It's Literally Raining Cats and Dogs – July 6, 2015

Oh, my goodness I also miss your guts!! 

Transfer news: I am staying with Sister Griffiths! Also, Hermana Imlay's area is not getting shut down and she's getting a new companion. Happily ever after. 

My English class was hilarious. It was an awesome experience and I'm going to miss my little Mexicans. Funny story, so I has developed feelings for yours truly. He's thirty. Needless to say, suddenly leaving the Spanish area is a lot easier. 

Josh is amazing. I brag about him all the time. Even my companions want to know how he's doing. Thanks for the pictures! Especially the surgery one. Yummy. Seriously, the difference between his back before and now is amazing! Science! 

I'm going to be twenty.....AH! That's old! Really old!! Sister Griffiths keeps congratulating me for surviving teen pregnancy, hahahaha! I have no idea what I want for my birthday. I think I want a baptism. Yeah, that'd be great. 

Now...where to begin? 

Ah, yes....Monday.

So, it was Sister Ward's last official P-Day as a missionary and she wanted to do something fun with us. Being poor we had to find something fun and very inexpensive that was also not far away. See the dilemma? So, we were texting back and forth throwing out ideas and...

Me: We could just drive around until we find something. Or we could go to the pet store and look at the fish. 

Sister Ward: We should buy some goldfish and give them to the Elders!! 

Yep, that's my mom. She started it. Anyway, so we ultimately ended up going to Walmart and picked out four little fish to prank the Elders. Don't worry, we didn't pay for them with church money. We named them Sergei, Murdock, Blake, and Salazar. This is where it gets interesting. All of a sudden an enormous hurricane storm thing started dumping. Thunder, lightning, the whole shebang. We didn't have enough time to wait it out...so we ran. Imaging for yourself six Sisters running through that with two bags of fish. 

In the end we managed to find their apartments and placed the bags of fish in front of their doors. We didn't knock, we just ran. Around the evening we get a phone call asking if we did it. "No, of course not!" They might have saw through our lies because Elder Kovolov swore Russian vengeance. Should be fun. Anyway, the fish are dead now. 'Tis the sad tale in the life of a goldfish. 

So if anyone asks me what the craziest thing I did on my mission was I will tell them this. Stateside English speaking missionaries gone wild. 

It's sad to say that my mission mom is dying. At least I got to be in her Zone for the last bit of it. She's so proud that I can now answer phones like a normal person. 

In case you didn't know, I talk in my sleep. And my companions are painfully aware of when I speak. The main event for this week happened at about three in the morning. According to my companions I was moaning and Sister Griffiths and Hermana Imlay woke up. Then I proceeded to talk...

"It's raining cats and dogs." 

"What?"

Louder, "It's literally raining cats and dogs!" And then I raised my arms, put my fingers in claw position and "Raaaaaaah!" 

I'm actually really glad that we're going to be working all the time in our area now. It has gotten increasingly more difficult to balance both and our numbers are showing it. I'm really excited to blow up this area and find someone to baptize. Our investigators haven't answered our calls or anything which sucks. We're hoping that as we work hard and try our best to find, teach, baptize, retain, activate, and serve every day we will be blessed with golden people to teach.

Did you read the Ensign? I would like to share something pretty dang cool that I found in there. I was reading the story of Matthew Cowley. He was a missionary who served in New Zealand for five years and eventually he became an apostle. I found a few things that were pretty amazing to me and I hope to be fully able to incorporate it into my work. It starts off with Elder Cowley's father speaking to him.

“My boy,” he said, “you will go out on that mission; you will study; you will try to prepare your sermons; and sometimes when you are called upon, you will think you are wonderfully prepared, but when you stand up, your mind will go completely blank.”

“What do you do when your mind goes blank?” Elder Cowley asked.

Father Cowley replied, “You stand up there and with all the fervor of your soul, you bear witness that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the living God, and thoughts will flood into your mind and words to your mouth.”

Later, he became a member of the quorum of the 12 Apostles. 

