Sweet Is The Work: through the good and the bad

This week has been a roller coaster of emotions!

We spent the first half of the week just trying to find people! We found a few, but nothing super exciting to report on there.

Then on Wednesday we started doing a little project for the members here! We cut out a bunch of turkeys and leaves and instead of "heart attacking" people's doors, we put turkeys and leaves all over their doors and wrote why we were grateful for them on the papers! Then we door bell ditched them and ran away in our pencil skirts ;) it was pretty funny to watch I'm sure. But it was so fun to do a small thing for them all and see how much they loved it, they do so much for us.

Serving and loving people is the happiest thing.

Then on Thursday we had the happiest day!

First we went to the Walburger's for dinner and our recent convert Rashida came and another recent convert from the ward, Brother Hatcher. We all helped cook and I felt right at home :)

Then we all ate and said what we are grateful for and all I could really say was

how grateful I am to be a missionary here in Virginia.

It was never where I expected or really hoped to serve my mission, but wow!

I am so grateful that Heavenly Father knew exactly where I needed to go,

and more importantly the people that I needed to meet.

It has been the best ever.

Then after dinner all the girls when outside and jumped on the trampoline and laughed and had so much fun.

Then we went to another dinner a few hours later! We were so full, but Heavenly Father must have blessed us to be able to eat more hahaha. We went to the Fotheringham's and the Ferrell's, Oryang's, McGrath's, Mui's, Rashida, and more were all there. We were all one big happy family, and after we all sat around and played the guitar and sang old Christian songs.

It was one of those moments where you just look around and feel so much love for the people surrounding you. I love those moments.

Definitely one of my happiest Thanksgivings. :)

On Saturday we had a not so great day though... :( We went over to Gabriella and Brandon's house and they pretty much told us that once they move to Maryland they aren't going to be able to commute down to work, because she will be working on Sundays. We were so heart broken because that was the one last hope that we were holding on to. So we talked to them about how they are going to stay on their spiritual path and they seem like they are committed. We were so sad though, because they will be moving any day now and all we wanted was to see them be baptized, because they are so ready.
So after the lesson we just went and bought our favorite smoothies and sat in the car and cried for a while.
Hahaha pretty pathetic, but missions are hard! I feel like you never understand it until you serve a mission and you experience that same heart break.
But we had another lesson with them last night and we are going to try and have them meet with missionaries up there. Plus we are going to keep in contact with them and keep helping them get to baptism!
We told them last night that they signed up for life-long missionaries
and didn't even know it ;)
I love them a lot though.

But as I pray for them every night, I feel comforted that they will make it and that I've done all I could do for them. I have loved them and taught them and hopefully made just a little difference in their lives, and I just need to trust that Heavenly Father will always work everything out, through the good and the bad. He always does.

When we were with Gabriella and Brandon we read this poem to them from a talk by President Packer called "The Touch of the Master's Hand." It says:

’Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

Thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,

But held it up with a smile:

“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,

“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”

“A dollar, a dollar”; then, “Two!” “Only two?

Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?

Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;

Going for three—” But no,

From the room, far back, a gray-haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,

And tightening the loose strings,

He played a melody pure and sweet

As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,

With a voice that was quiet and low,

Said, “What am I bid for the old violin?”

And he held it up with the bow.

“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?

Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?

Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice,

And going, and gone!” said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,

“We do not quite understand

What changed its worth.” Swift came the reply:

“The touch of a master’s hand.”

And many a man with life out of tune,

And battered and scarred with sin,

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,

Much like the old violin.

A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine,

A game—and he travels on.

He’s “going” once, and “going” twice,

He’s “going” and almost “gone.”

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd

Never can quite understand

The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought

By the touch of the Master’s hand.'

I love that so much. It has been such a blessing to see the touch of the Master's hand in Gabriella and Brandon's lives, and in my life.
He has made so much more of me than I could have ever made of myself.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and a wonderful start to the Christmas season!
It is the happiest time of year :)

Love you all so much!

XOXO, Sister Fowers