Library of Congress

Hello Everyone!  I am at the library of congress writing to you right now.  So how awesome is that! I am a little late writing today because I got to go to the Washington D.C. Temple this morning. Double awesome!  I did family names I dug up myself and one of my recent converts actually was baptized for my family members!  Soooooo yea, that gets an AWESOME as well!!

Padilla (Baptized a few weeks ago) and Hermana DeBry at the temple.  Notice we are not wearing jackets on this beautiful sun shiny day (though it was a little chilly).  It is GREAT to see and feel the sunshine. 

My companion was pretty sick this week, so we were in the apartment most of the time.  That makes for a short letter home.  That's why I sent so many pictures!

Jorge and Padilla at the temple with us today.  I hope everyone has a great week!  I Love you all!!

Hermana Atkinson

AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

This week was awesome! Sorry that I didn't write a whole lot last week,  we were having technical difficulties. 

This week was fantastically amazing! It all started last Tuesday when we had a training day with President Riggs. SOOOO we learned how to use the Book of Mormon and Pamphlets better, then we practiced and practiced .... The only bad thing is we practiced in English, which is fine, but I can't really teach in English because I have never really had to teach in English. That really was awesome. 

Wednesday we had a great district meeting, we talked about Jonah, how we can't be like Jonah during our missions, no running and hiding!  We really need to talk to everyone. Some days it is hard not to be like Jonah. Especially with the group of people that you go to talk to at 8 in the dark!  It is O.K., I am alive and as the saying goes, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger".  

So, on to Thursday ... Baptismal INTERVIEW DAY. The kids preparing for baptism on Saturday had their interviews on Thursday evening. We had a dinner appointment that usually takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes and an appointment that usually take 1 hour and a 30 minutes ... all to do in an hour and a half, talk about your time management skills!  Some how we did it (or almost) so we made it to the church only 10 minutes late. OH, Thursday was the year mark for Hermana Brown!!!!  Happy year!! Anyway, back to the interviews, while we were with the kids as they are all being interviewed, I remember that we have to get everything for the font figured out. Our ward mission leader says we can stop by on Saturday and get his keys and a Sister in the ward offers to make food, but she will need some help. My companion volunteered our help with the food while I was talking to the kids and volunteering to help them all get ready because they don't know about ties or what to wear. 

So then Friday.  First we had weekly planning and decided to have it in the library in a study room because we have a had time concentrating. Then President Riggs called and asked if he and his wife could come to our baptism the next day!! No pressure!! SO of course we said, "yes" it would start at 4. Then we went home and made brownies for the baptism.  

So we wake up early on Saturday, get dressed and off we go to help cook enchiladas and tacitos. As soon as we finish we are off to deliver baptismal clothes to the girls. Then rush over to get the keys to fill up the font, (It takes along time to fill a font) and then back and help cook some more food, then back to check on the water in the font and help the kids get in their white jumpers.  HECTIC!  President Riggs and his wife show up about 10 minutes early ...... and no one else came till 4.  Mormon standard time, right?  This is all fine except the person actually performing the baptism got caught in traffic and didn't get there till 4:30, but when he starts to get dressed, his white pants didn't fit.  AHHHHHH.  Stay calm and try to find some white pants ... who knew that a size 34 white pair of dress  pants would be so hard to find! It all turned out fine, the kids were baptized. Whewwwww. 

Sunday they were confirmed members of the Church and received the holy ghost, then my companion and I had a special musical number in sacrament meeting.  It was fun....

Oh yeah, in the middle of all that, My other recent convert Padilla wants to go to the temple this coming Saturday.  I have also been doing genealogy in Spanish.... I can't even do it in English let alone in Spanish!!!!!! I figured it out and I am going to go do baptisms on Saturday at the temple with Hermana Debry and Padilla. I am so excited!

After the baptism we were talking to a lesser active member and his girlfriend, who is our investigator, they want to get married so she can be baptized! We also had another investigator call us this this week to tell us that he wants to be baptized.... But yeah that is all that really happened this week!  See GREAT WEEK!