“We are all missionaries in the Church. Every man and woman has the responsibility of being a missionary. Our slogan, our theme in the MIA [for 1947] is, ‘Let every man know for himself that this work is true.’ Just ponder for a moment. … Everyone should know for himself and herself that this work is true. It is the only way. What good is a man’s religion if he can’t give a good reason for the hope that he has within himself? … Sometimes … we think it is a fine thing if we can talk about the philosophies of men and what we have read and all that, but that is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. What we are to preach and what the world needs is faith, repentance, baptism, and the reception of the Holy Ghost.”

Elder Matthew Cowley (1897–1953) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Matthew Cowley Speaks (1954), 159, 160.

It has been raining a lot for the past three weeks which is very abnormal for July. However, I am not complaining. I would rather be cool and wet in July that have to face the legendary Kentucky heat. We are blessed. 

Luckily, it was clear skies and sunshine for the fourth and we were invited to join our bishop's family for the celebration and fireworks. We weren't allowed to light any, but we were allowed to play with sparklers! Yeah! I will send a video of the fireworks we got to watch so you can at least enjoy a little since you missed them. :( 

It was so much fun. They are a great family! We taught them a short lesson on how Heavenly Father prepared this land to be the birthplace of the restoration and what we learned was so cool. Basically everything related to the gospel is cool, but this in particular was.

“Its timing in 1830 was providential. It appeared at precisely the right moment in American history; much earlier or later and the Church might not have taken hold. The Book of Mormon would probably not have been published in the eighteenth century, in that still largely oral world of folk beliefs prior to the great democratic revolution that underlay the religious tumult of the early Republic. In the eighteenth century, Mormonism might have been too easily stifled and dismissed by the dominant enlightened gentry culture as just another enthusiastic folk superstition. Yet if Mormonism had emerged later, after the consolidation of authority and the spread of science in the middle decades of the nineteenth century, it might have had problems of verifying its texts and revelations.”

God knows the end from the beginning and is the author of the grand design of human history. He directed the affairs of history so that America was appropriately fertile soil for the seed of the restored gospel to be planted and tended by his chosen seer, Joseph Smith.

Happy flippin' birthday America! 

Anyway, I can't remember any of the rest of the week. In fact I can't believe it's Monday. Everything is going by so fast what happened?! 

I love you all so much and miss your faces. Your in my prayers! Heavenly Father loves you a lot! Like a lot a lot. 

Anymoo, I LOVE YOU ALL SO FREAKING MUCH! 

Love,

Raye 

Between Lexington and Frankfort

#1 So, Hermana Imlay is from Hurricane, UT. And apparently Pioneer Day
is a big deal. She was genuinely concerned that we had no parade plans
for that particular day. So, to make her feel better I decorated her
planner.
#2 This is a training for Zone Meeting. Inspired yet?
#3 Lexington Zone
#4 so, I realized that in my district picture from last week, Elder
Kovolov's face is covered. So, here he is in his Ukranian self.

#1 "Pose like a model!" Sister Griffiths
#2 Carol's (recent convert) cat, Zangray. He's, um, special. But, he
is my favorite cat.
#3-5 July fourth. I am the flag.

Cut off their heads and stone them! – June 29, 2015

Heeeey! 

I'm so glad Josh is doing well! He looks so good! Mr. Wolverine! Wow, he got so much taller. What a blessing. God takes care of us so well it's almost frightening. 

First off, I just realized how weird my job is. I don't get paid. In fact I pay to be here. I wear a skirt every day and listen to nothing but church music. My favorite website is LDS.org. I talk about Jesus all day long. I ride a bike with a skirt. I am constantly 24/7 near another girl who does the exact same things I do. I freak out when I get a letter or an e-mail. We can make a meal out of rice and a cucumber. I know the bible better than most people in the Belt. I get yelled at and insulted everyday. My beliefs are mocked in the land of religious freedom. And yet I go out everyday looking for anyone who will listen. What a strange and crazy job I have. And I love it. 

Anywho, that was my thought for the day. 

Funny story! So we met this man who was from Africa near the Congo. He was really nice and was interested in what we were saying. Suddenly he asked us about gay marriage and started ranting about how it is an abomination in the sight of God. We agreed with him until he said, "We should cut off their heads and stone them!" Whoa, buddy. Calm down. 

