Monday, April 14, 2014

The special miracle of spring, sad to say goodbye, transfer adventures, new companion, working hard and great things to come...

Well hello there everybody!! It's the start of a new transfer! and spring is really finally here I think!! Ooooo I have a quote for you :) haha so back when I was in Topsham teaching Brother Eldredge I would always have a quote to share to go along with our lesson or in Book of Mormon class! cuz i love quotes! haha :) so one day Brother Eldredge came over to me and said "I have a quote for YOU! I know how much you love quotes, you're gonna love this..." :) so here it is! "New Englanders do not transplant well...Nothing can compare in any land in any climate with the way we feel when the snow melts, the brooks run free and the peepers make their chilly sweet song in the swamp. Without winter, we should not have the special miracle of spring." It's so true!!! We have to make it through that cold cold winter...but it sure does make you appreciate spring once it gets here!!! Just like life! we have those hard times and it's hard to see the ending and hard to think that the summer warmth will ever come! Sometimes we get lost in it and lose hope...but we can't doubt or give up! The sun will come out tomorrow! Even if it's not warm...haha...but it'll get there!! We just have to have faith and trust in our Heavenly Father's plan! He knows what He's doing and it always works out! Just trust Him!!! We can have that hope even in the winters of our lives and hope and trust that the good will come, that things will work out, life will go on and spring will come!!! :) and it's after those cold winters that we really truly appreciate the miracles of spring! ahhh! i just love it!!! And finally the weather is warming up :) So! I have lots to tell you!!! It's been a pretty eventful week!!! Last Monday we were running around like crazy trying to finish everything up before Sister Huefner left! We sent off packages, got ice cream!!! and then went to the Royers and sister Royer took lots of fun pics of us on the tractors :) and then the elders came over and we played phase 10 and just had a party all night :) Then we went home and finished off the last of the packing and cleaning and then eventually went to bed...woke up at 4:30 got ready and went over to the Royers and they drove us to Augusta!! It was pouring rain!!!! We waited and waited...just talked to all the other elders there...and waited for the Brewer van to get there.... and then it did and guess who got out?! Sister Sowards!!!!!!!!!! :D oh i love her :) and then my new companion!! Sister Welch!!! I love her too :) she's pretty great! She's from Wyoming and has been out for 13 months! We're gonna have a pretty great transfer together! So once they got there we put her luggage in the Royers van and then I sent off Sister Sowards and Sister Huefner to transfer meeting! Oh my goodness I love them both so much!! It was so sad saying goodbye to Sister Huefner!!! It's just not the same without her!!!! But Sister Welch and I are going to have a great transfer! Things are going really well here in Damariscotta!!! :) Oh so let me tell you how our transfer started out... you know it's gonna be a crazy one when it starts out like this... the first of our many adventures to come... haha... So! We got in the van to head back to Waldoboro and we're driving along and we're going through and intersection and the trunk opens and her luggage flies out of the back!!!!!! bahahahaha! so brother royer pulls over and we all hop out and run out to the middle of the road stopping traffic and bring the luggage back over to the van! hahahaha! oh manny! i just wish I had my camera going during that whole thing! It was too funny! haha! Everything was okay though, nobody got hurt and we got it all in and the trunk secured! haha! So that's how it all started and probably how the rest of the transfer will go! haha! We got back to our apartment at like 8:30 and brought all of her luggage in and then we studied! Then we went and had a lesson with Linda and Arnez!!! It was really good! I was a little worried...but I was pleasantly surprised with how well it went! :) We finished reading the Restoration pamphlet with them and had a good discussion! Then we went to Damariscotta and went to the store and got some groceries! Then we went and did mormon.org! There were some new I'm a Mormon videos which I love!!! Here's one of them that I watched... mormon.org/elaine sooo good! watch them all :) they're the best!!! oh and while you're on there... you should all go watch this one... mormon.org/becauseofhim go watch it now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and share it with everyone!!! :) So after that we got subway and went and ate at the church! then we went and visited Sister Locke at her store! then we tried to see the Creamers but he wasn't home and she was busy making dinner for her neighbor! So we went home and had dinner! then we to the Smiths and played "don't eat pete!" with them! It was super fun and it was so cute the girls kept asking questions and then finally said "wait i have another question...when are you going to come back??" :D so they invited us to come back next tuesday! we're going to play jenga and relate it to the restoration so that should be good cuz they love games :) Then we were close by so we stopped and visited Sister Duffy :) and that was day one!! phew! crazy crazy first day of the transfer! 

