Date
May 14, 2018
Area
Pittsfield, IL
Companion
Sister Aubrey Alder
the font is FULL
Literally so much happened this week. WE GOT ZACH TO THE FONT. It was such a good baptism and Zach and his family were SO happy. Normally whenever someone has a baptism literally something without fail goes wrong. So this time we low-key almost totally flooded the Jacksonville building hahah. My comp and I have been dang busy this week so we didn't have any time to write the talks we were giving for his baptism so we just wrote them while we were filling the font. The spirit was just really strong or something and 45 min in, Sister Alder jumps up and was like "oh my gosh the font" so we're BOOKING it so fast and the water is ALL THE WAY UP TO THE LAST STEP SO WE HAVE TO TURN OFF THE FAUCET AND THEN RUN OVER TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE BUILDING TO TURN OFF THE HOSE. So after we shut all the water off we unscrew the hose to go drain it in the font and then wind it up. We're winding the hose up and we look behind us and there's water EVERYWHERE. Literally a ginormous puddle right behind us. So we grabbed as many rolls of paper towels as we could to soak it all up since people were showing up in 10 minutes. Thanks heavens I'm with a companion that found this whole situation hilarious and didn't freak out on me or stress out. It was so funny I was crying.
We had transfers this week! And holy cow I LOVE my new companion. We're no joke best friends and I literally want to spend the rest of my mission with her as my companion haha. Her name is Sister Alder and she's been out 9 months so it's SO much fun and such a party with her. I'm no joke asking my Mission President if I can 6 month it here in Pittsfield so that Sister Alder and I can stay together for 2 transfers. She and I are so ready to work our butts off. Our goal is to double the size of our Branch, so we are hoping that by week 6 we can get 30 people at church! We're going to get it, I already know. (pray for us lol)
In church yesterday Sister Alder and I had to sing in the primary program since our primary consists of 2 kids hahaha it was actually hilarious. I love our little branch though, it's a hoot.
The bugs here are starting to get so bad and I am so nervous because I am the biggest baby when it comes to bugs. When we were driving back from Jacksonville we thought that it was raining because it sounded like it, but it was all of the nasty bugs that were hitting against our windshield. Disgusting. I have never seen so many ticks in my life and I absolutely hate gnats. They sworm around you and then get in your hair and then bite your head, yay. Also, look up cicadas literally right now. They fly around you all of the time and they're super loud and HUGE and I'm literally going to cry when I see or hear one. They're apparently everywhere. And this is only the beginning of bug season, get me out of here lol.
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT- "Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am" (3 Nephi 27:27). I love the footnoot for the word, ought. Ought means to be necessary, so in other words, it is necessary to be bound, as by covenant, to be "even as I am."How are we supposed to be like Jesus Christ when He was literally perfect and that is so far out of our reach!? I love that Christ knew that we wouldn't be able to reach perfection at all, but knew that we could strive to become more like Him each time we use the Atonement. The more we use the Atonement and repent, the closer we are to being like Jesus Christ. I love looking at the characteristics and attributes of Jesus found in The Living Christ. My favorite phrase in The Living Christ is, "He went about doing good." Seriously, it's that simple. If we just go about doing good each day of our lives, everything else will follow.
"First, learn what we should learn. Second, do what we should do. Third, be what we should be."
-President Thomas S. Monson
I seriously love being a missionary and it's just so much fun. I never want to come home haha. I'm doing dang good and am loving all that I'm learning and doing here!
Thanks for the love, you all are the best.
xoxo, Sister Beal
Pic 1: ZACH'S BAPTISM
Pic 2: mother's day is my new favorite day because of the fam
Pic 3: I don't know anything ab flowers but these were cute lol
Pic 4: my BFF
Pic 5: we decided to eat dinner outside of this building and then found out that it used to be a super sketch insane asylum, so that was cool