August 26th Letter - She's in Virginia!!?!

Hey y'all!!

Transfers were totally different this time around!!  nobody knew what was going to happen.  President called it a "Box B" experience.  Which made it a little more stressful!  Ha.  Sister Reid and I cried a bit during transfers...  I am going to miss her!!  She is so great!!  She is training too!!  I am excited for her, she is going to be an amazing trainer!

Well, I am in Danville, Virginia!  Sister Blaney and I are opening the area for sisters!!  Sister Blaney is brand new!  And I will be training her!  She is the sweetest thing!!  I am excited to work with her!  She is from Carston-Alberta, Canada!

It is so weird to be in Virginia!!  I feel like I should be in North Carolina!  You would think I wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but somehow i can.  The ward here is AMAZING!!  We got in super late on Tuesday night because the drive was three hours long because there were a few detours and such!  And the bishop and his wife and brother Evans were waiting for us with dinner and things for the apt. So so sweet!! 

The apt is so tiny!!  The town has a small town feel to it!  Downtown is BEAUTIFUL!!!  Main Street is full of Victorian homes that a HUGE and gorgeous!  I am in LOVE!! haha  Sister Blaney probably gets annoyed by how much I talk about the homes here. ha (: 

Interesting story:

At transfers I was picking up our "Danville" opening box and one of the Assistants comes up to me and says, "there is a new name for you in the mission office." and I am thinking, "Oh no!!  What did I do?!" he continues to say, "So we were finishing up transfers with President Craven and had everything all figured out.  President was having a hard time because he really wanted to open Danville up for sisters.  He kept saying, 'I wish we had just ONE more sister' and then we looked down and saw your name on the ground.  B/c you had fallen off the transfer board!"  So they did transfers without me!! haha I was like wow this is a great a story--y'all forgot about me. ha but then he told me they call me, "the transfers angel" 

For some reason hearing that really helped me be more excited about opening Danville.  B/c I was getting really nervous about being so far away from the mission office and leaving University City.  It was really hard.  But I know that this is where I am suppose to be!!  I am excited to serve here!  The people are amazing!!  We have had so many great experiences already!!  I know the work is going to grow here!!  I can just feel it!

Oh!  And I spoke on Sunday!  All of us missionaries did.  The ward was having a special fast on missionary work and helping the work move along here in Danville.  I am excited to see whats going to happen.  The Lord is truly hastening His work!!

I love you all so so much!!!

Love, 

Sister Knell

ps, everyone says, "aunt" like Dee does!! haha LOVE IT!!

and mom and dad, one of you asked about letters to my comps families.  Yes, I do that (:

loves!

August 19th Letter - Leaving University City ):

Hello Family! (:

First off, I am getting transferred ): sadly!!  I leave tomorrow!  I am not a fan of packing! haha

--hold any letters!!  I'll send my next address next week! --

Well, this week was slower...like very slow... which made it kind of rough.  But I know God is in charge and great things are going to happen!

A little random funny from this week:

The other day sister Reid and I got caught in a rainstorm as we were biking to an appt.  Well our appt. fell through so we were biking back and we passed by this cute white house.  I had a feeling we needed to stop there.  But I ignored it.. and kept riding on.  But then the feeling was even stronger!  So, I yelled to sister Reid to stop and turn back because we needed to knock on this door.  Also, I needed to go to the bathroom so I thought, "perfect! I can use the bathroom and then sister Reid and talk to them!" ha.  We get to the door and a lady says, hello and then we ask to use her restroom and that we are far from our apt.  She hesitates but then lets us come in.  We were soaked!!!  So, when I came out of the bathroom sister Reid was laughing at something.  She seemed nervous having us there so we said thank you left her a Mormon.org card with our name and number and left.  As we were leaving sister Reid said the little boy turned to his mother and said,  "Mom, do we always have to be nice to hobos?" hahahaha I was dying!!  We must have looked awful!  I have no idea why we needed to stop there but maybe something will come out of it (:

Randomisms:

*We celebrated sister Reid's 3 month mark by ordering Chinese take-out!!  So yummy!!! (: --it reminded me of home and all the fun times my friends and I ordered Chinese take-out (: happy days!

