Sister Mitchell LOVES and I mean LOVES the snow.  So this is her playing in the snow while I watch from inside the church building haha

Sister Mitchell and I with a member, *******.  One of my favs in the branch!

 Sister Castagno and me. I.LOVE.HER.  We will serve together as comps one day.

 Sister Griffith, Castagno, Me, and Mitchell

SNOW!

 

January 25, 2016

This week was INSANE!!!!! Absolutely insane.  It snowed!!!!! That's right ladies and gentleman, put on your caps and gowns because it is a white new year here in good ole' Alabama.

We are late in writing today because when we got outside to head to the library after studies we found one of our tires flat and the rim broken off!! My immediate reaction was that some tried to steal our rim and in trying to take it broke it and decided it was no use to them broken so they just left it nicely leaning against our tire! haha But then we found a note on our windshield written on  cardboard that said "Sorry I hit your car. with love, your downstairs neighbor Timothy." with his phone number. So I guess he scraped up against our car in the middle of the night or something. But what a nice guy to leave a note right?!  But God truly does send us help in our time of need because a really nice gentleman who lives a few buildings behind us asked us if he could help change our tire.  Well thank you Mr. kind man of course you may!  He was so nice and said that he has been helped by Mormon missionaries in the past but just a year ago converted to Catholicism.  He was so sweet and invited us to have dinner with him and his family next week! How sweet is that????? blessings on blessings on blessings. 

We had the opportunity this week to watch the first ever Worldwide Missionary Broadcast live this past Wednesday! We got to hear from a few of the 12 apostles and some other people.  It was so so so good! It was entitled Teach Repentance and Baptize Converts.  I took many many notes.  I learned alot that changed the way I think and made me want to change some things about the way I teach. 

This week went by so quickly! Sister Mitchell and I went on exchanges this week with our STLs.  I LOVE OUR STLs.  They are the best.  and such awesome missionaries.  While we were having lunch beautiful giant snowflakes fell from the sky!!! SNOW!!! It was sooooo beautiful and freezing cold.  School here in Huntsville was cancelled and everyone had a snow day! Except us!  Missionary work never stops! I am eternally grateful for hand warmers. I don’t even understand how they work but WHAT A BLESSING.  I would be fingerless without those miracle workers.

Honestly I was shouting for joy because this meant that EVERYONE would be home today and would be an awesome day for tracting! Sister Castagno and I were out tracting in their area and the snow was falling and we helped an old black man lift his washer in his truck and he told us that we were God's angels!  Everyone else we talked to that day told us we were crazy for being out in the cold and told us to go home and get warm.  But the work don't stop fo nothing people!  I was able to meet one of their investigators, **** who is getting baptized next week and he was the cutest guy I have ever seen.  He is probably in his 20's and is extremely quiet and really like a "cool-gangster-guy"  He loves reading the BoM and has some amazing questions.  He has been trying to quit smoking for the past month and is down to only 3-5 cigarettes a day.  Sis C and I bought an onion for him because he HATES ONIONS.  And told him that any time he wants to smoke a cigarette he has to eat a little bit of the onion.  Just looking at the onion in the bag he was about to throw up!! He is absolutely disgusted by them! It was soooo funny.  We were laughing the whole time but whenever he wanted to smile he would just quickly go back to a frown. hahaha He knew in his heart it needed to be done!  GO LYNN!

As the night came everything started to freeze and we were told to not drive anywhere.  Not because it was too dangerous but because the Alabamians don't know how to drive in this kinda weather and we will get in a crash.  So we just visited some less actives in their apartment complex!  Our 24 hour exchange ended up being a bit longer because of the delays of weather. 

Emmaus Experience this week:

******! This lady.  We found her at the beginning of the transfer and has cancelled appointment after appointment.  But we never gave up on her! She is English and We finally got to meet with her yesterday and my oh my oh my.  She is SO ELECT.  She loves the Lord and has had immense faith in Him through out her life.  She had a lot of genuine questions about what we believe because she is a big fan of Sister Wives (a TV show) where the family is a polygamy family and are members of the FLDS faith.  We answered many of her questions and told us she has been reading the Book of Mormon since we first met her.  She knows there is more knowledge out there that God has revealed and wants to grow her faith in Him and learn more about the Book Of Mormon.  YAYYYYYYYYYY

This Saturday is transfer calls!!! I have no idea how this transfer has gone by so quickly! I have a feeling that I will be transferred to a new area and Hermana Mitchell will be follow up trained.  Which makes me so sad because I LOVE HUNTSVILLE! This is all I have ever known and where I learned to be a missionary!  We will see! Pray fo ya girl!

I love this gospel with all that is in me. I love my Savior Jesus Christ.  This gospel brings so much happiness and joy and light into peoples lives! All it takes is a desire and some effort.  Some people don't want to make that little effort.  It saddens me soooo much. 

