A Classy Time in Canada: Oki Napi

So apparently oki napi means "hello my friends" in the Blackfoot language, pretty cool eh??

So this week was CRAZY!! so fun though. Lets see Monday was a pretty regular P-day we got permission to go to Lethbridge which was nice because the groceries are wayyyy less expensive than here in Cardston and we got to do some shopping. Sometimes its nice to just escape these small towns. We had FHE that night with the YSA and I know I've said it a thousand times but I just love the YSA so much. They've truly become some of my best friends.

Tuesday was Canada Day!!! OH CANADA. The members we live with had a little get together in the morning and that was fun to be with them and their family members and then we got invited to go to lunch in Waterton with some other sweet members. It was such a pretty day outside. We then got back and taught a lesson to our investigator. This particular investigator isn't progressing as fast as some of our others but when we asked her where her desire was she said that she really wants to keep learning and that she feels the spirit everytime we come over. We want her to try and understand that the spirit she's feeling is an answer that what we're teaching is correct. She's such an awesome lady and the gospel would bless her and her husbands lives SO much. Then Cardston had a huge party at the park and so we got to go and see lots of people there. We're super good friends with this non-member boy who's YSA age and we got to hang out with him and watch a powwow and have a super fun time celebrating Canada Day. We were planning on leaving at 9:00 and then the non-member boy asked if we could stay longer and I told him that we're allowed to be out until 9:30 if we're teaching a lesson. He agreed to a lesson! Ha so funny. So we taught about agency and then had to leave before fireworks. It doesn't get dark here until 10:45 so we were sad that we missed the fireworks but oh well we got to teach a lesson and spend time with some awesome people.

Wednesday was kind of crazy so I'm not going to explain everything because its too long and not that necessary but we had an emergency transfer and so we were planning on taking a sister up to the mission home. We just didn't know if one of us was going to get transferred or not. President called us Wednesday morning and told us that we would have Sister O'Dell from the West Stake joining or companionship and that we would be covering 2 stakes! So crazy. So we headed up to Calgary while Sister O'Dell and Sister Gonzalez packed and then dropped the other sister off at the mission home and headed straight back to Cardston. Loooooong day of driving. Then we had to try and figure out how we were going to fit 3 beds in our bedroom and an extra desk but we got it all figured out. Its definitely different having a tri-companionship, its hard to figure out how to teach with being unified but its also been super fun. We'll all be together until the next transfer which is on July 30th.

Thursday was our weekly planning day which took way longer than usual trying to plan for 2 stakes! I think we're over 15 units of wards and branches. So crazy but so fun! We had district mtg later that day and it was definitely sad not having Sister Gonzalez with us. She's such a fun sister and Cardston is definitely missing her. Later that night we had dinner with a less-active YSA and then went on splits. We have so many appointments right now that we're going to probably have to go on splits all the time to cover everything.

On Friday we headed back up to Calgary for our Mission Leadership Council. also Happy Birthday America!! We all sang the Star Spangled Banner to celebrate. We had a super good MLC and I felt like we got a lot accomplished. We had a super good training from President on obedience. I think Sister O'Dell really enjoyed it as well. She's only been out for 4 months and hopefully we're not overwhelming her with everything but it seems like she's having fun. We then headed back to Cardston and again it was a super long drive. Driving means nothing to me after driving back and forth between long fields of wheat. Also all the canola fields are turning yellow and its the prettiest thing ever! I LOVE CANADA & AMERICA.

Saturday was good. We tried to contact some referrals but no one was home! People just don't know what they're missing out on. Silly people thinking they don't need the gospel. Sister O'Dell and I did some street contacting when Sister Estrada was on splits and we met this super awesome guy that's just backpacking through Canada. We talked to him about the Book of Mormon and then told him to go visit the Visitors Center at the Temple and so he told us he would go. After we left, Sister O'Dell made the cutest comment she told me that ever since she got put with me and Sister Estrada that she's finally feeling like a real missionary. So cute. Then we taught our investigator Manny and he's so so so so prepared. In the scriptures it says "“for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts” He's totally one of those elect people that its talking about. Then that night we had a big YSA activity and went out on someone's land and had a bonfire and people shot guns...obviously not us because that's not allowed but its definitely on my things to do list for when I get home. It was a super fun night though.

Sunday was CRAZY! We had Sister O'Dell go on splits to cover wards in the West Stake and then me and Sister Estrada went to the Aetna ward and then went to our YSA branch and then we had to go on splits so she could stay at YSA and I went back to Aetna to help in a Relief Society Lesson then me and Sister Estrada got back together to help in Young Womens and then went to gospel principles and then headed to the Kainai Branch and our investigator there bore her testimony again! Best feeling ever. Also this 11 year old boy came up to us at church and told us he wants to be baptized, his parents are being reactivated and he's been coming to church for awhile now. We'll be teaching him on Thursday. We taught Manny again and finished all the lessons with him. He'll be getting baptized this upcoming Saturday :) I'm SO excited for him. Then we went an met up with some less-active members and had a really good lesson. Met a Muslim guy and invited him to come to YSA. We also got a phone call that there's another family who wants to know about the church.

After I found out on Wednesday that I was staying here in Cardston I went and said a prayer of gratitude and told Heavenly Father that I was going to work harder than ever because I was so grateful to be staying in Cardston. Now the 3 of us Sisters are seeing miracle after miracle and I just know Heavenly Father is blessing us. The hastening of the work is real, there are so many people being prepared right now. I love it!!

I hope you all have a great week!! Love you all!

Love

Sister M.