Week 53

Hellooooooooo.

This week was just busy. We had a lot of lessons with members present (well, more than usual) and we are finally getting the right number of service hours in. We do a lot of service at food pantries in Eastern New Orleans and the Lower Ninth Ward, and then we teach a lot in the immediate Chalmette/Violet/Arabi/Meraux/St. Bernard area. It's a lot of fun! New Orleans really is super interesting. Sometimes I feel like I am serving in a foreign mission. It's a whole different world down here, and I don't even know where to begin on describing it. 

Mike moved. :( But some other elders are taking good care of him for us. We are working with the McShan's still, though they are slowing down a little bit. Christin, the girlfriend of a young man in the branch, is being taught, too. This is a very similar situation to the one in Hammond with Katelynn, so we are treading with caution, but so far so good. She came to church and she went on trek a few weeks ago and she really wants to get baptized. We also had a less active family we have been working really closely with come to church, which was AMAZING. It was cool to see a very full branch in church yesterday, this branch is really starting to bring itself together. 

Apparently we were supposed to have the storm of the century on Tuesday, and we were on lockdown all day while the skies looked gloomy, but nothing really every hit us and then when they finally released us from lockdown, the storm got way worse in our area. It was kind of funny, but it sure made for an interesting night. We spent that evening teaching the Barnes family. They are slowly progressing, but I know they will come back to church soon. One of their daughters came on Sunday, and it was so so so good to see her there. 

I am finally starting to figure out how this whole missionary thing works. It's going well, I still love training, even though my trainee knocked my water bottle in the toilet last night. Haha but really I love her, Sister Meador is awesome. She is a hard worker and she likes to eat healthy with me. :)

Well, this month I was studying Charity and that was a lot of fun. I mean, charity has been playing a huge role in my mission, as it does for every missionary. Studying it has really made me understand that:

1) developing true charity (or the pure love of Christ) will take a life time, not a month

2)charity truly does stem from a change it your thought process about people

3) we must constantly pray for a way to truly love people

You are in my prayers, friends and family. Love y'all!

-Sister Ellen Frederickson

3301 Golden Drive Apt. B

Chalmette, LA 70043