First things first: There can be miracles, if you believe: I'm staying in Corbin for another 6 weeks! Thank you for all your prayers! It was a very stressful couple days leading up to the transfer call, but the Lord has been watching out for me and is allowing me another transfer in the Promised Land!
Second things second: We have bed bugs. And I know I said we had bed bugs a while ago. But this time we REALLY have them. Not just small little things. They're BIG and full of my blood and every time I kill one, MY blood gets splattered everywhere. I hate it! I've been really itchy lately and I just thought that it was the poison vine that I got a couple weeks ago, but I keep getting more and more bumps and today we found a red bed bug and we looked again on our sheets (which we do all the time and never find anything) and this time WE DID. And they're really, really scary! Sister Clemons and I have been crying and screaming all morning. I know it may sound funny to some people, but we had to kneel down and say a prayer and cry through the whole thing because we really don't know how to handle things. It's the worst thing ever. It's like my own Fear Factor except that I don't get a million dollars at the end. We both really wanted to call our moms because it's awful. We have them in our mattresses and our box springs and they're probably in our couches and our clothes and our backpacks and we hate our life right now. WHY? Why would Heavenly Father create things like this? Why? They're awful and I've been terrified all morning and we have to go back in a little bit and do even more and I hate it, I hate it, I HATE IT! And we're expected to sleep in our same bed tonight! We called Sister Woodbury and she said that if we spray it really good and do what we've been told that they should leave and that other missionaries have slept in their beds again and again. NO! I have a feeling Sister Clemons and I will be sleeping on the floor in the other room for the next week or so. It's awful. I hope a lot of people feel sorry for me right now because I do but I need more people to feel sorry for me because this is the scariest thing I've ever had to do. Seriously. We've been crying and screaming and laughing because we know it's ridiculous to act this way, but we've been mostly crying. Ugh.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: After receiving a separate email regarding the bed bugs, Brooke spoke to mission staff and Sis. Woodbury and as of this writing, she and Sis. Clemons will be staying for a couple of nights in a hotel while the home is treated and mattresses are covered, etc. Her reaction is no surprise to anyone in our family - we just didn't know she'd find a companion who was so compatible! They are being well cared for]
Third: I don't think I can ever have children. This week we had a big crisis occur with one of our "sheep" and Sister Clemons and I have had two sleepless nights and lots of prayers and crying and worrying and trying to do other missionary work, but it's been really stressful and draining and tiring. And this person isn't even my own child. I don't think I can handle the stress that would come with worrying this much about my child that I carried for 9 months and nurtured and raised. I might just remain an aunt forever and never change the title to mother. It's too, too much. Things with this person are settling down a bit, but still, I don't know how moms do it. I don't know how dads do it. I know people are supposed to have their agency and that it's a sin to want to take that away from people, but sometimes I just wish we could have a little more say in the choices that people make if they're making wrong choices. UGH.
This week hasn't been all bad. We had some great lessons. Bob, the truck driver, told us that he knows Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he thinks he needs to get baptized. Now we just have to get him to come to church, quit drinking coffee and get his wife on board. Piece of cake, right? Also, Wayne said that he wasn't going to come to church too often because he has stuff to do on the farm and for the house they're building and he didn't want us to bug him about it, but I did
anyways. We came to an agreement to perform an experiment: We told him that if he'd read from the Book of Mormon every day and do all the work he could Monday through Saturday and then come to church on Sunday and use that day as a day of rest, to see if his arthiritis in his hands would lessen. I also told him I wouldn't tell him if I was getting transferred or not till Sunday morning at church. He agreed. Yesterday he didn't come because they had a water leak he had to take care of (SATAN!) but this week we'll try. I'm excited for him to see the blessings that await if he'll show some faith and be obedient. Also, now that I'm staying, we have had like 5 offers to come to Thanksgiving already. We've only said yes to 2, but still, we're going to be FOUNDER'd on Thanksgiving. Yikes.
The Berea Sisters came down for a blitz this week and it was fun to be with them. They're great. Sister Noakes and I got a picture together for Aunt Marianne and Sister Noake's mom since Sister Noakes and her mom know Aunt Marianne.
Danny Decker is praying about December 10th for baptism and things are still a go for Otis on the 19th of November. Sherry Taylor's brother has started reading the Book of Mormon and we have an appointment with him this week. Things are moving along here!
Quirk of the Week: people here will mouth the last sentence that they say under their breath or silently after they quit talking if there's silence. The only way to get them to stop is to break the silence. Willard and Otis both do this a lot. They'll say someting like: "We were at the Honey Holes and we saw a fish as big as Malachi, no joke, Buddy." And then you'll see Otie's lips going "no joke, Buddy" over and over till we comment back.
Extra Blessings: Aunt Suzanne.
