Week 66

It's Thanksgiving!

I made a turkey today!! Right now it is in the oven. It wasn't completely thawed when we opened the package, so we had to run some water through it. We had trouble finding the neck cavity, so we were
kind of stressed that we couldn't find the giblets package! We thought the giblets were still inside the turkey somewhere! But when we found the neck cavity, we learned that it was not the case. My hands still smell like raw turkey, even though I washed them many times over. Gross! We rubbed it with butter and sprinkled some seasonings on it. Hopefully it turns out ok! We stuck it in and we hope it will not cook too fast, or cook too slow. Ah! Cooking is such a gamble. 

 

So today for Zone Activity Day we are watching a movie (Ephraim's Rescue), playing Apples to Apples, then eating our Thanksgiving turkey as a zone! It will be so much fun.

 
Besides that adventure, we also finished teaching B and she had her baptismal interview on Thursday! I was at a meeting, so I couldn't get a picture with her, but Sister Porter did! 

The Mission Leadership Council meeting this week was really great!  President Cooper switched our daily schedule around. So now we are getting up at 6, exercising, getting ready for the day, and then at 8 we are daily planning for the day we are on. At 8:30 we start personal study, then at 9:30 we start

companion study. They changed it so we can plan, then prepare, then execute every morning. So cool! I also learned some new ways to plan more effectively. The gist of it was that when we plan, we shouldn't be scheduling. We should set goals for the people we're working with, and then we should write a list of action items, or plans, of things we can do to reach those goals. Then we should plan time in our planner of when we will do those things. It is a completely different way of looking at it than I've ever done before, but I love it! It works great, and it is so much more effective.

I should probably give more info on what Night in Bethlehem is. Night in Bethlehem is a live nativity that our Stake does every year. It is set up on the property next to the stakecenter, and it has a little town (Bethlehem) set up. People come, and they can walk through the town and do things. Like the Ren Fest, actually. Then every half hour the gates open and they go through to watch the show. There is a scene where Mary and Joseph are trying to find room in the inn, then we go through and see the shepherds, and the manger scene. There is music and acting and all that. Afterwards, people file into the church building where there are cookies and hot chocolate in the cultural hall, and a table in the foyer with Book of Mormons, dvds, and pamphlets and things. The missionaries will help with guiding people from scene to scene, as well as mingling in the village and talking to people. It won't be a "proselyting" experience, because it is supposed to be focused on Christ, but we can answer questions if people ask. There will also be missionaries manning the Book of Mormon table, and offering to show people the chapel, if they are curious. It is so cool! It goes over 4 nights, and it is amazing.

 We went to dinner at the M's this week! That was really fun. She made us chicken and rice, and fried plantains. They were so good! We also ate empanadas at the Qs house. The Q,s are moving next week though! I am so sad. G came to church! We have slowly been working with him because he is very busy, but he said he would like to learn more about sacrament meeting. Also, N and B came to church, too!

I hit my 15 month mark this week! So crazy! I can't believe how fast it is going.
 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Sister Minson

 

Pictures from setting up Night in Bethlehem last week: