Everything's butter in Texas - 9/24/18

well how dee do!

Second week in the beautiful south!! this week brought its ups and downs and lots more sweating too!

firsts: MY FIRST AWKWARD DOOR APPROACH! first of many if ya know what I mean!! we were out knocking and this lady comes to the door looking like we've clearly bugged her already ha ha and I had to quickly scan past the several words of profanity printed on her shirt without making it too obvious ! sis P and I were both kinda stunned and it must have showed because she was like, well, this is awkward, sis P spoke up and asked her something like what brings her joy in life and she was like, uh, my kids? we asked why and she was all "yeah I don't really wanna talk about this right now so I'm gonna go inside now" so have a nice day goodbye mam

fruit: what I won't go into detail about is my breakdown in our red corolla that I had shortly after that door approach that concluded a less than great day tracting. sis P pulled me together with some powerful words from elder Holland and we went to visit the shepard fam, they're members in the ward n we taught them a lil message and they didn't even know about the frustrating day we'd had but they sent me home with a bag of grapes and peaches and a mango the size of my head. y. a. l. l. so God always answers your prayers, and sometimes He answers with fruit :'-) 

fitness: well not exactly fitness but I met some ATHLETES yesterday visiting a precious lady in a nursing home. the Batemans are members who drove us and turns out they are WORLD CHAMP GUN FIGHTERS yall what is this place. They're like in their 50s and their daughters do it too. like dress up in 1800s costumes. yall

food: NIGERIAN and VENEZUELAN and IRISH and MEXICAN this week I'm serious. the first best thing about texas is how huge the sky is, it goes on forever n I'm always just staring at the clouds and telling sis p to look. definitely gives utah sunsets a run for their money. but the second best thing is how diverse it is!! you honestly never know who's gonna open the door, so many people from nigeria and mexico and china !!!! I know that I was called to HOUSTON specifically because it's so different from everywhere else in texas!! special special place

ALSO I discovered So Delicious dairy free sea salt caramel ice cream bars when the nicest fam found out I was vegan ha ha watch out yall they'll change your life

funny: one of our investigators olivia is from jamaica and is like 20ish nannying for a family out here. anyways we do video lessons with her because she's usually working which is tricky because every time we're about to schwack her with the spirit the connection will cut out. ??? good one Satan ???!?!??? anyways she invited us to go out with her on our "day off" hahaha she doesn't super understand P day

friends: charles is the maaaaan he's from Nigeria and is like 65 years old and has been a convert for one year. we're taking him and his wife to the temple to be endowed and sealed !!! anyways we showed up to his house and he had lunch all set up so precious and started asking us some questions he had, he asked who was the head of the church that was against God's church, meaning the great and abominable church. I knew the answer right away and knew where to find it in 1 Nephi because I had read it only a few hours before in personal study. I couldn't believe it and I know that that happened because I had prayed before personal study to have something I read be helpful to someone I taught that day. Prayers are answered yall they ARE

faith: I got hit hard w something much needed when I was leaving the home of one of our investigators this week. her name is Mar and we love her and oh my lanta she loves us but we weren't sure on her intent to keep up with commitments and were planning on dropping her during that lesson. BUT we read the Book of Mormon intro page and it took us an hour and a half with so many questions and insight and sooo much interest and excitement !! she promised us she'd come to church and yesterday SHE DID ! We're soo gonna dunk her. 

Anyways I was leaving the house and they have a word of wisdom problem so we always leave smelling sooo strongly like smoke. it filled our car. but it made me wonder what the Savior smelled like after his long days serving and teaching and being a friend. kind of a weird thing to think about. he spent his time with people that no one else would go near. he was the perfect example of humility and kindness, he was a king who lived his days with the poor, the sick, the afflicted, the cast out, the dirty, the isolated. he sees us all the same. he loves us all the same.

for you:

study: I started a new study of the Book of Mormon this week where I go through with a yellow pencil and highlight each time God or Jesus Christ are mentioned, by any of their names. I'm already in 2 Nephi and this focus has changed EVERYTHING !! The scriptures come alive when the focus is on the Father & the Son. my challenge to you is to DO THIS !

talk: Becoming a Consecrated Missionary - Tad R. Callister

The First Great Commandment - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

ahh I'm counting down to gen con and getting so so excited!! we are so blessed to have a living prophet. I love this mission & I love yall!!

all my love, Sister Newman