3 Pack!

Tripanionship! Sisters Belyea, Stolworthy and Ridley

Last picture with President and Sister Holm... She is going to miss them so much.

Sister ?? and Sister Belyea

Bill, Sister Ridley, and Bills wife

Murrells Inlet Homes

Ridley and Belyea

Sister Ridley, Millers, Sister Belyea

Frog Legs and Possum... Ummm Yea.. OK!!

Holms' Missionary Tree

Could these two love each other any more? 

SERIOUSLY....  Gota love it! 

Love that sweet smell....uugh...!!!! 

Sister Ridley and Dougherty

Sister Ridley and Sister ????

Home Sweet Home

Surfside, South Carolina 

Aloha!

Hope Dad/Grandpa/all male figures in my life had a great Father’s day yesterday! Including my Father in Heaven.

I forgot to mention that last week, we taught 28 lessons! :)

This week was great. What else do you expect when you serve in Surfside with the beautiful Sister Ridley… and Sister Stolworthy?

YUP! I’m now in a 3-pack. Tripanionship. However you want to say it… I have two companions now- and we are working 2 areas.

On Friday night we got a call from President Holm. Actually, the other sisters we live with got a call. Apparently there was an Emergency Transfer in Heartsville with a Sister that went home. Sad.

 Well.. Sister Latham has been serving here for 4 transfers (almost) and President needed her to go to Heartsville for who-knows-how long. Well. We went and dropped her off last night, and now we (Sister Ridley, Sister Stolworthy and I) are serving in two wards; Surfside Beach ward- and Myrtle Beach ward. It will only be like this for a week and a half.. so then Sister Stolworthy will get a new companion at transfers.

What a change.

But we also got bikes yesterday- and had a little (lot) confusion with the bike rack. Yay for bikes!!

So excited though, for all of the stuff that’ll go on this week. I’m excited to work with Sister Stolworthy- and to be able to see Myrtle Beach- and to work with the souls up there! Whoop-de-do.

Yesterday at church, we had the 3 Little kids come. They still are not on date to be baptized this weekend.. which really breaks my heart.

This might be the first transfer on my mission that I don’t get a baptism! :(

We also had Jay there.. and Bill, (LA) brought his whole family for Father’s day! The chapel each Sunday is PACKED because it’s summer time and a ton of families are here, vacationing. It’s pretty neat. We had like 10 people from Utah here, yesterday- and a family from Sister Dougherty’s hometown. One day, somebody will walk in that I know, personally.

We still don’t have anybody on date.

JR. We handed him over to the Elders this past week. They taught him on Thursday after we felt prompted by the spirit that they would be the ones to best help him to progress. Apparently they had a great lesson with him- and he wanted to come to church on Sunday. Well, we found him a ride. They went to pick him up yesterday.. and apparently his sister answered the door and she said that JR had been missing for a couple of days.. and that he was probably out drinking somewhere.

Heart-drop.

So.. if yall could please keep JR in your prayers.. we’d appreciate it. All of our calls to him go straight to his voicemail.

LAST ZONE CONFERENCE WITH PRESIDENT AND SISTER HOLM!! Talk about TEAR JERKER! I don’t remember the last time that I cried so hard. #swolleneyes. We went to Florence on Wednesday. The first couple of hours were just trainings from missionaries and such.. but after lunch, (and a quick basketball shoot-out), things got serious with President. I’ve always wondered what his departing words are to missionaries that go home.. and that pretty much was the lecture he gave us. It wasn’t really about dating or anything, but it was about remaining true to the gospel for the rest of forever.

He gave everybody the book he wrote and he said, “If I could change two things about this book, it would be 1. The front cover, and 2. The words inside.”

I just love that man.

(Did I mention that at interviews a couple of weeks ago, he talked about how he counts me as one of his daughters? WHY IS HE THE MOST CHRSIT-LIKE PERSON TO EVER WALK THE FACE OF THE EARTH?!)

After Sister Holm and President spoke, he opened it up for anybody to get up and bear their testimonies.

You guessed it.

