PARSLEY!!!

Let's start this letter off right with good news. Isaac's board, "Moosetache," got first place in his category at school! Yay for helping people do art!

On Saturday we had a stake service day. We got to work on a member's home in Petal that was damaged from the February tornado that came through the town. We scraped paint off the siding and then painted. I never want to scrape paint again. It was messy and took way too long. And because we didn't get every chunk of the old paint off, the new paint didn't look very good in my opinion. But we did our labor and we got some fun experience and free pizza from it!

During our painting, we were talking to Brother Moore, another member helping on the house, about our investigators. We told him about our investigator Debra whom we were hoping would come to church on Sunday (sadly she didn't) and he asked what her last name was. "She's come before," he responded. We glanced at each other, "Yeah, years ago when she was first taught." "Her husband is Charles?" he then asked. Sister Cooper said she wasn't positive but said that sounded right. "He's a member." Three jaws dropped. Debra's husband doesn't talk to us much and it always feels like he doesn't like us so we were shocked by this new information. When we checked our roaster, yep, he's there. Finding lost souls!

We had interviews and district meeting (with Sister McDonough joining us) last night. It is always fun to get together with out the mission president and even though we were all a little silly to be back together and because I gave out this transfer's district picture. President McDonough gave me a challenge to memorize 5 scripture references each week. Shouldn't be too hard, I just have to choose scriptures I don't already know.

After interviews, last night, us and the elders went to Wendy's in Hattiesburg. I was driving but since it was late and I had never really driven there before, I couldn't tell till it was too late that we needed to be in the left turn lane. In my indecision about trying to get quickly into the turn lane, the light changed and I had spent a second too long deciding. I hit the gas so get out of the way of cars behind me and ended up peeling out, squealing our new back tire. My companions were freaked out and I wasn't too glad about it either, but making lemonade from lemons, I laughed it off, exclaiming that it was my first time making the tires squeal like that... and promised it would be the last. I now know how to get to Wendy's in Hattiesburg.

After over a year, one of our investigators is getting baptized. Her name is Alexis and the reason why she hasn't gotten baptized sooner is because she is 17 and has been waiting for parental permission. After conference her mother said she could and so we have been planning a baptism! Hopefully it'll be soon. It's been a struggle because she has a lot of people she wants to come but they have conflicting schedules. Say a prayer that everyone's schedule will clear up so Alexis can get baptized! Truthfully it feels like she is already a member. She asks questions, attends seminary, and is the seminary president! She is truly amazing!

We tracted a street called Robinson on Thursday. It was kind of fun though we had no success finding new investigators. But we had a few interesting experiences. The first was that as we were talking to one lady she said her kids played with some members. We asked who and she said the Howsers and that they were her neighbors! We were dumbfounded and then we realized her house was on the corner of Robinson and the Howsers' street! We never realized we were so close to members. The second occurrence was that as we approached our last house, a man answered the door and said "You're mormons." Taken aback we asked him how he knew, and he said he went to BYU. We talked to him for a moment about what that had been like and invited him to church. That is the funny thing about tracting, you never know what you are going to find.

This morning we taught seminary. 11 students, all from Petal ward. They meet in the high school at 7am. It was fun but super weird to be back at school. I don't miss it.

Amazing week, I received 2 packages. One from Mom and one from my friend Lara. Mom, thank you so much, the food is amazing. I am taking the vitamin chews every day though the cherry ones (B-something) don't taste very good, so I get them with the D-vitamins because those taste good, then chew as fast as I can. I don't know how you knew I needed some of the stuff in there but thank you. ESPECIALLY THE PARSLEY!!! I have been missing my giant container of parsley so much! Though Sister Holbrook and Cooper tease me saying it is my "weed." Silly girls. Lara's package sealed the fact for my companions that I love Asian food. She sent Hi-chew candy and mochi (rice-flour bun filled with a sweet paste). Also a pretty owl necklace that I have taken the chance to wear several times already, to the chagrin of Sister Cooper (she doesn't like owls). THANK YOU LARA (SHOUT-OUT TO HALEY). I have amazing friends!

On a side note, as we were traveling to the library today we were stopped by a train crossing the road. Then to make it even better, the train stopped. On the road. We waited a few minutes and realized it wasn't going any where. Flipping a U-ie, we sought a new path and found out that the train only had 2 cars left from the one that was blocking the road. The road just to the left of us was clear and we were able to easily resume our journey.

Please ignore the typos and mis-spellings. These computers can't check that for me.

Read Enos. It's one of my favorites.

Love y'all!

-Sister Stewart

 Bobcat-hybrid. So adorable, I almost took it home.

 We locked Sister Cooper in the Laundry closet.

Then we ate edemame on the dryer. 

