transfer 1: semana 5

Serio? Semana CINCO?
A verdade.
well, where to start.
I know ya'll wait impatiently by the computer screen each monday, waiting for the moment for the "you got mail" to pop up and to find that you have recieved yet another epistle of the events of Sister Kristin Smith's adventures in Louisiana.
Wait no longer.
This week has been another one of those weeks, Im still not quite sure how I feel about it. So we were supposed to be having our first baptism on friday. Well, the day before Jeanette texted us and said she had to work and needed to postpone to the next weekend....okay......you'd think she would have thought of that before choosing the date and time. We couldnt get a hold of her all weekend and she didnt come to church. We are worried about her, her family probably isnt supportive. So we may or may not have a baptism this weekend, but we should soon, our other gal we are working with, Gwen, is about ready. she loves church and is really feeling it. We are going to recommit her for a date this week.
So sometimes we have disappointments, but we always get a miracle. Here's my miracle for the weekend. (around here the word miracle gets tossed around alot...I guess Im just lacking in fe or something cuz I wouldnt title half of the things that happen around here as miracles, but any how, thats just me....okay. sorry got off on a tanget about the culture of my mission!)
SOOOOO
Sister Gale went with our senior couple to turkey Creek and then sister Hislop and I went to Oberlin. Our area is quite large, so it was a divide and conquer day for the sisters of Oakdale. When S. Hislop and I got to Oberlin, we stoppped by to see a gal they'd met before I arrived. she wasnt home so S. Hislop decided we neeeded to pray. so I prayed for the Lord to show us the way. Last time we were out there, I had taken fancy to this green house. It stands out not only because its bright green, but because its clean and neat, unlike most of the surrounding homes. I said, hey why not go there? I imagine a grandma living there wearing floral prints.
We knock on the door and I say, Im not really sure what I want to say, but here goes! the door opens, and a mid-40 yr old woman answers and I say hi, how are you doing? and she says, come on in. (BEST DOOR APPROACH EVER!! hahaha) We sit down and chat a little and we end up teaching her about the restoration. she was just accepting everything we were saying, strong fe, she has strong fe. We commited her to be baptized. she said she knows the Lord sends people to us to help us, thats why she let us in. She'd met with JW missionaries before but she "had never felt a connection". she said she felt that with us. That when we prayed she felt "something....like...it was the Holy Spirit". So neat experience there. I guess you could say I was prompted; didnt even think to ask myself, is this a prompting? it was just lets go there. Im learning still. I hope that the more I follow through with things that the more I can understand if I am recieving direction. Moroni teaches, "if it inviteth and enticeth to do good, then it is of God."
We have a busy week planned ahead! That makes me so happy. Nothing is worse than feeling bored or useless. I expected to be stressed out all the time when I hit the field, and I havent felt like that at alll. The MTC was more stressful thank Oakdale! lol We're working hard to help the church grow out of obscurity here. Its very small and not a lot of people of heard of it. Of course they all like to say, well, Im baptist, or Im catholic. Well, thats nice! But guess what, we've got more! we've got something that will help increase your faith and strengthen your relationship with Christ, awesome I know!

People have cool names out here. My favorite: Teddy Raspberry.
Narissa, Deshane, Tre, Shenekqua.......the more we get into the projects the harder time I have at remembering people's names. Seriously. Oh speaking of the projects!
yesterday we went to visit a gal we'd met the last time we went there, we met a guy who was pretending to be interested in what we had to say, and he was explaining why he and his brothers sag their pants and call it the "hood"
"We call it the hood cuz, it means its our home."
"See that fella over der, he be gansta. Da rest of us, we stay outta trouble. We just sag cuz, ya know, its like comfortable"
Hood=home
Sag=comfort.

So there you have it.

thanks for the letters everyone, they brighten my day! my companions are certain I have a fan club.

LOVE ALWAYS, SISTER kristin Smith