*My 6 month mark is tomorrow!!  Crazy Sauce!

*The past week has been amazing fall weather!!  So hopefully fall is coming soon here in North Carolina!

*I dyed sister Reid's hair.  It looks good! (: 

*Our apt. will now have Hilliard sisters!!  They will be working with the Zone Leaders in the YSA ward.  We don't know who they will be yet, well tomorrow (: sister Reid keeps joking that I'll be a Hilliard sister and pack up my stuff just to unpack in the next rooms closet.. haha I'd die!! (;

*Best surprise!  Etta called us from Michigan to tell us she made it safely there!  I love her!!  Made my day.  She will get baptized one day!!  I just know it!!

All is well!

I love y'all!!

Love,

Sister Knell

August 12th Letter - Interesting Week...

Hello my lovely ones!!

This week has been a funny one!!  So many random and weird things throughout the days! ha.

First, we had a zone activity on Monday.  BEST DAY EVER!!!  I felt like a normal human again!! hahaha... and still a missionary.. don't worry.  (; We had a BBQ at a park and played volleyball, ultimate Frisbee and random other stuff.  It was SO FUN!!!  It was seriously mine and Sister Reid's FAVORITE day!! haha and it helped that we went to target!  The clothes were so cute!!  It was awful!  Now I know why we don't go there!! haha.  Both of my MTC companions are in my zone!  Crazy huh!?  It was great seeing them again.  I just love being with the whole zone and other missionaries in general!  I feel safe and always happy! Ha. Is that weird? 

We are reading the Book of Mormon as a mission.  I may have mentioned that.. but I am so grateful to be reading it together!  I know it will truly help us grow together! and be united!

Sister Reid and I are starting blogs..  but I don't know what to write... BLEH!  Any suggestions?  You can message me on facebook with any ideas! (:  I would LOVE that.  B/C I don't know what to put on there.. ha.  So far I have the courage video on there.. but might take it down..  I don't know.  It'll be sister-rebeccaknell.blogspot.com

We had district meeting with President and Sister Craven.  We talked a lot about facebook and the ipads since we are the district piloting them.  The other district in or zone will be getting ipads as well and the WHOLE mission will soon be on facebook.  So CRAZY!  Sister Reid and I thought that we'd get to stay together another transfer at least because we are piloting the ipads.  But President told us that anyone could be transferred.  That's part of the piloting.  Seeing if missionaries are able to adapt to the ipads.  Now sister Reid and I are worried we'll be split ); we are sad and hope not.  Transfer calls are on this Saturday!!  Crazy sauce!  Oh President and Sister Craven took us all to Subway after district meeting for lunch.  It was so fun!  Then one of the assistants was the last one in line with president Craven and he started talking to the subway guy and got his contact info.  The sisters we were sitting with stopped eating and said, "oh man, what if this was a test..?!" the other said, "Then we all failed but elder Frampton." hahaha oops.  I was so hungry, I only thought of the food.. I need to get better at talking to EVERYONE!  any tips? (:

We had a lesson with Jen this week and it went great! As always!  She was cleaning out her pantry and wanted to give us some food that she can't eat because of her diabetes.  So of course she gives us a box that use to carry beer in it...  Sister Reid and I were DYING!!  We didn't know what to do!  The box was covered with the logo.  We were worried it would look bad!  Which of course it did!  So I covered it with my sweater and we ran inside and emptied it then smashed it up and through it away.. ahaha so funny.. I guess y'all had to be there...

