Week 48

Hey all!
So I've come to the realization that this area is going to be heavy on
tracting and service. (We are already running out of less active's and
other people to contact.) It's hard being in a super small town but
it's good. It's harder to get members to lessons because in a branch,
you only have so many people to choose from and everyone works. So we
are basically without members until the evening, so evenings are prime
time for everyone- seeing people and being able to have members come
out.
Some fun stuff about this week: We got some buckwheat from a lady we
tracted into before and just about slammed the door in our faces. But
then we asked for service before she shut the door and she's the one
that told us we could come help those ministers move last week. So she
likes us now. Hearts are softening!! So she waved us down when we were
tracting Jeffers (a...settlement...that is apparently big enough to to
have its own name but it's not anything like a town) and she was
working in the community garden by the church there. So we went over
and she talked to us, showed us her garden, and pulled up a bunch of
buckwheat she was growing for us to use as decorations. Haha. She was
so sweet but we are not sure what to do with it.
So the youth leaders asked us to go to mutual every week bc they're
struggling and this time they went to the lake, but since we are
missionaries- we just stayed on the shore with the leaders. There was
only one young woman that went and then 2 visiting girls. The leaders
outnumber the youth. They went kayaking and we had hotdogs and smores.
We had a good lesson with a less active lady who is a recent-ish
convert. She is the sweetest thing and is just scared of that first
time coming back to church because she thinks it will be awkward but
you just gotta do it. Rip off the bandaid. I just want people to plan
on coming to church instead of planning on not going. That way, they
will be more likely to come and it will help them accept the idea of
coming and be more comfortable with it.
We are trying to work with the recent converts in the branch that went
less active. 2 of the 3 are kids and in order to get them to go, we
need the whole family to go. They're both really sweet but also shy.
So that's hard but we are trying.
We did service at the food bank (which is teeny) on Saturday and then
went to help a widow who isn't a member with painting her bridge,
gates, etc and her yardwork. Then she asked if we cook and Sister Kent
said yes and she asked if we had dinner that night and we said no. So
she asked us to make dinner for her (and us) and she could supply the
ingredients. We said sure. Sister Kent made some Asian type thing-
spaghetti noodles with sautéed vegetables. I made homemade raspberry
lemonade,  raspberry crunch bars, and fruit salad. We had to throw
something together with what we had.  She was so grateful and kept
saying to come back anytime and we can cook there. Haha. She's lives
out a ways and it takes time and energy (and talent) to cook... But
we'll try. A member of the branch presidency, who is friends and
neighbors with her, called us later and said she called him and told
him about what we did for her today and that she seemed like she was
crying. I'm so glad we get to serve people like her!
We also were contacting a less active lady this week and we finally
got in and I actually met her and her roommate before in Twin Bridges
at the Garage O' Rama! I talked to them both for a while in Twin and
they let us right in when we saw them again. We shared a short message
and they're so nice. I don't think it's coincidence. I'm excited to
hopefully teach them again!

me and my buckwheat