March 11

Things are going okay up here.  This may be my last transfer in Meridian.  I don't even need a map anymore.  CRAZY!!!  And it's about a third of the whole city!  Okay, maybe a quarter.  I got a new investigator last week!  Charmaine.  Her daughter and son in law are members and she wants to come to church.  Doing service for her tomorrow.  She's 60ish and has health problems including FibroMyalga.  However you spell that. 

Is it possible to get sick through the mail?  I kind of got what Emily got.  Not nearly as high (101.8) but my head was exploding, sore throat, fever and super nauseous.  Had a blessing last night so I am doing 85% better.  Anyways... I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!  Today is our day off and we had dinner with a chiropractor in one of our wards last night and he's going to work on me today for my headaches.  Also going back to the doctor tomorrow to try a different prescription.  One I am hopefully not allergic to. 

Blake's baptism has the final date of March 30th.  He finished the lessons and has his interview on Thursday.  I also REALLY want to get Dillian and Tyson baptised.  They are 10 and 12 maybe?  Their crazy story:  Grandma and Grandpa live in one of our wards.  Their daughter and the daughter's two kids (Dillian and Tyson) also lived with them.  The two kids had baptismal dates for before I came here and pushed it out to October, then November.  Well in the meantime, The daughter moves in with her boyfriend in Boise taking the two kids with her.  The only reason the baptismal date kept being moved back was they were waiting for the grandpa to be worthy to baptize them.  Still not happening.  Last week the two boys and their mom were in town so we went to see them and the adults wouldn't see us because they had family in town.

Well now they are back in Boise and the grandparents claim that they are going to be going to church and work with the ward there.  Past record claims otherwise.  So frusterated!  They shouldn't be living in that environment without the Holy Ghost!

It's raining today and not snowing so that is a good sign.  It's a little warmer but may snow again this week.  We shall see...

Love,

Sister Nettles

March 4

My Favorite Sickies:

Last week was interesting.  So our baptism that was scheduled for last Saturday didn't happen.  Waiting for his dad to be in town.  March 30th.  But we did have a triple baptism!  The three Samoan kids finally got to be baptized.  The elders had taken back over but we still got to go.  The mom is still holding out but she really likes me so we will go back for her.  She's being softened up.  After the baptism the mom and dad both bore their testimonies.  So good!  And the kids had those nut lays.  So funny, when the 16 year old son came up out of the water he said "Hallelujah" because he has been waiting for this for so long.  He's even been wanting to serve a mission.  

So the mom of the kid (Blake) who was supposed to be baptized 2 days ago is extremely Pentecostal.  She may take a while before she is ready for the full gospel.  She was telling us of her exploits on an exorcism salvation team with her church a few years ago.  She can discern the spirits that posses people like the spirit of fear or perverseness.  Then they do the laying on of hands and call it out.  They get twitchy and the whole shebang.  Sounds like an episode of Supernatural.  Crazy stuff.  It's so funny, she rebukes the fireplace when it doesn't come on.  I think that the definition of taking the Lord's name in vain.  Anyways, we also picked up a Cooper for our new investigator.  So hard because she only has 5 minutes at a time for a visits and she REALLY needs the gospel.  She's in a downhill spiral. Needs lots of member fellowshipping.  It's pretty cool how my new companion Sister Davenport worked on a psychiatric floor in a hospital for 3 years so she has some insights into this stuff.  The logistics of God at work again.  

I would love a Sari, but alas I could not wear it.  :(  Hope you all get healthier and stay that way for at least a month!!!

Love,

Sista Nets

Feb 25

So crazy mission news.  Our mission is splitting in 3 on July 1st.  It will take three people to do the job of President Cannon.  :)  Don't know where I will end up in the process.  So Boise will become the Boise, Nampa and Twin Falls Idaho mission.  Crazy! 

 

So this weekend is going to be baptisms galore.  At 11am will the Samoan family's kids baptism that Sister Hamilton and I taught for a bit.  The Elders have been working with them again since then.  Then that evening at 7pm is Blake's baptism.  Good times.  We are also picking up two new families to teach.  We have met with each of them once and are now scheduling to go back.  On is the Sherewoods (yay!  Robin Hood is real!)  and the Coopers (no relation I think?).  Both of them have member neighbors that have been working on them for a while.  So exciting to get new investigators.  Are we related to a Gary and Rachel Cooper?  That would be randomly cool.  I know we have Cooper cousins and Grandma Nettles was a Cooper. 

 

It was beautiful for a few days.  It got to 50 degrees one day!  Now it is snowing again today.  Dad I need shoe-goo!  One of boots has started to crack in half.  Wierdness.  It goes halfway across already.  I was wondering how the ball of my foot could be getting wet and not my toes or heel.  It would be most helpful. :) 

 

So the members here are awesome.  Sister Wiggins got us a Bountiful Basket.  Fresh bread with sunflower seeds on top, farmers market carrots, broccoli, lettuce, eggplant, leeks, potatoes, apples, oranges, bananas, pink grapefruit, pineapple (don't know where they got it from but it smells delicious), and blackberries (I think the Wiggins added that one too).  Fresh blackberries for breakfast and steamed broccoli, chicken/craisen/lettuce sandwiches on sunflower seed bread for lunch.  So good!!!  Doing a stir fry for lunch today with carrots, leeks, eggplant, brown rice, and whatever else finds it's way in.  Healthy much? 

 

The lady we live with is back!  First time she has been home since mid December.  Been all over the sunny side of life.  Came back with a sack of Trader Joes goodies.  AAHHHHH I miss that place.  I should make bananas foster today!  That sounds good.  The snow is coming down a lot now.  Supposedly it doesn't stick here but the roads were icy the whole month of January and it never got above freezing.  We shall see this time... 

