December, 12, 2016
So the biggest news of the week is that I am going to have a baby!!! In mission lingo this means that I am going to be training this next transfer. Which I will be honest makes me want to throw up a little bit, but Sister Dat said that she thinks that is a normal response, so I think that we are all good here in Brookings! So in the mission my new trainee will be my daughter and I will be her mother and then my wonderful mother will be her Grandma! Really the mission family thing is a beautiful thing!
Other then that our week was pretty good here in Brookings, this morning we are leaving early to go to the transfer spot so we decided to come a little bit before we leave to send off some emails 
😀 So let's just dive into my week shall we?
😀 So let's just dive into my week shall we?
So last Pday we spent a majority of the day trying to find Sister Datwyler a bag to fit all of her shoes that she has accumulated here in Brookings, we were not very successful which is pretty weird since we went to SO many Thrift Stores. Its sad to say but I am pretty sure these are the greatsest thrift stores in the world, because you know retired people come here, then they get old, then they die. So then their clothes and items get left here! So most of the time we find some great finds. But don't worry, some how she was able to fit everything in her suitcases, Heavenly Father truly blessed us in that aspect! There isn't really a lot of things to do here in Brookings in the winter because it is literally raining ALL the time. So I think this next transfer with my trainee that will be one of my goals. To find new things to do on Pdays. Suggestions are welcome. We then went to dinner with a member on Monday night to a Chinese Restaurant and at the end of our meal Sister Dat and I opened our fortune cookies and there was NO FORTUNE! What the goodness! So then one of the members gave us theirs to try and compensate. Well we opened that one and IT WAS EMPTY TOO. So the members made jokes about how we were then going to have bad luck. Thanks fortune cookies.
For Family Home Evening on Monday night with the Applebakers Sister Datwyler and I decided to do a dramatic representation of CPR. CPR is a great lesson that I love to teach to families, children, old people, okay really I love to teach it to everyone. CPR stands for Church, Prayer and Reading. So just like our bodies need CPR sometimes, so does our Spirit. And so as we usually teach this I start out by saying, "What would happen if Sister Datwyler fell on the ground, right now and we couldn't find a pulse?" So at this point Sister Datwyler was sitting in a beach chair and just fell over in thebeach chair, it was hilarious. Late she found out that she got a rather large bruise, we won't talk about where the large bruise is, but lets just say its probably as big as a grapefruit. But the Applebakers thought it was an awesome lesson. We really had fun with it! It has been so much fun to teach this family, since they have been baptized they truly have gained a light in their lives and it just makes my heart melt. Later during the week we were teaching the Restoration and one of them said, "I have to learn all about this for my mission one day," okay so maybe I teared up after hearing that, It's fine, I am fine.
On Tuesday, literally all of our lessons cancelled, that being 4 of them. Our service called and cancelled. And no one showed up to Book of Mormon class. Our fortunes came true, thanks fortune cookies. On the upside we were able to go tracting and find a new investigator. Her name is Diana and she actually lives in the same apartment complex that the Elders used to live in so the Elders knew her and would visit her a lot. So we are excited to be able to meet with her again this week!
On Wednesday we were able to go to a Less Active home who are having some problems following the commandments right now. But they told us that they wanted to receive the lessons again, so we thought, man this is awesome! Well they wanted the lessons out of the Gospel Principle book, which is fine, but they literally just wanted to read it word for word and not really have a discussion about it, which isn't what we look for as missionaries. So at then end we finally got them to talk, next week we are going to try and have more control over the lesson! Not really what we planned, but still good.
Okay so this is funny. So we got a hold of our service that cancelled on Tuesday (stupid fortune cookie) and we rescheduled for Thursday. Well it was with Barbara and we were just helping her decorate for Christmas which was actually a lot of fun. Then we were talking at the end and she told us that the reason she had to cancel was because she had a plumbing problem under her house and it was a mess on Tuesday, and she lost her filling in her tooth and so it was just really a bad day. We told her that was okay that we were just glad to be there then! Well as we kept talking we found out that she went to the SAME Chinese Restaurant that we did on Monday she just went on Sunday, and she had NO FORTUNE either! I am telling you, all the bad luck that has happened this week has all pointed to the fortune cookies, even with Barbara.
On Thursday we were also able to teach a lesson to a Recent Convert and her husband who is investigating the church. The recent convert (Catherine) sometimes likes to go really deep into situations and really it makes it a little hard sometimes to teach her husband Danny. Well during this lesson we were teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, pretty simple, Faith, Repentance, Baptism, The Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End. And the lesson was going really well and Danny told us that he loves receiving the lessons from us, he has really started opening up and it is really cool to teach him. He is a smoker, and he told us this night that he doesn't have the desire to stop smoking, that he like smoking. So we are really worried about that. But he did tell us that he believes the church is true and that smoking is his only problem. Well believing is one thing and conversion is another. So we will continue to work with him.