In the end we gave his information to missionaries in his area and he's taking the lessons! Woo! Also, cool story, he complimented us on the way we dress. "You dress so modestly. It is wonderful. America should be more like you." Can I get an amen? 

This week flew by so fast. I swear it was Monday two days ago. 

Can I just say how much I love our Hispanics? They are so cute and friendly. I'm talking about the Mormon ones, haha. We had another English class this week and it went a lot better than last week. Isreal is actually starting to tone it down a bit. 

Yesterday, was the coolest experience of my life. So, we were in Hermana Imlay's area and we started talking to this Hispanic guy. Sister Griffiths spotted a white man and started talking to him while I was stuck listening to Imlay and this guy speak in Spanish. Which was unfortunate for a moment. The weird thing about listening is that you actually start to understand. He was talking about the Trinity (ugh, non scriptural freaking frack) and refused to listen to Imlay but expected her to listen to him. She kept trying to testify and leave but he wouldn't stop. He was being so rude and there was no way he was going to talk like that to my companion. For some reason outside myself I stood up straighter, raised my hand, pointed at him and said, "Hermono. Hermono. Yo se que la englesia is verdadera. Soy representantes de JesuChristo." 

And he stopped talking. Hermana Imlay smiled, gave him a card and we left. It was totally awesome. Ah, I get chills. But, I know it was not me. 

I have realized this week just what it means to be an instrument in the hands of God. This work is not about the missionaries. It is about letting people feel the spirit and inviting them to choose. It is about giving them clear instruction so they don't misunderstand. No fluff! We must be as bold as the ancients. It doesn't matter if I myself have the opportunity to see these people be baptized. It is my desire to be there, but it all comes down to preparing them to make those covenants necessary to be exalted. 

We met this woman named Ce and she is golden! The first lesson we had with her was absolutely perfect. Short and powerful statements, inspired questions, scriptures, and we listened. And it was all because of the Spirit. We can't do anything without it! Everything would be impossible. I have also realized that we cannot be expected to do anything unless we have the Spirit with us. Nor can others feel it when we speak if we are no worthy of its presence. 

We are absolutely spoiled with Hermana Imlay's car. Absolutely spoiled. 

The Spanish branch missionaries threw a Book of Mormon Fiesta on Saturday. It was awesome. We recreated Lehi's dream outside behind the church. We made a rope iron rod through an obstacle course to the tree of life. The tree of life was....interesting. So the Elders that we put in charge of it did a terrible job. They tied a bush to a ladder. It was absolutely hilarious. So, we fixed it. Kind of. 

So, we dressed up like Lamanites which was awesome. Even though we had basically nothing to work with. We blindfolded the members and had them follow the rope. Some of us yelled at them and some of us played the part of the Holy Ghost. At the end they were able to sit down by the tree of life. 

We invited Cindy to come and she did! Elder Birky and Elder Inga translated for her during the devotional at the end. It was quite powerful to hear the testimonies of the people in the branch. It was really powerful and C even began to tear up. 

She called us the next day to tell us that one of her friends had started talking bad about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. And C replied with, "There is no way that that book could be evil. It talks about Christ and families and faith and love." HECK YES IT DOES! 

She's moving soon which totally sucks, but her testimony of the Book of Mormon is growing rapidly. She's going to be baptized. I can feel it. 

We heard about the federal law gay marriage thing. LDS.org. Good website for info. Also, our church is so true. Just sayin'. 

Also, could you do me a favor? Our mission has stopped giving us paper planners and we hate that. We don't like planning on our iPads. Do you think you could ask the Sisters in your ward for eight planners and send them to me? Thanks! 

Anywho, that is my week. As much as I can remember of it, haha. 

I love you all and miss you! Hopefully I'll get another update from you soon today. 

Have a happy Fourth of July! And, as President Brough puts it, God bless the Church of Jesus Christ of the United States of America!

Bless your faces! If you sneezed during this e-mail, bless you! Peace off!

I LOVE YOU!

Raye

For the faith, the prayers, the hate, the love, the fear, the fire, the tears, the persecution, the Spirit, the peace. GKLM. God bless it. 

