Surprise Moves Call pt. 2

So, yesterday we got a moves call.... And I'm staying in Montrose for at least 5 more weeks, and Sister Skagen is moving to Kirkcaldy. This is what happens when you tell President that you are fluent in sign language. They move you to where the deaf people are. My new companion will be Sister Norin, from Sweden! She's coming from serving with my beloved Sister Morrison in Bathgate! It'll be good. We were expecting change, but not this change! Crazy. Guess the area still needs me. 

This week has been good--rough but good. 

Monday was extra rest and recovery from tossing cookies, Tuesday I was EXHAUSTED, but all good to work. We decorated the family history center with trees and leaves with people's names and dates on them. I love love Taletta Jamieson, our Family History leader/Ward missionary. She's amazing, and so much fun. She is so loving! Just so great. 

We did service for Chris and Iris Adam on Thursday--painting lawn chairs, which is a pretty satisfying work :)  And the weather has just be brilliant for it!

Ritchie is the guy who gave us the 6 page essay, right? So this week he gave us some online material to try and widen our perspective and disprove the Book of Mormon... yeah, we threw it away. 

We were worried that we would have to take a step back from Tracy, because she hasn't been keeping a lot of her commitments, but when we went to see her on Saturday she had read 2-3 chapters and was so excited, and said the closing prayer (vocal prayers are hard for her!), expressing how grateful she was! Even though she had an insane work week, she still read! I love her. I don't care how long it takes her, she'll get there :) 

Sunday we taught Young Womens (loved it!) about the Restoration, from "Come Follow Me", and it was really good. And I played a piano solo in sacrament meeting of "Come Thou Fount"... it had to be pretty simple, because I haven't had the time I would like to practice, but it turned out fine. 

Sorry the email is lame this week--I don't know what happened! Transfers can be kind of distracting.... :) We've just been in shock that Sis. Skagen has had only 6 weeks here in Montrose, but transfers are revelation. We're in the places we're called to for a reason at this time with this person--I know that to be true! 

I love you all, I wish I had more to tell you! Keep the faith! Prayer is real! 

Love,

Sister Mary Ann Kirkpatrick

Black Poison, 6 Pages, and Tossing Cookies

So this week was crazy. We had tea with a non-member couple on Monday, and Tuesday we instructed in District Meeting about gaining trust with the members--turned out pretty good. 

We met a man named Ritchie last week who said he had a list of questions for us--the "list" turned out to be a 6-page paper about why God doesn't exist, and that he is a bully if he does. I absolutely destroyed it, writing notes all over it, but when it came to the lesson, I was so scared. I'm lucky to have a companion who listens to the Spirit and guided me to about half a dozen scriptures that spoke to me. It was a tender moment. And the lesson--well, it was one of those lessons that you can't help but try and keep up--let alone teach anything structured. Man. Ritchie. I'm going to teach him in the Spirit World if someone else doesn't get to him first.

We had dinner with a member family on Wed.--the Watsons, and they are so great! After dinner the kids took us out to show us the tent they put up over their Easter holidays, and they were playing inside, and we watched them play a marco-polo type game with sleeping bags over their heads--super cute, and then we started playing this tag-type game called Black Poison that I definitely want to play with my own kids! It was super fun, and before we knew it, the whole family was playing! I love them a lot. 

So then, on Saturday we went to lunch with visiting senior couples and we got a new phone, which was good, but then...

Sunday morning woke up at 4:30, hot, high pulse, and very very dizzy (laying down--weird, right?). I ended up tossing my cookies and falling asleep sitting up. Oh, and the power went out during all this--twice. Oh man. It was one for the books. The seagulls were going MAD. Sister Skagen was running around, trying to fill up water pitchers and anything big she can get her hands on so we will have water when it stops coming out of the faucet. 

But it didn't stop coming out...just didn't heat up. Except the shower didn't work. Its electric. 

I do not understand Europe sometimes. 

It turned out to be fine, we stayed in the flat except for sacrament meeting. The members are so so sweet--they were so kind, picking us up for sacrament, taking us home, wishing us well, and the Glanvilles brought us dinner and gave me a blessing. I feel so so blessed to have the opportunity to know these people and serve them. I was determined to at least get to sacrament, because I remember President Paterson in Falkirk promising me on my first Sunday in the mission field that if a missionary partakes of the sacrament each Sunday, they will be sustained from week to week. I know that to be true, and I couldn't miss it, even if I was sick. And I really wanted to take the opportunity to bear my testimony (even if my knees were wobbly and knocking together like Bambi, or a new missionary, all over again!) I always find bearing my testimony for my unit a sweet, bonding experience--I don't know how or why, but it always increases my love for them, and I feel like they feel a little bit closer to me.

So, yep. Things are good. I'm doing great--I love being a missionary! The Spirit is strong with this one :) 

Oh, and here's a picture that I didn't send from when we were in Dundee to see the Easter Choir. We went to dinner at an awesome pizza place with the other sisters :) <3

I love you all! Hope you're well! Keep the faith!

Love,

Sister Kirkpatrick

(or as the Watsons say: Sister Caterpacket!)