I was the second one up there! I bore my testimony and it was EXTREMELY tear-filled. I just looked at President and Sister Holm the whole time. I told the zone that I had a testimony of the gospel… but that I also have a testimony of mission calls. I (somehow) brought up the youtube video of “My” call fiasco. Sister Holm (after I got down) said, “Yup, it’s a funny video. But don’t watch it until AFTER your mission.”

Aww shoot.

I got to see Sister Burbank at the Zone Conference! LOVE THAT GIRL MORE THAN WORDS WILL EVER BE ABLE TO EXPRESS! She’s having a tough time right now. Not to spread rumors, but apparently her companion is weighing her down.. a lot. Refer to my transfer with Sister Christensen for any more questions.

I ate POSSUM and FROG LEGS on Friday night! You think I’m kidding.

We had a dinner appointment with a less active family.. the Matsons. They asked us a couple of days before hand what we would want to eat; and we said we were up for anything.

Ummm. Yup. That happened.

Also, (dagger to the heart) but apparently Sister Matson took off the whole day of work to be able to cook it for us.

The frog legs tasted like chicken.. the possum I could’ve lived without.

:)

We met a new investigator this past week by the name of Gloria. She lives near the Christensons. We were just quickly knocking around the neighborhood and she answered. She wasn’t too interested, but then she offered us a glass of lemonade. (I love southern hospitality.) I’ve learned, from experience in Simpsonville, to accept water/lemonade when people offer. It gives them a chance to serve you- and they usually will open the door and let you in.

Well, that was the same way here with Gloria.

We went into her nicely air conditioned home- and we talked a little about a shooting that apparently took place in a High School in Oregon this past week? Well.. then somehow (luckily,) we got to talking about the Book of Mormon. She’d never heard of it before, but she knew that the Chrsitensons were some of the nicest people she’d ever met.

We have since stopped by and seen her another time- but her and her husband weren’t able to make it to church yesterday. We’ll get them, soon enough.

A Less active family, the Millers- took us to dinner on Saturday. When yall come out here and visit- we need to go to the Conch Café. It’s ON the beach- and they have THE BEST French fries and ranch dressing.

After dinner, they took us on a drive down to Murrells inlet. Due to miles, we don’t go down there very often.. but it’s a beautiful part of our area. SOME OF THE BIGGEST HOMES YOU’LL EVER SEE! So impressed. Lots of families here for vacation.. but regardless, I love it. I love serving on the coast!

We had a good lesson with Sandy this past week. She didn’t come to church yesterday.. even though she promised she would. :(

She is needing support to stop smoking. Please keep her in your prayers! She knows this is the Restored- and only true church of Jesus Christ!

We met a man named Jim this past week. Pretty sure he’s homeless. We taught him at the library- and then set up a return appointment. When we went by to see him on Saturday, we was rolling his own cigar’s/cigarettes.

We were stopped on the first principle that we started teaching; God is our loving Heavenly Father. He believed in multiple Gods.. and he believed that not all of them were loving.

We ended up reading Alma 30 with him. He LOVED the Book of Mormon… but by the end of reading the chapter with him, (in the blazing sun with sweat rolling down my face) he said that he agreed with Korihor.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU AGREE WITH KORIHOR?!

So that was interesting.

Well. You know what time of the email it is. I bear my testimony, tell yall to be safe, happy- healthy and wise- and then smother each of you with the typed words of “I love you all!” (And yes, I mean it each week.)

I’m grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. I have had such incredible experiences with prayer this past week and I know that it’s because of his atoning sacrifice that we can each be relieved from sin. I know that the Book of Mormon has brought me more peace- joy- and understanding, than any other book I’ve ever read- or will read. I know that the Plan of Salvation is real.. and that it’s important. All of life’s questions can be answered as we study it.

I know that families are eternal and that temple work is real and important through the sealing powers of God.

Please have a safe week! I’m so grateful for all yalls love and support.

Write me, will ya?

Alma 13:24

ENJOYING every minute of it, TO THE END!

-Sister Belyea