Fireworks, Thunder, and Lightening, Oh My!

Don't I look cool?

Sounds like you had a fun time this week!  I like that y'all got out to play some basketball and that y'all had fun.  Every day this week felt so long, but in the end I am always surprised at how fast the week goes!!!  

Last Monday was pretty boring.  We went to Hobby Lobby with Camille and then just stayed at our apartment and caught up on journal writing and letters.  Everyone else was sick or running errands and couldn't play with us.  Boring! Don't they know how fun we are?  We will just have to remind them. We had dinner with 3 families that night.  Not separately though, thank goodness.  Just a nice dinner party.  Though we did have to listen to them talk about all of their overseas living experiences. Welcome to Katy Sister Goodrich!  Home of the wealthy and well traveled.  We then taught a lesson to one of our 8 year olds.  Pretty low key day.

On Tuesday we went to Sister Goodrich's last physical therapy appointment.  We gave the exercise specialist a mormon.org card, hopefully she will check it out! We then visited one of the new members in our ward. Not uncommon.  Our zip code is the fastest growing in the United States, and our ward reflects that.  We have records read in every week, and it is usually like three families.  It is hard to keep up with.  Poor Sister Goodrich, half the ward is out of town or moving in the next month, so she is going to have to meet new people every week for probably the next 6 weeks.  Oh well, hopefully I will be able to help her out before I get transferred.  

Transfers are at the end of the month, and since I have been here for 6 months, it is likely (not for sure) that I will be leaving.  Anyways, we visited people and went to play chicken foot with the old people.  I missed them!  We didn't go last week because they had  voting or something going on.  Those old people make my day, they are so funny.  Afterwards we went to try more people before going to dinner and then our missionary coordination meeting. Brother Lowe (our ward mission leader) is back!!  He has been out of town for a month and he is finally back. I think I missed his family more than him, but shhhh, don't tell.

On Wednesday we met our new mission president!  I was actually on time for zone conference.  Since I got put in a car area I have been on time to a lot of things.  Anyway...New mission president, President and Sister Mortenson and their 5 kids from Irvine, California.  They seem like they are going to be good for our mission.  They are very different from the Pingrees, and I am going to miss them, but it was time for them to go.  They will be missed though!  We then went home, studied, then went out a visiting. 

We had exhausted all of our names for the day and didn't know what to do, so we went to a park.  We are just sitting there I looked out the window and what did I see?  A black quadracopter flying in the sky.  I see the man flying it and we go out to talk to him.  He was a very nice older man who had had some very good experiences with members of the church in the past.  He said we were the most trustworthy people he knows, something to do with our doctrine.  Turns out he was flying his quadracopter and taking pictures of the development for them.  That is how he makes his living, he flies his remote controlled helicopter and takes pictures.  Pretty good deal. He talked to him for so long we were a little late for dinner, but it turned out alright.  We finished off the day visiting other members.  Pretty good day.

When ducks swarm!

Thursday we didn't have much to do.  We took a walk around a lake in the morning (by that time it was already ridiculously hot and humid) to try and talk to people. We see three ladies approaching and we are trying to figure out what to say...when one of them waves to us.  They were all from our ward.  Major let down!!  We then continued our walk and we see a swarm of ducks coming our direction from across the lake.  So what do we do?  We stand there and wait for them to come over.  They come and they completely surround us.  They must of thought w had food.  They would be severely disappointed.  

We then went to our next appointment and taught a good lesson to a family.  The father is less active, as well as the two teenage daughters. The boys are active and one is turning 8 soon so we are teaching them the lessons.  All the kids are there when we teach and it was been a really good experience.  Sister Goodrich was able to bear powerful testimony of the difference coming to church can make.  Hopefully it makes a difference.  

We then went to the food bank, but the didn't have any work for us to do, so we left after an hour and took our car to the dealership because we got a recall notice for the air bag or something like that.  They were too busy to take our car then, so we scheduled a time for Monday.  We then did some family history at the stake center, had dinner with a fun family, and then went home and had weekly planning.

