Snow!

Hi everyone! Happy Monday!

Last week I didn't email because our district activity took up most of our day. A lot has happened in the last two weeks. Here are just some of the highlights:

• It snowed a lot last week and the Elders broke our ice scraper :(
• We went bowling with our district last Monday! 
• Exchanges! Last week I held down the fort in Flint and this week I went to Clarkston. 
• We made friends with the cute workers at a cafe that has really yummy hot chocolate.
• I thought I might have bed bugs cause I kept finding new bites every morning on my arm and knee, but the lady in charge of our apartments said they looked like spider bites. We cleaned and sprayed everything with alcohol and now they are gone!
• At zone conference we talked about how to be more bold and have greater faith to find more people to teach. I also got to do another musical number with a few other missionaries at zone conference. 
• Toshia and Nick gave us cake and ice cream to celebrate me coming to the Flint ward and to celebrate Sister Timmerman's birthday even though its in February.
• We started teaching Ebony's family and are going to have FHE with them hopefully every week from now on.
• We finally got back in contact with Shelby and Cedrick after a week. They are still working towards a baptismal date. Thankfully they want to get baptized on Dec. 1st and not Dec 24th

Some cool people that I've met:

• A very opinionated lady who said she was a witch. She was scary and sat on her porch after we talked to her on her doorstep and watched us.
• A marijuana farmer named Mark who has big knives and security cameras hanging up in his living room. He was really nice though and wants to come to church!
• A sister in the ward who worked at the white house and took her kids to the white house easter egg hunt. 

I've been thinking a lot about the scripture in Hebrews 10:35-36 that says, "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." There are so many people we teach who say that as soon as they start to be better people something else always gets in the way. Whenever we make a good decision that helps us get closer to Jesus Christ, opposition almost always arises to pull us the other direction. A common theme I've seen among the inactive ward members is that they have forgotten their spiritual witness that this is the true church. It makes me really sad to hear about people who were sealed in the temple, but don't want to meet with us because they say they don't have a testimony anymore. I wish that we could help them understand that just because they were baptized and made a member of the church doesn't mean that they will not experience trials and hardship. Elder Holland said, "Sure it is tough--before you join the Church, while you are trying to join, and after you have joined. That is the way it has always been, Paul says, but don't draw back. Don't panic and retreat. Don't lose your confidence. Don't forget how you once felt. Don't distrust the experience you had." I hope that we can keep nourishing the faith we have in Jesus Christ and His atonement so that our confidence in him never dwindles. When hard things happen remember to be patient and trust in God to support you through all your trials, troubles, and afflictions, and he will lift you up.

Love, 

Sister Butler

Me drinking yummy hot chocolate

We have too many cookies

Exchanges with Sister Ayala

District bowling activity