McKenzee's Missionary Moments: December 12th, 2016

Hello hello!

This past week has literally been insane! But first, this upcoming
week I hit my 14th Mark!!!! HOLY COW! My mind is blown because time
seems to be zooming by! It totally blows my mind that I only have
about 4 months left!!!!!

Alright so yes, I'm feeling a whole lot better, although I'm not
completely better. I ended up going to the urgent care on Tuesday and
they were honestly not very nice or helpful. The doctor was pretty
sassy and seemed a little afraid of us two missionaries. Haha. He did
give me some medicine though which I was happy about and it's been
helping me a little. So hopefully when we skype I will be all better:)
Speaking of skype(SO PUMPED) I need to know what time will work for
you so me and my companion can schedule it out:) we have church at 9
and should be done by 10:30 or so. So please let me know what time
will work, I can't believe I get to talk to y'all in less than 2
weeks!!!!! :) Are you guys as excited as I am??? :)

So Monday was pretty uneventful. I felt so sick that I just laid in
bed all day haha. I felt bad because poor sister Crawley just stayed
inside with me and was going pretty crazy. Lol

Tuesday we had district meeting and I had to go and I was just so not
feeling well, I didn't even put makeup on! Lol. It was a scary sight.
Luckily I didn't have to do anything but pay attention. Haha. Then we
went home and I napped and then went to urgent care, and well, enough
said about that one lol. The rest of the night nothing great happened
lol.

So Wednesday I decided that despite not feeling great I would still
get up and be a real missionary. Haha. And we didn't really have too
hard of a day so it wasn't too bad. In the morning we went to Meals on
Wheels, which is always fun. (Except for the old Russian lady who
always slaps my hands when she wants me to do something for her lol)
But I seriously love going there! The people there are always happy to
see us too and are so appreciative of our help so it's amazing. I'm
telling you people, service heals the soul!!! And I just love that the
Christmas initiative is all about service and helping others. I think
it just really helps us get into the spirit of Christmas! Oh and then
we were able to go help a family in the Ward put decorations on their
Christmas tree:) it was so exciting!!!! They bought a real tree and it
was HUGE! I can't even begin to describe how giant it was! It was
amazing and a ton of fun! Oh and the tree just smelt like Christmas
which was a great plus! Haha

Thursday was a crazy day because there was an ice storm warning so we
were all prepared for the worse. So we wake up and nothing. Everything
looks fine and dandy so we were pretty bummed because, who doesn't
want a snow day? Lol. So we go to our 10 o'clock appointment and the
only thing we notice is it's absolutely freezing!!! Like my bones were
just aching. We have a great lesson and still no snow, no rain, just
super heavy duty wind. So after our lesson we still have an hour until
we go home for lunch and we stop by our potential investigator, M
and she finally lets us in(mostly she felt bad for us because it was
soooo cold). Haha. So we end up having a really great lesson with her
about the plan of salvation and also about who God is to her and what
not. Oh and I forgot to mention that she had us sit on chairs that
were facing the window so the whole time we were able to see outside.

Alright so during our whole lesson we notice that little specks of
snow start falling, cute right? Ha no, within our short little visit
the snow just keeps coming and coming and it starts sticking and
before you know it everything outside is covered in a blanket of snow
and our lesson was done. M wasn't interested at this time (which
was really sad and disappointing) and now we had to go outside and
face this monster haha. Just kidding, it wasn't that bad. It was just
freezing and the snow was coming down directly into our eyes. Haha but
luckily for us the other sisters came to our rescue and picked us up!
So then all day it just keeps snowing and snowing and getting colder
and colder and they told us that we still needed to go out and work
and we were like, what the heck? Haha but we kept working even though
I thought I was gonna freeze to death haha. And we actually ended up
getting a new investigator, P, and we had an amazing lesson with
her about the plan of salvation too! It was so great! We were so
happy! Then we went to dinner at some Chinese place with this cute
older couple in our Ward. It was fun. And then the best news yet! Lol
they told us to go inside after dinner to be safe and get out of the
storm!!!:) lol we were so pumped because we were so cold and tired! So
we go home and somehow I ended up dying both Sister Nilson & Sister
Jarmans hair! Hahahaha and Sister Crawley decorated a ginger bread
house! Lol it was a good snow day:)

Friday we had weekly planning all morning which was nice because we
didn't have to go out in the ice! But then that night they told us
that we had to go out but that we couldn't drive! It was so sad! So we
spent hours just tracting in the freezing ice cold. Literally there
was ice chunks all over the street! I thought I was gonna be a
Popsicle haha. But we made it.. Barely lol;)

Saturday, omg the craziest thing happened to us but I feel like it
would be best to save after the mission.... ;) or maybe I will tell
y'all on skype:)

Oh and so I have a few updates for y'all, okay so all the snow/ice is
melted now but it's still freezing haha. And now about the ET
(emergency transfer) so me, Crawley, and Nilson, are all staying but
sister Jarman got ET'd to woodland and Sister Reeves replaced her! So
I'll be staying here in Portland for Christmas:) So that's good news!
We were freaking out about what was gonna happen and we are happy we
get to stay together, for at least a little longer.

And now I get to tell y'all about today. So it's been a crazy day and
we have to be done emailing by 9:( but anyway, today was GREAT! The
whole mission got together and had a big Christmas celebration which
was the first time that the whole entire mission got to be together!
So I got to see all my old companions and I was so happy! It was
honestly so great and just what I needed! So the morning we had a huge
talent show, and it was really funny! Lots of people did so many
different skits and it was great. Then we did a white elephant
exchange with our zones and then we had lunch and got to mingle and
talk and all that jazz. I just seriously love my old companions so
much. It was like a big family reunion and I just realized how much
love I have for these people, it's insane! After lunch we had a
devotional sing along thing and it was so great and spiritual. We
talked all about Christmas and Christ and a few people were asked to
share their testimonies about the challenge our mission president gave
us which was to read the 4 gospels and read 3 Nephi before Christmas
(btw I'm almost done:)) so it was such a great meeting! My testimony
of Jesus Christ and Christmas and missionary work grew so much!
Seriously it was such a great meeting! I just LOVE this gospel and I
LOVE my Savior so much. He has done so much for me and for everyone
and I feel so lucky that I get to be out here sharing my testimony
about Him everyday. Life is GOOD and God is GOOD!
Then after the meeting we took a huge photo and then we went shopping
for groceries and now I'm home and trying to email as fast as I can!

Just know that I love you all to the moon and back and I seriously
can't even put into words how much I miss y'all. Some days it hurts so
bad, missing y'all, but I think of my Savior and the pain He felt for
me and I am so comforted and I know that things will be okay and that
in just a few short months I can be with my loved ones again. :)
Seriously, LOVE YALL

Don't forget to remember me;)

"Have faith, have hope, live like His Son, help others on their way."

Xoxo
Sister Batey