I Can't Feel My Feet

Hi friends and family! This week was another wonderful one spent at the temple. You might be tired of hearing about it, but I'm not tired of talking about it.

We received about 9,000 people every day this week! It was so great! Sister Fuelling and I were in the reception area answering questions quite a few days. By the end of the days we are waddling to our car on our numb feet. 10 hours of standing and happily answering people's crazy questions is exhausting, but we LOVE IT!! Here are some highlights from this week!

I approached one man to see how he had enjoyed the tour and ended up talking to him for quite a while. He told me how he was a member who had joined a long time ago. When he moved away from Utah he stopped going and had been inactive for many, many years. When he heard about the open house he had the strongest desire to go back and to feel the spirit in his life again. He was able to find the nearest church building and is working toward once again having his temple recommend! So cool!

We worked on the rooftop garden one day and I got a lovely farmers tan and red nose. While up there a big group of people from where my brother will be serving his mission came through and I got to talk with them and learn more about where he will be going. That was fun. :)

Yesterday, a man came up to me very upset and started firing questions at me. None of my answers seemed to be the right ones for him and he yelled at me a bit before storming off. It was upsetting, but the spirit near the temple is so comforting. About an hour later another man came up and started asking question after question. He was so genuinely curious and humble. It got me thinking about the questions I ask my Heavenly Father. Do I fire them at him, get upset with the answer, and storm off? Or do I ask sincerely, really listen and try to understand? I definitely want to be like the second man I talked to that day.

This doesn't have anything to do with the temple but I'll let the cat out of the bag. Our mission started using Facebook a few weeks ago. We are using it strictly for proselyting in our specific areas, so I won't be able to friend any of you. But it has definitely been interesting and an adjustment. I'm excited to see the miracles that come from it as we use these new tools that God has given us to fulfill our purpose as missionaries.

Well, I love you all! Have a wonderful week! God bless.

Sister B :)

The gospel is true,
the book is blue! :) 

MY MOM IS THE BEST.
She's been packing
lunches since '95.

My Harry Potter jammies!! 

We may have locked
ourselves out again.
Couldn't get to the
window this time.

The Curse of the Designated Driver

Hi everyone! Long time, no email!

Surprise! Our P-Days are now Thursday's for the time being. The past week and a half we have spent every day, excluding Sunday, at the temple. It's been a blur, but I cannot complain! It's the best. Here are some highlights:

Last Wednesday night, Sister Fuelling and I were in the reception area. Who walked in? William! One of my investigators from P1. Last time we met with him he was not in a good place and wasn't able to progress, but he is dosing amazing now! He is reading the scriptures, living the word of wisdom, and is going to start meeting with missionaries again! He was telling me about all the ways he had changed and how he has seen the Lord bless him when he felt like he did not deserve it. The Atonement is so real and so powerful! I said so many prayers for him and I loved being able to see that Heavenly Father has helped him so much.

Last Friday, we had a few lessons set up for the evening. When we left the temple, my dumb GPS took me onto the Philadelphia freeway during rush hour. A big no-no if you want to get anywhere in a decent amount of time. We were on the road for 3 hours just trying to pick up a member for our lessons which both fell through. It was rough. Pennsylvania traffic is not my favorite thing. I don't think I'll ever get the hang of it.

Oh, yeah! Last Thursday, Sister Fuelling was doing some cleaning and found a forest of mold in our Air Conditioning Unit. Ew! It was disgusting. Our apartment now smells like vinegar because we are told that's what will keep it from coming back.

In Widener: all of our recent converts are doing well! Bernadette got her patriarchal blessing and both her and Liam got to go to the open house! Lois and Francess are doing so great! We had such a sweet lesson with them this week. I love hearing their testimonies of this gospel. It makes every hard day worth it. And Chris! He's doing so awesome! He told us this week that he never used to pray and now he is praying all the time and his faith is increasing every day because of it. :)

Basically, being a missionary is pretty cool. And being a missionary in the PPM during the temple open house is phenomenal!

Have a great week everybody! Love you all!

Sister B

Temple Video!

Nighttime tracting. Beware of bats!

Our commute to the temple. 

It makes less sense when
you're driving on it. 

Suit up!

The mold in our AC.

Every. Time.

This is what happens when you 

don't have P-day for 10 days.

I Mean, Wow

Basically, Satan's a punk and he does not want me to get blessings. The beginning of this week was really really hard, but the end was incredible.

On Friday Sister Fuelling and I got to help with the VIP tours at the temple. We were standing by the doors of the reception area waiting for the tours to start, when Elder Quentin L Cook walks up. We said hello and shook his hand before he headed out to take a group of Rabbi's and Archbishops through the temple. We stood there and realized that we just shook an apostles hand!

The next day we were super blessed and we were asked to assist one of the VIP groups by pushing someone in a wheelchair through the temple. It turned out to be this sweet little Catholic nun named Sister Ama. The coolest part was when we went with this group into the celestial room. Before going in the tour guide told us that we wouldn't talk, but we would take a few minutes to reflect on our relationship with God. All of us sat in that bright, beautiful room and the sweetest spirit was there. I watched this group of nuns, Jewish leaders, and others go in and close their eyes in prayer. Every one of us is a child of Heavenly Father and I know that they all felt His love for them in that room.

Sunday was awesome. It was fast and testimony meeting and guess who got up? Lois! She bore her testimony of Joseph Smith and I was in tears. She is so special and I love her so much! It's been incredible seeing her testimony grow of this gospel. I feel so blessed to have been a part of it. After church we had the amazing opportunity to go to a special meet and greet meeting with Elder Cook. We got to shake his hand and talk to him for a moment. Then he spoke to us and boy, was it powerful. He gave us some pretty special blessings.

Today, we dropped out off Sister Kraft. She is heading out into the world. So, it's just Sister Fuelling and I now. The real open house starts this week so we are going to be busy busy.

I hope you are all doing well. Jesus Christ lives and loves us too!

Love, Sister B

These are our "we just killed our companion
 and are trying not to think about it" faces
 (her mission is done, she's going home).

Sister Kraft, Sister Fuelling, and I
in the temple's reception center. 

When your face is as dirty as your companions feet....

We stopped by all the food trucks we saw
on our way home from the temple!
 We have Greek, Chinese, Carribean, and African food.
 Plus a Philly Cheesesteak, because how could you not? 

Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple

Anticipation Station

Hi everyone! Quick letter this week.

We did a lot of walking and a lot of sweating because we had a LOT of cancelled appointments. But hey, that's mission life.

Tuesday was the highlight of the week. All the sisters had a special temple conference with Elder Richards of the Seventy. He took us through the temple in our own tour and it was incredible. He taught us a lot about the significance that ordinances and covenants have for us. We are here on Earth to learn how we can become like our Heavenly Father, which means we are here on earth to learn how to make and keep covenants.

Sorry, for the short letter! That's what happens when you have a companion heading home. Next week the real temple tours and I am so so excited to be there every day!

I love you all! God bless!

Sister B

Lot's o' walkin'

Alyssa's new baby sister!! 

IT'S ON THE NEWS!!!