Here are some funny stories from the week. Tuesday morning I
heard someone's alarm go off so I dutifully got out of bed and on my
knees and began saying my morning prayer. Mid-prayer Sister Curtis goes,
"Sister Abamonte, it's 4:30 in the morning." So I stopped praying and
got back into bed. Come to find out another sister in our room had set
her alarm so she could get up and help Sisters in her district leave for
the Peru MTC. I felt silly but how would I know what time it was. It
wasn't my alarm clock! :) I had a dream this past week that I was
reading in the Bible and the verses went something like," and God said
to honor the Fleur De Lis and LSU is of God." I'm pretty sure that's not
in the Bible anywhere but in my dream I was pointing it out to one of my
Louisiana friends. I'm pretty sure it's blasphemy to be making up
scriptures too. Oops! At dinner two nights ago I was explaining that I
liked fried okra. In mid-chew of a tator tot (kind of like fried potatoes no bigger than your thumb) one Elder goes," You like
fried OPRAH?!" and then I laughed and tator tot went up my nose. It is
an unpleasant feeling to have to blow your nose because it's stuffed of
tator tots. Elder Hemsley, one of our zone leaders, enjoys rapping about Gospel Principles or the various things we have to memorize in German. I
asked him this week if he thought we could ever punch Satan and he
goes," yeah, everytime someone is baptized." I thought that was funny.
And last, I had an epic fail in teaching an investigator this week. Jose
was curious about how it would be alright for Nephi to kill Laban.
Sister Noyes told me I should pull out the scripture in Doctrine and
Covenants that the Lord explains why it was okay. Its in D&C 98:
24-32. I accidentally started reading from verse 14 which talks all
about renouncing war and turning the Jews to the Prophets and the
Prophets to the Jews. He was quite confused. And so was I when I
realized I had no idea what the scripture was talking about that I was
reading. Moral of the story: know your scriptures in German so you can
teach them on the fly in German.
We got 25 new missionaries in this past Wednesday. They make
our group of the older missionaries look soooo small. There are only 4
new sisters so it was easy to learn their names and faces but I can't
ever recognize all the Elders and certainly not their names. Thats
something I've got to work on. This Wednesday we get to host which is
where we open car doors and lead the new missionaries around to get the
various items they need when they first get to the MTC. It should be fun
and quite cold but we're all excited!
Elder Snow from the Presidency of the Quorum of the Seventy and his wife came
this past Tuesday. Something that Elder Snow said that hit me pretty
hard was that I'm a full-time missionary. Full-time missionary service
will define me as a person. It made me think that I can't "check-out" as
a missionary. I have to work full time and give the Lord my entire
forcus and will. This is not my time, its the Lords'. In class this past
week we got to watch a clip from a devotional that David A. Bednar gave
several years ago in the MTC. He spoke about how to recognize that we're
teaching with the Spirit. His suggestion: quit worrying about it! He
said as long as we are being good boys and good girls, honoring our
covenants, keeping the commandments, and doing our absolute best the
Lord will fill our mouths with the words we need and put us in the
places or with the people we need to be. He related a really neat story
from his mission that Elder Packer spoke of in a talk entitled, "The 20
mark note". He gave the talk to BYU-Idaho students. If you can, see if
you can find it and read it. It was really interesting. And Elder Bednar
served in Germany which is even cooler ;) On Sunday Sister Noyes and I
sang in sacrament "Tochter Zion" a German Christmas hymn only in our
German hymn books. I got one of the other sisters to record us singing
and will be mailing Bryan the SD card so you all should be able to hear
us! Sunday evening we got to have our fireside given by the BYU mens
chorus. It was really nice to just hear Christmas music and not have to
take notes. Nothing like Spelman and Moorehouse but the best I could
get out here :)
Please do tell me what
happens between Alabama and LSU! Thanks for your emails! and letters! and dear elders! I love
hearing from everyone and knowing what you're up to. OH!!! I was
able to do an endowment session for another german today, Ottilie Kause.
:) I love you all and I hope you are all safe and well! I pray for you
always! Thanks for all your support. It means the world to me! Remember
to be good boys and good girls, honor your covenants, keep the
commandments, and do your very best!!! LOVE YOU!
- Ariel Nell
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