Graffiti, the temple, and a mental home - March 14, 2016

Hey family!

I had a pretty good week. We had trade offs this week so I went up to Gainesville. I went to the temple in Orlando. We taught some old people at a mental home.. Haha and despite being gone most of the week we still managed to teach 20 lessons!

I'll start with last Monday. P-day was basically the same thing we do every week. I email home and the elders give me lots of crap because they want to play volleyball and for some reason they think they can't play without me. So I usually give in and go play volleyball and basketball. I must say I am getting pretty sporty. This last week we went outside and played some soccer as well! It was quite the game. I never realized how hard it would be to play soccer and not come in contact with someone.. I used this to my advantage as I do with most sports I play on my mission. Charge the elders and they panic because they don't want to touch you! Haha but all in all it was really fun!

On Tuesday we had our trade offs with the sisters up in Gainesville so we went up there for the day. It was a lot of fun. They are covering the YSA ward so we just taught lots of people our own age. Later that night we had institute but instead of having a class there was the world wide broadcast for young single adults. I was actually really excited to be on trade offs for this because I had been wanting to watch it but the only way we can is if we get an investigator there and we knew we wouldn't be able to. But the other sisters got some so we went. It was really good. It was just a question and answer with Elder Holland. I loved it and learned so much from it! I think I was taking more notes from this then anyone else in the room. Haha I think that was the highlight of trade offs besides the fact that we took pictures next to the graffiti wall in Gainesville. I did get frustrated on trade offs because I am always trying to set such a good example for my companion and that went down the drain at trade offs.  The sisters didn't bring us home until around 10:30... Then they wanted to plan and took forever with that and didn't want to go to bed so just kept laughing and such. It was around 11:30 before we were able to go to bed. And then in the morning they didn't wake up on time so we just got up and started exercising and they walked in the room half way through and just sat there. Yeah, I was a little irritated that they were such bad examples for her. She is going to think every missionary is like that because they are the leaders of our mission..But I guess all I can do is be the good example for her.

On Wednesday we had an exciting day. We had Airis come out with us! It was a fun day. We knocked some doors down Martin Luther King Street and let me just say it was pretty scary but it was fun! Only one person told us to leave and get off their property! Haha after that we saw Lalesha! It was so good to see her. She has finally moved back home with her mom. It had been since Thanksgiving since we saw her last. After that we contacted a few referrals and then went and had dinner at Airis's house and had a lesson. We finished up the night by going to see Sister Dowling in our ward. She lives in an RV park and we usually have lessons outside. I got eaten alive by mosquitoes!! Who would have guessed that they are already coming out.. Time to find my bug spray again!

Thursday was by far the best day of the week!! I went to the Orlando temple!!!! Man, I sure miss going to the temple!! It was so good! I have never felt so peaceful and at ease on my mission yet! There truly is such a special spirit inside of the temple walls. I found a lot of answers to questions at the temple on Thursday! We got to do a session and then after that they took us into one of the sealing rooms with the temple president and we were able to ask any questions we had. It was great! That basically took up most of the day and later that night we went out with Anita and we went to see a lady we met on the streets. She ended up living at this retirement home for mental people... It was probably one of the funniest lessons I have ever tried to have. She did not remember meeting us on the street so we just asked a group of them who were sitting outside smoking if we could share a video. We shared the Easter Mormon message with them and they all loved it. I think my favorite part was about half way through this lady named Kitty was smoking and she stops and it looks as if our video inspired her to stop smoking when she leans over to the lady next to her and says, "Here Emma, do you want my cigarette?" Of course this lady did and began smoking the same cigarette that Kitty had just been smoking. So now we have two lady's sharing a cigarette while watching our video and people just keep gathering around to listen as well. Anyways, after the video all the people there just started swarming us and wanting to hear more. I felt like someone very important. We started teaching them and they all just listened except this one man named Robert and he was so funny. He just kept asking about heaven. So he is from New York and had a pretty good accent and he just kept saying "so what is this heaven you keep speaking of and where is heaven?" He asked us this same question about every 5 minutes and it honestly took all I could do to not just burst out laughing! Even though all of these people were crazy it was still fun to teach them! I really wanted to stand up on a table with the Book of Mormon in my hand and just start yelling repent and be baptized! But I refrained.. I'm pretty sure they all would have been baptized though!  Haha we ended by saying a prayer with them. They all wanted us to pray about their dead ancestors. As you can guess I did just that. I've never prayed for so many dead people before. Oh and my favorite part about prayers in the south is when all the people get really into it and either say, "amen" or "thank you lord, yes Jesus" after everything you say! If I am saying the prayer it takes all I can do to not laugh but if I am not saying the prayer it takes all I can do to not join in with them! This was seriously the best lesson all week!

