So this happened this week. ![]()
Yay.
We had an exciting day on Tuesday. To say the least :)
So here's the story.
Monday we get a text from the Mission Office email telling us that its going to bad weather so just be wise and careful.
Okay fair enough we can deal.
(ps refer to googledrive for more pictures of everyone who cares about us that gave us weather updates)
Monday night we get a text from Emily saying that storms were coming in and to be really careful if we are driving tomorrow.
Not usual. Fair enough. We'll be careful.
Laate Monday night we get another text from Emily to be prepared and to be extremely safe because there are SEVERE storms coming in (i.e. thunderstorms, hail storms, tornado watches) and that school was cancelled for the next day.
Whoa. That just got real. So low key concerned. But not to worry, we didn't have to leave the apartment until 11 because of all of our studies.
Wake up Tuesday nothing exciting on the phone.
Get to studies and holy smokes!!! Everyone is texting us, telling us that the weather is going to be nuts and to be careful. I've never felt so out of the loop or wanted to check the weather so bad in my life!
We get a text from the office email that tells us that we have lockdown starting at 10. Hour later: Oh wait psych not til 1 because thats when the tornado comes.
WAT.
Mmkay. Its chill.
Calmly go about our day, out to district meeting. Biked because we are running low on miles and had faith. Get there and back safely, meet our lockdown curfew at 1.
Starts raining and pouring at 1:15pm
Doesn't stop until 7pm
But I think I aged about 5 years and Sister Stevenson aged about 20 years in those couple hours.
You would think, "Sweet! A couple of relaxing hours that we can catch up on journals, take a nap, write letters, play games, aka have a nice relaxing day."
WRONG. SO VERY WRONG.
NOT RELAXING. NOT AT ALL.
I don't know too much about this storm that attacked Southern Louisiana but I know that it was bad. Really bad.
About 2 pm we had scare #1. We got a text from Emily and the office email that a tornado has been spotted and to get in an interior room on the ground floor with no windows.
Yea thats a problem Houston.
We only have one room like that. If you can call it a room.
We have a small Harry Potter half bath under our stairs that is so small if you shut the door you better not have claustrophobia because its so small.
We are like ummmmm.. We cannot fit in there. So we get in the center of the house and stay away from windows watching the rain flood our front yard.
The danger wasn't bad and it passed on but the rain and the texts are still flooding in.
We have a little safe spell where it was all good, little fitful nap and then just talking and eating.
But then we had scare #2 around 4pm
A text from the office email says that all lockdowns ended for all the missionaries..... except Mandeville.
Oh no.
Emily tells us we have a giant glob of storm coming our way on the radar.
Oh no.
We get a call from President Hansen telling us that we have a large tornado that is coming in the direct path of where we are in about 15-20 minutes. Starting at Lake Pontchartrain and going up Mandeville and into Abita/Covington. So in about 10 minutes get in a ground floor, interior room with no windows and stay there for about a half and hour.
aka. Our Harry Potter Bathroom. for 30 minutes.
Oh no.
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| Our itty bitty HP bathroom |
So now being the SCARED, safe, obedient missionaries we bring in a chair from our kitchen, and Sister Stevenson sits on the toilet and I'm on the chair. We chill in there [and by chill I mean helping Sister Stevenson not to panic;) her first southern storm and man its a doozy], but we're actually having a good time while the storm is literally raging outside our little apartment, joking around, and taking pictures. Also praying. lots of praying.
but when the time gets closer, the sky gets darker and darker and the rain and storm gets heavier and scarier. Our ward friends and especially Emily keep us updated. Emily lives in Abita and the tornado storm glob was headed right for her. It was a terrifying, nerve-racking experience. Emily was telling us that the sky turns an eerie green when the tornado is about to come and that it sounds like a freight train. The rain already sounded like a freight train sooo..........ah.
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| both of us in the bathroom |
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| Saying goodbyes |
We were just watching and waiting on the edges of our seats. Watching the sky and making sure it stays the right color and we were on edge for over an hour.
But thankfully all that happened in the Covington and Abita area is very hard rain and strong winds and dark clouds.
Thankfully all that happened in Mandeville was water spouts on Lake Pontchartrain which flooded Mandeville.
But a tornado did hit in Madisonville, about 15 minutes from where we live, in our ward boundaries. But everyone in our ward is safe!
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| Front yard flood |
We had interviews with President the next day and he told me in my interview that we were in the path of the worst storms.
So yay.
But yay for missionary promises of safety.
Yay for members and kind people who care about our safety and check up on us.
Yay for making the best out of scary situations.
YAY WE'RE ALIVE.
Good times. I love life. :)
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| BUT WE MADE IT AND ITS A BEAUTIFUL DAYYYYYY |
But as for missionary work things have been moving along! Sister Stevenson and I have seen blessings and tender mercies but not in the way we were expecting.
We had a rough week for appointments. We also we in dire need of some new blood so to speak, we needed some new investigators.
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| Tracting in flower estates. |
So this week and next week we have a huge goal to go tracting and do finding activities most of the week. Give some of our investigators a week break. And for me personally I made a very conscious effort to tract with faith instead of just going out and doing the actions. I went with a very positive attitude and ready to go out, get some people, and let Sister Stevenson get some doors!
We road our bikes to a neighborhood I had been thinking about for a while and chose a street and got started. Out of all the houses we knocked we had zero pamphlets given out, many pass along cards in empty doors, quite a few home but refuse to come to the door, several polite rejections and a couple not so much, one prayer, and one return appointment.
But it was probably the funnest tracting experience I've had.
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| We live in Eden. |
We have 2 HQ referrals that we have contacted that we SO nice! We had one of our recent convert youth bring a friend to church and now wants to take lessons, and we have a family from the elders that want to feed us this week!
We are still going to be tracting alot this upcoming week but we have a better outlook and testimony of blessings from finding.
WOOHOOO. MISSIONS ARE SO GREAT.
Life is good yall.
Yall are so good to me. I love hearing about yalls lives.
Keep me updated.
Name your baby Kort.
I love yall so much.
I miss ya lots. HAPPY MARCH wat. crazy.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
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