The New Call!

In Carthage, after the Pageant ended, I was introduced to calling. We call people all over the world when their friends or family recommend them to get a CD of the pageant or if they want missionaries to talk to non-members, inactives, or less-actives. Do you know how awkward it is to call people up and tell them you want to talk about Jesus? It takes serious tact, which I lack. I don't know if I'm getting better at it or just becoming more immune to awkward situations.

We went tracting! (Tracting is just going up and down streets and knocking on peoples' doors, trying to talk to them. It's less awkward than the phone calls). My group, all six of us, went over to Macomb, about 35 minutes away from Nauvoo and worked with the elders covering that area. They told us that there are 'red zones' in that area because they have literally been ran out of there before. So, yeah, I avoided those places like the plague. We ended up giving away about 5 Book of Mormons and got a few new contacts for the elders.

Around the time we went tracting, I was very much concerned about where I would go on my outbound mission (we go outbound anywhere in the 48 states for 6 months in October, then come back to Nauvoo in April). I decided to follow the scripture, 'ask and ye shall receive' and I made a list of every single state we were able to go to and categorized them into Yes, No, and Neutral lists. Basically everything in the Yes was east of the Mississippi and everything west was No. In my neutral list was Arkansas, Michigan, Missouri, Florida, Texas, Kansas, and West Virginia. All the sisters said if I prayed about where I wanted to go, I would be sent to Billings, Montana. :) But I "pressed forward with a perfect brightness of hope" (2 Nephi 31:20) and did it. I took out my list and told Heavenly Father exactly where I did and did not want to go, but "nevertheless, thy will be done" (Matthew 26:42). So I jumped into bed and got all snuggled, when I realized, you have to wait for revelation after prayer! So I got up and sat quietly, and the thought came to my mind- Texas. Sister Searle came in the room and I said, "Sister Searle, I think I'm going to Texas. Fort Worth." And so, life went on.

It was President's birthday not too long ago and we were all requested to give him a little something when we all met at his house. All us Carthage sisters decided to give him the 'fruits of our labor'- a laundry basket with all kinds of fruit in it. I got him a pineapple, someone else got a watermelon, a can of peaches, a papaya (which we found out later that he didn't like), and a box of Froot Loops.

THEN WAS MY FIRST REAL TRANSFER. We were all moved up to Nauvoo for the last transfer here. I was put with Sister Mills- she's a singer from from Cache Valley and we overlapped a semester at Utah State without ever seeing each other. We live in a house with 10 other sisters- meaning 12 total. There's another house with 7 sisters. The house we live in now used to have 19 sisters in it. Crazy.

So, at church, us sign language sisters sit in the front right-most row so we can all interpret sacrament meeting for each other to get some practice. We have time slots that we interpret for, then we switch off. I don't think a week goes by without one of the senior missionaries going, 'Oh! I've seen you up there doing the sign language thing!' (followed by a poor imitation of sign language). Well, this one Sunday, after sacrament meeting, all four of us ASL missionaries are standing, talking, and one of the senior elders comes up to us. 

Senior Elder to me: "Are you the newest sign language expert?"

Me: 'Well, Sister Allred and I are both newer. I've been in Carthage so you probably haven't seen me a lot."

Senior Elder: "I see. I know a little bit of sign. Enough to know what you guys are saying." Then he says to the other sisters: "You guys are doing really well!" and then to me: "You keep practicing, you'll get there." and he walks off.

It took every ounce of self-control all of us had not to laugh as he was walking away. Little does he know...

Oh! A cool calling experience: A man named Randy from the deep, redneck south of Georgia calls from mormon.org about getting a free Bible. We have a little conversation and I asked why he called. He told me that he "got home, took my knife and my gun and my pen and put it on the table, and I was taking off my shirt when this card fell out of my pocket with your all's number on it. I put it on the mirror for a few days, then told my buddy, 'I oughta call that number and get me a free Bible', so I did." This man mysteriously got a pass-along card in his shirt pocket! Weird. He ended up accepting a Book of Mormon and missionaries, as well.

Have you all ever heard of Honeycrisp apples? They apparently only come into season for a short time in the fall so they're pretty expensive ($5 per apple or $16 for a peck, where I was at- I didn't notice the price until after I had bought them) but they are literally the best apple I have ever had. Also, they are the size of my face. One apple is a whole meal. Phenomenal.

So life is progressing, moving on just dandy, up until about a week before we got our outbound calls. I was in President's office a couple days before, and he asked where I thought I was going. I rehearsed the story I told you earlier and he bends down to get a folder out of a drawer, sits it on his lap, and tells me to get out so he can see where I'm actually going. :) I could not TELL you the anxiety I had. Why? I don't know, I figure worrying will make things better? Go figure. The time finally comes for us all to meet at President's house for the big announcement of who goes where, starting backward alphabetically.

Sister Wood- West Virgina, Charleston

Sister Searle- West Virginia, Charleston (two people going to the same mission doesn't happen)

Sister Ross- Arkansas, Little Rock

Sister Richardson- Arkansas, Little Rock ASL (imagine our shock, two pairs going to the same places)

Sister Newell- Virginia, Richmond

Sister Munro- TEXAS, FORT WORTH!!! (Yeah, that happened.)

Sister Mills- Maryland, Baltimore (my companion is going where I'm from!!)

Sister Hughes- New Mexico, Farmington

Sister Holt- Michigan, Lansing

Sister Hansen- Massachusetts, Boston (She had said the only place she didn't want to go was Boston. She's a Yankees fan.)

Sister Hall- North Carolina, Raleigh

Sister Gines- Iowa, Des Moines
Sister Etherington- Iowa, Des Moines (THREE pairs)

Sister Allred- Idaho, Pocatello (she is a city girl through and through. I think she was a bit devastated to be sent to the country.)

I AM SO PSYCHED TO GO TO TEXAS. I got a short bio on my mission president and he is 45- I think that might be younger than my parents. (Mom, aren't you like, 30? ;)). I'll arrive there on October 8th, and I'll get my Texas address for you all then. Try to only send letters if it'll arrive here before October 8th! :) (Thank you all for your letters and emails, they are so thoughtful. I usually have more time to answer letters than emails, though.) Thankfully my Preparation days will be much more predictable from then on- Monday for six months!