Exchanges and MORE Injuries

I know what you're thinking.

MORE injuries? Really, Karen? 

Yeah. Really. Although they aren't severe, THEY STILL HURT, OK?

So we'll start with the first one. The other night, I took my earrings out before I went to bed, but I was too lazy to walk all the way over to my dresser to put them away, so I just set them on the floor next to my bed. Well, later, I was making my bed and STEPPED. ON. MY. EARRING. It went IN my foot, guys. In it. Like, what the heck is this crap. Whatever. The day before, I punched myself in the mouth with my toothbrush. How? I don't even know, but my gums are swollen from it and it's just real neat, I tell ya. 

But hey. The rest of this week wasn't too shabby. Before I maimed myself, we had some awesome lessons. We have this couple that is investigating the church. He's from Kenya and she's from Ethiopia, so they're really neat! They both seem really interested and we're hoping to get them on date soon! We'd invited them to church yesterday, but they texted us and said there wasn't room. I'm not sure what that means, but whatever. We're shooting for a meeting with them this week and another invitation to church. We also have a less active that we've been working with to reach her goal of getting sealed in the temple and she's making progress! Yay! We love her! We challenged another less active to start reading the Book of Mormon again and that night, she texted us saying she'd listened to ten chapters on the Lds tools app! Yay! Such progress with these awesome people!

We're really praying for our investigators, though. They are all going through a lot of hard things right now, with financial issues and family issues and it's been really hard to help them. We expressed our sorrow for them and told them that the gospel will be able to help them deal with these things. We're not sure what else to do beyond that because their struggles are more than we are able to help them with. 

This week, I went on my first exchanges! So fun. I went to Taber with Sister Baer, and Sister Layton stayed in Lethbridge with Sister Kolkova. It was really neat to see other ways to do things and to experience a different area. We visited a lot of less active members in Taber, and then had supper with their ward mission leader and a recent convert. Such sweet people. 

We've done lots of service this week, helping members clean and pack so they can move, and we also helped a sister in our ward throw a birthday party for her three year old! We got some really awesome Spider-Man cupcakes out of it!

I would now like to plead with each of you who are reading this. Throughout the week, we have visited with people who have told us so many negative experiences they have had with members of the church who have treated them poorly, resulting in them not wanting to return to church. Brothers and Sisters, please. You. Cannot. Do. That. Be aware of how you treat people! Be aware of the things you say and the tone with which you say them! Be kind to others, serve them! These brothers and sisters of ours are in need of love and acceptance, and we need to give it to them! I was reading in Mosiah, and I came across the scripture mastery verse from seminary, Mosiah 2:17. "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." This really stuck out to me because we are always looking for ways to serve God. And the only way to do that is to serve His children, to love them, to show kindness and acceptance to them. So please, I urge you all, to look for ways that you can reach out to someone this week, to try and make someone's day a little happier. And you know what? They might not receive you too well. And that's fine. Do it anyways.

I love you all and I know you are all doing the best you can. Thank you so much for your love and support, it means so much to me. Except, Jacob Pipkin, how many times do I have to yell at you before you email me, you rotten little brother. Come on. 

I know I'm here in Canada for a reason, and I've seen it in the way these people have impacted me in the four short weeks I've been here. 

Signing out, 

Sister Pipkin <3