Saturday, October 31, 2015

Long Beach Mississippi

Hey Family and Friends!

The first week in the field! Man oh man was it a crazy time in MISSISSIPPI! Everything is so green and tall! OOOHHH and mosquitoes are everywhere! I got eaten alive the first night I was here...lesson learned. It hasn't been too hot here but its at like 80% humidity which is WAY different than Idaho weather!

I'm serving in Long Beach Mississippi for the next two transfers! Everyone here also loves dogs or cats so everywhere you go ya gotta get use to having some sort of animal by ya. Everyone here sits on their porches and just talks to everyone around. I love it!

So in this area we really don't have a teaching pool of people, so just in the last 4 days we went tracting for 12 hours. It was actually kind of fun to see/hear different kinds of stories about people. People here love to talk and they don't really listen. I had my first Katrina story yesterday by two elderly gentleman who said the water was as tall as I was and they would just sit on the roof and watch things float by. I also got into my first bible bash with a jahova witness family. They are super nice about it, but they just don't understand any other reasoning other than their own. It was a fun experience though:)

This week I also gave my first baptismal invite to a man we met on the porch of his house. He sang for us and we talked for like 10 minutes and then the spirit was so strong I just asked and he said he would, he just has to read more of the BOM. I was just so excited to actually have said it to someone other than in role play! hehe

I also was called and asked by the zone and district leaders if I would have the first vision down by Friday...and for any of you who know me...I don't do memorization...at all! So Sister Winkel (my companion and trainer) came up with a song for it and I learned the whole thing in ONE DAY! I was pretty proud but I know it was through the Lord, because I would have never been able to do it on my own.

Speaking of Sister Winkel. When I got to the church to meet her (a 3 hour drive from the mission home) I knew we would be great together! We had to hurry and get my bags because we had a dinner appointment soon. In doing so we had the keys by the trunk of the car. Long story short the keys got locked in and we kind of freaked out for 5 minutes until we realized there is a trunk button in the car...hehe oooppps:)

I was able to Skype my family yesterday! The small things of the world like phone calls and texting and skyping really do mean the world to a missionary! I know I just left em three weeks ago but man! I missed em and their funny personalities! Families really can be together forever! I'm so grateful for the examples they are to me!

Another awesome thing that I LOVE! One of the councilors in the stake presidency owns all the subways in the Gulfport area...which I'm in...so one time a week we get free subway! I think I'm in the right place just because I LOVE SUBWAY. hehe its just the little things that make a missionaries day...plus its FREE and who doesn't love that??

I've learned so much in just the little bit of time I've been out here! The way the people down here talk about Jesus and what he's done just adds that much more love I have for Him. He really is amazing and I just love how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ bless each of us throughout our day and life!:)

Love yall so much!
Sister Ashley Durtschi
Long Beach:)

No comments:

Post a Comment