First Snow on the Cornfield

Hello Family!

I LOVE YOU!

This past week has been a crazy one! All the days really blend together, but I guess they kind of do that anyways. Sister Kusnerik and I have hardly been together all this week and we have not been able to spend very much time in our area. Monday was P-day, of course. On Tuesday, we had exchanges with the Greenview Sisters, who we used to live with until they moved to their area in Iowa so they could save miles on their car. I was with Sister Shelly. Exchanges are really stressful because the junior companion kind of becomes the senior companion for a day because they are the ones that know the area they are in. Yikes! We spent a lot of the day knocking on doors and talking to people, but not a whole lot happened, but I guess we got some exercise and it was nice to be outside because it was a nice day. On Wednesday, we had district meeting and then worked in the Trail Center, which I was very grateful for because it snowed! Big huge flakes that were super wet. We had the Elders pull up our cars right next the building for us as we were leaving district meeting. We are teaching them to be good husbands one day. Ha ha!

On Thursday, we ended up going on exchanges again (usually we only have exchanges once a transfer), so Sister Askren came with me. We working the Trail Center in the morning, after which Sister Askren was sick, so we stayed at the Trail Center and I had another sister come with me to our appointment that we had that night. That is one blessing of the Trail Center, especially during the winter when it is getting slower. If one companion is sick, you can usually find one extra person to go out on exchanges with you so that you do not just have to sit around waiting for your companion to feel better.

On Friday, we had exchanges day three. Sister Kusnerik had to be at Zone Leader council, so I went out with Sister Atkin this time. People keep saying how miracles always happen on exchanges, but I had yet to see one after two days of exchanges. After trying to check on a few people and not having a lot of luck, we headed to a trailer park in the area with a whole list of former potentials and former investigators to check on. As we headed to the first address, we found a referral for the Spanish Elders before finding the right address. The man was home and although he did not seem very interested at first, with a little coaxing he opened right up and came out onto his front porch where we taught him a lesson. Two miracles! So awesome.

Sister Kusnerik and I got to spend all day Saturday and Monday in the area together, which was great and Sunday we spent in the Trail Center and at church. So, overall, an eventful but then not very eventful week.

Well, I guess that’s about it! Sorry I have not been writing very many letters lately. I should be writing some tonight. We frequently have district activities or other things going on with other Sisters or try to do something fun or go shopping (winter coming!) and don't have very much time left for anything else. P-day typically lasts from 10 am (after studies) to 6 pm, at which we are expected to be out in our area working. This week, we had district meeting this morning until 1 so we now have the rest of the night for p-day. We are going to clean our apartment and hopefully have some time for letter writing. (I have a lot to catch up on!) Elder Golden of the Seventy is coming next week for Stake Conference/Mission Tour, so we have to be ready for apartment checks.

Love you!

Sister Melly

Wow, I keep thinking that I need to write shorter emails, but I think that they actually are getting longer. I will work on that.

I am at the Naylor's house right now doing our emailing. They took us to see great grandma and grandpa (on mom’s side) Morton in the cemetary that is not too far from their house. I have some pictures, but I am still working on how to send them to you. I printed some off last week and will send them in the mail tomorrow. Then we went to Target and got some groceries. I looked at boots because I don’t have any yet, but didn't see much. We will go looking again next week. I told Elder Naylor that you got the package. I just gave him my pedigree chart and he did all of it himself in less than a week. He does it for all of the sisters who are serving in the Trail Center. He gave me a copy of the book and the big chart (I assume you got that too, if not, it should be on its way) for me to have here and then made another copy to send home. And then paid for it it to be sent! They must spend a fortune doing it all, but we all are very fortunate. We don't get to work on indexing, but we have offered to do pedigree charts for a couple different people, so hopefully someone will tell me how to get started on that for them :). One of the members in the Oakview ward in big on indexing so I told her about our indexing sessions.

Love you!

Sister Melly

Sister Melly answers questions:

Is your apartment complex a large one?

There are three sections to the building, with three stairwells. . Each section has three floors with four apartments on each floor, so 36 apartments.

Are the units like your condo last year at school?

Size wise, yes, but they are very sparsley furnished, which is fine. We don’t spend a whole lot of time there at all.

Does the Church own it or do they just lease part of it?

They just rent like 5 apartments- one senior couple, us, two set of elders, two sets of sisters,and a single set of sisters.

Are you and Sister Kusnerik in the apartment alone or has another companionship moved in?

We are still alone

Do you have a set schedule at the Trail Center or is it different every week?

It is different every week.

Are you there on Sundays?

We always work on Sundays- either from 12:30 to 9 or 12:30 to 5, every other week

.

Are you scheduled so you can go to your ward?

Yep. They make sure that everyone can attend their ward or wards (one set of sisters cover two wards, so they attend both wards each week)

How is your area going?

Its going fine. We just haven't had a lot of time in the area this last week, but the time we have had had been great!

Is this week transfers?

Sure is! The new missionaries should have gotten here today and we will have transfer calls tomorrow morning. We are pretty sure that Sister Kusnerik and I will not be going anywhere.

Did you do the genealogy?

I do not know anything more about geneology than I did when I left, which is nothing. Elder Naylor is amazing at it. I would call him professional, but not technically - he is very involved in it though. He is doing a workshop next weekend for investigators and whoever we want to invite, so if we find someone to go, we can go with them!

Have I told you that Katie and Cody are coming here for Christmas?

Yes! Hooray! Why did they decide to do that?

You can talk to us all at once. Can you SKYPE?

We do SKYPE.

How are JJ and her husband doing?

I actually have not seen them in a while. They were not at church this last Sunday. They are so great. Just really great people. I have heard that the gospel has completely turned her in a 180 and that he was less active before, so things are changing for them in a great way.