First impressions of Muncie Indiana

Serving at Ball Sate in Muncie, Indiana is seriously the best. It has been a non-stop party since I got here. It feels exactly like I'm back at college again. The time of my life. I serve in the YSA Ward and I went from a ward of 80 people to a ward of about 30 people. We go to FHE & Institute and we chill with the senior couple who run the institute right off campus and we just walk around the university all day. The senior couple sit around on the couch's all day with the front door open, and eat! It's like the place to go. The place to chill. Sister M. makes sure that anyone who walks through that open door is heavily supplied with food and love. And, we go there every day. I don't know, I just feel like I'm constantly eating ever since I got here! It's nice though. 

The members feed us, usually it's to Taco Bell or the Dining Hall. Most of our investigators live in dorms and we meet with them at the Library a lot, right next to a huge statue of a naked lady. It is the first thing you see right when you walk in and she is holding like a deer or something. It's so awkward! But, I can't complain. Life couldn't get any better than this. We teach Mission Prep class. The Institute is a house owned by the church and it is super fun. I'm serious. Life is an absolute party right now. My companion is amazing. She was my Sister Training Leader a couple transfers back so I have already served with her here and there before we became companions. 

She has already served at Ball State a while back, she has also served in the YSA ward at UC in Cincinnati and now she is back at Ball State with me. This is her last transfer before she goes home, so I'll only be with her for 6 weeks. 

We opened this area again for sisters. We replaced the Elders and inherited their old apartment. It was the stinkiest, grossest thing. It smelled like DJ's room, first of all . . .And second, there was man-hair all over the bathroom. When I walked in there and saw that, I screamed "Eww, that is so gross! I'm going to murder those Elders!" Then I walked into the bedroom and poor Sister H was trying to pray! Our apartment complex has a gym, so I can work off the food pretty fast. They also have a stand-up tanner at this apartment. So Legit! Dude. My life is so great right now. Heavenly Father really hooked a sister up. Big time. 

It's pretty country out here. And, people grow a corn . . . a lot. 

And, people do a lot of fishing. Everyone is obsessed with my swivel bracelet. (Editor's note, it is made from fishing hooks.) Sister M even bought some so all the sisters in the ward can make them at institute. But seriously, people go fishing here all the time! I have heard a few "hick" accents. It's just really country here. Oh, and everyone has a truck! :) I've been waiting a long time to serve in a wonderful place like this. I can't wait to go catch frogs and fish and go muddin! People have been talking about taking us, non-stop since we arrived. And, not only that, but the YSA branch covers the whole stake, so our area is the size of an entire stake, so we have a huge area. 

But, the real reason they put a lot of sisters back in our Stake is because the Indianapolis Temple is opening and we get to help with it! So, not only are we the Indiana missionaries, but the only ones authorized to go to the Indiana Temple during the open house. We are going t guide people and answer questions and stuff. I'm pretty sure Heavenly Father is just making up for the fact that I missed the Phoenix Temple opening. He's just showing me that he loves me and understands how I felt about not being a part of the Phoenix Temple, and making up for it by allowing me to be one of the sisters to help. 

And, we got to be a part of the very first tour tour to go through on Sunday, before it opened to the public on Friday! 

I have now, not only been in three different states on my mission, but I have been to three different temples here as well!!!! What a privilege!!!!

Goodbye Ohio - Hello Indiana

I went from the big city to the vast, green country of Indiana!!!

Welcome to Indiana!!!! Here we are at the Institute. It's just a big play-house and Elder and Sister M live there (senior missionaries) and its just nestled in between a bunch of frat houses on Ball State University. It is the most fun place ever. We go here, everyday. And then it rained my first 3 days here. Like non-stop raining.

Ugh.

Here is frat row . . .

And, here is my companion, Sister H. 

Excitement in Madisonville

There was a shooting in Madisonville when the mini missionary was here. A cop died. It was on the corner of W and R!!!!! That is our main finding corner!!! We were in Madeira that morning, at
our coordination meeting when it happened. But, we still had a lesson with S that afternoon around 4 and I wasnt going to let some stupid shooting keep us from visiting S. Even though he lives at the corner of W and E which is approximately 500 ft away from where the shooting took place. Members kept calling us and telling us not to go to Madisonville, because there was a shooting and people might be rioting and people were still down there shooting. All I have to say after hearing all
that, and then going down there to visit S and learning the REAL story, is LOL. What a bunch of crap!!!!!!!! First of all, it was a mentally ill guy that had called the cops himself, saying that there
was a crazy guy with a gun shooting people. He hadn't shot a soul until the cops arrived. Then he shot a cop and then another cop shot him and they both died. Later they found a suicide note. So this guy was looking to die. No one was rioting, no one was out there shooting guns all day.  It just goes to show you how scared of Madisonville, some people are. If you really went down to Madisonville, and spent some time down there, you would see just how truly unscary that place is. People who
have never even been there to see it for themselves, hold it up to be just this terrible, dangerous place. It is not. There are real, genuine people there, just trying to make it in this world. I know that the
Lord my God will protect me. I know that he loves his children in Madisonville, and I know that this is the work of Salvation, this is the Lord's work, it is our Father's business, his hand is in it, and
that there is no one who can tell me not to go out and do it, except for the Lord Himself.  The Lord needs S and there is nothing going to stop me from aiding Him in bringing S closer to christ.