Guess What....I can drive in snow now!!!!

Monday, February 6, 2012 (email)

Sorry, no photos yet, still need to buy an uploader. And today is a really big/important day, but I'm not going to tell you why. You will just have to figure it out...if you can :)

Well, this week was night and day compared to last week! We had things to do, and people to see, and bonding time, and giggles, and lots of yummy food! I'm so glad that I'm a happy camper now.

On Monday we went to a member's home to quilt. She is a national award winning quilter, and she was helping the previous sisters make quilts. She has 2 quilting machines in her front room!!!! Dang. I am finishing a quilt for the sister that just left, and we will send it to her eventually. The next project is a purse...I think it sounds a lot harder than a quilt, but I'm ready to learn.

On Tuesday we volunteered at a Methodist Thrift Store. It was a neat experience. I guess we do it every Tuesday. We also went to have dinner with the Thomasons: The mom, Deana, is a relatively recent convert, and her 8 year old son troy is getting baptized next week. It was his birthday dinner, and we had SO MUCH FUN! We went over again on Wednesday night because they had signed up on the ward calendar. This is where things got really fun...Sister Patrick is lactose intolerant...so when they gave her a piece of ice cream cake, I knew my duty...I had to eat mine quickly, and then be really sneaky as the two of us switched bowls without anyone watching, and eat her piece too. It was really kind of fun, and the cake was extremely good! :)

On Wednesday I thought I ran over a dog....and I wanted to die. We live with the Mikkleson Family, in their garage apartment. They have 2 dogs: Roxy, a boxer, and Daisy, a wiener. Roxy and Daisy are kamikaze dogs...they fun around in front of the truck and play and jump around
us as we try to drive away...So I was going REALLY SLOW and then Daisy started to yelp like crazy. We jumped out of the car and Roxy was jumping on top of her. We couldn't tell if Roxy was playing or being protective. Daisy just screamed and screamed and wouldn't get up. We had to call the family and tell them what happened and get the dog in the house. I thought I had run over her foot, because she wouldn't move it. .... We found out later that Roxy was jumping on Daisy and cut her belly all the way to the muscle right near the foot, so Daisy was protecting it. THANK HEAVENS!!!!! Whew.

We also ran into the MEANEST lady I have ever met. We knocked on her door, and she slipped out onto the front porch. We said, "Hi, we are miss..." "I don't care who you are or what you have to say! Now be polite and walk away!" "Ok, you have a nice day" "Yes, it was nice of you to bother me today!" ....Oh she was a grump. Poor thing. I just laughed after we walked away because it was so surreal. We felt bad that she had so much pain in her life that she would act that way towards total strangers.

On Thursdays we participate in the Addiction Recovery Program, and I LOVE IT!!!! The members who run it call it "The Atonement for Dummies" and they are totally right! It is amazing. I am changing the way I see the world and myself by participating in it.

Sister Patrick and I have had some really good bonding experiences this week. REALLY GOOD. and I am so thankful for them. Heavenly Father has put me with her so I can learn a ton. I'm looking forward to the progress. While we have been talking, she has told me about her
relationship with music and what it is like to compose...she said one of the most beautiful things ever. "[Composing] is like receiving revelation from the tongue of angels." WOAH! So cool!

On Saturday we had a really cool tracting experience. An older gentleman answered the door, and he tried to tell us our message would be better if given to someone else and to go away. He tried to back up and close the door, but he tripped over his wife. She pushed him out of the way and stepped onto the porch. "Are you LDS?" Uh, oh. I hope this doesnt' go badly, she might be about to yell at us. "Yes we are-" "-Oh, I was LDS! We used to have Family Home Evening EVERY week, even when my kids didn't stick with the church, it was a requirement in our
family!" She proceeded to go on about her experience, but said we could never get her back to church. We were about to leave and Sister Patrick asked if we could say a prayer with her. She invited us in, we said it....and then didn't leave for an hour!! We started talking about where we were from (the husband was missing) and Sister Patrick and Kathy had connections to Minnesota. Then I said I was from San Diego. "Oh my daughter lives down there, in um...Encinitas." GASP and hand flying to chest. "I'M FROM ENCINITAS!!!!!" Then the husband showed up! We got Mr. Grumpy Gills to come in and at least be around during our conversation all because I was from Encinitas! WOOT!!!!!! We talked for a long time about her family and we got her to agree to read from the Book of Mormon (actually she promised us rather enthusiastically) and she begged us to come back and visit her. ...Not get her to come back to church, MY FOOT! Watch me!

Love you lots! Have a fantastic week!

Love Sister Melinda Wilkins