2/10/14 | Ice Storms, Parasites and Mold.

This week was quite the adventure to say the least!!! We had some major Ice Storms this week. It started Tuesday night--the power went out about 4:30 that night. After the storms...this place looked like a war zone! Trees fallen everywhere...I'm talking big 100 year old trees! They crushed stuff and tore down power lines left and right! it was just crazy (I'll send pictures) The power was out for days! (it finally came back on sunday but i'll get to that). 

Wendesday: Snow day again...in the dark. We found like 100 candles in the closet, but they were those tall skinny ones that don't stand up by themselves...so we gathered all the mason jars in the apt (which was quite a lot...never give missionaries any container that you want to see again.) and put them in the jars and lit the place up! It was awesome! Don't worry, we filled up a pitcher of water and kept it close just in case :). 

Thursday: Zone Training at Broomall! Yay! It was so good, we talked about how you know if you are being a successful missionary (which was perfect because I had been seriously pondering the subject the entire meeting.) It was incredible, they had us pull out our handy Preach My Gospels and turn to pg 11-12: there's an entire list of how you know if you are being a successful missionary! Who knew! So if you're ever wondering if you are being a successful missionary...just take a look and you will probably feel better about your efforts...well at least I did ;). The only downside to the meeting was that the power was still out at the church building too so it was only a little bit freezing.  We got to spend a little bit of time with my favorite senior couple after the meeting!! THE JONES'! They are the nicest and gave us the AP's air mattresses to borrow while we didn't have a home. Oh yeah, we moved into the downingtown sisters apt that night. (little did we know, those air mattresses only hold their air for 2 hours...I guess it's the thought that counts :) and a blessing because now, after 4 nights of sleeping on the floor--I CAN sleep on the floor without wanting to die! miracleee.) 

Friday: Another day in Broomall cause guess what we got: iPads. We weren't supposed to get them till zone conference next week but then our Zone got called in early to get them cause we are the happiest or best looking or something like that. They are seriously the best thing to ever happen to missionary work! I am so serious! If the missionaries in Utah get them, you need to stop the missionaries and ask them to show you the Area Book/Planner app. It will blow your mind!!! These iPads will seriously change the face of missionary work so get excited! PIka--iPads and facebook will probably be a standard thing by the time you go on a mission! It's such an exciting thing to be a part of and to be able to see how these technologies change the way we are able to teach! So...now that I can literally teach anyone, anywhere, at any time: Who do you know that is looking for guidance and direction in their life? Who do you know that could use some help building their relationship with Christ? --let me know, i'll facetime them, teach them, and then the local missionaries can baptize them :) bam. 

Saturday was an amazing day! We got a referral from a member in Reading (that's Red-ing) on facebook. So we gave him a call and went to teach him that afternoon. His name is Jim and wanted to come to church sooo badly! We did a little HTBT and Intro to the BOM and invited him to church the next day, we couldn't stay long because we didn't have a woman with us so it was a door step lesson. :( After that lesson....we got lost in the middle of nowhere forest for an hour!!! It was getting so ridiculous that I pulled out my camera and took a little video of the landscape and all the sudden there's a road sign that says "Lost Trail." That gave us zero confidence in where we were headed but we finally worked it out. Once our GPS started working again, it led us to a road that we were familiar with. Then there was a road block because of fallen trees and power lines and stuff so we had to flip around back into no mans land. We ran into a few more road blocks and finally just pulled over for a second. Sister Pickett was a little bit freaking out at this point (she's the designated driver) because there was so much ice on the roads. We didn't have cell service (the storm plowed down the cell towers so our service was pretty spotty all week...and by spotty I mean non existent.) So we said a prayer and both felt like it would be best if I drove us out of there. So we switched, I drove us down the road to the next stop sign. I had a prompting that we should switch back for some reason, so I told sister Pickett and we did even though she was still afraid to drive. As we continued down the road we came to two really skinny

 turns and right before we got to the turns a big truck came speeding through them! If we hadn't have stopped both of those times, we probably would have been hit by him! Crazy! No random thought eh? ----Interjection: uhhh we are just minding out own business, writing emails and a little boy just came up to us and asked us if we worked here, I told him no and that we were missionaries for our church. He said "oh ok, because me and my mom are looking for a church to go to" ooookkkkkkk awesome!----

Sunday: K___e was confirmed!! Yay it was so awesome and he was so happy!!! He is going to be the best member missionary! He asked us the other day when we were teaching him about temples why there aren't more temples in Africa? We told him that there has to be enough members before they would build one, so he told us he was going to "capture all of his friends in Liberia" so they would have enough members there for a temple :) hahaha. OH Before church we went and taught O___a, She has been coming to church with a member we reactivated since christmas. She came and found us last week and told us she wanted to learn :) So we got to her house and before we could even start teaching she askes "Can I be baptized?" umm YES! So we taught her the restoration and she just ate it right up! Loved everything we taught her! Then we committed her to be baptized on March 2nd...But she wanted to get baptized sooner so we moved it up toFeb 23rd :) yay! Jim Came to church and everybody loved him and made him feel so welcomed! He told his friend in reading that he felt so good at the church and definitely felt the spirit! He can't wait to come to church next week! We are going to invite him to be baptized on the 16th of March :) yay! So many miracles! So after church, we did our usual rounds to talk to all the members we needed to and such. We went to leave and there was all of the sudden sooo muchhh snowww! The elders were leaving at the same time as us and so we called Elder Jones (because he is in charge of all the mission cars) and he told us not to drive out in the storm. So we hunkered down with our handy dandy ipads and got to work....and it kept snowing and snowing and snowing and we were worried that we would be stuck at the church all night until finally at 7:45 we were able to get a hold of a member with a 4 wheel drive car to come get us :) So that was fun. 

This morning I went to the dr to find out what the goodness is wrong with me an he diagnosed me with Mold poisoning and a lovely Parasite friend. YAY! now that they know what's wrong they can fix it!! So that's the good news of the day! :) 

This week was filled with miracles even through all the weird happenings!!! I love you all and hope you have a fantastic Valentines day! I get to go to Zone Conference on Valentines :) and last but not least HAPPY BIRTHDAY PIKA BABY!!!! I love you I love you I love you to the moon and back at least...3 times!!! (oh and late birthday wishes to the baby queen b :) your present has been delayed due to ice storms and crayyycrayyy but i love you anyways :)).

Here's a thought: When we left our Heavenly Father's presence, it was for merely the afternoon of his time. Just like when mom sends Bossy off to play with Brandon Bush probably every Saturday or brings Pika over to Dillons house for the evening, she tells us to be good and remember who you are (ok not always but I'm sure she's thinking it!) just like our Father told us when we left his home to come here "remember who you are!" What are you going to do with this short afternoon you have here on earth to prove yourself and become worthy to be called His son's and daughters? What are you going to do that will bring you and others into His presence forever?...just a thought

LOVE YOU!!! -Sister Bailey

It was Elder Leavitts birthday on friday, so we made him a cake in the dark of our apt on thursday night :) thank goodness we have a gas stove :)

just a pic of me...sharing the gospel, on my iPad, at Panera :) nbd