Transfers are this week!!

Hey Mom!

Tuesday after district meetings at the new building in spotsylvania (it looks soo cool) i was on an exchange with Elder Coy Tolle, from Idaho, in Culpeper. That day there was a tornado warning. But it was like a huricane was going on. It was raining really really hard. The wind was blowing extremley fast. We were driving on this little road out in Reva (a little town in the area) and we were stopped behind a truck. There was a tree in the road and city workers were there sawing it in half and moving it out of the way. As soon as they did we started driving. The truck went 3 feet forward and then we herd a loud snap and a huge tree collapsed right in front of the truck. We were like right behind it. So at this point we turned around and booked it out of there. Something hit the roof and made a huge noise and tress were leaning back and forth over the roads. It was pretty scary, but Heavenley Father protects us so we got out of there safely. It was a close one tho. Then on wednesday we helped sister craighead wash the limo and she let us wash our car. We visited with some other people. Then that night we had a really good recent conver lesson with Brother Bridges (who says he knows the Jeffries really well. He grew up in the White Oak ward) and Brother albach and Zharia. She is still being really difficult but brother Bridges is the local school councelor so he handled the situation really really well. On thursday Chris Thug Poet (our gangster investigator) drove us to my infusion. That was fun. He is hysterical. I got my medicine and everything is well! On friday we had the normal fun of weekley plannoing (insert sarcasm) I hate being in the appartment most the day hahaha. Then we did a lot of walking going around trying to find people and talk with diffrent poeple that we have been trying to see for a while. But we had a good lesson with Aaron. We are going to teach him all about temples and marraige next time. He admitted that the whole problem is with him and thats why he wont marry jessica. Then on Saturday we walked a ton again. We are at the end of the month and are close to our limit for our miles so we are trying to drive as least as possible. But there was a ward picnic that we got a ride to by this young couple. They are way awesome and feed us a lot. The picnic was way awesome. There was a ton of food and Elder Tank was running around with the football. But here is a little taste of how things are done in the south. The guy from the ward brought rockets and launch pads and all the kids were setting off rockets. They were chasing them all over the place and the last one came flying down into the woods and you hear a loud bang and the guy that was working it all was like "well  that will be the last one for the day" while people are looking around like what just happened, hysterical. Then we had a fun day at church.  And it ended with an awesome dinner at the 1st councilors house with chicken kabobs! Then we saw some more people. But this week was way fun.

 We unforunatley recieved some really bad news about Walley (sister craigheads husband) he had hip replacement surgery and during physical therapy had a heart attack., He is now at the hospital in UVA down in Charelottesville (about 30 mins away) and will be having a triple bipass surgery tomorrow. So the whole ward is trying to help out there. Sister Craighead came to church last week and was really excited to come again this week so the ward see's this as the perfect time to help out and show their love and support. I hope Walley will be ok. We had an awewsome lesson with Mrs Kelsey and we think she is almost ready to be baptized!! Transfers are this week, so i have no idea if im going to leave or not!

Love ya miss ya!!!!

Love Elder Powell

Yup, thats how its done in Culpeper!

Hey Mom!

 

This week went really fast. We had a ton of dropped appointments. We spent a lot of the week trying to find new investigators. That hasent really gone well lol. We are struggling trying with that. We were supposed to have an appoinment with Melissa and no can find her. We finally met her parents and they told us that she took off to Maryland and may not ever come back to Virginia. But the Palmers and us are constantly calling and texting to see what the situation is. 

The biggest thing that happened was on saturday we went to the Visitors center. That was way awesome. Friday Matt and Jessica actually called to tell us they had to cancel but thankfully they called later that night and said they were able to make it. So we ended up going. They had so much fun. Elder Ravia and I forgot our cameras so the only pictures we have is of them outside the temple. They took it on their phone. They look happy its way awesome. They were telling everyone about it at church. We watched this video on familes and they were crying and Jessica was like "are all these videos going to make me cry?" hahaha. They were shocked when they saw that the Book Of Mormon was in so many languages. They were going around the table and were like "look its in this language and this one and this one" It was pretty funny. Then after the tour of the Visitors Center we walked around the temple. They were taking a ton of pictures. They were excited because when we were there the son set so they were able to get some good pictures of the temple with all the lights on. That was extremley fun. The best part was we drove up there in Matts off road car. The wheels have skulls and bones on it. It was really funny when we rolled up to the Visitors Center and people were like staring because it was this huge loud car coming in and then 2 missionaries hop out hahaha. Yup thats how its done in Culpeper! 

Sunday was also a really good day. The talks were on Agency and one of the speakers was talking about this situation with him and his wife and he sias he had 2 choices to either blow up or try to see it from her side. He chose to see it from her eyes and the whole situation was diffused. It was just a bad case of poor communication that could of been a lot worse. But everyone learned a lot from his talk. Then Elder Ravia and I taught gospel principles. That was fun. The best part was the LA sister Craighead who we have been working with since we first got here came to church! Her husband did not how ever. (hes not a member) All her friends were there and were welcoming her so it was a good day. Were having dinner with her and her husband tonight so its going to be a good follow up with her on church. Well thats it for this week. Mrs Kelsey is doing good and still spoils us with treats and everyone esle is doing good. Just another week in Culpeper!

 

Love ya!

 

HE PUTS THEM IN YOUR PATH!

Hi mom!

