Oh my goodness, I can't even begin to describe what an absolutely wonderful week I have had!!!
First off... I have some sad news. Although nothing is for sure, there is a huge chance that I will be transferred from the Elizabethtown Ward :( We find out on Friday, and we are not looking forward to receiving a call. Sister Thomas is so wonderful, she cries everytime we talk about it or whenever it is mentioned! We have gotten so close, it will be REALLY hard if I have to leave. But, we just keep reminding ourselves that whatever is best is what will happen, and we are on the Lord's time... it makes it easier.
So, any letters that you want to send, could you send them to the mission home address?? That would be awesome, I don't want to miss out on love from my family (through mail). :)
2600 Boyce Plaza Rd. Ste. 101
Upper St. Clair, PA 15241
Back to my incredible week - Elder Arnold (of the Seventy) and his wife came to speak to us this week!! We had 3 zones combined, and we were the first ones he met with. After ours, he traveled towards Pittsburgh, meeting with zones along the way. It was such a cool experience! In the morning we met with his wife, all the sisters who are not Sister Training Leaders, and she talked with us about "what keeps us up at night." Haha she is adorable. She shared with us different scriptures that helped her focus on her strengths and never on her inadequacies. She had 6 children under 10 when her husband was called to be a mission president in Costa Rica, which required her to learn Spanish, and then later on she had to learn Portuguese when her husband was called as a general authority over Brazil! She is such a neat lady, and had so much wisdom to share with us!!
After that meeting with her, we all filed into the gym where there were lots of tables set up. The front row of tables was saved for the Sisters, and the table where we ended up sitting was right in front of where Elder Arnold stood through his whole talk/lesson. He is really tall, but has so much passion for the gospel, I loved just being near him!! It was so crazy how everything started, I wanted to share it with you. Haha
So, I am sitting smack dab in the middle of the table that is right in front of Elder Arnold. He begins by giving us a little background of when he was called to be a general authority. He told us that the day he was waiting for his interview, there were 4 other men with him who were being called as general authorities also, along with another man who was being released as a General Authority. He said the 5 who were being called were sitting together at a table, like us Sisters sitting at the table in front of him, and that I was sitting in the exact same spot where he (Elder Arnold) was sitting - in the middle. He told us that the general authority who was being released walked RIGHT up to the table, with his legs pressing against the side (by the way, he was reenacting this whole thing - I was representing him in the situation and he represented the general authority), and with a fierce look in his eye, he shook his finger in my face and said, "I have given everything I have and done all in my power as a general authority, and I expect YOU to do the same!" ....We all sat in silence as we pictured the scene in our head, then Elder Arnold jokingly said, "Don't have nightmares from that Sister Walborn." Haha So, I got to get up close and personal with a general authority :) He gave us so many wonderful insights and encouraging words to propel us into our work, and help us know how to better do our work effectively. It was great!!!
Besides that, the other crazy moment of our week was that we almost got trapped in Marietta! All of Thursday and Friday it rained non-stop and it was unbelievable how much it rained! We were in Marietta Friday night, which is a little town in our area right along the Susquehanna river, that has a history of flooding. Well, we had to be there a little longer than planned (long story - not enough time lol) and by the time we had to head home it was around 8:45pm! Which means we had JUST enough time to get home without breaking curfew! As we are driving, we come to the road we always take and are stopped because it is closed.... it is flooded. So, we find a different route home. As we turn the corner on this new road, we had to hit our brakes because it too was flooded just as badly as the first road! I only knew one other road to take, so we head out to take it home and it is flooded the worst of all three!! It was awful! So, we called our zone leaders and asked for advice. They said that we would have to call and get permission to stay at a member's home in the area! Just after that a very nice old man pulled up alongside our car and said he might know another way home! Yayy! So, it took 3 more tries but we FINALLY made it back to Elizabethtown! :) That was a very fun adventure. haha The flooding caused a lot of problems for a lot of people though. The Greenways, a family in the ward that takes such good care of us and I have mentioned several times (without using their name), had their basement flood. We felt so bad because they were out of town for a funeral, and that is what they came home to! Awful.. we helped them sort through everything, clean things off, take things to the dumpster, and vacuum up all the water. They are extremely patient people, and didn't get frustrated at all that so much of their stuff had to be thrown away!! They are awesome examples :)
Well... I love you all. I know this gospel is true, and I am so grateful for every day that I get to serve the Lord as a part of His missionary force. I hope you all have the most amazing week!!
Love,
Sister Walborn
p.s. Pitcures: Sister Thomas and I tracting in the dark.. and the rain. We met the nicest old man who let us in because we were soaked! (A definite blessing of the rain- haha!) Another picture of me posing in the rain, and another picture of me standing in multiple inches of water on one of the roads we usually take home from Marietta! LOVE YOU!!!!
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