WHAT A WEEK.

Hermana Lewis' mom is Wonder Woman so she sent us glasses and a
giant tootsie pop

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

I love being a missionary. I have so many things I want to write about but one is how fun Hispanic weddings are-haha! Lots of really good food and really good people and the temple and it's GREAT.

The beautiful Memphis Temple

We didn't go to the sealing but we
took pictures before the reception

The happy couple

Last week we had our mission tour, and one of the things that Sister Arnold talked about was being clean and virtuous. If you have a picture of Christ, imagine that you are the glass that protects the picture. If there is a little bit of a smudge, it's distracting from the picture beneath. Or if there's a big crack or a lot of paint or something, you can't see the picture. Like the glass we need to make sure that we are repenting everyday and keeping ourselves clean on the inside and out so that when people look at us they don't see us but they see Christ through us. Also making sure that even if our glass is clean, it is Christ that they are seeing, not something of the world or something else. Hermana Lewis told us a story about when they were in a class at church and after the lesson she didn't 'remember a single thing the teacher taught but she remembers exactly what she wore, and it was very beautiful and flashy. It's so important to take care of our bodies and spirits and show respect to Christ, but always making sure we leave ourselves at the door and focus on others as we go throughout our day. I just thought that was so profound!

With that in mind, we have been working hard and doing what we can to always repent and change and be honest with ourselves if what we are doing is something that would help others see Christ through us and if it is the best use of our time in that moment.

Wonder Woman Powers

We had a really neat experience with this family we have been working with. I think I told you before when Hermana Lewis got hit by a car a on her bike and the less active lady came and talked to us right after? Well we are now teaching her children and seriously they are the most amazing and prepared and mature and loving people! The kids have been through so much but they came to church with their copies of the Book of Mormon in hand and they listened and stayed for all three hours and the talks and lessons were AWESOME and it was the best day ever.

Also there is an older lady who just got baptized a few months ago, and her grand-kids are coming to church with her now too and it's so fun. I love to be a missionary and see the teachings of Jesus Christ change lives.

We are still teaching Yajaira who is the FUNNIEST person I have met on my mission. She is a hoot! I asked her for advice the other day and this is what she told me:

"1. Always keep yourself in your best interest. Watch out for yourself
2. Follow your first instinct, keep on the path that you're going on [my favorite]
3. Always cook with herbs. And love. Never throw or chop your herbs, always tie them up and stick them in to steam because you never know who doesn't want herbs!
4. Always take a bath. Go and lay down with some Epsom salts and take some personal time
5. When you wake up in the morning before you even get out of bed just take 10 minutes to yourself to think about your life -this is what happened yesterday, this is where I'm at, this is what I'm doing today."

I wish I would have filmed it, it was so funny! With those wise words from Yajaira, I also want you all to know how much I love the scriptures, all the standard works are true and so necessary and SO awesome! I am so blessed. I love the temple. Keep the end goal in mind.

Much love,
Hermana Macfarlane

Especially important is the note at the bottom of the white board.

Silly

Children's Museums and ER Visits

Children's Museum

I have wifi in the apartment now! We have a crazy day today, we are going to the children's museum. :) Just in case I don't have time, just know that the church is true and this week was awesome. And Hermana Lewis is amazing. And she got hit by a car this week, hahahaha! And angels are real. And I love the Book of Mormon and I'm grateful for repentance. :)

We had a crazy day, the children's museum was fun but I'm learning that they really are for children and they are just the same thing everywhere you go. I tried to give a pass along card to this one lady and she said no. Bummer. Haha and we are so hot and sweaty but it's a good day because we have our car back now!!!

Mississippi Sunset

I'm gonna go do my laundry real quick but the package is great and I ate the Rice Krispie treat all by myself and we are going to put up the Fourth of July decorations because it's Hna Lewis' favorite holiday. She is so humble and kind and great, I hope you go to her homecoming! Hermana Moore will be there and probably some other missionaries that you may or may not know. It's July 24 though. But lemme know how it goes!

I had good studies today about repentance. We get credit for having DESIRES to forsake our sins. We spent this morning talking about how awesome our parents are. Seriously you guys are.

Video: Driving to the ER after Lewis got hit by a car. (Unsettling how jovial they are, in my opinion.)

