IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME EVERYONE!!!!! Oh.... And Happy Thanksgiving!....

Hey ya'll!

I hope yn's were able to have a happy Thanksgiving!  Mine was pretty good.  We went over to the Connaster's for some turkey.... And some sushi!  Konnichiwa ya'll!  However, it's surprisingly not the first Thanksgiving I've had sushi.  We also got to meet the new elder in our ward, Elder Dewsnup.  He's pretty legit. (Speaking of which, if it wasn't for him being transferred to our ward, it wouldn't even feel like a new transfer. #fastesttransferofmylife But anyway....) Later on I got to make a pumpkin pie that was straight from the pumpkin.  Like at the beginning of the day, that pie was a pumpkin.  It was awesome!

We've still been going around this week meeting with members to get them pumped up about missionary work.  It's been really fun to do that!  This week we got in to see Sister Nix, Marissa, and the Harrises.  They were all really awesome. There's something about being with people who believe the same thing as you do that just makes you really happy.  And really, it's fun just sitting down with people (who aren't intimidated by your name tag) to get to know them.

On Friday after district meeting, we went over to see Emily, and it was seriously the funnest time!  We got to help her put up her Christmas tree!  Ahhhh!! It's that time of year!!!  I love it!!!  And
I just love that we got to hang out with Emily for a little bit, too! It made it even better seeing her at church on Sunday watching her interact with the ward.  People know her name now, and they come up and talk with her and invite her to activities, and she's even starting to participate more in classes!  I feel so much love for that girl!  I can't wait until the day she get's baptized! (Because heaven knows she will!)

Things are going awesome out here in Tennessee.  The experiences are awesome.  The people are awesome.  The spirit is awesome.  I would never give up this mission for anything.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

Sister Griffiths and me on Thanksgiving day!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Quotes of the week (from a book): Mary Antoinette joined the group ignorance.
Mary Antoinette: I don't even know what that word means! Lol!
Mary Antoinette was separated from her head.

Number of guns pulled on me on my mission: 2

That One Time Absolutely Nothing Changed at Transfers for Me

Hey friends!

This has been a pretty awesome week!  We've been getting out into new areas of our ward, and it's been doing wonders for the work!  We still are getting some of it figured out, but it's okay because we're getting there, and that's all that God asks of us.

We got to go out to our new investigators, Donna and Terry, this week. They're really awesome! I could talk to them for hours, but I shan't. I've got too much work to do!  But hey, it's okay.  I'm just happy they like us, and when we asked them to come to church, they said they would without any hesitation.  Unfortunately, they didn't this week, but I'd be surprised if they didn't come soon.

We had Zone Conference this week, and it was long! Five hours!  But honestly I didn't realize it was until I looked at the time afterwards.  Gotta love the spirit!  President gave an awesome training on repentance.  He said that everything we need to repent of will fall into one of six categories: disobedience, fears, unbridled passions, pride, bad attitude, and laziness. So, now we all have to
figure out what exactly we need to sacrifice in our life to come closer to Christ. I wrote down one thing for each category, and decided what to give up.  I'd challenge all of you to do that in your
life as well!  It'll definitely bring you closer to Christ!

***

Later that night, Sister Griffiths and I went around downtown Knoxville looking for a building.  It was late, so we couldn't see much, but from the distant streetlights we could see a tall black
metal fence around it, the kind a gargoyle would sit on top of.  We parked our car, unsure if we had the right address.  However, something inside of us kept pushing us forward as we exited our car.
Maybe the spirit, maybe stupidity.  We followed a cobblestone trail that was buried in the overgrown grass up the steps of the porch, as we heard the sharp creaking of the porch swing as it rocked back and forth in the breeze of that chill November night. There were lights shining from the windows. We could tell someone was in there. "Should we go inside?" Sister Griffiths asked as she tried to peek through the foggy windows. I grabbed hold of the doorknob and breathed out a quiet, "Yeah."  My heart raced as I slowly turned it. Eyes widening, "Oh hey, we're here!"  Good ol' institute building!  I hadn't been in one of those for over a year!  I just feel so at home when I see that carpet that's in every LDS building. We were trying to find a referral there, but he wasn't there that day, so we'll try again in a few weeks. But I must say, it is quite the party there.  The Coburns, a senior couple that I just love, were there, and we got some lasagna since we just happened to drop in at the perfect time.  Good times.

