Hello everyone!!!
Mom I was laughing so hard at that video you sent me!! Priceless :) Please send me more. It sounds like everyone's doing good. Dad I'm sorry you weren't feeling well. You need to slow down!
Okay I have big news for you. As you all know I was transferred....and I am now Serving in the Crossroads area (Indy) as an STL!!! My companion is Sister Tanner and I love her so much! We knew each other at the temple open house and always wanted to serve together so when they called our names we were freaking out at transfers haha. The funny thing is that Sister Tanner is also a new STL and they double transferred us in. We both have no idea what we're doing haha. Also, this is the third area I've been double transferred into. This is going to be a major learning experience. Sister Tanner and I are having fun figuring it out haha.
Okay now about my area. So our ward boundaries are part of downtown Indy and then the east side. I am the minority here. There are so many black people! I love it! It's also kind of scary here though. This past week there was a shooting by us and 4 people died. So yep I'm in the GHETTO!!! Don't worry though I got myself some pepper spray. President was actually going to take sisters out of Crossroads because with the winter it's getting darker earlier and he thought it was too dangerous. BUT instead he put in two of the whitest sisters in the area. I guess the bishop didn't want him to take sisters out. One of the members in Crossroads ward told us that President Cleveland told him he only puts the best sisters in Crossroads. There's a lot of pressure but it's also very humbling that President trusts Sister Tanner and I that much.
We are teaching a woman named Janelle. She is so sweet and is a friend of a recent convert. When the other sisters were here they were teaching a recent convert and Janelle was there and said she wanted to learn more. We taught her about the Book of Mormon. She has a lot of questions that I know the gospel can answer for her. We are also teaching a woman named Kim who is older and then her niece Jasmine who is 13. They're getting baptized on the 14th!! Whahoo! They're so ready. Jasmine already agreed to teach her beehive classnext Sunday. Love them.
Church here is CRAZY!! Everyone during sacrament says "AMEN!" and "Mhhhm-mmm". It's the best. I started saying amen too haha. Also, Sister Tanner and I were sitting on the couches in the foyer and a woman walked in, she wanted to speak with the bishop. A member asked, "Do you have an appointment or are you a walk-in?" Sister Tanner and I were like is this a regular thing. We went and talked with her and apparently she is homeless and needs some money. She said that a friend told her that our church helps people. She also said she's pregnant. We got her number so hopefully we can teach her about the gospel. This area has some very sad environments people are in. Everywhere I look I feel so blessed for what I have.
There are also some members in our ward who we call Mama and Papa Lane. They both have such an amazing conversion story. Papa Lane was smoking crack for a long time but was able to get over that and smoking because of the church. They take care of all the missionaries. The fed us SO MUCH FOOD the other night that that night I almost threw up. Just expect me to come home rolling from being so fat.
Funny Story: This past week we cleaned a members home. She also lives in a not so good environment. I was doing her dishes and there was mold on them. She had a sponge that was basically falling apart that I used to clean them. Well after she wanted to feed us. She made us bean burritos. It was literally a tortilla with beans in it. I was gagging. I could barely choke it down. But I did!!!
Quote from a man in our ward who is inactive, "Hello Sisters. I have been meeting with the elders recently. But something I believe is that the female spirituality is equal, no maybe even greater, than the men. Would you come visit me?" He's a creep. Hard pass. We said no.
Be excited for lots of other crazy adventures.
Love,
Your ghetto Sister Smith
P.S. Just to let you know you are not allowed to send packages to my apartment so I'm just not going to give you my address. Apparently when you send packages they always get stolen. So if you want to send me anything you have to send it to the mission office. The address is: 777 Sunblest Blvd Fishers, IN 46038
Mom I was laughing so hard at that video you sent me!! Priceless :) Please send me more. It sounds like everyone's doing good. Dad I'm sorry you weren't feeling well. You need to slow down!
Okay I have big news for you. As you all know I was transferred....and I am now Serving in the Crossroads area (Indy) as an STL!!! My companion is Sister Tanner and I love her so much! We knew each other at the temple open house and always wanted to serve together so when they called our names we were freaking out at transfers haha. The funny thing is that Sister Tanner is also a new STL and they double transferred us in. We both have no idea what we're doing haha. Also, this is the third area I've been double transferred into. This is going to be a major learning experience. Sister Tanner and I are having fun figuring it out haha.
Okay now about my area. So our ward boundaries are part of downtown Indy and then the east side. I am the minority here. There are so many black people! I love it! It's also kind of scary here though. This past week there was a shooting by us and 4 people died. So yep I'm in the GHETTO!!! Don't worry though I got myself some pepper spray. President was actually going to take sisters out of Crossroads because with the winter it's getting darker earlier and he thought it was too dangerous. BUT instead he put in two of the whitest sisters in the area. I guess the bishop didn't want him to take sisters out. One of the members in Crossroads ward told us that President Cleveland told him he only puts the best sisters in Crossroads. There's a lot of pressure but it's also very humbling that President trusts Sister Tanner and I that much.
We are teaching a woman named Janelle. She is so sweet and is a friend of a recent convert. When the other sisters were here they were teaching a recent convert and Janelle was there and said she wanted to learn more. We taught her about the Book of Mormon. She has a lot of questions that I know the gospel can answer for her. We are also teaching a woman named Kim who is older and then her niece Jasmine who is 13. They're getting baptized on the 14th!! Whahoo! They're so ready. Jasmine already agreed to teach her beehive classnext Sunday. Love them.
Church here is CRAZY!! Everyone during sacrament says "AMEN!" and "Mhhhm-mmm". It's the best. I started saying amen too haha. Also, Sister Tanner and I were sitting on the couches in the foyer and a woman walked in, she wanted to speak with the bishop. A member asked, "Do you have an appointment or are you a walk-in?" Sister Tanner and I were like is this a regular thing. We went and talked with her and apparently she is homeless and needs some money. She said that a friend told her that our church helps people. She also said she's pregnant. We got her number so hopefully we can teach her about the gospel. This area has some very sad environments people are in. Everywhere I look I feel so blessed for what I have.
There are also some members in our ward who we call Mama and Papa Lane. They both have such an amazing conversion story. Papa Lane was smoking crack for a long time but was able to get over that and smoking because of the church. They take care of all the missionaries. The fed us SO MUCH FOOD the other night that that night I almost threw up. Just expect me to come home rolling from being so fat.
Funny Story: This past week we cleaned a members home. She also lives in a not so good environment. I was doing her dishes and there was mold on them. She had a sponge that was basically falling apart that I used to clean them. Well after she wanted to feed us. She made us bean burritos. It was literally a tortilla with beans in it. I was gagging. I could barely choke it down. But I did!!!
Quote from a man in our ward who is inactive, "Hello Sisters. I have been meeting with the elders recently. But something I believe is that the female spirituality is equal, no maybe even greater, than the men. Would you come visit me?" He's a creep. Hard pass. We said no.
Be excited for lots of other crazy adventures.
Love,
Your ghetto Sister Smith
P.S. Just to let you know you are not allowed to send packages to my apartment so I'm just not going to give you my address. Apparently when you send packages they always get stolen. So if you want to send me anything you have to send it to the mission office. The address is: 777 Sunblest Blvd Fishers, IN 46038