Spring has SPRUNG!

WELCOME to Richmond in April.  One day Sister Jones and I walked outside and it literally hit us.  The trees POPPED, EVERYTHING is turning GREEN and everything is blooming now.  The tulips... don't even get me started.  THEY ARE INCREDIBLE.  Everyone has tulips in their yard too.  By far my favorite flower! :) They are just gorgeous!! 

This week can only be summed up in one word: FUN.

F is for friends who do stuff together! (YAY for missionary work!)

U is for you and meeeeeee. ( I love you Sister Jones!)

N is for anything, anytime at all down here in Richmond, Kentucky! 

I probably butchered that spongebob quote a littlebit, but that is truly how this week went. SPRING is the most wonderful time of the year! It feels like home right now.  Brisk California morning.  I can't stop smiling! 

Highlights from this week though, it was an eventful one!

-Last Monday we came home to NO CARPET.  All of it had been ripped out! GONE. See ya later! Remember that black mold? Yeah... the carpet had to go! BUT bow we are left wit ha cement floor. We have resorted to kneeling prayers on our chairs because the ground is just not good for our knees! Thankfully we still have carpet upstairs.  The leak is still not fixed so when the tornado came in this week our house did flood again... but no more black mold! HAHA.  LIFE :)

Oh yeah, there was a TORNADO! Let me just start with the west coast is the best coast.  I can handle an earthquake, a forest fire, a lightning storm, but a TORNADO!?!?!  yeah, these two west coast girls did NOT know what to do.  The sirens started to go off... the campus (Eastern Kentucky University) told people to seek shelter NOW and Sister Jones and I are worried.   We were on BIKES only a couple minutes from our house, but on bikes nonetheless.  It was an interesting night.  This was right around 6pm. We get home and it is STORMING like a BANSHEE. DOWNPOUR.  At this point, I am legitimately terrified for my life.  The wind is blowing so hard, the power is flickering and our district leader is calling us to make sure we are safe... I am terrified.  OK.  So we get our bikes out of our bike closet, sweep up all the dirt, throw a sheet down, throw a case of water in there, make some food, grabbed our scriptures, pillows and blankets and then hid in there for an hour... I seriously thought we would be sleeping in this bike room. Our next door neighbor and Kentucky native, Crystal comes over to ask us if we want to stand outside and watch the storm with her... HECK NO CRYSTAL!! She then told us to not sleep in the bike closet and move our couch into the corner of our exercise room and build a fort.  HAHA.  I love Crystal.  We ended up moving our couch because our carpet got ripped out and we found out it was a pull out couch!!! YES!!! We were both terrified to sleep upstairs because the storm hadn't cleared and we were scared the roof was going to be ripped off... clearly we are from the west coast.  CLEARLY.  We ended up both sleeping on the pull out couch and it was AWFUL.  I slept horrible.  (Sorry we made you sleep on the pull out couch on all of family vacations Jeff.  I now know why you complained so much about them!)  SO that was my tornado experience.  Turns out there were indeed two tornadoes but category 0....  It was exciting and terrifying! Hopefully the one and only tornado of my mission. 

Some really awesome experiences with investigators this week:

Averi// Averi is awesome, she just needs to up her commitment level! We went over to teach her and she watched the restoration video.  When she was done watching it, without even being prompted or asked, she looks at Sister Jones and I and says "I know the Book of Mormon is true.  I know that this church is true." I wanted to cry! I am so excited for her!! She is planning on being baptized! Pray for Averi! 

Blake// BLAKE. IS. AWESOME.  19 years old, golden investigator.  We found him walking to Averi's actually and he is EATING UP THE GOSPEL.  He is the most sober-minded, genuine, kind, shy 19 year old guy ever.  This week he literally told us "At this point, I am willing to do ANYTHING to get baptized."  My jaw pretty much hit the floor.  He is SO PREPARED and SO HUMBLE.  He is going to get baptized soon as well! He came to church yesterday also and LOVED it!! He is truly becoming converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is just incredible to watch him grow in the gospel and gain a testimony for himself! PRAY FOR BLAKE!!!

This week we also had a really fun adventure with Sister Brown.  We were on our way to her house for dinner at 6:30 and we made a wrong turn... well actually, we didn't turn was the problem.  We were supposed to go down RedHouse Road, and we ended up on some other random road.  Well in Kentucky, you never know if you are on the right road or not (at least on the back roads).  We drive and drive and drive, for about 30 minutes and we all decide this is not familiar and we need to GPS our way home. So GPS says keep going, it will take 30 more minutes to get home, all is well.  LIES.  We get halfway down the road and it DEAD ENDS.  HAHA, this was hysterical.  We all had a great laugh, and enjoyed the scenery and then headed back.  The GPS lied, the roads do end in Kentucky and we truly are in the most beautiful place on Earth.  EVERYTHING IS SO GREEN AND GORGEOUS!! <3 <3 

At church yesterday, we sang I believe in Christ.  I absolutely love this hymn and I reflected on the words as we sang yesterday.  I truly believe in Christ.  Whatever comes my way, I can handle is because Christ is my foundation.  Take a minute to ponder what Christ has done for you! :) 

1.  I believe in Christ; he is my King!
   With all my heart to him I'll sing;
   I'll raise my voice in praise and joy,
   In grand amens my tongue employ.
   I believe in Christ; he is God's Son.
   On earth to dwell his soul did come.
   He healed the sick; the dead he raised.
   Good works were his; his name be praised.
2.  I believe in Christ; oh blessed name!
   As Mary's Son he came to reign
   'Mid mortal men, his earthly kin,
   To save them from the woes of sin.
   I believe in Christ, who marked the path,
   Who did gain all his Father hath,
   Who said to men: "Come, follow me,
   That ye, my friends, with God may be."
3. I believe in Christ--my Lord, my God!
   My feet he plants on gospel sod.
   I'll worship him with all my might;
   He is the source of truth and light.
   I believe in Christ; he ransoms me.
   From Satan's grasp he sets me free,
   And I shall live with joy and love
   In his eternal courts above.
4. I believe in Christ; he stands supreme!
   From him I'll gain my fondest dream;
   And while I strive through grief and pain,
   His voice is heard: "Ye shall obtain."
   I believe in Christ; so come what may,
   With him I'll stand in that great day
   When on this earth he comes again
   To rule among the sons of men.

I love missionary work so much! There are people prepared EVERYWHERE we just have to find them!! The joy of sharing the gospel is something that is incomprehensible!! I love being a full time missionary! :)

MUCH love from the GKLM!

Sister Hannah

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