you gotta ALWAYS feed the missionaries

"I love being a missionary"

Blake I tried to find a picture of you and Pam, but I couldn't! Sorry :[

HEY family and all those who i consider family!

I have so much to tell you! thanks for all the emails! i loved them! SO... the rest of friday was good. MINUS The fact that after i was done here at UWGB emailing we left and went to the grocery store.. then we went home. we have underground parking which is SO nice ps. OK so the not so nice part. the object of the game when we go from the parking lot to our 3rd floor apt is to get everything out all at once. which we have always done. but this time sis warner had her hands full and so she started walking towards the elevator (k yes we take the elevator when our hands are full) I had to just close the trunk. when i did the facewash i just bought go stuck in the trunk as i closed it.. like the spout part. so we were laughing about that. she popped the trunk again and then i retrieved only the white spout that was stuck in there and then (mind you my hands were SO full of my bag and my coat/scarf/gloves/groceries ect ect) and we were still laughing (side effect of being tired missionary sisters) and I CLOSED MY THUMB IN THE TRUNK!!! yes on the side part where there isn't ANY rubber! i was still lauging(shock) then I saw the blood. I dropped everything (ps my thumb didn't get stuck in there, i pulled it out) and was like "sis warner ahhh... sis warner, still kind of laughing, in shock, not knowing what to do, then wanting to cry or hurt someone, AH. so i just started walking towards the elevator with me myself and I. sis warner had to grab all my stuff plus hers. i am still bleeding . we get upstairs i put cold water on it... it's still bleeding, has a heart beat and feels like it's going to explode, i finally get the blood to stop and see that i split my thumbnail in half about halfway down the nail bed. Sis warner has since retrieved her 1st aid kit and want to play dr. she is pulling out all kinds of stuff and has crazy (helpful?) ideas! haha this scared me (so like something brittany would do to me!) so i went in to my bathroom and clipped the part of the nail that was hanging off. this released more trapped blood, which made it bleed a ton more, but felt SO good to relieve the pressure. SO now i have an ugly left thumbnail. tragic. it hurts all the time and is still bruised all the way through. i HATe buttoning buttons! so annoying!!! but i keep antibacterial stuff on it and keep it covered... so hopefully it will grow back fast and stop hurting!!!! this was a long story. sorry. haha but i just thought you'd like to know!

Saturday my comp and I woke up and worked on our TALKS! YES I WAS assigned to SPEAK in sacrament before I even got here! Crazy! All four of us (the elders too) were asked to speak by the ward mission leader. Then we went and visited some referrals. Barb Erb was one of them. she has mutual friends through boy scouts, she was referred by a member in the ward. we taught her, gave her a BOM and are goin back this week. I am excited about her.

We also visited A woman named diane. Diane lives on Day Street (which apparently is the ghetto in Greenbay. i think it's hilarious because it's the prettiest ghetto i have ever seen, colonial homes and all, I guess there were 2 murders on day street in a row so now people are all fired up about it. it doesn't scare me at all, hello South Phoenix anyone? and my comp is from LA.. MOM- don't worry, i know when places are scary, this area is NOT scary). she called in about getting the joy to the world video at the mtc, so they texted us and we went to see her. we only had the lamb of god video though so we gave her that and said we'd come back and give her joy to the world! thats one way to get a 2nd appt! haha so we went back and we're going to start teaching her. she's going to be great.

Then we went on splits with the YW in the ward and went tracting. (sis warner says i have to do it at least once, but she has only done it once in her 3mos here, it's just not the most effective way to find people) BUT i was with Diantha Andrus and we tracted around the church building for 2 hours, i was tired and ready to go back , but said a little prayer that Heavenly Father would make my last 35 minutes effective and then we knocked on JO's door. Jo is presbyterian, but told me he made friends with the Jehova Witness missionaries so i told him we'd be his friends too. he even said he'd go to church with them. and he did. so i told him to come to church with US. I made him promise! we shook on it. I told him I was speaking, the deal was I had to talk about angels, He has a strong belief in angels bc he was in a car accident and knows that angels helped him live, he should have died. SO i agreed, he said sometimes he thinks about coming to our church (he lives one street up from the church) but we were all so dressed up. I told him he could come AS IS! so... he agreed. Diantha was SO excited. so was I! I lvoe jo.

Then we went to the Youngs home for dinner. They're a young couple, he's in the marines and she's pregnant. they're recent converts and have a hard time sometimes, the marines are sometimes crude and hard to feel the spirit around. but they're doing good. they made us salmon (i hate fish) and i ate it (and I LOVED it) so. ya. then we went to the botanical gardens with the elders and volunteered selling tickets, that was way fun. I loved it. After we were done we walked around too (they had horse drawn carriages too, but the horses were already put away) and looked at all the lights. It was fun. Minus the mean old lady that kept saying I was letting people pay the child rate for their kids when their kids were over age 12. WHATEVER, i am not a nazi about it! but... she liked all the other missionaries, it was way funny.