 Ham and couscous tacos. (Sister Holbrook's idea)

 New owl Necklace!

 Cat eating our trash.

Almond Joys are made by the apostles. 

I'm the tallest (by 1/4 inch) at the Ishees.

The Longest Letter of My Life... Sorta.

Oh, where to start? This week has been very extreme, but also definitely exciting.

I guess the best place to start is with missionary work. On Wednesday and Thursday this past week, my companionship went on exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders from Jackson (we're the special missionaries that get to have 2 STL's over us). What was even more special however.... Wait for it..... SISTER JOHNSON AND SISTER COX ARE STL'S TOGETHER IN JACKSON!! Yep, I got to serve with Sister Cox again--if but for only 4 hours.

(The missionaries out here are so important to me, they are all really good friends and I love them a lot, its always special to see them.)

Sister Cox and I started our exchange by going to see a woman that has been excommunicated about 13 years ago. I was really scared as we walked up to her porch. She saw us through the screen door and immediately called "Come in ladies, have a seat." I was shocked and confused. I tried to stop and ask her, "Are you Dorthy? We're missionaries from the Church. I'm Sister Stewart and this is my companion Sister Cox." But she didn't give me a chance to hardly ask her name, she was bustling around for a bit as we sat down on her couch. The funny part was that she didn't recognize that we weren't the missionaries that had visited several months before. Even cooler is that Dorthy's faith is super strong and she believes strongly that she is being watched over, so she loves angels. I mean LOVES angels. Her living room is full of hundreds of different kinds of statues and artwork of angels. It was really neat. We talked to her for a while before finally getting the chance to introduce ourselves and explain the situation. She said she still had her testimony but couldn't come to church because she didn't feel welcome. Sister Cox and I both felt prompted to tell her that she was actually a referral from the ward and that they did love her, they were just having trouble expressing it. That really touched her and she began crying. The spirit was really strong in that meeting. I shared D&C 84:88 "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." And Sister Cox gave her a picture she had in her scriptures by Carl Henrich Bloch of Jesus being comforted by an angel. After the visit Sister Cox and I sat in the car for a minute, relishing in the spirit that was still with us and realized we both had had such weeks that we needed that visit.

Then we tracted for a while and it was amazing. I have never liked tracting. I thought I wasn't going to have to do it before I came out and even though I've had some interesting experiences, I'd rather go do other work. Being with Sister Cox and the enthusiasm from Dorthy, we really had some great meetings with people on their doorstep. No lessons or return appointments, but we talked to people, they were friendly back and Sister Cox and I got enjoy each others company reminiscing and reviewing what had happened in our lives as we'd been apart.

Tuesday Sister Cooper woke up and then went back to bed after studies. When we checked on her a little later, she had a fever. Sister Holbrook and I agreed that we weren't going to make her work like that, so we stayed inside. We watches church films and I worked on some projects I had promised people. We had gotten the Doctrine and Covenants DVDs the week before and were all anxious to watch the films on it. Monday we had watched the Joseph Smith movie and took a moment now to watch "Legacy". It is amazing! I think it might be my favorite film right now next to "The Restoration." My favorite part takes place in England as Eliza's father is proselyting in England. Some men call Joseph Smith a wolf in sheep's clothing. Her father just laughs it off and quotes Matthew "By their fruits ye shall know them. This is the fruit." I love that line, its been running through my head all week. If you haven't seen "Legacy" or haven't watched it in a while, check it out. Its online on Mormonchannel.org under films.

Though I live and work in Petal, us Petal missionaries also cover the Sandhill Branch east of us. My first Sunday there was really interesting. Then yesterday we got to go back and I was looking forward to it. Right now I love Sandhill! Next transfer the area is going to be opened to sisters and I so hope it'll be me. But I won't cross my fingers, its the Lord's decision  The people are so sweet, they have really good food, I love the looks of the area, it feels like Payson and being on the Rim with all the woods and back roads  and I have a good feeling that Sandhill is going to pick up. Yesterday we went out with the Fitzgeralds and they took us to the place where the first church building in Mississippi was. The building is gone now, but Redhill still has a little cemetary, I was able to see tombstones from the early 1900's! Plus we had to go a little off-roading to get to it, so that was super fun!! Afterward we visited some members in the branch and shared the spirit.

Our service project this week was helping a member make book "posters" for her kids. She was so happy to have me help because I'm an artist. I was nervous to take control of the project but she said she was glad I would. Then I was nervous about doing the whole project, just my companions, Sister Linares and me. Thank you Guthrie for teaching me how to work with kids. I did the major drawings and had my companions do the difficult cutting then Sister Linares' 7 and 5 year olds cut, glued, "slapped," and painted everything else. It was so much fun and though it took a long time and still wasn't completely done by the time we had to leave, it was definitely worth it.

