Tornado and Frogs

So this week was pretty crazy!  On Monday, after we had finished all of our p-day festivities, we went out to visit some less actives and non members but no one was home, and I mean no one!!  We tried so many people but we had no success, so we went to a parking lot, just sitting there having no clue what to do, so we decided to say a prayer.  After we said the prayer, we still had no idea what to do, until I saw this guy keep walking around his car like five times, so I said that if he didn't get in his car and drive away we were to talk to him, and guess what, he didn't!  So we went over there to talk to him and realized that it was the guy that we gave food to at the BK lounge!  We taught the Plan of Salvation with him right there in the Waffle House parking lot and got a return appointment!  It's so crazy how even little and simple prayers can be answered if you have the courage to act.

On Thursday we went to help the other elders move this lady into her new home, it was so bad...  The place was nasty.  There were like 5 dogs and it smelled like a zoo.  Not to mention that nothing was boxed up and ready to go.  We did everything for her!  It ended up taking over 6 hours to do everything but it was worth it because of one thing she said. as we were hauling everything out of the uhaul (at her new home) she said "I feel like I'm not doing anything."  At first I thought to myself "Well pick up a box!"  Then I thought "You know what service is all about."  It made me tear up a little to know how thankfull she was!  Even though it was nasty and took forever, that one simple line made it all worth while!

On Wednesday, after I got back from another trade off (it is awesome being a district leader's companion) we were stuck in our apartment almost all day.  Our phone kept blowing up with tornado warnings and then the Zone Leaders told us to stay inside until the weather calmed down, because they already had 2 tornados hit them in Destine.  So while stuck inside, I just jammed out to all the church music that we had, studied a little and wrote some letters.  It was super nice to relax for a day!

After the warnings were gone, we went out and helped with the Young Women in Excellence for the ward.  I had never been to one, but it was awesome!  It was all about temples, and how important the temples are in our lives.  One of the young women talked about how lucky they were to have a temple FOUR HOURS away, because people can save up their entire lives to go to the temple and still not have the opportunity to go.

The people here are thankful for a temple 4 hours away and they go every month and yet people in Utah have temple all around them that are no longer than 20 minutes away and say they don't have enough time.  Yes you do.  It's the temple, it is the house of God, if you don't have 2 or 3 hours to go to the house of God, then you need to get your priorities straight.  Go to the temple as much as you can!  It provides spiritual protection and peace from all the things that are going on in your life.

Love you all so much!

Elder Schipaanboord

PS: On the trade off, Elder Lindow and I caught a toad!