October 6, 2009

General Conference at the VC...brrr!

Elder and Sister Viking

My new comp, Sheryll Balois (her family is Filipino)

I have had an eventful week, too, with General Conference and a new companion. I feel like time flies faster and faster the longer I am out here. My new companion's name is Sheryll Balois, from New Jersey. I think we both needed each other. She is very patient with me as I am trying to learn how to be a missionary. She helps me feel important and involved. We think differently sometimes, which is turning out to be great because I'm learning how to better communicate my feelings. We have little "gratitude moments" each night where we talk about what we are thankful for, about each other. It's fun! We have rearranged the furniture and the Area Book. I'm so excited for this transfer! We are ready to work hard and find joy serving together. She is super organized and professional, which is fantastic because I have so much to learn in that area of life. There have been some sisters who have had a hard time, I guess? Anyway, it's going to be great.

Yesterday, we saw a neat miracle. The part member family we had planned to visit wasn't home, so we started toward the car. We saw a young woman attempting to carry a broken bookshelf down to the dumpster and offered to help. As we carried the wood downstairs, we found out she had recently been robbed (her car and her home). She has an incredible attitude about the whole thing and I learned a lot from her perspective on life and material things. She invited us inside for a lesson. She loved learning about The Book of Mormon and said "I've been needing something like this!" Heavenly Father is answering our prayers by sending us prepared people. I also think he is showing us that we need to drop those we area teaching who aren't progressing in the Gospel (something I thought would be harder than it is...I think only because I pray a TON about having His help with it).

My last few days with Sis Moody, we went to Clinton's Soda Fountain. It's where U.S. Pres Harry Truman worked when he was a kid. It's so fun! It's totally old fashioned. We got some cute pictures. Then we walked across the street to where they were having this Scandinavian Festival...? And we took a hilarious picture with this cutout "Viking couple" (where you poke your heads through). Oh my gosh! Such a blast! I made CDs of all my pictures, so they will be coming in the mail soon.

General Conference was, of course, inspiring. If I was on shift at the VC during the session, I was huddled with the other sisters around a laptop up front...freezing (for some reason the air conditioning is stuck ON). If I was not on shift, I was next door at the stake center, watching the broadcast. We didn't have any investigators attend, unfortunately, though some promised they would. This was the first time I really took separate notes, not from their words, but from the Spirit. I had attempted to do this in the past (at home), but had not yet experienced such great personal revelation. Several people were brought to mind that I needed to follow up with something or at least write a letter to. I saw things that I need to share with families who come through the Visitors' Center. I learned from the way the general authorities present themselves. My favorite talk was by Tad R Callister, on his testimony of Joseph Smith. He presented it so simply and powerfully. It helped to make my testimony firmer that Joseph did, in reality, have a visit from God the Father and Jesus Christ. I love studying about prophets and how my calling as a missionary is similar in that I am here to testify and teach. This is God' work. He is real. He does answer prayers. This I know, and only can know, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

With love,

Sister Roo Adamson

PS We have a sister in our ward who was recently baptized (May 2009) and who plans to attend the temple with the ward on Saturday, October 24th. Sis Balois and I asked for permission to go. I hope it works out! It would be to the St Louis temple.