Chilli and preparing

So this week has been full of success and frustration... and chilli.

The Gaffney ward had their annual chilli cook off last Friday...and guess who they usually have for judges...yup, the missionaries :) because we're not related to anyone in the ward. The variety was pretty basic, except one. Bro. Sansing (he's less active but gives the missionaries free food at his restaurant in Blacksburg called Papa G's) brought a chilli that always wins spiciest. He informed us afterwards that it has a sauce in it that has peppers such as jalepeno and jabenero(sp?). Even the toughest brethren think twice before putting a spoonful of this stuff in their bowl. Sis. Kloepfel and I both took less than half a spoon full and were dying within 2 seconds of this "devil's swill" touching our tounges. Sis. K spit it out immediately and was begging for milk. I was a little more calm but still suffering. I swallowed it, drank some water, ate a couple of chips, and downed a cup of milk before the heat began to subside...never again will I touch super spicy chilli... Luckily we were in the kitchen while judging, so very few people saw our suffering.

We've been concentrating heavily on three of our investigators this week who we were preparing for baptism. Unfortunately, only one of them came to church, so only one of them will be ready for this next week. The other two will be in the water soon enough though. They aren't prepared at this moment, but the Lord is working with them and we're not going to give up. Florenda is the sister who is preparing right now. She will be baptized on Feb. 25th. She has such simple faith and the sisters in the ward have show her warmth and love. She's a little nervous, but she is also excited to have something positive in her life. I'm excited to watch her continue to grow and progress in the gospel.

A couple weeks ago during fast and testimony meeting, one of the young single adults brothers said during his testimony: "I'm really grateful for missionaries who can serve here (in South Carolina). It takes a special kind of person to teach some of the people here." After church he came up to us and thanked us personally for our work. We were suprised but pleased. You never know how much people are watching you. They notice when you are having a hard day. They notice when you are happy. They even notice when you get a hair cut. The members here love the missionaries and they watch us. It makes me want to be better and do more to help them do missionary work. I love this work, and though it gets frustrating and down right depressing at times, I am so glad I get to be out here serving the Lord and His children. It's all worth it. He has a work for us to do, on this side of the veil and on the other side, and He can't do it without us. 

Love you all lots! Never eat realllllllyyyyy spicy chilli. And have faith in the Lord in everything.

Love,

Sister Cottam