Week 44

Not that I knew which day was Pioneer Day until I came on my mission. I feel bad that I didn't know that this was such a thing. Oh well...

This week was pretty great! Sister Edgel is discovering the joy of visiting old ladies! There is one house we visit and the A/C is always on BLASTING HIGH and so we sit there and shiver the whole time. It's pretty funny. We also alternate which person sits on which side, because one side gets the full blast.

We also went on exchanges this week and I got to enjoy being with my trainer's trainer, aka my mission grandma. She helped me a lot--she opened her mouth and shared the gospel with everyone, and then I taught her how to catch fireflies :) I am becoming quite the expert. 

We taught a new investigator who's a member's friend, and that was a lot of fun! He seems really sincere and interested in reading the Book of Mormon. 

We also taught an older member how to update and purchase things on her new iPad mini. (That's a lie, Sister Edgel taught her. I know nothing about technology anymore. If our mission does get iPads, I'll be in trouble)

Alright, Mom asked some questions about Paris, so here goes... No, the weather has actually been quite pleasant here in Paris! There was one pretty hot and humid day this week, but today is actually gorgeous: Sunny, breeze, 71 degrees... Nothing to complain about here! And there was a pretty good thunderstorm the other day, so I'm happy!

Paris is small! One high school, one middle school, and they do their elementary schools weird, so there're two elementary schools, but they're divided so one's K-2 and one's 3-5, so everyone is at the same school in the same grade.

It is definitely a lot of farming here, corn and soybeans! A lot of people work at factories too, like NAL and GSI. Factories are probably the biggest employers here. We shop at Wal-mart! There's a Walmart and a Kroger, and those are our grocery shopping options... There's also a Goodwill! :)

The yard work's really not that bad, because we don't do a ton of it... We mow every week though!

Sister Edgel's pretty awesome, not going to lie! She is rocking missionary work already. 

​Also trying to crack coconuts. Finally I just smashed it on the step, and it opened right up! We also made a fantastic peach cobbler with some peaches that the food pantry we volunteer at gave us.

Quick spiritual thought: You can really tell when people have the light of Christ and the Spirit in their homes. They become holy places when you walk in! 

Love you all! Have a wonderful week!

Sister Barret