Coffeyville, Kansas!!

HELLO!!!!

 

Holy cow, I'm sorry I never have time to write! All of the public places were closed yesterday, so we get just a little bit of time today to email all of you. But hello! Virtual hugs and double pump handshakes all around!

 

So, quick update--I got here last Wednesday, and we stayed in the mission home for a day, where President Shumway gave us our assignments. Aaaaand...now I'm in Kansas! Coffeyville is a teeny tiny little town right on the border between OK and KS. Sister Cook (my new companion) and I were sent here with the instructions to "open Coffeyville" and literally, that was it. So off we went! There's not a ward in Coffeyville, so we're joining the Independance ward where there's a pair of Elders who are an enormous blessing in helping us to get our feet on the ground. It's kind of funny sharing a ward with other missionaries! But boy oh boy, did they need more missionaries--to get from one boundary line to the opposite end, it takes a two hour drive. Crazy! And we of the ward formerly known as Parkway thought we had it bad! I think there's around 800 people listed in the records for our ward, but only 20% of them are considered active. So while we're stationed in Coffeyville, we cover the entire area with the Elders. We think. Like I said, no direction, and that's what the ward mission leader wants us to do!

 

We have been BUSY. We have one progressing investigator that we actually got from the Elders, and while that's AWESOME (and she has a baptism date!!!!) we're hoping we'll add more this week! We've been contacting as many less active families as we can, and just spending a lot of time getting and contacting referrals. It's been so neat to already see how we're guided to specific places or people, and just be so aware of how close we're living to the Spirit. In some ways, I don't think I've ever been happier! I had my first "Prosiga ate ter feito tudo o que pode, mesmo que esteja cansada" moments! President Brough would be proud! He had us memorize the section on Diligence in PMG--the 7 Habits of an Effective Missionary. So that's "continue until you've done all you can do, even when you're tired"...but it doesn't sound as cool in English. Also, sorry if I spelled it wrong! Anyway, I had suggested we stay out the extra 10 minutes and just tract where we were since we didn't have enough time to go anywhere else, and while we were walking over to the next neighborhood, the person who we had wanted to contact pulled into their driveway! We ended up having a GREAT lesson with them, and it was such a tender mercy. The other one was when we were walking up the front walk of a house and a girl came running out saying "This is EXACTLY what I needed today! Thank you so much!!" She hasn't come to church in over four years, but had been having a really rough day, and had decided to pray...and then guess who showed up!! Ah! I just love being a missionary!

 

Well, I am officially out of time. Mas eu amo voces, MUITO MUTIO MUTIO!!! Ate logo!

 

Sister Fuller