Menfizzzzz

My favs

Katie, Autumn, Hna Macfarlane, Tasha and Charlie

Cute Amber

Some of the Davis family and some of the Eastmans (and the mac n cheese they gave me because it's so good. I took it home and put it on Doritos and cheese)

We were early for the transfer can

Bye Sam

Algunas de las hermanas despues de la clase de ingles

Surprise from Hermana Moore at Transfers!!!!!! Yayayay

Sister Hardway would kill me but she's an angel so not really (Frank is Brittish)

Sherri

Fern (Sherri's sister)

Bye Bye

The Smith's (Angels/Ward Mission Leaders)

She surprised me coming out of the stall.

All packed up

Bye Russellville!

HOLA FROM MEMPHIS!!!!!!

Holy cow. We have officially crossed from "yeah maybe I could use a cardigan" to "absolutely not." It's so humid!!! But the ridiculous thing is that I like it ... AH! I probably won't be saying that mid July but right now it's kind of fun. Like as we sit here in our apartment I'm breaking a sweat and I feel like I'm taking a hot shower but hey, it's great. I was sad to leave Russellville because I love so so many people there! There are a lot of sweet angels that blessed my life so much and really helped us out a ton. And there were a lot of people I didn't get to say goodbye to either! But all is well because Memphis is super super great!!

We have arrived.

Memphis Temple

 

Hair Flips

She actually wasn't holding anything ...

First of all, my new companion Hermana Lewis is a saint. She is in her last transfer and is so determined to work as hard as she can and it's so fun! We really have enjoyed these last few days together. She has really awesome Spanish (even after spending two transfers as an English sister training leader) and she's devoted to God, she is a master at obedience and teaching and all that good stuff. I'm really lucky to learn from her before she has to leave! Oh and she's so beautiful. Seriously. We have seen so many miracles since I've been here! I am, as always, short on time so here is one that was really fun:


We are on a double bike week because the car was crashed, so we have been biking EVERYWHERE. Maybe it's like not that much to other people but going from full car for a month and a half to biking 15 + miles a day is crazy and actually refreshing because I've always enjoyed bike week. (Mostly, I like it because it means we are exempt from running for exercise in the morning because we are too tired, haha! But also it's fun to be out and about and talk to everyone.) Anyway, we were biking home from an appointment we just had at about 9:05ish the other night. (Side note: the sidewalks here are decent on some streets but there are random cement slots that just for some reason are holes and they come out of nowhere. And there's glass, branches, trees, barbed wire, frogs, and bumps all over the place.) We were cruisin' on home and we stopped at a light and realized Hermana Lewis had a flat tire! So we stopped and pumped it up and we could hear the hiss and feel it, it was a giant hole. So we decided to just pump it up real good and ride like the wind to make it over this big hill and then we could walk the rest of the way as needed. I ain't never seen nobody ride so fast! Haha It was funny until we came to one of those random pieces of sidewalk that just wasn't there and it is right as you are coming down a hill. So, Hermana Lewis couldn't stop in time because I would have run into her and she would have flipped over or something so she hit it and the books in her basket went flying (not to mention the new ward roster that was just printed out) and we scrambled to pick everything up before it got damaged from the RAIN that just started pouring.

Biking adventures in Memphis

After we got everything back into the baskets, she started pumping up the tire again because it had gone a little bit flat, when this guy pulls over and is like "HEY! Do y'all remember me? Do you need some help?" Turns out the sisters had met him the other day at Subway and he recognized us and pulled over to help. He didn't have any tape and we aren't allowed to ride with men so we just said thank you and he went on his way. Well at this point it was probably 9:20ish and we were wet and very sweaty and still had a hole in her tire, about 10 minutes from the apartment. I felt very prompted that we needed to say a prayer and ask specifically that her tire would do it's job to get us home so we could be safe in our apartment in time and that my tires would work too. As soon as we said the prayer the Subway guy comes running down the street telling us he just found some electrical tape that might be able to help. The coolest part was that as we pumped up the tire again, there was no sound and no air escaping. We thought maybe the mud was caking it so the air wouldn't escape. We said thank you for the tape and the tender mercy and rode like the wind again on to our apartment. Hermana Lewis said her tire was totally fine and the second we rolled into the parking lot, it went completely flat. And we got in right at 9:30. What a miracle it was for us to pray and to see such immediate blessings from a loving Heavenly Father! I know that God listens to and answers our prayers. He cares about the big things-the investigators progressing to baptism and the less active members coming to church and helping us to create spiritual environments-but he also cares about the little things, the flat tires and the small but significant opportunities to share the gospel.