 

Why are the people in the Bible so crazy?  Going from Acts to Judges is like going from the civilized world to crazy barbarian town.  What the heck was up with those people?  Anyways.  I love you all.  Enjoy your warm sun, blankets and beach. 

 

Sister Nettles

Feb 19

The work is going really good.  The only official investigator we have right now is Blake.  It's so enlightening to teach him.  He is 19 and his brother was our white Christmas.  During lesson 2: plan of salvation, he has THE epiphany: "So it's a good thing they ate the fruit." YES!!!!!  Miracle!  Now he's talking like a mormon using the words tesitmony, blessings, feeling the holy ghost, praying like a pro etc...  He's getting baptized on March 2nd.  Today we started to commandments: word of wisdom (which he was already keeping), sabbath day holy, and chastity.  He said it was his favorite lesson so far.  Who knew an investigator would be most excited about commandments!?  Just waiting for his dad to get back into town so we can baptize him and make it official.  He and his brother have been changing so much.  Blake keeps telling us about how Breadon has changed and is mostly helping others now.  They are a good family.  

The sun has finally been out and we weekly planned in the sun this past week.  50 degrees baby!  Even took my blanket off.  It's supposed to snow again this week.  We shall see...  It's just gray and rainy right now.  

New companion!  Her name is Sister Davenport from Tennessee.  I am still in Meridian South.  Sister Cline is off to Nampa again, this time as a Spanish speaking sister.  Her companion grew up in the Dominican Republic so she knows some good Spanish.  So Sister Cline has 2 official transfers left and Sister Martinez has 1.  So Sister Cline has 5 weeks to learn, then Sister Martinez goes home.  Then Sister Cline will get two Spanish sisters from the MTC (both just learning Spanish) and train them for a transfer.  She may extend a transfer so she can finish training them.  Then they may be on their own.  Crazy business unless they have some of us also transfer over to Spanish.  Also crazy.  

We now officially have 9 people to visit teach.  All less/ inactive and most of them part member families.  Just delivered cookies to all of them trying to set up return appointments.  So fun making them with members then going out to distribute.  I am pretty good with the frosting pipette.  :)  

Love you all,
Sister Nettles

Mission Conference

Mission Conference, January 2013
(second row, center)

Feb 12

I feel slightly lame but I finally got to finish the Huyett's letter because it is p-day again.  I HAVE THINMINTS!!!!!!!!  Love it.  And Emily you are beautiful even if your hair isn't shinny.  Congratulations Spencer!!!  You still never told me what your actual project turned out to be...  But yay!!!  It is sunny and kind of warm today!!!!!  I keep petrifying as we walk to the car so I soak it all in.  warm...  (relativly speaking) 

Have another baptismal date set.  Breadon's brother Blake.  Exciting times.  I hope you are all doing well.  The wards over here are pretty great.  They have been helping us out lately.  Lots of meetings.  We are in church from 7:30am to 4pm.  Going to take a nap today. 

Ack, the lesson Sister Cannon sat in on was one our worse ones!  Been doing loads better.  Love the Cannons.  I am saving our Zone Vision handouts from Zone training.  Your are going to laugh.  My zone leaders were Elder Denton and Elder Ika, but Elder Ika has graduated so now it's Elder Denton and Elder Bailey.  They are crazy funny.  I'll just say the printouts had some photoshop done to them.  They even sent out Christmas cards with them photoshoped into weird situations and scriptures that perfectly describe the randomness.  Why are they so knowledgeable about the scriptures?  Any ways, I love you all.

Sister Nettles

P.S.  Pigsbrew is actually really good!

Feb 4

To The Most Wonderful Family in the World:

 

Life is now pretty awesome.  The vitamin D is really helping even though it is still super overcast.  I think the sun is different here than in California because it can't seem to get enough juice to burn off the clouds.  It needs some help. 

 

The conference was amazing.  I got to shake hands with all of the general authories there.  They passed hand sanitizer around the stand afterwards, kind of funny to watch.  Got a lot of personal revelation and for my area as well.  I took a few pages of notes.  That evening was a YSA fireside for Elder Christopherson and 2 of the other 70s that were there.  Sister Cline and I got to go because we cover a YSA ward.  Pretty nice.  Took some more notes there as well. 

 

There were some really cool insights given.  The sickle in section 4 of the Doctrine and Covenants is the Book of Mormon.  We need to use it and keep our skills with it sharp.  Also Elder Christopherson said that the strongest missionaries are sent to Utah and Idaho to strengthen the base and maintain the roots of the church.  Pretty cool eh?  He also said we all could have gone to any mission but since the Lord knows us personally he know which mission will be best for us.  There could be insights we need to learn from the members here, our mission president, or just the patterns of life.  There are of course also certain people we need to find and teach that need us in particular. 

 

I love the vocal point cd!  So good!  Been listening to it for 3 days in a row.  Alex Boye would be another awesome artist to have.  We can listen to anything that doesn't drive away the spirit.  No jazz, songs with romantic lyrics, a "heavy or primitive beat." It doesn't have to be Mormon Tabernacle Choir or classical.  There is a really good acoustic Jericho Road song on one of the cds we have that I love.  There are a lot of EFY soundtracks that missionaries listen to.  Who knew some of them would actually be good?

 

I got a letter from the Huyetts!  Made me happy.  Writting a reply today.  Hope you don't have too much fun Mother Dearest.  It might be bad for you.  :)  I love you all.

 

Sister Nettles

 

P.S. I need another Thing 1 shirt...