Busy

Dear Family and Friends!!

For all who want to know, the weather is very chilly today.   Around  the 60-70's.  I am wearing a sweater... I know. It is chilly.  I guess you guys might want some of this chilliness and I think the farmers around here would like that too.  There has been so much rain that people have not been able to take care of their crops as much as they should.  They should be on their second harvest and most have just barely got their first all wrapped up.  So we would loveto send you some rain home.

Craziness always abounds in the mission field.  We are constantly learning.  And sometimes we get the hard questions.  And sometimes they are just questions like, when did Joseph Smith meet Brigham Young... um, well it was before this day on the timeline since this is when he was ordained as an apostle, but I'm not sure of the exact date.  That was one random question we got while giving a tour to some non-members.  They were very nice.  Online we are asked all sorts of questions.  Since there is so much anonymity, they will ask us questions that they would never ask a person in real life.  It has been interesting. 

While here we also will go and do grounds work, so we plant flowers and rake leaves and weed.  Lots and Lots of weeding.  But this last week instead of just weeding all day long, we were able to do fun things, like filling in holes, and raking a new hiking path, and things like that.  It just reminded be of being home and planting the garden and working on things like that. 

A bunch of people do canning out here.  I have offered to help, but nobody has actually taken me up on my offer. In fact, most people here do a bunch of farm work all the time.  And TV and internet are a bit of a luxury out here. I was talking to a kid in the ward and he was wearing a shirt that had Tetris on it, and he has never even heard of or played the game. Many of them have lived here their entire lives.  They are living in the homes of their parent's parents parents.  And I don't mean that as a joke.  They really are.  The houses are so old.  Actually everything out here is old.  Except the random computers you find occasionally.  Most people don't have computers.  And as you all know, I sent a lot of time at the computer.  It can feel like entering a different world sometimes.  But I like it.

The people here can be very caring, and most are very strong about helping their neighbors.  I think that it is such a blessing to see how much these people still care about each other.  Once yo become a friend, you are a friend for life.  And they will remember you. It is just hard to get to that point of friendship. 

One crazy story!  We were out visiting referrals and less actives when we met this family.  They are the Clarks.  And they are baptist.  I don't know how much you guys know about baptist, but somehow they believe that predestination, and free choice go together......... yeah.... I'm just as confused as all of you right now.  We tried to explain what we believe and they basically tried to prove us wrong.  well, try as we might to not bible bash, that was very difficult, and we could literally feel the spirit being sucked away as they argued.  But we are going back with a better attitude and we are going to be the best representatives of Jesus Christ as we possibly can.

We also had a very interesting lesson the other day.  We took a recent convert to a lesson and well.. she said everything that you don't say in the second lesson like baptisms for the dead, and the whole shebang.  It was rather frightening.  We didn't know what to do.  We knew that she was super excited to share, but somethings you need to wait on.  So we will be taking someone else to help repair that relationship. :/

Well I need to go,  I love you all I want to hear how life is,

Love always and forever,

Sister Lundahl