Friday was weekly planning. It was long and painful but we had to plan good because we have interviews with President Craig this week and he will be reviewing our iPads. I'm pretty excited for interviews they are always nice to just have a little one on one with the president.  We have been asked to share our favorite scripture with him which seems easy enough until you have to decide which scripture is your favorite! I have so many!! I have decided that I don't want to share the same scripture as every missionary so I don't want to share a common scripture. I decided on Alma 17: 16-17. I love all of this chapter up to these verses but those ones really stood out to me as to why I am here on my mission just as the sons of Mosiah were and in 17 it talks about how they went out alone. And when you think about it, I did the same. I came here alone with out my parents or friends and I have been given that power and authority to teach. So yeah, there is a scripture for y'all this week. When you read it you can think of me!

Saturday was a good day, we had ward correlation in the morning and then the Voyles were so kind and took us out afterwards to some lessons. After the lessons they took us back to the country club for some lunch! It was good! Later that night we went out with Anita again, we went to contact some more referrals. We have been getting in trouble for not contacting them so they asked us to contact all of them this week. Anyways, we went to see this lady named Ruth. What a miracle we experienced when contacting her. So our referral did not say what she wanted but it made it seem like she may have met missionaries in the past. Most referrals are not very nice and just want a free Bible. But we get there and first off it was super awkward because her door is wide open. Secondly, I get up to the front steps and just instantly smell something that smelled like dirty people/ poop.. This was when I started to get worried. Well Ruth came out and we were able to share a quick Easter video with her. She loved it and it started a good conversation about Jesus Christ. We were able to set a return appointment with her because she wanted more messages and to know more. She then says how she has been trying to clean up her place. So being such a kind person I offer service and say how we would love to come help! Sister Olsen's face was priceless! She could not believe that I just offered for us to go into this house that smelled of dirty sweaty people and poop.. Let's just say if she takes us up on the offer it is going to make for a good story!

Sunday was good. We didn't have anyone in church which was sad. After church we had dinner at the McGrath's house! It was so good!! We had fajitas and tamales and chips and salsa and guacamole and queso and to top it all off we had homemade key lime pie for dessert!! I was in heaven!!! It was probably the best meal I have had on my mission so far! It made me miss eating at the taco stand everyday before my mission! Mom, you would even be proud of me not only have I learned to eat onions and peppers on my mission I love them. I loaded my fajita with them! So here are some of the highlights of dinner. Sister Olsen hates Mexican because she doesn't like spicy or onions or peppers or tomatoes. She is very picky. Well she dishes her plate with basically nothing on it compared to my plate that is heaping with food. And we both finish our plates, I go back for seconds Sister Olsen does not.  Then brother McGrath starts to joke with her and says, I see you don't like my cooking.. She gets so scared and tries to pretend that she enjoyed it and he is just like well I know you didn't.. You only got one plate with nothing on it. Instantly she jumps up and goes and gets more. She eats this and he is still just teasing her and she is so scared that she goes and gets even more! I'm just laughing this whole time and she is trying to justify now that she has eaten more then me when really I had 3rds and my plates were all heaping full. Finally she is just looking like she is going to be sick when they say it's time for dessert. Haha she asks me if I knew about dessert and I said yes I save room for it and she is in a panic because she is so full. I just smiled and said "welcome to being a missionary, where you learn to eat what you don't like and you eat until you are about to puke!"  She didn't think that was to funny! Haha after that we took pictures on one of their phones with the face swap thing and oh my, I have not laughed that hard in a long time! It was a good night!

That basically sums up my week. Spring has finally hit here and it is around 90 degrees everyday. I'm glad I only have one more summer of this. The humidity has also picked back up. Sister Olsen has never experienced humidity and it is quite funny watching her deal with it!  Haha

Transfers are next week. We will have our transfer call on Saturday night and then next Wednesday we will be transferring. Please pray that I can stay in Ocala one more transfer! It's going to be a stretch because I have now been here for 6 months but I just need one more transfer here!! Anyways, I hope y'all have a wonderful week! I will let you know in my next email if I will be moving or not!

Love you and miss you all so so much!!

Love,

Sister Webb

PS... Guess what?!!? I've made it 10 months now!!!!! Only 8 more to go!! Not that I'm counting or anything! Haha