Week One Complete!
This is our first complete week in the field! Sometimes it seems like we have been here much longer. We were quite busy but are still getting used to a schedule of sorts. It all depends on how many appointments/visits we get set up for each day.
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| The Walmart in Gillette Monday, we went to Gillette to get groceries and other needed items. Prices are quite high here in town. Gillette is about 70-80 minutes away and is where our Stake Center is. Monday is the usual Preparation Day (P-Day) for missionaries, not sure when ours is. We saw 3 of the 4 sets of Gillette Elders at Walmart. We had quite a cart full since we are starting from scratch. |
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| Stopped here on the way to Gillette. Great restroom! |
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| According to this, Upton is the "Best town on earth." We have 3 towns in our ward boundaries: Morcroft, Upton, and Newcastle. We pass through Morcroft and Upton to get to Gillette. On the way back from Walmart, we decided to visit someone from Upton since we would be passing through. I won't give names due to privacy. We called him and asked if we could come and meet him. He said sure! Our first visit! He was a very nice man, but had not been in contact with the church since moving there. We had a wonderful visit with him and he said he would love for us to come again. We will probably try to stop by once a week. He has some health issues and lives alone and would enjoy the company. |
We called a family earlier that morning that the Bishop asked us to contact. Their son was very ill and not expected to last much longer. They didn't want a visit at that time, they would be getting a call anytime to say their son had passed on. (He lives in another state). No problem - We very much understood, but did share with them that we had our daughter pass away 18 months ago and understood how devastating it feels to lose a child.
About 5 pm, the Bishop called and said their son had passed. The couple asked the Bishop to come over and bring that new missionary couple with them. I was so grateful to be there for comfort. I thought as we rode there, what things people said to me that helped. There really isn't anything people can say that really helps the pain. We understand the Plan of Salvation and know we will be with Michelle again, but it is still devastating. I wasn't sure what I could do to help this couple with their loss.
The Lord blessed us all that night. I was able to help with getting them flights for the funeral, and Walt and our Bishop gave each person a blessing of comfort. Hugs and tears were shared. I think just having us there was helpful. They want us to come back this week.
We already had dinner plans with another couple, but the Bishop explained and they held it till we got back. That was so nice of them. It was a great dinner - our first taste of ELK. I was so excited to get to try it so soon in our mission. It is very much like venison, tasty and lean. Walt is great at picking around the vegetables and such that aren't to his liking. I get most of them passed on to me. :)
I don't want to go through every day detail by detail. On each Tuesday, I will meet with the Relief Society presidency. This Tues, the president took us out to eat at a local place, the Cantina. They serve tacos and other type foods. The interesting part was the side dish selection for tacos and burritos, - fries or tater tots. I stuck with just a taco. I'm too traditional I guess with my beans and rice.
There is a member that owns Wayback Burger here, so we ate there to try to meet them. What a rough life - right?! They weren't there, but the food was great - especially the milkshake!
The rest of the week was spent making appointments, visiting, organizing and planning. Most people see our 856 telephone number and don't answer. Today at church, I told the ladies if they get an 856 phone number calling - to answer - it's me. After that, several people came and asked for our phone number.
It is taking some getting used to, but we will learn more and get better each week. There has never been a Senior Missionary Couple in this ward, so it's new territory for all of us. The kind of mission we are serving can really vary from ward to ward. We are Member Leadership Support (MLS) missionaries. Basically, we help our ward with whatever they need.
Right now, our focus is visiting members (ones that attend and ones that don't) and get to know them. As we know them better, we can pray about how to help them come unto Christ. We are all at different places in our lives in regards to our relationship with the Savior. It can also vary at different times in our lives. I know that when we put in the effort, the blessings and closeness are so much more abundant. When I am reading my scriptures daily, praying each morning and night, and trying to follow Christ's example, I feel Him close. I can't imagine my life without Him in it. We try to help others have the same. Our mission is really helping Walt and I to become closer to the Savior and listen better to the Spirit (Holy Ghost). That is what will help us help others. We were able to visit about 11 people this week and it has been a great experience.
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| Grass lands (Praire) |
Other fun things we are experiencing
Vast grass land
Some type of snow every day
There is snow and blowing snow
Rubber mats in our car is necessary
Amazing sunsets - we found a great spot at the top of the mountain,
We love our little house. I will take pictures for next week. We are still getting things in order. We have no pictures for our walls so we ordered a calendar with Simon Dewey pictures of the Savior and will frame them. He is a great artist.
I guess that is enough for now. I tend to go on and on. We miss our family, but are grateful for FaceTime and text messaging. Oh - we finally got internet in our place on Friday!! So glad we don't have to go to the church and be cold to get on-line.
Thank you all for your love, prayers and support. We really appreciate it. Feel free to reach out by email, text, or even our FaceBook, we love it all!!
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| View on way to Upton, Morcroft, and Gillette |
Sounds of great experiences! God bless!
ReplyDeleteSound like you were able to get on!! So glad you did. I like you knowing how things are going. Love you and miss you both!
DeleteI got chills reading about your visit with the couple who had lost a son. I'm sure you are an inspiration to many there.
ReplyDelete