coons and boils and families‏

Okay yall. 

 

This has been another best, monumental, fabulous weekend. 

Like wow. 

So to overview:

1. almost had a pet baby coon

2. met Brandi aka mother of the golden family

3. had our first pre boil crawfish get-together

4. had 6 investigators at church

3 out of the 4 are all related and but one of them just makes be plain happy.

Can you guess.. ;)

FIRST: 

*just in case you thought I was heartless after the crawfish

 

On Friday morning after our 30 minute workout time, I was making breakfast. (a very healthy one might I add ;) and the trash is full so I go to take out the trash of course! Its probably like 7:15 ish.

So I'm walking down our gravel driveway and throw away the trash in the garbage. 

I hear this weird crying animal and it pierces my soul. 

I go find it. 

I don't have to look that hard yall. 

On the side of our little driveway..

I find this!

 

Probably only a day old baby racoon! just screaming away. It was so so tragic. 

Of course I have to do something about it. 

 

So I sprint into the house and grab a handful of napkins and the phone and sprint back outside and start to care for it. Its probably the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

 

 

 

Pretty much the gist of the story is that I called 2 members of our ward Brother Amoroso, who tells me that it probably doesn't have diseases so I can hold it YAY

and the Nolans, who might sound familiar because they are pretty much our favorite people ever. They feed us every Wednesday and they have so many animals that they just seem to find and take care of!

So the daughter, Theresa, works for the St Tammany Parish government for the Animal Protection Services or something, so she has a license to rehabilitate wild animals and release them again. And they said that she agreed to take it! Aaaaand they all just happen to be over there to get her son off to school. like wow. #miracle #blessed

YAY. So little coon has a home now. 

But we dropped him off at like 8:15 so for that hour I was trying to figure out what to do we just had a nice cuddle sesh and it was precious. I kept him warm and made sure he was still alive. :') #coon&mishbonding

It was really sad to be a missionary for that hour because I just wanted to keep him for a pet FOREVER.  but its okay. I can go visit. :) 

 

 

SECOND:

*just in case you forgot I was a missionary

So Sister Steve and I were out doing missionary work on Friday. I know. Surprise. 

We went over to this less actives house and was visiting with her when her neighbor, Brandi, came over! 

So we start chatting it up with the neighbor about her and us and missionaries and church and God and also the Word of Wisdom and it was just really solid. She had a hard question about why we can't drink coffee but we can drink coke and heavily caffeinated sodas. Good question huh.  

And all week we have been inviting everybody to our ward Crawfish Boil we were having on Saturday morning. 

So we're like, "Hey Brandi, we're having a rad crawfish boil. Why don't you come on over with our whole family. It will be fun!" 

And she's like, "okay. If you can find the answer to my question, I will be there."

DEAL.

 

So of course we go find the answer and text her later that night and say "Hey Miss Brandi! We found the answer to your question! See you at the boil tomorrow?"

Brandi: "Definitely"

WOOHOOO. Yall. Its that easy. You can do it too. Even though you don't have rad crawfish boils you can still do it. ;)

THIRD:

*just in case you were still in suspense about previous story and about how crawfish are cooked

Saturday morning! 

Crawfish boil day! 

The activity was actually a ward activity where we deep clean the inside of the church and then we get to have a crawfish boil after. (we just invited everyone for a church tour and the boil)

The prep

Those are buckets of live crawfish

I am holding a live crawfish

Those are buckets of live crawfish

and thats a pot of unbelievably delicious seasoning and juice and such

This is Ryan stirring the crawfish with the juices



Now these are dead crawfish. ready to eat in like... 20 minutes.

#fam

#ilikeyall

How we all feel about crawfish. 





this is why cooking is a big deal. everyone hangs out and talks :) I love it



 

So we go early to help set up and help do whatever needs to be done like always and then we are so anxious about Brandi coming and the others arriving that we are literally no help for the clean the church part. #srry

 

But everything worked out of course!!

We had 3 investigators there and Brandi came and she brought 2 of her kids!!

 

We were so so so happy when Brandi showed up and we took her and her 2 kids on a church tour and explained everything, the relief society room, the Young Womens/Mens program, and we had the Primary President explain what Primary was and it was just perfect.

Then we took them in the Chapel. 

And wow. 

We could just feel the Spirit as soon as we walk in. 

And we know Brandi felt it too.

She was so happy and just told us that she felt so comfortable here unlike any other church that she has ever attended. 

:')

 

Then they stayed for a bit of the crawfish boil and both of her kids found friends that they really loved being around and hanging out with. And some ladies in our ward really reached out to Brandi and everyone made them feel so welcome and loved.

It was such a tender mercy. 

 

That evening, we get a call from Brandi. 

She had such a wonderful day. And she just loved everyone she met. And she was just overflowing with joy. 

So like all people in the south she starts talking about her fabulous day with her friends.

And she starts getting torn apart. 

Her friends start telling her all kinds of awful things and really just tearing her down. And giving her false information.

 

She calls us very distraught because she is now so confused about what is right and how to feel. She had such good feelings at the boil and met such great, genuine people but now her closest friends are tearing it up and ruining her happiness and spirit that she felt.

We helped her focus on the good, answer some questions and told her not to give up yet, come to church, remember the good that you felt. 

Literally heartbreaking. 

They are so special and Satan is trying so hard to make sure they don't come closer to Christ.

FOURTH:
*just in case you think missionary work is just about us. its not. its about yall too.

WE HAD 6 INVESTIGATORS COME TO CHURCH

yall this is a big deal.

We had 10 committed to coming for sure on Saturday night but of course as all know that doesn't always happen. 

But thats okay! 

BECAUSE WE HAD 6 AT CHURCH.

It was a crazy, miracle, blessed, incredibly stressful day. 

Wow. So scared and nervous. 

 

But most importantly. 

BRANDI AND HER ENTIRE FAMILY CAME TO CHURCH.

Brandi, her husband Brian, and her 3 kids, - Joe (15), Miracle (11), and Ayden (5)

They stayed all three hours.

They felt the Spirit again. 

The good feelings were back.

But now so were a BILLION questions and probably over stimulation since they have no idea what was going on. 

But they are literally gems.

Brandi had a notepad and was writing down all these questions and scriptures. 

And Brian was just silently engrossed. 

 

Can I brag about my ward real quick?

Right after sacrament meeting a young man, Joe's age, never met Joe before, comes up and introduces himself and takes him to class.

Right after sacrament meeting, Miracles friends from the day before come up and happily whisk her to class.

Right after sacrament meeting, we take Ayden to Primary and his teachers were inspired to teach the lesson about prayer instead of the original lesson on baptism. Ayden had a wonderful time. 

Right after sacrament meeting, all the ladies that had befriended Brandi the day before all came to greet her and came to the Gospel Principles class with her and Brian. 

The counselor in the bishopric that was announcing, the speakers, the members in the gospel principles class, and the relief society teacher all catered their speech and lessons to these new investigators who had never been to church before.

 

WHAT A RAD WARD. 

This is what yall can do! 

Notice the missionaries investigators and take care of them without asking. 

Brandi and her family were invited to dinner on some night this week.

Joe is going to Mutual on Wednesday night.

Miracle is going to Activity Days on Wednesday. 

And it was a wonderful experience.

 

We are so so so happy to find this amazingly prepared family and have such a great experience with this out pouring of love from our ward to our new investigators.

 

I hope I can be like this someday. 

#missionary4ever

I love yall so much. 

I like yall.

(also I got to wear jeans and a tshirt to the boil and I got a BILLION complements on my "I like yall" shirt. #thankskort #ilikeyall)

LOVES FAM

sister sades