Wednesday we went to district meeting in Augusta! We had a great district meeting with our new district! It was such a good lesson about the Atonement and we all got to share our testimonies and it was so awesome! I am so grateful for the Atonement! I loved that in our meeting we really focused on the enabling power of the Atonement! Christ suffered for sins, but also our pains, sicknesses, temptations...everything we go through! He knows what it's like and He is always there for us! I loved this that one of the elders said "The Atonement doesn't just prove us, it improves us." Through the Atonement of Christ we can be strengthened and be lifted to our full potential.The Atonement doesn't make up the difference, it is the difference. So that was an awesome lesson and just what I needed that day :) Oh so funny story...so sister davis (our stl) trained sister welch who trained sister miller who is now companions with sister simon and sister davis also trained her! crazy! So they're all "related" haha :) and then there's me... bahahaha! it's whatever ;) We have a way fun district! It's gonna be lots of fun! :) After that we went and saw sister russell and read the Book of Mormon! then we went and visited Sister Gove and sang some hymns :) Then we came home for dinner after trying to see a few less actives!

Thursday was a super great day! We should've just had a sleepover in Augusta cuz it was our third day in a row there! haha! but this time it was for the Sisters Conference!!!!! half the sisters in the mission all there together and we got to listen to some great speakers and talk with each other!!! the spirit was so strong!!! I loved it!!! I got to see sister sowards again and also sister burton and sister keigly!!! and I got to talk to the sisters that are in Topsham now! Sister Escobar (love her!!!) and sister shipley and sister Vanderhoff (love them both too) but I was talking to Sister Escobar and she told me that every time they would go to the soup kitchen they would ask about me and someone would always say "where's sister tait?" or "how's she doing?" haha :) so that was pretty cool to hear :) I was there for a long time...not sure how they're surviving without me ;) haha but it was really cool to hear that just being there each week just for that short amount of time did make a difference. :) So the sisters meeting was so much fun!!!!!!!!! :) The theme was "For such a time as this" from Esther 4:14 it was so good! We talked a lot about Esther and the great courage that she had! There were so many great things and I want to tell you all about it!!! but i've got to get through the rest of the week!!!! but yeah...it was amazing! then we came back to waldoboro and went and saw the Goldrups and had dinner with them!

Friday we went to the elders apartment and then they drove us to Boothbay where the Quinlans live (our branch president) and we did service for them! We helped them put in their dock! that was an adventure!!! haha! how awesome is that...it goes out to the ocean!!! oh my goodness! it was awesome!! then they fed us lunch and we had a little coordination meeting and then we raked leaves and then they drove us around a little loop where we could see more of the ocean!!!!!!!!!! It was so pretty!!!! ahhhh!!! I love the ocean!! :) we will definitely be doing more service at the Quinlans :) haha :) then we came back and we tried to see Merritt and sister brooks came with us but he wasn't home :( lame. but we went and saw the Seversons and they were happy to finally see us and to know that we haven't forgotten about them!!! haha it's just been forever! 

Saturday we had a good lesson with linda and arnez! watched some mormon messages which they loved!!! and then we had lunch across the street at a little picnic park we found :) and then we went and moved furniture for melanie! then we went to the Royers and painted their deck and ended up staying for dinner and talking with them and helping with the animals for the rest of the night :)

sunday was fast and testimony meeting and Arnez got up and bore her testimony!!!!!!!! It was awesome!!!!!!!!! all three of them were there!! linda, arnez and tom!!!! It was so good! it's been a while since they've all been! so that was super awesome!!! We got to help in primary again :) always fun :) and then we went and saw sister gove! we sang hymns and painted her fingernails :) then we came home and did our weekly planning since that kinda got skipped over on friday..ooops.. haha and that was about it!! now it's monday!!! and my email time is just about up!!!! so!!! it's gonna be another great transfer!!! the sun is here and I think it's going to stay :D and if not.. I make my own sunshine :D haha :) well! I love you all!! hope you have a wonderful week!! LOVE YOU!!! oh and go watch mormon.org/becauseofhim you'll love it :)
Love,

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