Friday was the 4th of July!  We were able to go out and see a few people today.  We stopped in on one family and helped them prepare for a party they were going to.  They actually let us serve them, it was a miracle.  Then we had lunch, tried to see Shelby again to no avail, and then went to a baptism that the Katy 1st sisters had.  It was of two kids of a less active member of theirs, one I actually knew.  He is good friends with someone in our ward, so we had actually met him before they did!  It was good to see him step up and change his life so he was able to baptize and confirm his kids.  It was a really great experience. 

Also, for the interlude between the baptism and the continuation of the program we watched the Restoration video.  During it Sister Goodrich thought, "Joseph Smith prayed and got an answer, I can get one too" and she asked Heavenly Father for a referral.  Not five minutes later we checked the phone and we had one. Miracle!!!  We were so excited it was not even funny.  Though we kept it in pretty good since we were in the middle of a baptismal service.  Afterwards we picked up a lesson plan for the class we were going to be subbing on Sunday and went over it.  Then we went to dinner at a members house and enjoyed the company of a few other families.  

Funny story time.  We get to the house and I ask to use the bathroom.  I flip on a switch and it doesn't work, so I try the others.  Nope, nothing.  I am beginning to wonder if I am going to have to break out the flashlight I conveniently carry in my bag when the light comes on.  I find out later that as soon as we walked in the power flickered off.  Sister Goodrich said it was a spiritual surge when we walked in.  I am pretty sure it was just due to the huge storm that was brewing outside.  While we progressed through dinner, it dumped rain and there was lots of thunder and lightning.  When it rains here, it pours, but only for like an hour at a time usually, so by the time we left it had stopped raining.  

We then went to the Luke's to watch them shoot off fireworks.  Fireworks are legal here, so everyone puts on their own show.  One of the members of our ward had bought several hundred dollars worth of firework and was setting them off in the Luke's cul-de-sac.  As we were watching them the loud noises sent all the kids and Sister Goodrich heading towards the house. Sister Goodrich remembered as we were watching the fireworks that she doesn't like fireworks, thunder, lightning, or frogs, all of which were present that night.  It seemed like God was competing with man for who could light up the sky better.  We left a little before nine to make it home on time and to spare Sister Goodrich anymore discomfort and listened to the thunder and fireworks going off all night.

Roosting duck on the front porch

Saturday was pretty boring.  We weren't able to catch many people at home, though we did find a few.  We also saw a duck on the front porch of a member, sitting in a planter and like 20 eggs.  Scared me pretty bad for a second.  

A member took us to dinner at my favorite restaurant that I have been to in Texas, Los Cucos.  They have them in both of my areas- it is a delicious restaurant.  We went out after dinner and tried to find people at home, but for some reason no one is ever home, or at least that is what seems like.  We did stop by a member and found her outside with her kids and her neighbor, so we were able to stop by, talk a while, and share a message.  The member was even able to take us to church the next day, that was a relief.

Sunday was good.  We taught the 16/17 year old class about ordinances.  It was a good lesson and I am pretty sure they learned something.  Also had a good lesson on the Lord's timing in Relief Society.  We then came home, studied, and saw a family who talked our ears off and gave us a delicious loaf of home made bread.  We stopped by to see Sister Jackson and then had dinner with the Grahams.  We were able to see a few members and heard lightning strike so close we could hear the sound pierce and rend the air.  I thought it was cool, but it scared Sister Goodrich really bad!  Not much else happened.  We were going to go to the Bluebell factory today, but our ride cancelled last minute.  We took our car into the dealership this morning and we were able to teach the first vision to the shuttle driver on our way to the church.  I have no idea what we will do the rest of the day, but they are supposed to pick us up any minute now to get our car back, so who knows!  Have a blessed week y'all!

Sister Hudgens