This week definitley had more stuff going on than last hahaha. On monday we saw Chris. His uncle got in a huge accident a coulple months ago and is recovering at Chris' place. So while were there i was talking with chris while Ravia was talking with his uncle and it was a good time. We really got to know both of them and it was way awesome. Then on tuesday we had our normal district meetings and we had a lesson with Mrs Kelsey. She had a lot of questions about native americans being in america (the lamanites) and also about polygamy. So that was an interesting lesson hahaha. But as soon as i walked in i was like "mrs kelsey can i have a glass of water?" and she was like "i knew you would ask that so i already have a pitcher of lemonade prepared with cups" She is sooooo awesome we all just love her so much! Wedensday was really fun as well. We got a call from president Riggs saying he would be at our appartmnet at 6. He wanted to come on splits with us so that was way fun. He took the piedmont elders and us to Ihop so that was way legit. Then all our appointments canceled so we visited members with him. There is this question that he wants us to ask a lot of the members in our wards so he drove us around asking diffrent members. Thrusday was fun. Service again at the greenhouse while it was raining so bad! hahaha then later that night we had 2 dinners for like the 4th time in 2 weeks hahaa. The 2nd was with this bf and gf that moved into our appartmnets. They are investigators of piedmonts but we all helped them move in so they had us over for pizza that night. Its funny our ward only feeds us like 3 times a week. but recentley the nights we have dinner afterwards investigators are like have you eaten????? here's dinner if yo want some! as they give us a huge plate. A) i have a islander as a companion so you know he will always eat the food. B) this forces me to because i cant say no and look rude so ya its been really fun with elder ravia hahaha but whos complaining. not me. On Friday we were able to do more service for Mrs Kelsey and she gave me a ibc cream soda and the rest rootbeer and then she gave us all cup holders she got for us at the Outerbaks in North Carolina. She is so awesome!!!! 

Then we stopped by Zharia and told her mutual was at brother pullens on friday so she want and had a lot of fun. We were on our way home from Matt and Jessicas and Brother pullen called and was like "the girls are gone come eat!" So we a couple meatball subs and fruit salad and it was just way legit. Saturday we helped Brother Haught from the piedmont ward and thats always way fun. Hes like 92 and is just hysterical. His son has Crohns disease and he asked if i had it and i was like actually i do hahaha. So he was like "O MY GOSH" and wanted to learn more so i told him my history hahaha. But hes really nice and kind. Later we saw the craigheads. (Wiley and Mary). They are hysterical rednecks so thats always a fun visit.  Sunday was way awesome. So it was stake conference. Well when we were with pres Riggs we visited the palmers who helped us with taking Aarons family shopping. We told pres Riggs and he announced it at Stake Conference because brother palmers little kids Andrew and Brian came with him so he could have a companion and when they herd their names they were like were famous! and all the little kids from primary were like we herd your name! Brother Palmers mom lives in the Stafford ward and was their and wnt up tp president Riggs and was like thats my grandkids. Then sister Riggs mentioned in her talk about my nurse that got baptized and i was like to elder ravia "dude thats my nurse!" Right afterwards we had a lesson with a spanish man that Brother Palmer was going to translate for us. He drove us over there but the man was not home. As we were walking to the car this little girl and her mom walked by us and i just had this feeling to talk to them. So we did. We ended up teaching the first lesson with brother palmer. We are teaching her again at the Palmers tomorrow and the palmers are picking her up for church on sunday. It was crazy how amazing the spirit was in the lesson and everything is just perfect!!!!!!Then we proceeded to have lunch at the craigheads. A steak and a sandwhich lunch and went immediatley to dinner at another families house hahaha. But it was way fun. Then we saw chris again. We talked a lot again and it went really well. Then at 1230 last night he called to talk with me. He says he wants to be a mormon and be baptized but i told him there were some questions he had to asnwer and the serious crime part he admitted to some stuff that i dont know if he'll be able to be baptized. So its a hard situation that i didnt think we'd have to explain to some that they cannot be baptized. But we will contine to work hard. Brother plamer after the lesson was like "this is what happens when you go out and show the lord your willingness to work". And its so true. HE PUTS THEM IN YOUR PATH! Great week!!

 

Love ya!!

Elder Powell

Still loving the south!

Hey Mom!

This week was very tiring. We had a normal fun Pday on monday. Then on tuesday most the day was service. We were helping a couple diffrent people. But it was way fun. Then on Wednesday me and the elder from Norway went on an exchange. We had a lot of diffrent finding opputunities. 

We got 2 new investigators, 5 solid potentials, 1 new on date and we actuall recieved a referal from headquarters. This is the funny story about the referal. It is the mother of a lady who converted 4 years ago and is in our ward. But something happened witht he husband and he got offended or something so that is why she wasnt coming. But now we are teaching her mother so the ward is hoping that really hleps motivate her to come back.

But wednesday was filled with all sorts of fun. On thursday we had a long zone conference out in Fredericksburg. Man President Riggs is so hysterical! But he is making a lot of changes so were trying to adjust. But we love him. Friday we did more work on the greenhouse. Nothing really to report there hahaha. Then we had an appointment with Aaron and that canceled but we were able  to meet with some other people so its all good. Then on sunday Elder Ravia and I confirmed Matt and Jessica. That was way cool. The ward here is starting to really try to help us out. 

Well sorry but their isnt to much to report. Still loving the south!  I love you and hope everyone is good!  Behave!

 

Love Elder Powell