On Friday we had the wonderful opportunity to go to Coos Bay at 6:30 am. For those of my fan club members who do now know, Coos Bay is a little over 2 hours away. And on Friday, it was literally raining the entire way so it took us a little bit longer then normal. Well while we were in Coos Bay, we were there for a Zone Training Meeting. It was really awesome because we were able to have this meeting in the Stake Presidents home, which I guess is something that he likes to do every year around Christmas, and man it was the greatest view, don't worry I have pictures. But it was so nice of them to host 20+ missionaries in their home. Also the meeting was really fabulous and I was able to learn a lot and learn how I can strive to become a better missionary. And they provided pizza for all the missionaries. One surprise that came from this meeting is that the Assistants to the President showed up for the meeting! So a little intimidating but it was cool. But we asked them to take our ornaments to President and Sister Russell for us and they forget them. GRRR. Every year President and Sister Russell have us make ornaments for the tree in the Mission Office. So Sister Datwyler and I got some ornaments and filled them with sand, they were pretty cute, but they will get there eventually! Then we were able to drive back to Brookings and have dinner with the 2 senior couples serving in the Coos Bay Zone. The Sivulas are in our district so we see them all the time. But the Talbots are a little further away so we only see them at Zone Meetings. But the Talbots got word that they are going home a month early so that they can spend Christmas with their families, we are sad to see them go but we are excited for them at the same time. Very mixed emotions. So we were able to eatdinner with them one more time, and of course we had clam chowder bowls, there is nothing better on a cold rainy day.
But because we didn't know about them coming down to Brookings for dinner until the middle of the week, we already had a dinner scheduled with the Applebakers. So we had 2 dinners that night, you could say that man we were stuffed. But because it was Friday night Sister Datwyler and I were waiting for possible transfer calls. If you are being called into leadership then you will get a call on Friday night, if not then you will be getting a call on Saturday. So we warned the Applebakers that we might be getting a call, and sure enough right as dinner had ended we got a call from President Russell to tel me that I am training. So you could say I was freaking out. I kind of knew that it was happening but it just really hit me then you know? But then we also found out that Sister Datwyler will we follow up training (so finishing the training) Sister Orr in MELROSE!!!! I seriously was so so so excited for her. She is going to good old Roseburg! She was really sad to be leaving an area right before Christmas, but I know that all of the members in Roseburg will treat her so well. There were a lot of tears that night in the Applebaker home. Then after that we went to a members home to tell them our transfer news and they tried to get us to go sledding, for Sister Datwyler to leave Brookings with a bang, don't worry we didn't go, obedience is key.
Then Saturday we packed all morning, we didn't even change out of our pajamas. It was awesome. Sister Datwyler was packing and I was cleaning. So basically this morning when I was finishing up getting ready it was all done! We then went and treated ourselves to a Peppermint Oreo Blizzard, because why not! We then started visiting everyone on Sister Datwylers list to say goodbye too, and that continued on in to all day Sunday. It was really exhausting. On Saturday Sister Datwyler also wanted to visit the ocean for the last time, and it was a good day, so we got a little basic and started to have a name tag photo shoot. Don't worry I have pictures.
But another fun thing that happened on Saturday was the Brookings ward had their Christmas Party. And let me tell you, this was the best Christmas party that I had ever been too. So you were invited to dress up in Biblical clothing (We didn't because, missionaries). So when you walked in you had to sign the census like they did in that day and they gave you some coins, and we went into the chapel and listened to come Christmas hymns for a few minutes, then we had a blessing on the food and went into the cultural hall. I wish I had pictures, they had us working so I forgot, but I am sureSister Rushton has pictures. The whole cultural hall was transformed into Bethlehem. And the food you had to pay with your coins you received and you were given a basket to put your food into. Food included, nuts (almonds and pecans), cheese, pita bread, olive oil, and fruit. Then for the sitting you sat on the ground or they a few chairs for the elderly. Then after awhile some music started playing and Mary and Joseph came in and started to look for room in the inn, then they left and a star lite up and a little boy dressed up as a Shepard came in and told us that baby Jesus was born, to follow him. So we followed him and went into the Chapel where they had a little stage in the front and they reenacted the nativity. And we sang Christmas songs and there was a wonderful musical number of Mary Did you know. Seriously this is the reason we celebrate Christmas. I guess there was some people that were mad that there was no Santa, not me! I love the Christmas season and the opportunity that we have to focus on Christ. I kind of starting freaking out on Sunday when I realized that Christmas is 2 weeks away. I love serving as a missionary at this time of year.
So to end my email I thought I would just mention that on Saturday night we got a call for the Assistants to the President for our travel plans for this week. And they told me, "Well Sister Harrison, we are going to ask you to stretch a little bit this next week, and it might be hard, but we think you can handle it. We are going to ask you to stay with Sister Nowell until you get your trainee on Thursday." I seriously flipped my lid!!! I am so excited! So today I will be riding the transfer van up to Eugene and staying with Sister Nowell and her companion until Thursday then coming back down with my trainee!!! I am as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning to see my Mom before I get my daughter this week!!!
I am sure there is more I could write about but we have to get going pretty soon here. I love you all so much and thank you so much for the love and support that I receive while I am on my mission.
I just wanted to share Proverbs 3:5-6 today:
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I just want to invite all of you to Trust in the Lord this week. Christmas time is upon us and this is the time of the year where we need to trust in the Lord more then every before. I love my Savior Jesus Christ so much and I am so grateful fo rhte opportunity I have to be a disciple of him, to be an authorized representative of him at this time in my life. I am so excited to meet my trainee this week! So many great things to come in the life and adventures of Sister Harrison. I love you all!! Have a fabulous week!!
Love, Your Favorite Sister Missionary,
Sister Harrison 
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