Bastrop Week 4

I can't believe I've been in Bastrop for 4 weeks almost!! It is crazy to think that I found out I was coming here almost exactly a month ago.  Desculpe por o email ultimo semana, eu nao sei porque eu tinho nada para disse! Eu sou grato por este opportunidade a servir no estados unidos, eu amo estes pessoas, e tenho muito para aprender e fazer aqui!

Last week we had the Elders bikes at our apartment in case the driving stuff didn't work out. Since there's no bikes in Brazil and we will always have a car in Bastrop Sister Brimley and I thought it would be a good idea to bike to one of our appointments just for the experience... We thought it would be 3 easy miles but it turned out to be almost 7 in the 94 and humid weather. Also biking in a skirt is something I will never do again, and skirt+helmet=embarrassing. But the last few mile were on this awesome road with a bayou on one side and farm land on the other so it was pretty, it was a needed experience.

On Wednesday we had zone conference which was more like a little missionary convention. There was lots of practicing and examples and the President would tell us new effective ways to introduce the Book of Mormon, and how to best use our time so it was really good. Mostly it was just fun to be around so many more missionaries, it's refreshing. We did some splits and went with a Sister here in Monroe to her dinner appointment and did a visit with her that night.

Thursday was great, I woke up to a duck dynasty shirt on my blanket that Sister Brimley bought me! She is the nicest, and it is the best shirt ever! I hope I can send a pic soon. Another Sister made me some french toast so that was nice. We had a new missionary conference and women's conference. My President really is the nicest, he's too nice. I wore my duck dynasty shirt tucked into my skirt, but told him I would change for my real appointments but he was like "psshhh you're fine!" So yes I wore it the whole day. The Odens had us over for dinner and they bought me a cake that said "Happy Birthday Sister Stevens" I've never had a cake with my name on it before!!! So they took good care of me. They have a daughter in law who we are trying to get baptized. She is so close, really she just needs to pick a date, she knows shes missing out on the blessings and everything we just need to get her to follow through! It was weird though, no matter how much cake I ate, it just did not feel like my birthday, it felt like a lie every time anyone said it. So yeah, I'll be turning 20 June 2015 I decided you don't age on the mission. Also my package got sent to the office so we'll see if I ever get it.

We also teach a elderly woman named Elizabeth, she is ancient, and can't read so it's hard, but she has been so accepting (she quit smoking and drinking coffee the day we asked her) and really wants to be baptized!

We got a referral who we finally got to meet with on Friday named Dewaderick who we are way excited about, he ran into some Elders in Monroe while washing his preachers car and they gave him a Book of Mormon, and he is half way done! We gave an awesome first lesson, and the reason it was awesome was because it wasn't a lesson at all, it was a discussion and somehow every point we need to hit just fit in perfectly, and the spirit was so strong. We get to meet with him again tonight!

Two other things happened this week.. First I taught my first lesson to a Baptist Preacher, it actually went pretty well, he is pretty interested in the Book of Mormon and everything, it was funny though, Preachers know how to talk about the gospel, and talk and talk and talk about the gospel, the gospel that they know, not only the one we have to offer.

Second, I got to hold a baby raccoon, apparently people do that down here, catch little baby raccoons and raise them till they get too big. It was so cute! I was in love! and then it pooped on Sister Brimley.... probably the funniest thing to ever happen.

Welllll just loving life as a missionary, hope everything is good at home and everyone is loving summer. Jealous that I'm not in Utah with ya'll. Laterrrr.

LOVE, Seester Stevens.