#1- My district was nothing short of...interesting. Left to right:
Elder Murdoch, Elder Kovolov, Elder Moon, Elder Moyer, Sister
Griffiths, me.
#2- I'm a Lamanite.
#3- Tree of life attempt part one.
#4- The Elders in our ward, haha.
#5- Bluegrass Ward missionaries.

#6- Final attempt on the tree of life.

#7- The other Lamanites.
#8- Weekly planning,
#9- Our English class! Left to right: I, M, S, and B

Hell in a Handbasket – June 22, 2015

Good Mormon! Get it? It's like good morning but not. :)
My awesome family I totally miss you!

My back is fine. Doing great actually. :)

Emilee told me about the wolverine party and sent me pictures. That is
so awesome! I love it!

We can't do Facebook yet. That is the third phase of our iPad
immersion thingy. Well start on that as soon as everyone has their
records placed in their devices.

I'm so glad many people are praying for Josh!  It was my first time fasting for 24 hours. 

Man that was hard! Especially
since the Spanish branch decided to have a Father's Day fiesta after
church with all their authentic Mexican food. Luckily I managed to
snag some rice and cake for later. Everyone was so concerned, haha. I
wish someone had warned me that Hispanics get offended if you don't
eat their food. Oh well.

The coolest part was that I found out halfway through the day that I
found out that Sister Griffiths was fasting too. She said the most
awesome prayer for him and the rest of you and the doctors. It was so
cool.

I can't wait to join y'all for some campfire and marshmallows! It's
gonna be a blast.

I can't believe you climbed the volcano. That's epic! I loved the
pictures too. They were awesome.

This week went by so fast. I really don't know where it went.

Our trio is going along so flipping well it's almost frightening. We
got a call from our STL's near the beginning of the week asking how we
were doing and they were almost shocked that we are doing great and
getting along.

It's actually really hard to teach in a trio, but we're getting the
hang of it. We've actually been using our iPads to record our role
plays so we can evaluate how well we're doing. Also, we're working on
not looking like a pack of hyenas closing in when we try and contact
people in our area.

We broke Hermana Imlay into the biking area. It was blazing hot and
pouring down rain in the same day. She was baptized by fire. It was
awesome.

We probably looked absolutely hilarious when people opened their doors
to see three young women absolutely drenched, with bike helmets, and
broad smiles, asking if we could say a prayer with them.

We've been praying hard core for someone to baptize in July. We're
bent on finding them. As long as we try our best we know Heavenly
Father will bless us. After all, He wants us to baptize more than we
do.

Oh, the title of this e-mail is because of our area book app. We had
this week to transfer all of our current paper records onto the iPads
so they could track our key indicators. It was hell. The records that
were actually kept up to date were easy. And then there were the ones
that had little to no information and who caused me so much grief as
to want to wring the missionaries necks who taught that person. It is
going to take us forever to finish the area book. We're almost done
with our less actives and recent converts. We haven't even touched our
potentials and formers. It takes the whole hour of our transferring
time to do one person. Oh, the joy.

Other than that this week has been great! We taught this new couple
named E and L. E is the funniest guy ever. They are super
curious about the church and have agreed to read and pray. The only
obstacle we might run into is their desire and the fact they have
another church family that they love. We brought Brother and Sister
H with us. They are the sweetest old couple ever. They make us
homemade bread and jam every week. They were a huge help to the lesson
because they are both converts and have brilliant testimonies.

We also got to meet A. She was a potential that we just decided to
go and visit when our appointment fell through. She instantly let us
in and we taught her the Restoration. She is super interested. She
couldn't pick an exact time for us to come back, but we're hoping
soon.

C came to church and practically invited herself to the Relief
Society party next week. Yes! She totally connected with the ward and
asked for a priesthood blessing for the hard time she's going through.
It was a very spiritual experience for her. God answers prayers.

The fireflies are everywhere! It is so beautiful and reminds me of the
golden days we had living in Missouri. Hermana Imlay has never seen
them before and is absolutely enthralled by them. It's like walking in
a fairyland.

The Spanish area is booming! We have a ton of appointments set up next
week. We found this one man named E and he is golden. He told us
on his doorstep that he had never felt the spirit like that before. He
instantly believed what we were saying was true. He understood a
little bit of English so Sister Griffiths and I could bear testimony.
Hermana Imlay is just handling everything like a champ.

