Week 97- #notimeforsleep

#notime2sleep- this is a hashtag that Russell Wilson puts on his tweets.  Brad always includes it in Bennie’s letters and the past few weeks all of his letters are full of service, lessons, and visits to those in the White Plains area. I think he has really come a long way in learning how to serve and exemplifies this little hashtag that his dad sends him regularly.

Hello everyone! 

Tuesday was a big day but it felt really short.  We had a lesson with L- that morning.  It didn't go at all the way we expected.  Like...  Not even kinda, but it did let us go over some of his concerns and we were able to gauge kinda where he's at in regards to what we have tried to teach him, so it was great!  We stopped by Brother Cusic’s after that and visited with him for a while.  We had fun helping him wash his car. We went to the Chamberlains after that!  I love the Chamberlains.  We didn't have a lesson that night, B- said he wanted some time to work over what we had taught Sunday night.  We went to Noah's basketball dinner after that, and then talked with mom for most of the night.  

Wednesday we did service with our roommates for The Slaughters.  Helped with the shutters!  Then we all went out for sushi!!  We couldn't get Elder Brown to try any though...  So sad. I experienced two bloody noses that day because of my allergies, so that was great.  We worked on contacting couple new families that have moved-ins  after which we went to Brother Heath’s to do our stake coordination report.   We then met with A- for a little while to check in with her and finally, another A- friend took us out to Cafe Rió that night and we had a super good visit with him.

Thursday we had a meeting with M- in the morning and talked about the priesthood.  We directed him to some sections from The Doctrine and Covenants to read through to help him with learning more and preparing for that.  Then we went to our zone district meeting!  I got a really weird letter in my mail from the mission home...  Elder Parker and Sister Phillips are getting married on May 19th!!!!  So excited for them!!  We checked up on a new family in the ward after that and set up an appointment to go over the next day and get to know them.  The Morningstars had us over for dinner and I was able to share my favorite scripture with them!  So fun!  Then we

played basketball at the church with some guys and a couple other elders.  

Friday was so fun!  We had service for Sister Scharr that morning!  We got a good amount done!  Then we did the usual tradition and she got us two Ledo’s pizzas.  We went home and tore them to shreds!!  Each pizza is 30 pieces because they're rectangles, and when we all stopped there were 13 pieces left.  So yummy!  Then we went and helped a member of the other elder’s ward move!  It was fun to help out all day!  Stopped by A-’s for a second, then we went to dinner with The Toppers.  It was tons of fun.  Elder Brown and Brother Topper really connected on hunting, so it was cool to see them hit it off! Then we went and met The Knights.  They're really cool!  They have just
moved here from Virginia and have a family of 2 boys and 1 girl.  After we visited with them we went to The Bishop’s house because Jacob got his mission call!! He's going to Arcadia California!  

Saturday was awesome!!  We went to The Chamberlains’ all day!  We did service most of the day.  Our only breaks were eating and teaching.  We mulched all their planter areas, tore up a bunch of old dead bushes, took out a tree, planted some flowers, did all kinds of fun stuff!  It was such a fun day!  Elders Summit and Vermuelen came as well as Elder Smuin and Elder Blood!  It was a party!  

Sunday we had church, then we visited with A- for a bit. We went to The McSorleys for lunch.  Later that day we came home because my allergies were killing me!!  I lied down for a bit, and when I woke up Elder Brown was out, so I let him take a much needed nap.  Today we went to the zoo and Ceasar’s, then we went to The Chamberlains!  It was a great day!!

Week 96: Cherry Blossom Parade

Okay, weekly time.  We’ll start with Tuesday.  It was pretty good.  We had five lessons!  We had a lesson with L-.  It was the first one in a while. It went surprisingly well.  Not on our part, we studied and practiced for this lessons for ours.  On his part, because he's kinda harder to explain things to and doesn't always understand.  But it went well!  Then we went to Sonic for lunch!  It was so fun!  The Sonic here just opened!  First one in the mission!  After that we went and visited with S-.  We got to talk to him about General Conference.  It was so cool because we prepared a lesson on President Utchdorf’s talk about Dresden.  Then we asked him his favorite talk to start the lesson, and he went off on a whole explanation of that very talk covering everything we wanted to hit!  It was so awesome!  After that we went and helped A- move some furniture and get stuff more situated at the new house.  The Grange’s had us over for dinner which was great!  Then we went to Café Rio with A-!  We met his girlfriend!!  It was so cool!  He's just awesome, and I'm so stoked to work with him!  

