I get to drive...pray for me!

Quotes of the week:

Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. - John Wooden, 1910-2010

Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. –Charles Swindoll

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. –Mark Twain

Hello all,

So Josh sent me his SD card....and so sad news....no pictures! We are very sad about this, especially Josh, because he would have loved to share and have MTC pics.  No matter what I tried, I couldn't find pictures on the card, something may have happened to damage it :-(

It was fun to read the back of his letter with the SD card in it....it read, "Please (and I'm not kidding) could y'all maybe send me a nice harmonica? I have a fiery burning to learn how to play." 

I thought I'd send him a surprise, he'll be receiving an Amazon box tomorrow with this....

We'll see if he comes home and knows how to play it! :-)

Michelle

July 21st 2014

Dear Family and Friends, 

This week has been full of miracles and amazing things and a whole bunch of new kind of challenges. It's hard to balance miles in our area when everyone is spread out so far, but it should be okay.  

Also send your prayers to the Crutchfields and Aultmans, in the last 3 months David Crutchfield lost his mom and the Aultmans lost their father, Red, who was apparently like a legendary member, I never met, so that's been hard. 

The rule changes are stressing missionaries out, but as we listen to and be obedient to the president we will succeed, so me and Elder Larkin are gonna be okay.  (I'm not crystal clear about the changes, but they have a brand new mission president as of July 1st. He has implemented new rules like the Elders and Sisters are no longer able to have joint dinner appointments with the members and no more ward volleyball, and things like that)

Y'all should have been there on Friday when we gave the whole Rendine family blessings for sickness and council  to comfort them on their vacation, it was pretty darn amazing! 

Also a less active family we visited, the Telfords, are a part member single couple with a wonderful background. Brother Telford was healed of cancer by a priesthood blessing by the bishop of our ward 5 years ago but hasn't seen church or missionaries for a long time, and his wife is a baptist who actually asked us again to give him a blessing of healing for his heart troubles. It was so very humbling to use the Lord's authority and watch as this women, who only knew a little about the priesthood, teared up as we gave him an anointed blessing. We were invited for dinner tomorrow and I will be excited for that because me and Elder Hillam, another greenie that I was buds with at the MTC, will be coming down to have dinner.  My companion, Elder Larkin, is taking care of district business and doing splits with Elder Hillam's trainer/companion. I get to drive and run the area so please pray for me... 

We have two possible investigator families that we will be seeing this week along with many more part member families and single investigators, so the work is heading forward. 

The first family I contacted at my first door knocked accepted a Book of Mormon and have had to reschedule but really do want us to come over and talk to them so I am so excited for this miracle family and to see the fruits that will be bore if I work hard and truly love them as Christ did. 

Sister Cutshaw is an active member who is actually going to help us teach one of her neighbor friends Jessica, so hopefully we will see them soon.

So the best, and my most favorite, thing to do is go over to Matt and Jessica Musics house for dinner, they are like the funnest members (I may or may not have been tazed, but I agreed to it, so its okay.) Jessica always makes the most delicious foods, and I have a hard time not overeating. I thankfully have good news, hopefully, in the fall they will be going to the temple in LOGAN!  So this fall look out for them, okay?! 

I am really loving the work! It just is so great with all these amazing members and people and missionaries that I just love love love with all my heart, every single one of God's children that I meet just fills me with this wonderful and happy feeling.

-Love Elder Rush

Amite and Tickfaw River

Josh also says that he's in the Denim Springs Stake, Albany Ward, and that they cover a lot of little towns like Tickfaw and Hammond, and that it's a huge area.  He also says the people are crazy fun and there are still lots of people that are hard to understand. He also says he hasn't seen an alligator yet :-)