I have serious issues with learning Spanish. Sheesh. Everyone speaks
so fast and I can't remember anything that I had learned. Perfect
combination.

I went to my first English class on Thursday. It was...interesting. We
have this investigator and his name is I.
He...doesn't....stop....talking. Love the guy to death, but I have no
idea what he is saying and poor Hermana Imlay has a hard time getting
him to listen. Sister Griffiths and her commanding presence kind of
shuts him down a little. I got paired up with him to practice his
English which was good since he knows I don't speak Spanish. It was
actually really fun.

There was a point where he asked Hermana Imlay a gospel question and
she pulled out the Book of Mormon and they started talking. Eventually
there came a point where everyone was listening to them talk. I
wasn't really listening to what Hermana Imlay was explaining, but then
S started bearing his testimony. I love S. He is this

little, skinny Mexican with a small head and a big smile. He's so
cute! The reason I bring up the fact that he is little is because as
he was bearing his testimony he turned into a spiritual giant. Coolest
experience ever. It's amazing to actually feel the spirit even when I
can't understand a lick.

There was a family in our ward that decided to move on Saturday in the
middle of the week. They packed like champs. It was the most beautiful
move I have ever seen. All of their possessions fit in fifty boxes. So
proud. Anyway, we went to help pack and move everything in the pouring
rain into the truck. We came inside for a bit to help and while the
husband and wife were talking Hermana Imlay started playing the piano
they had and we began to sing Nearer My God to Thee. Sister Parkingson
began to cry and she thanked us for bringing the spirit into her home
to help her with the stress she was under. It was really great.

Anyway, I love you all so much and miss you terribly!

Keep me updated! You're always in my prayers!

LOVE Y'ALL!

Raye

#1 - I should win best picture taker award for this gem

#2-3 Eddy Woods and I. 

#4- The most muscular horse I've ever seen. 

                

Tigro! – June 15, 2015

Hello my amazing family!

So, Hermana Failner was cleared to fly home today. She was picked up
by President and Sister Brough yesterday. It was really sad to see her
go, but at least she'll be able to get better quicker. We are now
officially the very first Spanish/English Trio in the Great Kentucky,
Louisville Mission. Now it is time to panic because I still don't know
Spanish, haha. We started practicing today introducing ourselves and
bearing testimony. Man, I was on such a struggle bus. It's so weird to
pray for the gift of tongues.

I can't believe they finally got their calls! That is so awesome!
September? That seems so far away and yet so close at the same time.
We're going to be mission neighbors! I hope they like the south.

I love that quote about the prophet! Love love love! Today I read
Gordon B. Hinkley's last talk he gave in General Conference and it was
awesome. I miss him a lot.

Okay, onward with this crazy week.

So it is HOT. Nobody goes outside. They are huddled in their air
conditioned homes until the morning or evening when they emerge. When
you step outside you start sweating. You know those pictures of sister
missionaries? How they look nicely dressed and have nice hair? They
are obviously not bike sisters and they don't serve in Kentucky.

Oh, the Spanish area. So it's in the is placed called Alexandria. It's
not the only part of the area but it's where all the Hispanics are.
It's very much ghetto. The apartments smell like cleaning products
because some of them are hiding things that don't smell like cleaning
supplies. Everyone just kind of hangs around. There were these two
guys who kept making these hissing noises to get our attention.
Hermana Imlay started walking a little faster and I followed suit. We
can only go there when it's daylight which is nice because the sun is
out around 8 still when the Hispanics come home from work.

I have no idea what anyone is saying. Except for the English speakers.
I get a little too excited to talk to them sometimes.

Hermana Imlay is super awesome. She is a spiritual powerhouse and is
very focused on our purpose. She's only been out for four months and
her Spanish is awesome. She definitely has been blessed with a gift of
the spirit.

We have a great investigator. Her name is C and is is about fifty.
She has been influenced by members and has seen the good that they do
and the kind of people they are. She told us that she noticed a
different kind of peace when she came to church with one of her
friends. Her friend moved to Washington and still calls her to see if
she's been reading the Book of Mormon. And she is in Alma. She has all
sorts of questions about heaven and why we're here.