Wednesday was spent traveling to Laurel, MS for District Meeting (that's the area our zone leaders cover) and were taught by them there. It was really fun meeting with all the missionaries. The senior couple, Elder and Sister Blau, came and shared a treat of apple slices and some strange citrus I've never seen before (Elder Blau has diabities and they don't feel its fair that he gets to eat in DDm and the rest of us don't, aren't they sweet?). Then we went to lunch at Eatsa-Pizza--think Peter Piper Pizza combined with CiCi's--and returned to the building for a role-play-practice. Elder Crockett (District Leader) and Sister Cox were the investigators, and somehow we decided to teach the Law of Chastity. Good news moment: I no longer fear role-play, especially when we teach the Law of Chastity. The practice went great! Sister Cooper (the greenie) did really well, we made our investigators cry and each of us received a little answer to prayer through it, how I am not sure. But it is really amazing how the Spirit works.

On another note, and after a big internal debate and encouragement from my STL's, I asked Sister Holbrook if I could drive. She said yes and so I am driving again! Can I just say how much of a difference it makes for me to be able to drive? Who knew the scared and nervous little teenager with a driver's permit would ever say that.

Also I would like to add how silly my companions are. Last night we came home early so we could do our studies (they were skipped for the work in Sandhill) and Sister Holbrook and Sister Cooper took a few moments to dance. Twirling their skirts and kicking up their legs till they both fell to floor, all dizzy. This is what we do, dance till we drop and have the most awesome time doing it! No one can doubt that 3 best friends live in Petal Village #32.

Its been an awesome week. Truly. Hopefully you've had one too. Send me a letter and tell me about it :)

Love ya,

Sister Stewart

My District in Laurel,MS for District Meeting. 

 I made Sister Johnson and Sister Cox planners, per-request.

 STL exchanges; 5 beds, one room!

 Best advice ever.

Working on the Linares' projects. 

 Natalie's "Don't Wake up Mama! A Five Little Monkey Story" board.

 Isac's "Moosetache" board.

Sleeping to Laurel, MS. 

We taught Primary at Sandhill and drew healthy things (and Sister Cooper and my house!) 

I carried Sister Cooper when we had to stop by the elder's apartment. Wee-hee!

Blackout

So I forgot my little booklet that I write down the day’s activities in so this probably won't be a very long letter.

Not much going on this week. We took a road trip to Jackson on Friday morning to talk to President McDonough and spent time with Sister McDonough visiting and singing at their baby grand. We stopped by the mission office in Brandon to have our car checked by Elder Edwards (he's over the cars in the mission), get a new phone (we'd been having spam calls), and go shopping for more supplies! And then I got to go out to lunch with Sister Johnson and Sister Cox. They are serving together again as Sister Training Leaders over the Jackson and Laurel areas. It was so nice to be with them again, it felt like I'd gone back in time. It was a long trip, we got home about 6pm, just enough time for our studies and dinner.

We had district meeting in Collins, MS, a road trip of about 45 minutes. The elders out there don't usually have many miles to get into Hattiesburg every week so we try to trade off for them. It's funny when we cram ourselves into the car with the Petal elders because somehow Sister Holbrook, Sister Cooper, and I get really silly and just talk and babble about this and that, sometimes getting the elders to respond but most often not, until about half way through the trip and we all fall silent.

Sitting in the Hattiesburg Library, I see a lot of missionaries at the computers, and yet I rarely see missionaries throughout the week.

...The power just went out in the whole building for a blink of a second, that was fun. Luckily it only took a few minutes for the computers to reset and the internet to come back. I'm watching Mormon Channel videos. I love looking at this webpage and watch all the things on it. My favorite Mormon Message is "Earthy Father, Heavenly Father." Check it out:

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages

Send some questions, I don't know what else to say.

Thank you, Mom, for the package, the half-tee worked perfect.

Thank you for the letters and pictures, I love seeing everyone.

Sister Holbrook often says something funny: "The Book of Mormon is blue, the Gospel is true, The Lord loves you, and I do too!"

 We carpool with the elders to Collins for district meeting. Three crammed and sleepy sister in the back (Sister Holbrook makes a good pillow).

 Driving to Jackson at 8am, it was a little foggy.

Played the scribble game with myself on my table, don't worry it erases. 

 Give me a hug :)

A member gave me a puzzle, I was working on it this morning after studies. 500 pieces!

S.M.I.L.E.

Week 2 in Petal survived, though not without a few tears (what can I say, I'm a girl).

I'm trying not to compare Petal to Shreveport, but it’s difficult. I was warned that my first area would feel like my home and it certainly does, I yearn for Shreveport similarly as I do for Mesa. But I think it was good that God had me serve as a Brownlee missionary. There I was able to serve in both a big city and through little towns, so I was able to adjust a little. Petal is little, with most people living in the country. But it has a Walmart, do note its worth is something!