Wednesday we an afternoon appointment with Sister March, and also had lunch there, then we went and taught S- after that.  Afterwards we went to The Chamberlains.  Brother Heath was with us for our time with S- and The Chamberlains. I've mentioned him right?  He's our ward mission leader, and he is seriously one of the coolest greatest people I've ever met.  He's so knowledgeable and wise and can pull out 20 scriptures on any topic at the drop of a hat and I look up to him a lot.  He's the best ward mission leader I've had!  

Thursday was crazy long...  We had specialized training part two!  Hooray for several hour long meetings!!  Haha, it was the more fun of the two meetings though.  I'm glad we went.  Plus Elder Brown has his iPad now.  Even if he won't open it.  We stopped by a tie store that was really close to the chapel after that and I got a super cool penguin tie!  The drive back down to White Plains was unreal though...  There was a terrible awful wreck on the other side of the highway.  Like, they closed down almost 5 miles of the 495—it was really bad.  It made traffic on our side pretty undesirable as well.  Like, 3 hours of undesirable.  Then we went to The Chamberlains for Sebastian's 15^th birthday party!!  It was super fun! I love that kid!  We all played kickball for his birthday!  

Friday we pretty much helped A- rake the yard of her new house all day.  The old people never raked it so there were so many leaves!  She fed us lunch and dinner for it!  

Saturday we woke up at 3:45 am!!  Woot!  Then drove up to DC for volunteering for the Cherry Blossom Parade!  It was pretty fun! We got lots of good pictures.  Then we went to The Chamberlains.  Had a bit of a lesson, then Brother Heath had to go. The Chamberlains kept us for dinner though!  Sunday A- brought to friends to church, and half The Chamberlain Family came, so we had our hands full!  It was so fun!  We went and visited A- and friends after church.  Then we went to The Heaths for dinner, planned our lesson for B-.  We met them up at the Visitors Center and had a really good lesson!  It was tons of fun!  I love teaching at the Visitors Center because the spirit there is so strong!  We all went to why I believe after that.  Then we all came home!  Elder Bryant and Elder Sudweeks stayed over the night because we had zone activity today!  It was fun!  Tackle football!  Then we checked out the fort and had dinner with A- tonight!  It's a good life!  I love you
guys!!

Pictures of the Cherry Blossom Parade

Week 95- An Exciting Week

Holy cow...  Today is my 22 month mark. 22 months!!  So crazy!!  This week was quite the adventure, let me tell you.  

Monday I think I told you about our shopping trip already.  After that we went to the Chamberlains!! It was so much fun!  B-, the dad agreed to take the missionary discussions with us.  It was so cool!! More on that later in the week.  

Tuesday we did service for Brother Cusic.  Part of it was trying to donate some Tvs, but no one would take them so we took them to the dump instead.  We got to throw them on each other and smash them.  It was super fun!!  Then we went to a less active members house and helped them cut up a tree that had fallen down in their back yard during the windstorm.  After that we came home and showered, then we went to dinner with the Hales!  It was the best.  We went to check some new move ins after that which was great!  We contacted some of them.  None of them were interested though....  Sad panda.  

Wednesday was crazy days.  I was stressed because of how much stuff we had to do.  We had interviews with president Cooke in the morning.  Then we went to chick fil a for lunch.  Then had a lesson with sue.  Then had a lesson with A-.  Then had dinner with (a different) A-.  Then went to the Chamberlains to try and help answer some of B-'s questions. 