Seriously, do you know how much we need member missionaries? That's
how we find people like C. I firmly believe that this work will
not hasten the way and the speed it should if members don't share the
gospel boldly and lovingly to their friends and family by example and
word. We have been challenging all the members in our ward to
prayerfully find someone for the missionaries to teach in their home
in a month.

And by golly gee whiz my family is going to be the best member
missionaries in the world!

So, will you prayerfully seek out someone for the missionaries to
teach in your home this summer? Thanks. ;)

Anyway, so yesterday I bent down to pick up my bag and messed up my
back. Remember when I messed it up during dance and a few days later I
couldn't stand up? Yeah, that's what it felt like.  Anyway, I took
some drugs, went to sleep, and I'm perfectly fine today. Luckily it
was just a muscle and not my spine. Weirdness. Weirdness everywhere.

M has been very silent this week. He texted us two nights ago at 4
in the morning. He just likes to pop in and out I guess. I'm glad we
haven't lost him yet. Hopefully he'll be back in Lexington soon.

...it's raining right now. Freaky weather.

The Zone Leaders made us sing during Zone Meeting. They asked us two
days before. Nice planning, Elders. I guess it turned out pretty darn
okay. Sister Griffiths is an amazing singer and I was back-up. We sang
'Be Still My Soul'.

We now have the iPad area book app so we no longer are using paper
planners. It's good in the fact that we literally carry our area books
everywhere, but in some of the places we go we can't pull it out in
public or we'll get mugged. Well stick to paper and transfer it to the
iPad when we can.

Oh, the joy of transferring ALL our records to the iPad. We get an
hour a day to do so. Should be fun.

Anyway, I love you all so much! Keep being awesome! You're always in
my prayers!

I LOVE YOU!!

Raye

#1The TigerTeam trio.

So, the chalk board drawing.
Sister Griffiths and I helped to teach the Hermana's investigator,
Francisco. He is absolutely amazing and has such a great testimony.
Golden investigator.
We were invited to help set up and be at his baptism on Saturday.
While the font was filling I decided to decorate the chalk board.
It was my first time attempting to draw Jesus Christ and I think it
turned out all right. But everyone that came loved it and took
pictures of it before and after the baptism which was cool.
But the best part for me was when Francisco left and quickly came back
so he could have a picture of him next to it so he old remember his
baptism.  Finally using my talents to inspire people. :)

We visited the Keenland racetrack. We actually got to touch the horses

it was so cool. There was this one named Eddy Woods. He licked me.
Those pictures are on my camera. Until next week!

The TigerTeam Trio Insanity – June 8, 2015

This week has been madness. Absolute madness.

First off, I've been out for six months! That's crazy! Everything
seems like a big blur of awesome. I regret nothing. I am so excited to
keep going. There are miracles in store I can feel it.

So, before I get to the madness part I will reply to your email so I'm
not all over the place.

Sister Griffiths and I are pretty much equal. They assigned me as
senior companion which makes no sense since I'm still learning the
area. But, we don't care who is senior or junior. We work together as
equal partners and watch out for each other it's great.

I found a lot of awesome shirts at Goodwill and a dress. The best part
about Goodwill is that it is super cheap and there are a lot of golden
nuggets lying around. The other best part is that they are all modest
and have short sleeves. Blessings!

Emilee told me there was this boy who had a crush on her there. I hope
he realizes I have the power to summon angels to kick him in the
patootie.

Logan! I've been waiting for him to email me! Stud!

I'm really sad that Jared died. My prayers with his family.

Okie dokie..now the 'fun' begins.

It all starts with Hermana Failner. She's been going to the hospital
frequently this whole week because of her heart. It beats so rapidly
that she cannot stand by herself or she will collapse. Basically, the
heart will normally beat 70 beats a minute when you're sitting down.
Hers beats at 160 when she sits. So, when it beats that fast blood
can't get to her brain and it forces her to not move anymore. Turns
out it's not a disease or sickness or anything. It's just something
that most young ladies get until they grow out of it.

What does this have to do with us? One, she lives with us and cannot
leave the apartment or do any missionary work. She was going to be
sent home, but the doctor refused to put her on a plane. Thus, the
dilemma. Hermana Imaly can't go out and work if her companion can't.
So, to help their area out we've been going on splits with the Spanish
sisters.