We are teaching a sweet girl named Zachene.  She is from Jamaica!  We LOVE her!!  Her granparents have been staying with her from Michigan.  They ARE SOCUTE!!! ha!  Sister Reid and I LOVE them!  They were heading back home this past weekend.  We got pictures with them and said goodbye.  It was so sad!  They were loving the lessons!  We are going to send the missionaries to them in Michigan.  When we first got to Zachene's house.  Papa was trying different outfits on for the pictures!  LOVE him!  They are seriously the cutest couple!  His first outfit was lime green shorts and a black zip up polo with a black hat and a money sign necklace.. hahaha THE BEST!!  I will miss them!

So now to the weird stuff!

So about a month ago we met a guy at the bus stop as we were walking home and were suppose to meet with him but he didn't show.  And the other day we ran into him at the library.  He said he'd love a church tour!  We were so excited!  So we had an appt. set and everything!  We got to the place we suppose to pick him up (with a member of course) and he cancelled go figure.. and then he texted us later and was all mad that we couldn't see him at the time he wanted and he texted us, "We do it today or no deal I don't want to waste my time." Sister Reid and I were shocked!!!  So we apologized and said we couldn't cuz we had an appt. anywho.. he called us later that night wanting to hang out.  hahaha.. oh gees and when we said we weren't allowed to he said we were part of a cult.  Oh wow. very interesting!  He's 21 so we'll pass him over to the YSA elders anyway.

last story!  Then I have to go!  So,  I was feeling really sick that night and so right after planning I went to sleep.  Like right at 9:30pm  I was out.  I woke up to sister Reid all scared at 11pm.  She says, "Sister Knell did we lock the front door!!??" "Some guy just called us and now I'm really scared!!"  I was still half asleep I don't remember what I said.  So long story short..  there is a guy we met through facebook who is from Africa.  His visa has expired and so he wants to find a wife so he can stay in the country.  He keeps trying to get in contact with us.  We keep telling him he is not in our area so we can't and he is already working with the Zone leaders, and to make this even shorter...  We were so scared from his call that we pushed our beds together sang hymns and then called the zone leaders.. we were so scared!  We thought they needed to know.. The next morning we felt so lame b/c everything was okay.... so embarrassing!! haha.

The church is true!  The work is growing!!  I hope all is well!  I love you all so much!!

Have a blessed day!!

Love,

Sister Knell

ps sorry if that was all random.. that was how our week was. xo

August 5th Letter - Maggots & Eating Aloe Vera?!

HELLO FAMILYYY!!!

How is everyone doing?!?  I hope lovely! (:

This week has been crazy full of service!!  Sister Reid and I are going to start a moving company!! haha because we helped move three families this week!!  Two in ONE day!!!  We called it Thomas day because their lasts names were Thomas. haha and two different Thomas families.  Hahaha and the move on Saturday was very...interesting...  We knew it'd be pretty bad and it was.. sadly.  We are happy for this member to be out and into a new clean home.  Poor Sister Reid had to go into her bathroom and grab a picture off the wall.  She said she is scarred forever she sad.  It was full of flies and maggots.. icky!

Yesterday we helped teach the primary.  Six to seven year olds.  It made me miss my sunbeams!!  Tell them hello for me!!  they were the cutest things!!  I loved their answers to questions about the 10 commandments and the 2,000 stripling warriors!  So cute!!  

We are working with a lady named Zachene.  She is one of our members co-workers.  She is from Jamaica!  She is one of our favorites!!  This week when we went and visited her she feed us the NASTiest stuff! hahaha.. Aloe vera!!  from the plant!! It was so slimp and weird tasting!!  She just laughed.. rude!! haha  and she made us try malaise mixed with water and then these ginger and coconut cookies.  You think would taste good but weren't my favorite!  The Jamaicans have different taste buds.. haha

Well I am out of time again this week!! Sorry!! 

This week was a little slower!

I love y'all!!

OH! and yes dad, I do know a Sister Tanner!!  I love her!!  Everytimne we see each other we hug and say we'll be companions one day (;

have a blessed day!

Love, 

Sister Knell