I LOVE THIS QUOTE.

A fun and interesting week...

January 19, 2016

Hello my beautiful wonderful Familyyyyyy!

If you can believe it....Bama is wayyyy more cold than it was last week. SO COLD.  I don't even know why I was complaining last week.  That was nothing compared to this week! But no mom and dad I don't need anything really.  I have a coat and fleece lined tights so I am okay! Just a little shivering Moline ova here

A girl from another ward in our area just got home from her mission in Bakersfield California Spanish speaking so she came and spoke in the branch on Sunday. She just got back last week.  She was adorable and just so fun! She came out with Sister Mitchell and I this past Tuesday to a few appointments! It was so cool and fun to have her there with us.  Sadly I didn't take a  picture :(  But she was telling me after she was taking us back that she feels a real difference now when she testifies from when she was a missionary.  She was super sad and really felt like, "Wow I am not a missionary right now."  It really got me thinking that this time is going by so quick....This opportunity is flying by.  It's like I am swimming a race, my head is down under water. I am working hard with every stroke I take but sometimes you get slower and lazier.  This week was a "coming out of the water" moment.  Taking a look at where I am, Where I want to me and now going even harder with every stroke. Being bold and really staying close to the Spirit. Ex-Hermana Nelson helped me see that!

This week was great!!! It was a miracle week FOR SURE.  Miracle after Miracle after Miracle!!! Almost ALL of our appointments this week fell through. Can you say missionary life???? BUT, it's okay! because things always seem to work out whenever appointments fall through.  We have seen this time and time and time again this past week.  Whether it was a little ity bity miracle like finding and talking to a homeless man that started crying when I gave him my last Cliff bar from my backpack or finding two Hispanic boys who eyes just opened up when we taught them El Plan de Salvacion on the street.  OR this amazing experience: We had an appointment with an Elect guy, but he wasn't home :( we started walking not really knowing where to go.  We saw a man walking ahead of us and Sister Mitchell and I go up and start talking to him.  His name was C***,  from Puerto Rico.  He was baptized in 2013.  Has been inactive for almost  a year and a half.  Said he just called Presidente Lopez the week prior.  WHAT.  We asked him if he would like to come back to church and he said yes but that he been smoking and drinking again.  It don't matta Carlos just come to church with us! Poco a poco my Friend.  He came to church with us on Sunday! It was Stake Conference,  a broadcast by Elder Rasband, Elder Hales, Elder Clayton, and Sister Reeves.  All about families and temples.  Exactly what Carlos needed to hear. We met with him after church and he has started reading the Book of Mormon again.  What a stud.  He told us that this is his chance, God is giving him another chance.  Yes!!!!! LETS GO CARLOS!! SUCH a miracle. 

Everything happens for a reason. This was a testimony to me.  God has His hand in every part of this work.  Had our appt. gone through we would not have been walking down the road when Carlos was.  God's plan is always better than ours!!

Funny story of the week!

We were tracting in a neighborhood near a gas station when a man comes out of the gas station and hollers at us.  He comes up to us and says, "Do you ladies know how to sing?"  Before we can even answer he just jumps right into song and starts singing at the top of his lungs!! hahaha Hermana Mitchell and I just look at each other with big eyes and smiling hahaha.  He was actually really really good at singing and just kept on going!  After, he said it was our turn. So Sister Mitchell and I sing "Come Thou Fount" and he just started freaking out, his eyes got SO BIG and he just smiled from ear to ear!  He told us we need to both get on American Idol and make some records! His name was Timothy (like dad!haha) and we just talked for a bit and he even let me get a video of him singing his gospel songs.  SO FUNNY.  He told us that Sister Mitchell looked like Shirley Temple and that I looked like a model...ya right. haha but he made our day.  I loved it!

So much more happened this week but I will just leave it there.  I know this gospel is true. I love it! Oh how I love it!!!   I love being a missionary and having this opportunity.  The Book of Mormon is the word of God.  No ordinary man could have written this book.  I love the Book of Mormon with all that is in me! There are a lot of questions we can have.  But the most important of them all is if the Book of Mormon is true and I can testify to you that it is.   I know that when you choose to follow God and keep His commandments, you grow in wisdom and strength of character.  You can experience joy even in times of trial,  you can face life's challenges with a spirit of peace. And that is what the Book of Mormon offers.

I love you!!!!

peace, love, and ROLL TIDE!

Hermana Molinsky

Part of the District! in the freezing Alabama cold!

 Timothy! our new friend from the gas station! hahaha

 . We had Dinner at the Corps Cruz's this week because it was Hna Cruz's birthday!!! This is the Puerto Rican family that I love so much! She is the sassiest lady you will ever meet haha but she loves us!

Hermana Cruz with her birthday gift! A doilie that Hermana Mitchell made for her!

