Birthday and Transfers!

Well, I know this is a HUGE shocker to all of you, but I am staying in Bountiful!! Woohoo! 6 more weeks! 6 more weeks!! 

My trainer, Sister Haddock is staying too. So is my district leader and his companion and actually most of our district! I'm so excited! 

  

Elder Crow - our district leader - says some pretty funny things sometimes! He's SO quiet, and he kinda speaks in a monotone, so you wouldn't always expect it from him! But last week when we were telling him about a family that we are trying to teach but that we have decided to do service for until they are more comfortable with us he gave us some great advice. He said, "Just teach them Ammon style. And then one day he'll say, "Are you sent from God?" and you'll say, "Yes." And then they'll get baptized." HA! (please see the Book of Mormon for information about Ammon. :) He also told us that he wants to get a portable baptismal font for those people who have been meeting with the missionaries for years, have agreed to be baptized, and just haven't picked a date yet. "Priesthood not included." 

It would be very helpful though! :) 

This week I had a door slammed in my face for the first time. It was actually HILARIOUS. We were visiting the G Family but they weren't home so their son answered the door instead. He has a disease that appears like autism (but isn't quite.) So he opened the door, murmured something, and then closed it again. That happened again the next day, and then when we stopped back later in the evening (when both of their cars were there!) his DAD who is a HOOT opens the door mockingly (before we could even knock!) pretends to notice us, and slams it in our faces! We were cracking up! Then we had to explain how that happened twice with his son, and he says "Yes!" Apparently they have been teaching their son not to open the door for strangers, so there's some progress! And we're taking them to General Conference which is in TWO WEEKS! 

We met another very sweet woman this week! She is wildly eccentric, but so kind! We visited her for awhile and mostly let her talk - she admitted to being kinda lonely. Her home is painted bright yellow, with red trim and light blue lawn furniture. It's covered with flowers and faeries. Really she would be much more at home back in Maryland! Utah is a little too normal sometimes... back home they have Renn Fest and Faerie Con and the Sheep and Wool festival and all KINDS of fun things that she would love! We had a wonderful conversation about faith and God's love and how each person in this world is so important. She has a desire to run up and hug every single person and tell them how special they are. She's a grandma, but she still dances barefoot in the rain. And after we talked she gave us some tomatoes from her garden and thanked the plant for giving us fruit. :) 

We heard a speaker this week named Matt Townsend. (You can google him.) He was HILARIOUS. He spoke about how men and women are very different because we're designed differently and for different purposes. I think my favorite comment was about the brain. Men have bigger brains - about 11% bigger. But the size doesn't matter. What matters is the neurons, and men and women have the same amount - women just pack them in better. When women talk, they use their WHOLE brain. We talk to strengthen relationships. When men talk they use only half of their brains - their goals with talking are simply to report/transmit data. So we all have a bundle of fibers that connect the two halves of our brains. In his words this is what he said, "The women have a super highway with high speed cars. The men have a country road. With a donkey. With a 3 legged donkey. With asthma. A THREE LEGGED, asthmatic donkey. That would rather sit in his lazy-boy and eat cheetos." He was pretty hilarious. But then he tied all of these differences back into our divine nature. We all have a body, a mind and a Spirit. We know that our Spirit's lived with God before we came to earth, but since we were still learning and growing we were IMPERFECT, and that was totally ok! We were imperfect and lived with God and we never felt unworthy. So what makes us feel unworthy or inadequate? Our body's? No. Our Spirit's? No. It's our minds. And part of our great challenge here is to order our mind to obey our Spirits. When we are in the Spirit, and communing with God, and feeling truth THEN we are in a state of peace and cheerfulness. 

I had a birthday this week! I'm 25 years old! WHAT?! We spent my Birthday visiting some people in the hospital. It was a wonderful way to spend a birthday! I got tons of letters and packages. And then one of our ward mission leaders that we work with hosted a birthday get together for me! Our friends Sharon and Ruth came! As well as some families that we've had dinner with over the past few weeks. It was wonderful! We had a bonfire with mushroom poppers (bacon wrapped mushrooms cooked over the fire) and marshmallows and tons and tons of CAKE. Good food, good friends, good times. :)

Finally we got to see the Ogden temple dedication! They broadcast it to all of the local churches out here, which was so great! I've never been to a dedication before! This is where they dedicate the temple as a House of the Lord just before it begins operating. As Latter-Day Saints we worship each Sunday in a church and anyone is welcome there! But we also attend the temple which requires a temple recommend. It's a wonderful building and it feels so good to be there! As the dedicatory prayer was being given I felt as if Jesus Christ Himself was standing next to President Eyring who was giving the prayer. (Or rather, repeating the prayer that President Monson had given at a session earlier that day) So I peeked. ;) I did not see Christ, but I did feel His presence and I think that is enough. 

Sister Haddock and I are excited for 6 more weeks in Bountiful! I'm excited to continue to serve the people in this community and to see all of the great works that will happen here! I love you all!

Sister Tipton