Conference was awesome! We watched 3 sessions at the church building and Saturday Afternoon at a part-member family's home. It was awesome because while we were watching, the father (and non-member) paused the conference (tivo) and said "Alright I'll give you girls a try" and for the first time that Sister Holbrook, who's been here longer, could remember, he asked questions relating to the gospel! It was a miracle. We were comfortable and answered all the questions he could think of, he felt the answers were good and didn't feel like we were pushing on him but were his friends. His daughters were excited to see his curiosity and kept saying "Dad, do you have any more questions?" pushing for more.

I love the difference in speakers, but as always there were common themes, ones I saw were the importance of mothers and fathers in a home, member missionary work and how the church works. There was more that excited me but I have forgotten my notes at home so I'll have to say more later. I was curious though that they didn't really have any announcements. Yes, President Monson said that there were now 15 million members (so exciting) and 80,000 missionaries, but were there really no new temples to announce? Nothing about the government. As we talked with the members we had dinner with Sunday evening, she made a comment about how strange Elder Bednar's talk was on tithing until she realized he was telling about the good influence the church is on how to live without debt as God has directed us. Though there was no direct correlation to the government there were points made that described how we need to hold true to our faith even through a world that is losing its faith in God.

I haven't been using "Kent" (my bike) since I got to Petal, but that may change because our area was just changed. We have now combined and split with the Petal Elders. They now serve the South side of Petal and we serve the North side.

Exciting news of the week:

1. Investigator getting baptized. Yesterday between sessions our teenage investigator texted us and said her mom had finally given her permission to be baptized. However, she wants to do it within the week and she hasn't been to church for a while so we need to talk to our leaders and make sure she qualifies for baptism. But Sister Holbrook and Sister Cooper were jumping all over the room with excitement.

2. Found Hailey Nelson in Oct 2013 New Era (pg 14). Sister Holbrook's mom sent her the missionary themed Ensign for this month and as I was flipping through I found Sister Nelson! We grew up and graduated High school together. She is serving in Salt Lake City, UT.

3. Drawing up Adam's Family Tree. I felt like reading in Genesis and began reading through Adam's genealogy. I was curious to see if I could create Adam's tree (or at least as far as the scriptures describe it). Let's just say Sister Holbrook and Sister Cooper are weirded out and impressed.

4. Found Apple's double (my cat). Sister Holbrook and I spent some time on Wednesday night playing with 5 kittens. One of them was gray with nearly the exact same markings as my cat Apple. We named him Apple Jr. The other cats we named Scooter, Dax, Tux, and McGonagall.

5. Had a rock hunt and could barely find stones. Tuesday we had an activity planned to help an investigator pray every night by making "Prayer Rocks." Small rocks you decorate with the word "pray" that you leave on your pillow to remind you before you sleep at night to pray to Heavenly Father. Surprisingly it was really hard to find suitable rocks--or rocks at all.

6. Tracted in the Corner Market. People we're friendly in Louisiana, but I'm discovering that people aren't as friendly here. When I smile at someone, they don't smile back or they look at me like I just stuck my tongue out at them. We were driving to District meeting with the elders so our car was full. At a stoplight we were stopped by a man in a white van who kept looking at us. Being friendly, I smiled and waved expecting him to wave or smile back. Instead he made a funny face sticking out his tongue and then following his green arrow to turn left. I was flabbergasted and Sister Holbrook and Sister Cooper laughed at me, seeing my wave turned down. So, yeah... The people here are different.

In the end, I've reached my sixth month mark. There is a tradition between sisters to burn some nylons in celebration... I do not plan to do any such thing (especially since I don't have any). But it makes me glad. The holidays are coming that may be hard, but I don't feel any fear of loneliness as I imagine it. I'll be okay. Smile with me.

2 Nephi 9:39

"Remember to be Spiritually-Minded Is Life Eternal."

S.M.I.L.E.

This is a joyful gospel, with a plan of happiness that God has designed for us.

Be happy. Be Healthy. And remember your Heavenly Father loves you. And I do too.

Love, Lucky Lara

 Last Monday we had lunch at Dickey's Barbeque. Ate bristque! Yummy, but I miss Dad's.

Had exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders. Somehow we were all wearing black, white, and pink. 

 A man on the road in front of us was honking a funny horn and waving to everyone with his bright orange gloves, what a clown :D

 Last transfer, Sister Schultes broke a chair, then this transfer I broke a chair, luckily I heard the snap of the wood before I sat completely down.

On Sunday between sessions we had a picnic in the CTR 7 room, complete with photo shoot and spray cheese!