Bed Bugs, Stress, Cold and all, I'm glad and GRATEFUL to be here in Corbin. I love my mission and I love Corbin. I love my Heavenly Father for allowing me to come here. This week, as I was up late into the night, pleading with Heavenly Father and then as I was consoling my good friend about what had happened and all of the sadness and pain was penetrating me, I realized something pretty wonderful. I love my Savior and have always been grateful for him. But sometimes it's hard for me to remember how great a thing He did. Why do billions of people worship Him? Why do we center their lives around Him? Why do we look to Him in times of trouble. It's more than the fact that He overcame death. It's more than the fact that He paid for our sins. What He did when he overcame death and paid for our sins is what provokes all of our adoration and awe. What He did was make it so that anguish and pain can be swallowed up in mercy and love. He removes pain. He removes the sting of death. He removes the sorrow of sin. He, and only He, could do this. That's why we call him our Lord. That's why we take upon us His name. Sometimes people out here mistake missionaries as saviors. We're not. Jesus Christ is their Savior. He's my Savior. It is He and only He that can turn sadness into happiness, sorrow into joy. What a wonderful, glorious God we have. What a gift prayer is. We can communicate with the God of the Universe. And we've been told to communicate with him always. He's always there to turn to. His Son overcame pain and sadness by suffering all pains and sadnesses. How can he allow me to bear His name? How can He allow me to represent Him? I don't know exactly why. But I know that I can be better with this honor. Thank you for your prayers and your confidence in me. Thank you for your advice and your love.
I'm off to battle more bugs. Wish me luck. The Church is TRUE! Share it!
Love Yuns,
Sis Nelson
Third: I don't think I can ever have children. This week we had a big crisis occur with one of our "sheep" and Sister Clemons and I have had two sleepless nights and lots of prayers and crying and worrying and trying to do other missionary work, but it's been really stressful and draining and tiring. And this person isn't even my own child. I don't think I can handle the stress that would come with worrying this much about my child that I carried for 9 months and nurtured and raised. I might just remain an aunt forever and never change the title to mother. It's too, too much. Things with this person are settling down a bit, but still, I don't know how moms do it. I don't know how dads do it. I know people are supposed to have their agency and that it's a sin to want to take that away from people, but sometimes I just wish we could have a little more say in the choices that people make if they're making wrong choices. UGH.
This week hasn't been all bad. We had some great lessons. Bob, the truck driver, told us that he knows Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he thinks he needs to get baptized. Now we just have to get him to come to church, quit drinking coffee and get his wife on board. Piece of cake, right? Also, Wayne said that he wasn't going to come to church too often because he has stuff to do on the farm and for the house they're building and he didn't want us to bug him about it, but I did
anyways. We came to an agreement to perform an experiment: We told him that if he'd read from the Book of Mormon every day and do all the work he could Monday through Saturday and then come to church on Sunday and use that day as a day of rest, to see if his arthiritis in his hands would lessen. I also told him I wouldn't tell him if I was getting transferred or not till Sunday morning at church. He agreed. Yesterday he didn't come because they had a water leak he had to take care of (SATAN!) but this week we'll try. I'm excited for him to see the blessings that await if he'll show some faith and be obedient. Also, now that I'm staying, we have had like 5 offers to come to Thanksgiving already. We've only said yes to 2, but still, we're going to be FOUNDER'd on Thanksgiving. Yikes.
The Berea Sisters came down for a blitz this week and it was fun to be with them. They're great. Sister Noakes and I got a picture together for Aunt Marianne and Sister Noake's mom since Sister Noakes and her mom know Aunt Marianne.
Danny Decker is praying about December 10th for baptism and things are still a go for Otis on the 19th of November. Sherry Taylor's brother has started reading the Book of Mormon and we have an appointment with him this week. Things are moving along here!
Quirk of the Week: people here will mouth the last sentence that they say under their breath or silently after they quit talking if there's silence. The only way to get them to stop is to break the silence. Willard and Otis both do this a lot. They'll say someting like: "We were at the Honey Holes and we saw a fish as big as Malachi, no joke, Buddy." And then you'll see Otie's lips going "no joke, Buddy" over and over till we comment back.
Extra Blessings: Aunt Suzanne.
Bed Bugs, Stress, Cold and all, I'm glad and GRATEFUL to be here in Corbin. I love my mission and I love Corbin. I love my Heavenly Father for allowing me to come here. This week, as I was up late into the night, pleading with Heavenly Father and then as I was consoling my good friend about what had happened and all of the sadness and pain was penetrating me, I realized something pretty wonderful. I love my Savior and have always been grateful for him. But sometimes it's hard for me to remember how great a thing He did. Why do billions of people worship Him? Why do we center their lives around Him? Why do we look to Him in times of trouble. It's more than the fact that He overcame death. It's more than the fact that He paid for our sins. What He did when he overcame death and paid for our sins is what provokes all of our adoration and awe. What He did was make it so that anguish and pain can be swallowed up in mercy and love. He removes pain. He removes the sting of death. He removes the sorrow of sin. He, and only He, could do this. That's why we call him our Lord. That's why we take upon us His name. Sometimes people out here mistake missionaries as saviors. We're not. Jesus Christ is their Savior. He's my Savior. It is He and only He that can turn sadness into happiness, sorrow into joy. What a wonderful, glorious God we have. What a gift prayer is. We can communicate with the God of the Universe. And we've been told to communicate with him always. He's always there to turn to. His Son overcame pain and sadness by suffering all pains and sadnesses. How can he allow me to bear His name? How can He allow me to represent Him? I don't know exactly why. But I know that I can be better with this honor. Thank you for your prayers and your confidence in me. Thank you for your advice and your love.
I'm off to battle more bugs. Wish me luck. The Church is TRUE! Share it!
Love Yuns,
Sis Nelson
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