Thursday was awesome!  We had trainer trainee meeting and zone district meeting!  It was pretty fun.  Planned a lesson with Brother Heath for the next day.  We had ward night of ministry so we went to the bishops house to meet up for that.  Brother Heath and the bishop came with me to the Chamberlains.  It was really good.  They both really helped B-.  It was cool because we were teaching and giving fact and stuff out of the bible but then Brother Heath pulled out 2 Nephi 29 and everything just changed!  The entire spirit of the room was totally different.  It was a real testament to me of testifying powerfully from the Book of Mormon.  It was so cool!  

Friday was crazy too.  We had a lesson cancel in the morning, and as we were figuring out what to do Sister Chamberlain texted us and said, hey we're going up to the visitors center want to come?  We went and had the first lesson with B- up at the visitors center!!  It was so cool!  Then we came back down and had dinner with them too!  It was so fun!

Saturday we did basketball. Then we had a crazy snow storm...  Got called in for two hours.  Then the Hales took us out to all the Amish markets around with them and we got to help them pick up their new calf!!  It was so fun!  I love the Hales! Then A- took us out to dinner!  It was great!  

Sunday was amazing!  B- came to church!  I sat with him, Sister Chamberlain and Max.  Then behind me was A-, Elder Brown and C-. In front of me was Jaymie, Kyle, and Jaelynn.  Then in front of them was the Hales!  I felt just so special sitting in the middle of all these people who had become my family out here.  I was so overcome with love and comfort for everyone.  It was great!  I just love it here so much!  We had dinner with the bishop after that.  It was great!  Then we went to the Chamberlains!  Best week ever!  

But I was seriously so exhausted this week. I know why too.  I have really learned what it means to pray with all the energy of your soul for someone..  Like, yes, I've prayed for people before but with B- I just am exhausted physically mentally and spiritually after appointments and praying for him and just everything.  I want so badly for him to gain a testimony and it's so awesome to be part of this process.  I'm so lucky.  It's not even funny.  

Today has been fun.  We went to help out brother hale when he ran out of gas this morning.  Got what I'm pretty sure is my last haircut of my mission! Then had dinner with the Michelas and went to A-'s after!  It's a good life!

Note- The Chamberlain Family is a part member family. B-, the dad, has never shown interest in the church in the last 15 years of marriage. He didn't interact with missionaries or members much at all. This is the family that Bennie has become so close to and speaks of so much in his letters. B- has opened up and even agreed to a missionary lesson this past week. Bennie has felt so much responsibility with this! We have been praying for B- and Bennie at our house. 

Week 94- Short Letter

Okay, so this week is gonna be kinda short too.  Sorry...  Life out just gets so crazy so fast and I get caught up in other things...I still love you guys, I promise. 

So Tuesday we had specialized training.  It was soooooo longgggggg....  Then we went to dinner with The Hales.  It was so much fun!!  

Wednesday we had Chick Fil A at the Laundromat with A-.  We helped her plan her packing and everything. Next we had a lesson with S- and we went to Brother Heath’s.  We got caught behind a wreck though.  It was pretty bad.  We were stopped for 45 minutes.  We also went to the Chamberlains.  And then had dinner with the Gardners.  

Thursday we went and helped A- move a ton of stuff into the U-Haul.  We squeezed in a lesson with M- before heading to zone district meeting and all that jazz.  After that we made our way back and did all the unpacking of the U-Haul at A’s- new house.  Then we had a lesson with T-.  It was a good lesson.  

Friday we had ward coordination with Brother Heath and then off to a lesson with S-.  Our next stop, we went and set up service with Sister Scharr.  We returned again to A’s and helped her hang her huge TV. It was fun.

That night we had the First Ward talent show where we did Shakespeare's Star Wars again because this is Elder Summit’s ward.  Then The Hale’s took us out to Rucci’s.  It was super good.

Saturday was terrifying and good.  We had General Conference with the Chamberlains.  It was lots of fun, but I invited B- to watch the last session with us and it was so scary...  It went well though.

Sunday we watched morning session with The Bishop, then we had dinner with The Barrows and watched conference with them. Finally, we picked up Elder Bryant as he was going to hang out on p-day with us.  It was a good week!! 

I'm so sorry these last few have been really short.  Love you!!