Nolan

I have the most awesome companion and roommates of anyone in the
world. Let me splain.

There is too much. Let me sum up.

This week, during a particularly long shift at the Peter Whitmer Farm
Visitors' Center, Sister Szuch and I got to talking about how if you
use certain words in a quote, people seem to think it's a good quote.
So then we decided to make our own. Enjoy the fruits of our labors!
Take your time:

“The authenticity of the infinite and eternal soul bewilders even the
most enlightened of creatures… Nevertheless, encapsulated within an
obscure bough of splendid scrupulosity, discomfiture prevails when in
the most ubiquitous of circumstances immured between the rocks of
depravity… we fall short. In reality, despite the incongruences of
climax and folly, a parabolic incursion of the vociferous forces of
good and evil attest to the cadence of a triumphant trajectory. There
is no incursion too subtle, no entity too obscure, no oblivion too
divine- to thwart the impotent astonishment of the filial multitude.
In the depths of our solemn
deference, the malignant forces draw nigh in abstract transcendent
regeneration. In the end, there is little left to fear but the
poignant promise of an existential destiny.”
-Oliver David Longfellow

No one makes me laugh like I do! Feel free to re-use. I haven't
decided if it's funnier to tell people we wrote it as a joke first, or
to tell them we found a really good quote and time how long it takes
before they give up and/or pretend as though it's a truly
awe-inspiring piece of work. Ah, my life.

Exhibit B: One night this week Sister Szuch and I came home and walked
in the door to find glow sticks taped up all around the living room
and Sisters Adams and Earl dancing (with more glow sticks) to "Hold
Your Light Up" by Conlon Bonner. Random much? But much appreciated.
They had been sitting in the dark for 45 minutes reading books with
flashlights waiting for us to get home. My life is full of A+ people.

Another good story! We've been working with a family in Waterloo that
has a pet raccoon. Whenever I think of raccoons I think of Maw-Maw and
Paw-Paw since they always seemed to be feeding raccoons in Louisiana.
This one lives in the Poormon's garage and is HUGE because they've
kind of raised it. To knock on the door at the Poormon's house you go
through the garage and then knock on the side door. For some reason
this week when we did that their raccoon (Hemmy) came RUSHING out at
us and screeching! They let us in and were kind of freaked out because
apparently the screeching means it's a threat. What? Was I just
threatened by a monster raccoon? Another guest came in about a half
hour later and wasn't as lucky as we were. It pounced! I couldn't stop
laughing but those things are really scary! On my mission I've
discovered that I laugh hysterically when I am scared or surprised or
in pain. Curious. No worries- we escaped unharmed....until next week.
DUN DUN DUNN.

Ok with that I have a very serious question to ask. Was I weird before
my mission??? Seriously though. Out here I am known for being strange
(Not in a bad way, just more quirky mostly) and this week I started
thinking back and realized I couldn't remember if I was crazy before
my mission. I know I was always this way with my family (Calvin- how
does sprite smell?) but I always seem to think I was put together and
composed....maybe I just have a really terrible memory of my life
before being a missionary. It has been quite a while. I would
appreciate outside input. Don't be surprised if the person you pick up
at the airport is a loony instead of the normal kid you sent off. I
don't mind, but whatever it is, it's probably Austin's fault.

So, with all of that, I hope you all know I am doing well. Missionary
work is full of a lot of hard times- lots of rejection, embarrassment
and long days. In the end though I am so grateful to be a missionary!
It's been interesting to have a new missionary with me and be able to
be with her as she comes to appreciate the work for how wonderful and
true it is despite working so much with flaky, hard headed people. And
that's the thing- we're all flaky and hard headed sometimes. Thank
goodness God keeps dealing with me! This week I had a few days in
particular when I felt like my head was going to explode because I had
waaay too much to think about. I took a break to do dishes and try and
clear my head and I was listening to one of Austin's favorite hymns,
Be Still My Soul. One line in particular stood out that hasn't stood
out before. "Leave to Thy God to order and provide." My mission has
been intent on teaching me that there is a lot more that goes on then
what I can control or even handle. I need to be much better at letting
Him do it and trusting that everything will work out. Not even that it
will work out okay, but that it will work out better.

That's all for this week- gotta go!
Love love love
Sister Ray