December 28, 2009 "White Wash"

This is the first time we got lost. If anyone has an extra GPS, send it my way!!

Beagle Kansas, in Pres Chandler's words, "Now here's a nice, little town, wasn't it?"

A branch member's home had this hammock out front. I love it! In the middle of winter.

It was so much fun to talk to the fam. I wanted to surprise you when I called from the middle of nowhere, Kansas. My new area is called Mound City Branch. I’m with darling Sister Kimberly Frandsen from South Jordan, UT. She is pretty much the actress from the Notebook. She is super cute and we get along great! We were "blind transferred" or "white washed" into the area, meaning neither one of us knows left from right. It's the first time these little towns have ever seen sister missionaries. The elders here have only been a part of the branch for about a year, if I understand right.

Turns out the people here are used to lessons, which take hours and hours. Some were surprised when we wanted to share a spiritual thought. I feel like a fish out of water, but it's a fun challenge. I miss the family of the Visitors' Center sisters, but there is an even stronger family here in the Mound City area. Each person we have met so far is wonderful! The branch members will do anything for the missionaries. ANYthing. It blows my mind. Some struggles we can sense are trying to keep lessons short, staying within our allotted car miles, and finding new investigators. The people here react very differently to missionaries than I am used to. We have heard that in the past, there have been some messy situations involving members of the church, so there is quite an “Anti-Mormon” tension. I know Heavenly Father placed Sister Frandsen and I together to get the work really moving out here. She and I are always on the same brain wave. It’s nuts! We will need to rely more on inspiration than ever because we need new ideas and we are both so new, neither one of us knows what to do. Living with the branch president has been such a blessing. He and Sister Chandler have been so very helpful in getting us adjusted to the branch.

OK, so Christmas was a blur. We met a bunch of people from the branch and ate lots of food. Everywhere we went, they had gifts for us. One sister gave us a huge bag of super useful stuff like sunglasses, nylons, one of those nighttime eye masks (ha ha!). Everyone here is so loving. I can't even get over it. My last area, it was a big sacrifice for sisters to come on team-ups for a few hours because they were so busy, but here life is slower paced, so they can dedicate a large amount of time.

Sis Chandler and I do yoga every single morning. She is ha-LAR-ious. She enjoys baking, which is making us even fatter, because we enjoy eating. Pres. Chandler is a gentle lamb. He has a hearty, contagious laugh that shakes the house. He is very willing to help and often stays up late with us, teaching us the ropes. People are missionary-minded and excited to share the Gospel with their friends, however their friends seem to not progress. The investigators we have met and read about from the area book seem to want a friend more than to learn more about the Church. I don't know, though. I am sure I am judging too soon. Funny quote:

"I'm from South Jordan. It's kind of a suburb. You know, like houses and stuff, near a big city. Have you heard of Salt Lake?" -Sis F
"Yeah, I know what a suburban is". - boy named ***

Awkward.

I find myself saying phrases like "Man, I am so used to..." or "It wasn't this way in my last area" a lot. It's such an adjustment.

Welp! Time to go!

Love you!