One other thing, so we went to eat with a member last night that is from Mexico. When we go into his house, we were talking and he introduces us to his daughter-in-law who was speaking German!  When we started talking to his two sons, they kept switching from German to Spanish to English ... and all the while this member is speaking in Spanish. So it happens his daughter-in-law is from Austria and met his son when he was on his mission in Germany!  A little coolness, but needless to say, we were expecting Mexican food and ate kish.....

Have a great week everyone, I Love You

Hermana Atkinson

The Freak Snow Storm !!

So weather wise, this week started out really nice, we had sun light, it was beginning to get warmer.  We had MANY appointments set in an effort to get to know more members and involve them in Missionary work. On Wednesday night each appointment we went to it seemed everyone was telling us, "it's going to snow"! Missionaries get travel restrictions when there is snow and ice on the roads, meaning we cannot drive our car and have to walk everywhere we need to go.  We decided Wed night that if there was snow on the ground the next morning we would work out at home and not go to the gym, but if the road was clear we would walk to the gym. Thursday morning we wake up and there is no snow! I was so happy and I am skipping because we had a dinner appointment that I was really excited about not to mention so many members to go see. We walked to work out at the gym and I was still overjoyed!  Life couldn't be better!  We hurry home to get ready for the day, then after study I look out the window only to see 3 inches of snow!  OH NO, I wasn't happy anymore.  We had set appointments with members before and after our dinner appointment, in an area 15 miles away.  Much too far to walk!  Too much snow to drive.  It must have been obvious how sad I was because Hermana Brown made me pupusas (A pupusa is a mexican dish made of a thick, handmade corn tortilla filled with cheese, cooked pork and refried beans) for dinner.  I have a very thoughtful, sweet companion!

Other news, Hermana Brown told one of our investigators, Jazmin (The mother of the family that is getting baptized on the 21st, Samantha, Vennessa and Luis) how much money we are given each week to live on (I will not include that information because I think we get plenty to eat and MORE) now every time we go over there she has a huge meal ready for us to eat!  Luckily she likes salad!!

This is a picture of my perfect tortilla made by hand!  I have found that the flour ones have a dough a little harder to make but they flatten out much easier!

OH, and it is going to be in the 60s all week!!!!!

Thanks for all the emails!  Have a great week. I love you all!

Hermana Atkinson

Ice Storms and Dog bites!

Sooooooo, story time! This week was great.  We attended a mission wide iPad training and found out that every person in the mission is getting a brand new iPad!  WOW!  Apparently, the church is starting a training program for youth to teach them to be missionaries and share the gospel online. Another program being started by the church will start the last 6 weeks of a mission, will be dedicated to future life planning using the iPad. HOW COOL IS THAT?

We had an appointment on Thursday at 11 A.M.,  woo hoo... That morning, we get a text at 8 saying, "no driving", due to inclement weather.  What should we do about our appointment?  The only real option is to walk to the appointment, right?  So we decide to walk it,  we left at 9:30 and didn't get there till a little after noon, It is hard to walk 4.5 miles in ice.  Good lesson!  We stop and eat lunch and then about half way home we got a text saying we could drive again!  A good long walk on a brisk winter day builds character!!  LOL  

Other then that Alfredo Padilla, who was baptized last week, was confirmed a member of the church and received the gift of the Holy Ghost yesterday after church.  Great DAY!!   We have the sweetest little family of 4 on date for baptism on the 21.  I am soooooo excited for them. 

Other then that, I am on my iPad and getting tired of typing. Oh, we had an ice storm this week. It made things fun, slick and slippery!  Luckily, today is nice, hot and sunny.  And a dog bit me last night!  Luckily, It didn't hurt ... I haven't every really had a dog snap at me, for any reason before.  He was probably just having a bad day. Oh, I am picking up Girl Scout cookies today after this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am beyond excited for those Do Si Does!!! But anyway have a great week!!

Love Hermana Atkinson
Missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Washington D.C. South Mission