We also got to go out to see a member I mentioned a while back: Emma, who's deaf.  She's really sweet.  We just write notes to her, which makes things kinda interesting, but hey, you have the whole
conversation recorded. Haha!  She said something though that really hit me.  She started crying and said, "You know, people ask me if I could hear just one more thing, what I'd want it to be, and I really
just want to hear one more sermon about Christ.  I don't want to read it. I want to hear it."  It really got me, and you know, I can't blame her.  Just think about the difference hearing a conference talk makes compared to reading it.  Hearing all of their emotions and the passion they have for it.  It's incredible.  As ridiculous as it seems, after we left, I caught myself thinking, "Maybe we could do
this for her, or that or something." But I can't.  Obviously there's no way I can make her hear a sermon like she wants again. It just makes me grateful for the resurrection.  She will hear again some day. It'll be a while, but she will, and it's incredible because I can only imagine that the first words she'll hear again are those of her Savior.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

The last time I got to see Sister Parry out here in the TKM. She's headed home this week to do incredible things with the things she's learned out here on her mission. Good luck, Parry!

P.S. Transfers are this week, and Sister Griffiths and I are staying right where we are, because we're stubborn.

That Week We had Too Many Adventures

Hey yn's!

So this week has been awesome!  We've recently decided to completely flip our area upside down and start over new, and this whole email has more or less been the result of that... Eh... Maybe not the whole email, but hey, it still feels really good to do that!  ;D

So, on Tuesday we started our big switch of doing everything new by going out to an area we'd never been to, and we found a new investigator, Aida!  Whoooo Elders had apparently taught not too long ago, so I guess we're not too original in our area pickin'.... But hey, that's okay!  Because who really cares as long as we're bringing people to Christ? #nobody  So yeah, Aida is really awesome. Her son is apparently a member, and we actually met him for the first time at church this Sunday, so we'll see how that goes!

Thursday was pretty good.... Jk! It was awesome, cause it was Sister Griffiths 21st birthday!  :D We had some planning to get done, and then an appointment, and we were just about to knock doors when we realized we didn't have our phone. We searched everywhere and couldn't find it, then we went back to a less active member's house we tried and found it laying in the dirt.  At that point we had such an awkward amount of time left before our dinner appointment with our awesome ward mission leader, Brother Price, and his family that we didn't even feel like knocking doors was a good option... Especially in the area we were in, so I turned to Sister Griffiths, and I was like, "Sista G,
it's your birthday.  Let's go to the Sun Sphere!"  So, we did.  And it was terrifying because we almost got stuck in an elevator, and we didn't even get to the top. BUT IT WAS AWESOME!!! And then we partied the night away with the Prices, after which we taped up their bathroom to get it ready for painting. #stillmissionaries

The next day we went out and did my favorite thing. Knocked doors!  We went out in the boonies of our area, and quite a bit happened.  We 1) got a new investigator and 2) got a gun pulled on us!  But hey, he still wanted to watch our video!  #coolestguyimetinawhile ;)

On Saturday we went over to the other coolest guy I met in a while, Brother Harris, and we helped him with his leaves.  This man is so passionate about everything he does.  I'll just be over there raking a pile of leaves so peacefully, and suddenly he's like, " Aw yeah, Shelty!  Ya gotta walk as ya rake!  It moves um faster!" And then I do what he told me to, and I'm just thinkin' to myself, "Wow, I was such a noob at raking. But not anymore because now I'm Brother Harris' raking apprentice."  And then we'll sit down with him for a while after that, and he'll give us all the life knowledge we could ever need.

But on a more spiritual note...  Sunday's here are really good, for one reason in particular.  This ward, the Knoxville 1st Ward, is so good at taking the sacrament to all those who are homebound.  So, most Sundays we'll go around with ward members and take it to everyone who can't come to church, and every time, it's such a special experience. We go to houses or nursing homes that most the time are worn down and might even smell a little weird, and then each time that we go, an amazing priesthood holder will kneel down and bless the bread and water, and as he does, the spirit fills the room, and it's warm, and it's peaceful, and it's wonderful.  It's the way God wants us to feel. I'm so grateful for the sacrament.  I'm grateful for a church that provides it for each of God's children and for that ability to come closer to Him. That's all I want in my life, and I say that in Jesus' name. Amen.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

 Brian and Mary's daughter, Cailin, has a key blade!

 That time we survived the elevator at the Sun Sphere.

 Non-alcoholic Strawberry Daiquiri's, anyone? 

Answers

Hey guys!

So, this week we had interviews with President, and exchanges with my MTC companion, Sister Davis.  It was pretty awesome.  A lot of good came from them.  I feel like recently I've been really searching answers of how I can improve the missionary work here in this area, and for me in general.  And it's interesting because I feel like it has been coming through really sincerely searching for the answers. Don't get discouraged if you don't get an answer right away.  It takes times and work to get it.  And sometimes they'll come in ways we don't expect.  Honestly, I didn't get any answers to questions while I was in my interview with President.  I did, however, get it right after it, when I was talking to an elder who is going home at the end of this transfer.  So keep searching.  Write impressions down. Take time to find your answers, and you'll be blessed.

Sincerely,
Sister Shelton

Ohlo from the Knox South Sistas!

Number of new investigators this week: 3 BAM!