Was the best meal oh my gosh.

Yes I know that story was long and now I don't have time to tell the others. Except wait we were putting my bike in the back and we have to lift it over the fence and it was SO HILARIOUS because this cop car comes rolling by with his lights flashing and yelling stuff into the microphone and he slowed down and said stuff right as we lifted the bike above our heads and we both had like half a second of absolute pure fear. Hahaha it was so funny. We could see our reflections in the sliding door in front of us and we looked so guilty holding this bike over our heads at 9:15 at night hahahaha dang it it was so funny. 😊

Video: Her first time cooking in 18 months so we had to document it.

I'm so happy here and I love the gospel!! There are some amazing people here in Memphis! The Hermanas here have done good work and there are a lot of people ready to accept the gospel! And the members seem really awesome, too. We have made it our goal to be full faith missionaries this transfer.

I recently read 2 Nephi 2:6. It says that Christ is FULL of grace and truth. Nothing can penetrate him, there is no room for evil or for temptation. Any temptations or distractions that come his way are deflected because he is full to the brim of grace and truth! I think that's such a cool concept to be so full and so consecrated that nothing but goodness comes from it.

I hope all is well and dry there in Utah and wherever you other people are. :) I love the gospel, I love the scriptures, I love my family, I love Memphis, and I'm so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ!

Hermana Macfarlane
 

Video: The grand tour

 Video: Outside

 Video: Biscuits and Gravy

Video: Spilling the Biscuits and Gravy

Video: Hair 

Video: And, some more hair

Autumn and Good-bye Russellville

Hola a todos!

We had a great great week this week but today is a busy day so here are the highlights:

Autumn!

#1. AUTUMN WAS BAPTIZED AND CONFIRMED! She is such a sweetheart and has a really strong testimony. Unfortunately the water was freezing (oops) but it was a beautiful service. She told us how she found Ether 3:2 that changed her life and really spoke to her. She was so excited, the best was when we went into the bathroom to lead into the font she looked at us with giggles and just said "I'm so excited!" :) the ward has been really great, she already had so many connections with them. I'm grateful to have been part of her conversion, but she is definitely converted to God.

:)

#2. Double exchanges!! I went to Conway again for exchanges with Sister Farr and Sister Nelson came here to Russellville. In Conway we talked to these cute little girls who were fishing with their mom! And they lead us to their uncle who was the dad of the person we had originally been looking for. Exchanges are cool. We also met the coolest couple who were super down to earth and very devoted and had very similar doctrinal beliefs. Also sister Farr is really really awesome.

End of exchanges. Hna Brown, me, Sister Nelson, Sister Farr

#3. Go read the talk from Elder Carl B Cook in... April? October? General conference of 20..10,11,14? Oh it's October 2010 and it's awesome. It's called its better to look up. I especially love the part that says "We will come to realize that most of what we worry about is not of eternal significance--and if it is, the Lord will help us."

#4. We just found out today imma gettin transferred to Memphis! It'll be my first time in 9 months serving in a full Spanish area (I have been English and Spanish from the beginning). And I will be with Hermana Lewis! I'm super excited but also sad to leave Russellville-it's a great place to be!

The first good-bye of Russellville!

#5. I read in the Old Testament in Exodus 16:11-36 and it stuck out to me how much faith they had to have in order to gather double the amount to prepare for the day of rest. Some had tried to gather more than their share so they didn't have to go out early the next morning, they could just keep it in storage. But the Lord made it a daily thing, so they had to gather just the right amount every day. Then they find out they have to gather double the amount on the 6th day in order to prepare for the 7th day in which there would be no  manna. How often do we not trust God and this simple commandment? It's interesting that we often just  allow ourselves to do a few things in Sunday to prepare for the week instead of faithfully preparing the week before, even the Saturday before. Things are busy and we often feel like we don't have time, but God doesn't give us commandments we can't keep. I want to be better at preparing myself and my apartment and things like that to be ready for the Sabbath Day and to keep it holy. What a blessing!

Shopping for Baptism Clothes

I love the gospel, I know the Book of Mormon is true.


Hermana Macfarlane