Finally Getting Warm

Hello! 

This week has been pretty great! We are super blessed up here in New York. We've been very sloooowly finding people who either want us to teach them or like us enough that they'll allow us to come over a second time. It's a challenge, but I've found that if they talk to us once and are friendly in that encounter, they normally will talk to us again. Up here where we are, the church isn't known much (or at all) and so no one realizes that we are pretty much normal people. This is so sad to me because this is the place it all started! WHY don't people even know about us. That's why we are here I guess. 

In the last little bit, we found this perfect little lady and her husband while walking and I adore them. I can't get over them. She is especially precious... they both went to the Sacred Grove 10 or so years ago and both felt the Spirit so strongly and she told us that she knows it's true. Ah, I can't handle it. But alas, they currently are very involved in a biker church and by very involved I mean that her husband is an ordained preacher. So we really don't know where this is going to go. But they want us to come over and eat salads and baked goods with them and talk about God and since we love them and have very few people to teach we are all for it. I'm actually really excited to see what happens. I love them so much. 

I actually love everyone here so much. Especially the people we are teaching/contacting as friends right now. We are super blessed and I just can't handle it! This is why I'm here... for them and it's happening and I am so happy.

So these pictures... One of them is me on my bed as it was for the last three weeks. As a visa waiter to a hot place like Brazil, I have literally nothing to keep warm. No coats or blankets or sweaters or tights. Nothing. BUT when I go to the mission home, one of the Older couple missionaries gave me that wonderful coat up cuddled up under on my bed in the picture. And since It is as cold as Alaska in our house even when it's warm outside, I really had that and two small blankets to sleep with. So that was a fun adventure... curling up under that all the time. But then the mission sent us more blankets and every night is oh-so-cozy now. And slowly, I'm accumulating warmer clothes from Walmart every P-day. 

Also that is a picture of the biggest cupcakes in the world. We ate them at a Family Home Evening that the ward holds in a member's home for any one and they love it when the missionaries come. So we went that night and it was delightful. Those are all the four lovely sisters who live together.  This week certainly has been a food week. We have been given pies and cup cakes and the members always shove dessert into us after making us eat everything in their house beforehand. It's a pretty great life to lead. I love being a missionary.

Moroni 7:33 "If ye have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me." Remember that! Whatsoever thing! What a promise is that. If we simply have faith we can do what God requires. And as a missionary, you realize just how much help you really do need to do what God requires, because talking to strangers isn't anything easy!

Love you and have a great week!

-Sister Damstedt