I feel like I just ran a marathon this whole week!!
Sorry I write novels.....
Wow I don't even know where to begin! We dropped so many people, had so many miracles, and laughed so hard so we didn't cry.
Monday we went to the Grand ol Opry hotel and walked around. I can't believe I was there just last year as a new missionary! It's kind of sad... But it was still amazing! We then went to the actual Grand ol Opry and walked inside the gift shop and took more pictures. Then we went to the mall and shopped around and enjoyed our break. Ah! I love being able to serve in Nashville! Such a great tender mercy.
We met with Diana, the less active we met while at dinner with our member. Diana has had a hard life, she is our age, but is such a trooper. She lives with her boyfriend and his family right now. But they went to church earlier and they both cried while the hymns were being sung. Wahoo! So we are going to stick on them.
We dropped Atef, our Egyptian friend.... He was trying to save us, and we were trying to save him. It's funny really!
Also this less active, lesbian lady that works at our apartments said she would get us a tree! Haha so we're really hoping she does.
Tuesday I went on exchanges with the Bellevue sisters, Sister Kohler came here with me. We tracted for days. Seriously like 4 hours a day. We had a miracle! We were driving to tract and she was like turn around, we need to go to that house. So we turned around and we were able to go in and teach the whole restoration lesson to this mom and her daughter, Tanya and Jaz. It was a little black community with their family. It was such a tender mercy!
Then on Weenesday we got this new "He is the Gift" Mormon Message that we show to everyone while Tracting. It's a great 2 minute video! We probably shared it 10 times that day. Such a miracle! Some great return appointments too! So in the ensign for this month you will get 9 pass a long cards! Watch the video, and give the pass a long cards our! The church is providing you with missionary opportunities! Just do it.
Thursday was Thanksgiving and it was wonderful! We had 3 dinners, and we were running to each appointment. We had a sheet where members signed up for us to share a message, so we were busy non stop. Busy and stuffed!
We had dinner with Ellie, she is the sweetest little lady. She had 3 of her kids there. That was our first dinner. But we had like real stuffing. They like stuffed it in the turkey as it was baking! Very interesting. But one of her daughters, Tangerine, was there. She was freaking out over the gravy because sister Oldroyd needed to put it on her mashed potatoes. Hahah so she finally did. Then I was like wow did you see how big Tangerines hands were, to sister Oldroyd! She didn't notice. So we give Ellie and her daughter a hug as we go and one son was like well do we get a hug?! We were like we can't give hugs to guys! So go to church on Sunday and tell Ellie thanks for having us over. Then we asked how is Tangerine related to her. She was like well that's my son, and he is a cross dresser!!!!!! SISTER OLDROYD AND I LAUGHED SO HARD WE HAD TO GET UP AND LEAVE OUT OF SACRAMENT!! We were crying. Freakin weirdest thing ever. That explains the big hands, and the hugs. Ellie thought we kept sneezing because we would bust up laughing, so she kept saying "excuse you, bless you!" Hahah #missionprobs you experience it all.
Then we had dinner at our Ward mission leaders house. He had like all the young new families over. It was so fun!! The Spanish Elders also didn't have a thanksgiving dinner. So we gave one of ours to them... They were so grateful! Such an amazing Thanksgiving!
Then Friday morning sister Oldroyd was like last night in your sleep you were doing a door approach and said, "wait no! You need to hear this message!" Haha then she told me she had a dream that she contacted this lady at a store and she was golden and her name started with a B. That's all she remembered. So we were determined to find this lady. So after weekly planning (which took 6 hours because we had so dang much to do) we went looking for this lady. I pulled into Kroger grocery store and she was like why Kroger? I was like why not? So we prayed and I was like p,ease help us find the lady sister Oldroyd had in her dream, that starts with a B. So we go in, not the closest door to us, because I got distracted by the Christmas decorations, and tress. So we walk across and the cute little lady ringing the bell was there. Sister Oldroyd gave her a pass a long card. I come up, hello! Why's your name? She's like Betty. We're like oh nice name! Then we invited her to church and she said she would come. Well we walk inside the doors and I grab sister Oldroyds hand and yell "BETTY WITH A B!! BETTY!" Before I even finished she sprints out the door to get her information so we could get ahold of her to come to church. She said she was looking for a church!!! OH MY GOSH. We were dying. Seriously crying. Heavenly Father is so good to us!!! We go inside to the freezer isle and pray and say thank you for everything! Ah! So grateful! Well she didn't come to church because her son had some asthma problems... She promised she would next Sunday though!! Wahoo! Miracle Betty.
On Saturday two different companionships of sisters were struggling, so we had lunch with one and then Saturday night we went on exchanges to west Nashville. When they do stuggle, I'm so grateful that the spirit is the one that does the talking!! I LOVE being able to help them. This week has taught me how my blessing says being a healer of broken hearts and broken spirits really comes into play.
Every single night this week we both came home just exhausted. Spiritually we were doing great! Being able to give this area our all. We have dropped mostly all of our investigators... But we got bus passes, so we can find more people besides tracting!! Oh! Also we taught the relief society lesson yesterday on missionary work!! I am just so excited for this Christmas season. Nolensville is going to be exploding with miracles soon, I can just feel it!! I love being a missionary.
"We properly pray for the safety and success of the full-time missionaries throughout the world. And a common element in many of our prayers is a request that the missionaries will be led to individuals and families who are prepared to receive the message of the Restoration. But ultimately it is my responsibility and your responsibility to find people for the missionaries to teach. Missionaries are full-time teachers; you and I are full-time finders. And you and I as lifelong missionaries should not be praying for the full-time missionaries to do our work!
Elder Bednar says it best!!
Have the greatest week ever!!
Love you!!
Sister Gates
A break during our 6 hour planning session!!
Emergency exchanges with Hermana Levoa!!
Try and find tange!! The cross dresser..... Hahah funniest dinner ever!
This is Atef our Egyptian investigator.... That we dropped:(
Sister Kohler and I on exchanges:)
13 month mark!!
Grand Ole Opry!! Such a fun p day!!!!! Can't wait for you to come see it!
Inside the grand ole opry hotel!! So beautiful, such a fun spirit!
They have cute little Christmas trees all around that they sponsors!! So fun.
More of the grand ole opry hotel!
We gave this homeless guys some cookies on thanksgiving and he gave us some wrapping paper that was holiday.
We stopped over at Govenors club to get a picture with this sign:) where all the famous people live!
Just take a minute to look at the great photo shop skills Wanda has... We dropped her this week. But she photoshopped herself in the picture! Haha
The thanksgiving dinner, the Sisters in Smith Springs we went to lunch with, and just barley today on Pday we met the sisters at sweet cece's for some frozen yogurt!! Even though it's rainy and cold:) LOVE MY SISTERS!!
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