Dearest family and friends,
The subject line of this email pretty much describes the week. It was quite an exhausting one.
On Tuesday, we had a meeting in Tulsa called "Train the Trainer." It is pretty much an instruction from President Shumway on how to better do the "12-week program" that we use when training new missionaries. It is always really good. This is the third one I've gone to. First when I was training with Sister Knutson, then with Sister Hatch, and now with Sister Ficklin. I really just love President Shumway and his passion for missionary work. He also has such a passion for the Book of Mormon and it is so cool to see that! It makes realize that I feel the same way! I love missionary work and I love the Book of Mormon so much I cannot even begin to describe it! We are so grateful to be living with the Vendels. They are so good with driving us to places that we need to go to. They drove us 3 hours to Tulsa for a 2 hour meeting and then 3 hours back and they also took us to Parley P. Pratt's gravesite on our way home. We love them so much! They are taking good care of us. They also feed us whenever we don't have a dinner appointment. They're great!
We also had a lesson on Tuesday with the Statons. We tracted into them last week. They are super nice and we are so glad that we have met them! They know the stake president of the stake that we are serving in - Ft. Smith. It was pretty funny to hear that. Bro. Staton could even name all of Pres. Martin's kids in order, so they must know each other pretty well! On Friday, I saw Pres. Martin while I was on an exchange and I told him how we met them and he was just so excited! They work together and it was just cool to see his reaction. He was so glad that we had tracted into them and was grateful that we are serving in Charleston. It was actually a tender mercy that he said that because I was really needing to hear that we are needed in Charleston. We've been having a hard time with finding effective and efficient things to do with our time and so I just needed to hear that I was doing a good job and that I was appreciated. Anyway, Sister Ficklin and Sister Breaux were supposed to meet with them again on Friday, but they went over there and Bro. Staton had the stomach flu so we are now going back on Tuesday to meet with them again. So hopefully I'll have more to report on with them! :)
On Wednesday we had District Training Meeting (new name...used to be District Meeting). Then we switched companions and I brought Sister Harris with me and Sister Ficklin went down to Mena, AR. We went and saw a few less actives that live pretty far away. We had Laura Whatcott drive us around. She just graduated from high school and wanted to come out with us as much as possible before she goes to BYU in a few weeks. So that was pretty fun!
Thursday we switched back - yay! Then on Friday we switched with the sisters that are serving in Van Buren, AR. I went up to Van Buren to be with Sister Wilson and Sister Breaux came to Charleston with Sister Ficklin. It is quite interesting all of these exchanges. I like it though because I get to know a lot of the sisters that are out here serving God! :) Friday was fun being in Van Buren. We were able to find a new investigator named Alexis! She is pretty great! We were just walking through some apartments walking back to our car and she had just come out of her apartment and was looking at the sky seeing if it was going to rain. I felt like we should go talk to her and we did. As we walked up to her, she had this kind of scared look on our face because she didn't know who we were. But we explained who we were and what we were doing and she said, "Yeah, you can share something with me right now." It was great! :) We went through the Restoration pamphlet and she thought it was the coolest thing every. She just soaked up everything we said. I just love the way that God works! Had she not stepped out of her apartment at that exact time while we were about to walk past, we might not have found her! I love being a missionary! I just love it! :)
Saturday we switched back. That night a member, Bro. Hinderliter, that lives in Charleston set up a cottage meeting for us and the Elders to come to. We went and nobody showed up! We were pretty bummed but oh well. Bro. Hinderliter's son was there and so we shared a message with him but the situation is difficult because his son has some mental issues. So he can't talk and he get up and left in the middle of it but we don't know if it was because he was mad or if he was having a hard time breathing. Anyway, we are going to try it again and invite more people to the meeting!
Sunday we went up to a town called Lavaca. We met with Sister Moore. She is a less active member but she is super awesome! She comes to church maybe once a month but we think it is because of her husband. He is a nonmember and we think that she doesn't want to always leave him at home on Sundays. He doesn't have anything against the church, but I imagine it would be hard being married to someone who was a member of the same church as you. We are hopefully going to start teaching her nieces that live with her. They love coming to church and the one that is older than 8 hasn't been baptized. Sister Moore is going to talk to their mom. Hopefully it works out! :)
We also had dinner with a lady named Dolores. She is the friend of one of our ward missionaries. So Bro. Carter, the ward missionary, the Elders, and us went over to her house for dinner. We didn't have a spiritual message, we just went over for fellowship. She is really nice and is a painter! Sister Ficklin was able to connect with her really well because she is an art major. So that was cool!
Both Bro. Henry and the Riley family came to church yesterday! We were super excited! Bro. Henry has a baptism date for August 17th and the Rileys are still wanting to change and get to the temple! They said that they are trying to read everyday together and pray together as well! We are going to have a lesson on patriarchal blessings because the lesson in Relief Society talked about those and Sis. Riley didn't know what it was. So we are excited to see them this week! We are hoping that Bro. Riley will be able to baptize their 8 year old son! :)
We hope that this week we will be able to continue to improve in our work here in Charleston! We love it and hope it continues go get better like it did last week! :)
The Church is true! God loves all of us, His children. He wants the best for us, that's why we have the gospel - so we can know how to get back to Him. We can't do it without the help of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He paid the ultimate sacrifice for us because He loves us! How blessed we all are! :)
I love you all! Do great, be great, live great.
See you soon then!!
Love, Sister Pahl
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