Straight Alabama yard decor!

January 11, 2016

Hola mi familia!!!! This week Alabama drastically turned into Antarctica and it has seriously been SO COLD.  I freeze every morning when we go out and its even worse on Bikes!!  I honestly have no idea what the actual temperature is here but I feel like its -10 degrees.  Ahhhh so cooold!  Luckily the Lord has blessed us with fleeced lined tights and layers on layers and layers! So all is well. 

THIS week! This week...was interesting haha It went by so quick!  This email this week might be a bit smaller than normal.

Some Highlights of the week!

We had a wonderful lesson with our good friend R****.  The spirit was so strong! I have a VERY hard time understanding what he says....it's so bad.  I have to ask him 2 or 3 times then I just have to turn to Mitchell and hope she got it.  A lot of people here in Alabama have a bad habit of mumbling like NO OTHER.  Must be something in the water....

There is a man that the Elders have been working with named G*****.  He is from Puebla Mexico and has been coming to church every week since he has been here in Huntsville! SOLID.  He is a wonderful man! His wife and daughter came to visit this week.  The original plan was to have his family stay here for a year and then they all go back to Mexico together and live here.  His purpose for being here was only to work and save money then return to his home in Puebla. He had a baptismal date for January and everything was going well.  He brought his family to church and to the activity we had last week.  They were golden.  Sister Mitchell and I just clicked with his wife, Mirna.  And we were so excited to teach them.  But plans changed last minute and they are all leaving to go back to Puebla this week!!!! NOOOOOOOO.  The branch and the missionaries and everyone was so sad when we heard this.  SO SAD.  But its okay because there are missionaries in Puebla.  All is well but we are all so sad to see them leave :(  The good news is that the church is true no matter where we are! The spirit is universal.

This week we had Zone Training! It was so motivating and uplifting.  After leaving any meetings with other missionaries we all get so pumped and get that extra boost we need to go out and work.  We received some of the saddest news of all of our missions....We no longer can have Transfer Meetings.  Usually after receiving news about who is leaving an area we have transfer meetings in Brimingham.  So all those who are getting transferred meet there. P. Hanks gives a few Trainings, welcoming the new missionaries to the mission and then dispersing to our areas with our new companions. It's the one place where you can see past companions and other missionaries!  However President Hanks received news from a member of the 12 at a meeting for Mission Presidents that we can no long hold Transfer Meetings.  Which is so sad... This will make transfers kind of messy.  But a lot of missions around the world have already stopped doing transfer meetings so we will figure it out. 

We met a man this week who had some very interesting views, well some pretty crazy views....haha but that is really something i love about being a missionary.  Being able to hear everyones beliefs even if they are strange....some of which were

1) White people are just albino black people

2) Because there are land, flying and aquatic animals, there once were flying and aquatic humans too

3) Dinasaurs still roam the earth

4) Even though many people say the internet is false the Internet really is true.

He was very opinionated and really didn't want to hear anything we had to say but it was still a cool conversation we had! Everyone is entitled to their own views! haha

And to close with the most spiritual experience of the week!

We are teaching very nice older black woman named Sheila! Sister West and I found her last transfer.   And she really has some amazing potential.  Last week we had a great 1st lesson with her and this week we read 3 Nephi 11.  She LOVED it.  She kept saying that she knows it's true because she just feels good inside.  YES SHEILA!  Last time we invited her to be baptized and so we brought it up again.  She explained how she wants to wait a bit after she gets an answer through prayer that the BofM is true.  We offered to make baptism a goal for her as something we can work towards.  And she was more than willing.  The spirit was so strong while we were reading.  I knew she felt it.  She even told us.  And she agreed to come to church next Sunday! Unfortunately because she speaks English we will have to pass her off to the English Elders but we have very high hopes for Sheila!

Being here has opened my eyes so much.  I feel like I say that every week but it is the truth.  I know this is the Church of Jesus Christ.  The same church that Christ established.  This is it.  There is too much goodness and too much happiness that comes from it.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is truth.  The Book of Mormon is the word of God along with the Bible.  I cannot deny it.  Seeing the things that this gospel has done for people that I have met here is incredible.  The faith and the strength of their testimonies is inspiring.  I am so privileged to be an instrument in His hands and to be a representative of His name.  I only have so long! I feel honored that He trusts us enough with that responsibility.  I am no where near where I want to be but I know that I am where I am supposed to be.  HERE in ALABAMA!

I love you all thank you so much for the support and prayers.  LOVE YOU ALL!

Hna FREEZING Moline

Me playing chess with one of my favorite kids in the Branch!

 The branch all dancing at the Convivio! How adorable???

This is a member family and our investigator.

   A gem we found tracting here in good ol Bible lovin Alabama! Praise God!

Football with random kids. missionaryperks

This kid! stole my heart!