Which is a problem, because...I don't speak Spanish. But, I'll be
learning it this week. The freaky thing is that I understand it better
than I can speak it. I know how to say the name of the church and
introduce myself. Progress.

Also, the first time that Failner collapsed in the hospital we had a
surprise visit from President Brough. This is how it went...

Scene: Sisters Griffiths and I open the door to the apartment to eat
lunch...and we hear a man's voice. Open the door a bit wider and its
President Brough...in our apartment...eating McDonald's with Failner
and Imaly.

"Hello Sisters! Did you know I'm the only man who's allowed in your
apartment?" He says.

So, he's been a big help figuring out stuff. Also, we keep our
apartment even cleaner than we normally do just in case he pops in
again. He came this morning for a check up appointment at the hospital
with the Hermanas and talked to us for a few minutes after. That was
the third time this week. We hold the record for most visits by
president.

Also, he told me to learn French. Haha....

Speaking of that, many people either don't hear me or can't read my
name tag because my name is either Francis, French, or Francine. My
eye is developing a twitch.

Okay, what else happened. Oh! We went on exchanges with the STLs. I
went to Jessemin with Sister Taylor and Sister Ward stayed in
Bluegrass with Sister Griffiths.

It was so much fun. I loved being there. Sister Taylor was the only
STL that I have exchanged with that didn't terrify me. She actually
acted human most of the time.

Funny story. Well....okay I guess it's still funny. We went to go see
an investigator for an appointment. He lived in the middle of nowhere
in an old and dirty trailer. Sketchy? Perfect. So, we knock and he
opens the door. And he's wearing nothing except women's underwear.
Needless to say, I am scarred. Eventually he put on pants and we had a
great lesson and go  our him to be baptized and come to church.
Success!

So, for our investigators in Bluegrass we basically dropped most of
them. There's this one guy who we're going to have a drop lesson with
because he won't read or pray sincerely. He just bible bashes us and
tells us we are blasphemers and deceivers. Can't wait until that
meeting.

BUT there's this awesome investigator named M. Apparently we met
this guy last Tuesday, but we don't remember him at all. He went on
Mormon.org and called Salt Lake to find us again. So, we've been
teaching him the gospel through text until he gets back in town.

There's a Famdamily Restaurant near here. I can't believe it exists.

My hair officially fits in a ponytail. Yes! I can finally beat the
heat. Heavenly Father loves me.

My biking skills have ramped up. I have no problem keeping up with
Sister Griffiths. My legs look so great.

So, I have a testimony that serving in the Bible Belt is the hardest
freaking place to serve in. People are nasty mean and regard us as the
scum of the earth and 'cancer to the world'. Yesterday, that is what
we mostly ran into. Not to mention the guy who we're dropping sent a
scathing message to us.

I was just feeling really hurt...again. I kept getting these thoughts
in my head that maybe I was wrong. I knew who they were from though.
Satan's a brat.

It's been such a huge struggle to have a soul of steel so that when
people throw these things at me it won't even touch.

Sister Griffiths saw that I was struggling and gave me a talk by
Jeffrey R. Holland. It's called 'Cast Away Not Therefore Your
Confidence'. I read that and I felt the spirit so strongly.

This morning I read Alma 5:44-47. What I like is that Alma did not say
that because she saw an angel he had a testimony nor did he say it was
from when he was freed from the chains of hell. It was because of the
manifestations of the Spirit that he gained his testimony.

When in doubt, read The Fellowship of the Unashamed. That's me.

Anyways, I'll be sending more pictures that need to be explained. Hilarious.

I love you all!! Miss you!

I can't wait for my beef jerky!

LOVE YOU!

Raye :)

GKLM. God bless it.

#1- Saw this while tracting. Pretty sure the angel is Mormon Missionaries. 

#2- Well...this is awkward. 

#3- The dynamic duo once again. 

So, this one needs to be explained...Hermana Imaly has this friend in
the Ohio mission. He took a picture of his whole zone in the dramatic
model shot. Then he proceeded to say that the Ohio missionaries are
the best looking.
So, we had to retaliate. We sent him this.