Meeting the Amish

Chillin' on the train tracks!!

 So!!!  This week has been cray cray!  We started Monday by taking our car in to be fixed... we were supposed to get it back on Wednesday morning but only got it Thursday afternoon... so that made things a little hard, but it meant we got to walk a lot and we got to do a lot of service! It was pretty nice!  We poured cement for the Bishop and snapped green beans for his wife. We then went to the Veterans Center and played Bingo with some of the residents there. It was fun.   Funny thing I've come to learn... the tone of my voice is inaudible to older people who can't hear real well.  They can always hear my companions but never me!! Isn't that just dumb!! Stupid man voice! Hahaha

But yeah! It was fun! And then we walked probably a little over a mile from there to visit a sister in the ward. Her neighbour offered to drive us home. So we actually just got a ride to the library, picked out some books for a sister in our ward and then walked back to our place.  It is so hot and sunny that my hair gets lighter every day and my skin a little darker!

Hair getting blonder by the day

Hot, sunny days

We were walking to our dinner appointment on Tuesday night (the bishops family offered to feed us since we didn't have a dinner appointment that night). As we were walking "Papa" pulled up next to us and said we'd get there faster if we ran... then... shhh... this is a secret... but we couldn't ride in the car with him and the house was just a little bit away... so we hopped on to the tail gate of the truck and rode there for about a minute.  I felt like a proper farm kid.  It felt just like being back in South Africa!!

Sitting on the tailgate of the truck!!

The elevation here is so high that when I leave my bread out for 5 mins while I do something, my sandwich is already starting to get hard by the time I get to it!! Sad days!

It's been a great week though!!  We cleaned the Chapel with "Papa"  and sister Simpson on Thursday, and then taught a lesson. Then we went and got our car and taught 7 more lessons that day! And still had time to get an ice cream before going home as a reward for ourselves haha. We really wanted to catch up after a few days of not being able to teach much because we were on foot!

Ice-cream reward

Friday we went to do service at the bakery... They told us that they weren't actually baking that day, they wanted to tell us but didn't have a way... they were having church in their bakery on Sunday so they were just cleaning up for that. So we picked up some brooms and helped them with that instead. We got to chat with the girls and get to know them a little better.  One of the daughters invited us to her baptism on Sunday. Unfortunately we would be at church at the same time it was happening. Then the other sister told us that she would be published at church on the same day... which means her engagement would be announced.
Then their mother came in... I will admit to being a little worried. I didn't want her to think we were there trying to steal their children away from their faith... but she was so nice and lovely. She talked about some members that helped her when she lived in Arizona,  then she invited us to dinner with their community on Sunday evening! How exciting!
So Saturday night we had Stake conference and our Mission President and his wife were there.  They gave us permission to leave the Sunday session a little early to try and make it for the baptism.  We got there like 2 minutes after her baptism. sad! But we got to sit in for the last 30 minutes of the service. It was really interesting trying to pick out parts that I could understand because the whole thing is done in high German.

It was very interesting.  Then we went back at 6 to have dinner with them.   I must admit, the whole thing really scared me!  I don't like standing out!  But it was realy nice! They were all very friendly and kind and accepting of us.  We were there for an hour and we had a really good time!  I'm really grateful for my companion being so excited about it, because I was so scared that I would have just let my fear decide and not gone... but she was so good and I'm happy we went! At the end of the evening the daughter called us out and handed us an invitation to her wedding.  They were all so sweet!  It was a really good experience!  So this week has been very different but I've learned a lot, and had loads of fun!!

Cheating on Thor!!

This gospel is so great! I just love it!


John Taylor once said "God will hold you responsible for those you could have saved had you done your duty"    Are you doing your duty?

John Taylor - Third President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Jacob 1:19 (Book of Mormon)
And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day.


I love you all and hope you are all having as much fun as I am!!!

<3 Sister Botts (aka Sister Robotts, Granny Botts, Sister Boss)


byeee