a girl named Kat who has also been wanting to learn more about the church :)

On Monday after our district council and district lunch, we got to spend the day with the STL's - Hermana Harris and Hermana Jones. I looooove them!! For FHE that night we had a nerf gun war at the church. I never expected to do that on my mission but it was a blast! We dimmed the lights and set up barricades all around the gym - tables, chairs, chalk boards, etc then had a full out war. We played missionaries against everyone else and it got pretty intense. Anyways, it was a good time and it took us back to our nerf gun childhood days haha.

On Tuesday we had the coolest lesson with Elder Funk, Elder Dent, and this super sweet girl named Samantha! She felt led one day to request a Book of Mormon from our church website and start meeting with the missionaries. We gave her a church tour then asked if she would be baptized by the proper priesthood authority in the Church of Jesus Christ if she read the Book of Mormon and came to know for herself that the things we've taught are true. She said she already knows, she'll definitely be baptized, and without a doubt wants to be a part of this restored gospel! We were all so excited for her! YAY!! Samantha will hopefully be baptized in July!

A really special experience we had this week was getting to go to the temple with our ward <3 We all brought family names and got to do baptisms and confirmations for them! The temple president came and talked to us for a bit after, and asked what "home" means to each of us. The answers ranged from a place with the people we love, somewhere comfortable, or where your family is. President brought to our remembrance that the temple is the Lord's home, where He wants us to feel welcomed. At the front of every temple, it says "Holiness to the Lord, the House of the Lord." It is a place where we can feel His love and presence more than anywhere else in the world.

The words of one of my favorite primary songs came to me as I sat in the beautiful room pondering. "I love to see the temple. I'm going there someday to feel the holy spirit, to listen and to pray. For the temple is a house of God, a place of love and beauty. I'll prepare myself while I am young. This is my sacred duty." I love the temple. I know it's God's house and He wants us there with Him, just like our earthly parents want us home when we're away for too long. In the temple, we can feel our loved ones on the other side of the veil too. If any of you are struggling or seeking more, I invite you to go to the Heavenly Father's house. Go to the temple to ponder and pray! It is a place to find peace, comfort, and answers :)

Love yall! Have a great week!

<3 hc

- splash crew

- elder gebert & elder gee!

- elder gee tried to penguin slide on the grass and broke his tag in half lol

- saying goodbye to abbey :((

- trish's birthday!

- temple trip with the ward

- shoutout to my parents for sending me a life sized poster of my dogs

- Hermana Harris & Jones <3

- our fave AP's - elder Lewis & Southwick

- idk