Sandy

Ha! I hope you've all been keeping up with the weather! There's a storm a'comin! In fact, after we email we're heading to another Sisters' apartment and Sister Hausauer and I will be there until Tuesday night. No leaving! Hurricane Sandy must have figured out that I wasn't in North Carolina so she took a trip through NYC and will probably be to Rochester in like...an hour and a half. If I get swept away, I want you all to know the following:
-The church is true
-Elder Bagley owes me 10 bucks
-I never did learn to like onions


The thought occurred to me that this is probably what North Carolinians look like before it snows. I wish you could see all the people freaking out up here. It's pretty perfect.


Moving on! This week...was...really long and really insane all at the same time. We had a day of training and visitors center shifts every day. When we work at the VC its really all we do for the day because we have to get in studies as well as drive time. I'm still not sure what I think about all of this. It's at least been nice to see that the other two sisters coming back from full proselyting have been struggling with the adjustment, too. It's not that I want them to struggle...but I am glad that I'm not losing my mind! I'll get used to this. It's just different. I'm grateful that I had the chance to be in Buffalo and Brockport.

With that said, you probably expected that with the changing tides I had a lot on my mind and a lot of time to process, which recently has tended to result in a song. Well it did this time ha. Lyrics:


When you were young did you hear your teacher say
"Pay attention, mind your manners, do you work" every day?
Did you listen to her then? Would you listen to her now?
Pay attention, mind your manners, and you'll make it through somehow


Left to stand on your own
Right at the end
Left to stand up straight
Have courage, my friend
Let's never meet here again


Then as you grew, you felt that you knew best
Every day you itched to put their wisdom to the test
You are learning, ever learning, that the things they said were true
That the things they always taught you were the things that you should do


Left to stand on your own
Right at the end
Left to stand up straight
Have courage, my friend
Let's never meet here again


You'll find answers in the basics-
Things you learned in Sunday school
How much struggle we'd avoid
If we all lived the golden rule


Left to stand on your own
Right at the end
Left to stand up straight
Have courage, my friend
Let's never meet here again


With all of that said, there's really not much that I can explain about what this week was like for me. It seems that all of life's greatest challenges and battles are internal- how can those accurately be described? Let me just say that God answers prayers. I'm not always willing to listen or to believe those answers, but I've had a few instances this week where it couldn't have been more clear that I was receiving an answer if it came in a phone call from God himself. But why is it still so hard for me to internalize sometimes? This is all very vague haha but it's all I've got. Life's a struggle. It's a pretty good one, though. I'll explain when you're older :)


Welp I need to go take cover. Bye!
Peace and blessings,
Sister Raines