Over the River: SNOW*SNOW*SNOW*SNOW*SNOW*

I DO LIVE IN SNOW NOW. IT’S 19 DEGREES OUTSIDE AND THERE'S SNOW ON EVERYTHING UGHHHHH. Winter is gross. Snow is gross. ICE IS GROSS. UGH. It's 19 degrees today, and it's only November. The members gleefully tell me it will get down to -40, and that there will be many feet of snow. My companion also tells me of ice storms, and how everything gets a solid inch of ice all over it. This is apparently a real thing. I've seen pictures, but it never occurred to me that it would be a real thing here. Daunting. I hate it. My apartment is plenty warm, my companion (from Idaho/Utah) is the one driving at the moment(no one believes I can handle it. >:( ) I've been well for the most part, but my companion has been suffering through some serious congestion and sore throats and the like. I had the worst headache of my life yesterday, but a blessing and pressure points and a hot bath and sleep later, I'm fine again. It sounds like my back issues are rearing their ugly head, because a member while showing me the best pressure points to help relieve it was telling me how some of my vertebrae are pretty out of alignment. Oppa.

I'm glad Jake's moving forward with the priesthood. Give him as many opportunities as possible to exercise it. I got a blessing from one of the members who hadn't gotten to do one in a long time. I think the experience was more for him than it was for me. Blessings for everyone. I'm definitely seeing that the more it gets used, the more that people see it, the more important it becomes, the more effective it is, the stronger the faith is, the stronger the testimony is. (The LDS church believes that the Priesthood was restored to the earth through Joseph Smith - the true Priesthood was lost in the dark ages....the great apostasy...when there were many splinter groups breaking off from Christs original teachings. We believe it was restored in it's fullness. We believe that Father in Heaven can work miracles through that Priesthood... that it is a gift, a priviledge, and a heavy responsibility to carry. Worthy twelve year old young men are given a small responsibility in the Aaronic Priesthood (Aaron from the Bible) and they progress through levels until they are 18 and are given the Melchizedek Priesthood - the same Priesthood that Christ held. Men can harness the powers of heaven if they remain worthy, humble, and are directed by the Holy Ghost in using that Priesthood for good - healings, inspiration, in leadership roles, and pronouncing blessings upon others. ( Click - Restored Priesthood, Aaronic Priesthood )

I expect I'll transfer on December 4th. (we'll see!)

Happy birthday to Jake! I sent him a letter; I hope he got it. He should totally write me back.

Oh Katie! Embrace the weird and the awkward and the dumb. It's surprising how fun some of these things can be. Put aside the pride! I promise it doesn't hurt.

My companion and I are still struggling...someone told me you learn a lot about what you do and don't want in a relationship from your companions. She's good at what she does, and always has a scripture that provokes thought and rolls pretty well with the punches with members and investigators.

But it's been good. We have three new investigators this week, 3 investigators on date, and we've been blessed with a referral from a member and the members are supportive. We've been very well fed and our car is warm and so is our apartment and the number of homes we go into with smokers doesn't bother me so much. Either I'm getting used to the noise or I'm just that tired, but I'm waking up less in the night, and I don't get teased quite so much about being cold because everyone else is now too.

I love you. I miss the warm and home and everyone. They tell me the hardest time for all missionaries is the holidays; I'm not totally alone in the melancholy of the celebrations.

The church is true. The Atonement works. The sacrament is important. The power of prayer is incredible. The power of prayer is real.

Christine