Sunday am we woke up, finished our talks, got dressed (SUPER FAST) bc we were running late, and then went to church... and JO was there! I almost cried! I was so Happy! He sat with Diantha's family (her mom said it was only beginners luck... WHATEVER, it was the spirit!) and we spoke. Elder Jolley (withouth me even telling him to) talked alot about how there are angels around us to bear us up, both mortal and not! It was WAY good. he got a little emotional too (i'll tie that in in a minute) then i spoke last and talked about the blessings of baptism, my bapstim day, how the Holy Ghost is the 3rd member of the godhead and Elder Holland taught us at the MTC what a great privilege it is to have a God walking and talking with us each day as missionaries, how we just have to live worthy of HIm and that he's the next best thing to Jesus Christ. I love elder holland, I also quoted him saying "This gospel is not an imposition on ANYONE!" I love that. i have to remember that sometimes, then i bore my testimony of angels too. (for Jo) and for my gratitude for a family that supports me as I am on a mission, and then closed. JO loved Church! he's going to let us teach him! Sis warner says she already sees him wearing white!!! yeah. but he had to leave to take an old lady to his old church (that's what i refer to it as now!) so he didn't stay for the rest of the block. he shook our hands before he left and thanked us ... so good and he told E Jolley to buck up and believe in himself and it would be OK! haha HIlarious! Jolley didn't so much appreciate that. i thought it was funny. Jo thought he was crying bc he didn't believe in himself... haha i love jo. can't wait to teach him.

Correy, who is 17, and has a baptismal date for January 12th was there too. and one of the elders investigators. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! I love this GB 1st ward for being so supportive of us too! it feels so good!!! MOm- you gotta ALWAYS feed the missionaries if they don't have an appt. it sucks when you don't have a dinner appt ... tell them to always call if they don't and you'll ALwaYS feed them! they'll love you! also, if they need a place to go for christmas... invite them! play games, give them a present or two... if they need you. it's so good. we are going to the brundickies for christmas too. i am excited.

Ok... so it started snowing yesterday (my 1st WI snow) at like 3 and is still snowing!! and the snow sticks like crazy!!! its so wierd. it's not like ut snow. ( and they dón't hardly ever have snow days for school here.... just 2 hour delays! crazy!!!) I love it! we just have to drive super careful. the wind blows crazy here. CRAZY!!! everything is covered in snow, roads (they only clear main roads), street and stop signs trees ... everything. today we have to get a window scraper and shovel for when we have to dig ourselves out after appts (that's how much it snows here) luckily we are hardly ever IN the weather! so it's nice. i get so SICK of putting my coat on and off, so sometimes i just don't take it!!! haha

We are going to go skating outside on Pday. can't wait. People definitey have accents here! and everyone drinks milk at meals... even the parents, its wierd to me. i ALways drink water. no milk for me! :)

Dad- remember your crazy theory about hollywood and fake smiles! I have one now! but it looks real! sometimes I am too tired to smile... but i do it anyways. it's good. haha i always think of you!

Mom- can you send me a list of Birthdays so I won't forget them, like of everyones! (steph you too!) I am so bad about it, it's even harder here! But I hate HATE hate forgetting!

BLAKE MICHAEL WEAVER! ... Happy 7th Birthday yesterday! What did I tell you about growing? NO MORE! You have to stay 7 forever now!!! ok? Did you know your birthday is the same as Burtney's? I love you Blakers! Learn some songs on that keyboard to play for me when I get home ok? I miss you! Tell your brother and sister hi from me! give them big hugs and kisses!

Also, I am in dire need of a tote/ bag or something cute to carry my stuff in. Can you send me one? It's not urgent, wait till you find a cute one, but i need something to carry just like my wallet, scriptures, cell phone, scarf in. SO not too big but not too small and cute! thanks! You are the best! plus can you send me one beach tote? I need it to take stuff in when I go workout at the YMCA. Whenever you have time, no big!

MOm I lvoed the email about thanksgiving! good job with details, and dad yours too! Tell rocky girlfriends are for losers! AND tell that punk to write me! also- steph... good work i throughougly(spelled wrong i am sure) enjoyed the email! I miss talking to ALL of you on the phone! Britt- you're great, and 19. wierd! Grandma!!! Write me! i am dying for a letter/ tape from you and grandpa! I have yet to get a single letter while i have been here!!!!

k i love you all! Missionary work is the greatest work i have ever done! each day i learn to listen to the spirit more and I feel so blessed and know that those that support me while I am out here will be blessed too! thanks! love, sister pamella jo black

Your LIttle missionary girl

Pam-cakes!