Malolelei

It's been another great week in Dunn, NC! We are tremendously blessed when we are obedient to the Lord. The week started with a whirlwind: packing, cleaning and preparing for our new sister. I was bent and determined to vacuum the car before she got here, so getting that done a bit was a relief (: Tuesday morning, we left at 7am for Raleigh, and I got to learn about how to be a good example (inspired instruction). Right before we met our new sisters, President Bernhisel mentioned that she pronounces her name: Oh-LEE-veh, and I had to laugh. I said "well, we're two peas in a pod." It's nice to have a companion whose name is harder to pronounce than mine is hehe. It's actually spelled: Olive. So we have an olive and a butcher, nearly a round meal. We have gotten along great since the get go. Sister Olive comes from San Francisco, and she's Tongan, so she teaches me a lot about how to be pc and relax and go with the flow. It's very good, since I tend to stress out about being a good missionary etc. and she knows just what to say to put things in perspective. I am looking forward to this week, since she will be cooking me some tongan food (: I feel Zac should be jealous about this... Brother Pipkin had a very spiritual experience with us when we taught about patriarchal blessings. He changes every time we see him, he is becoming more peaceful and confident in the Lord's plan for him. We are excited for the changes he is making! He has gone almost a full week without smoking, and we fasted with him to help him curb his addiction. I think we often underestimate the power of fasting and prayer. We had a great experience this week with finding. We made a commitment to be early to every appointment on Friday, and to leave on time. When we arrived at our first appointment 5 minutes early, and were making a few calls, a neighbor of the less active woman walked out of her trailer, and over to her truck. She climbed in the truck to get something out of the bed, and tripped and fell. We quickly pulled up, and went over to help her. When we got over there, she looked relieved; she stopped calling for help, and began speaking with us. We introduced ourselves, offered assistance, and then explained to her that we are representatives of Jesus Christ. We taught about the Book of Mormon and read with her. She eagerly accepted an invitation to read it, and meet with us again this week! We are amazed at the blessing Heavenly Father provided as we sought to be exactly obedient. There is NO WAY we will ever again let ourselves be late!! Funny how the Lord is really targeting my weaknesses, and helping me become strong. I am grateful for the atonement. Ether 12:27. Love, Sister B