Covington

Hey Family!

 

I didn't tell you where I was going last week because we found out on wednesday.  What happens is everyone that's being transferred meets at the stake center in Baton Rouge.  Everyone sits on the sides of the chapel and when President Wall calls your name and area you meet your new companion in the middle and then sit together.  So my new area is Covington and my new companion is Sister Brady! 

My favorite street in all of Baton Rouge.  But now there's billions of streets like that in Covington. 

To say the least it's definitely nothing like Baton Rouge and I miss it terribly.  There's no more city, ghetto houses, garbage all down the side of the road, black people, ghetto talk, and no more family.  I guess the best way I would describe BR 1st ward is one giant family.  I mean yes, everyone had their own problems and such and no one was perfect but the love you felt there was incredible.  Seriously I would give anything to go back.  I don't know how they're making it by back there either because President put in Elders for our spot so that means there's no sister missionaries in the ward, which is crazy because every single person we see doesn't have a man in their house so the elders can't go into any of them.   

 

Chandra, Geneva, and Johnathan.  Even though we'd only met them a couple weeks before, I love them so much!  Pray that they'll be getting baptized soon!

The hardest thing about being in Covington is missionary wise it's super slow.  Our area is giant too and the city is tiny.  We're out here in the middle of nowhere pretty much.  In our district there's the Covington Elders and the Mandeville Elders.  It's just a whole new experience because everything is completely different.  I counted just on the ward roster this morning there's at least twenty members that don't want to be contacted anymore.  And I feel like no one even likes the missionaries which is hard!  In Baton Rouge everyone loved the missionaries, even if they didn't want to come back to church we could still go and read the scriptures with them but here no one wants us here I feel.  I guess it will just take some time getting used to. 

 

Sister Easley, the absolute sweetest lady I've ever met.  I hope to be like her one day.  :)

Nothing much really happened this past week though, just trying to meet all the members in our ward and remember who everyone is.

 

Amanda, Alexis, Alasia, and Aiden.  My ABSOLUTE favorite family!  We'd visit them every wednesday and it was the highlight of my week.  Alexis is going to the temple for the first time this week and Alasia just told us she's gonna talk to the bishop so she can get baptized soon.  Seriously the sweetest family ever. 

Sarah, holy cow girl you're the Relief Society secretary?  Congratulations, you're gonna do wonderful at it!  Haha you actually have a legit calling in the ward now, that's intense!  I sent the three LSU shirts for you, Whitney, and Dee, haha I thought I wrote it on the letter in the package but I guess not.  Y'all will need to take a picture with them on and send it to me.  Good luck with the upcoming semester of school  It sounds like you're busy but also doing well so far.  Tell everyone that I love em and hope y'all are doing great. 

 

Miranda, Melissa, and Tasha Lewis.  I love them all so stinkin much!  Miranda's getting her mission call soon! 

Emily I started the Book of Mormon and I'm on 1 Nephi 8 already so if you haven't started yet you better get reading! 

 

We couldn't say goodbye to Sister Mills because she was in Seattle, so we heart attacked her door.  She's one of my absolute favorites.  :)

Here's something I learned from the Book of Mormon this week:  Nephi, Laman, Lemuel, and Sam were commanded to go get the brass plates from king Laban but no one really understood why.  Laman and Lemuel were complaining, and Nephi prayed to understand, but all they knew was that it's a commandment  and they must do it.  But here's the cool part, Nephi was attempting for the third time to get the plates and he was constrained by the Spirit to kill king Laban.  He didn't want to but remembered this, "Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall propser in the land of promise.  Yea, and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law.  And I also knew that the law was engraven upon the plates of brass." (4:14-16)  It's saying that the scriptures (their brass plates) would tell them everything that they needed to do and that's the whole reason they needed to get the plates of brass.  And then in 1 Nephi 5:10-22 it explains the importance of the scriptures.  The scriptures are so extremely important and yet so many people forget to read them.  We must remember that to read the scriptures is a commandment from God! 

 

The Wleh family is crazy but it's a party at their house everytime we go over.  Imagin having six daughters! 

 I'm gonna send pictures of some of my favorite people so I'll write to y'all more later if I can.  I love y'all!

 

Kiwanna on the right and her mom Julia on the left.  Kiwanna has a baptismal date set! 

Love Always, Sister Schmutz