Banjos and Bluegrass

I'm going to come home and y'all aren't going to think you have the same girl. I didn't get switched in the hospital, I just happened to become a little more....southern. I've also determined that I'm going to have to carry around a can of Tony's when I get back because without it everything is so bland!

Not a ton happened this week....we performed 3 times instead of twice, helped the Elders move into their new apartment (man, it's nice. they have two bathrooms and a dishwasher!) and did an awful lot of service. The broadcast was fantastic. I am SO excited for General Conference this week. Its funny how things change on a mission--General conference is one of my favorite times of year now. think of it...every six months we have the chance to hear a living prophet give us counsel directly relevant to this day and age. This is what the Lord will want us to know and do for the next 6 months. I invite each of you to listen to it and prayerfully consider the counsel given. Especially the prophet, even if you can't or don't want to listen to anything else.

Some tentative plans are forming right now with the music craze. I'm not going to say too much because I don't know myself, but things are looking good :)

Oh! yeah, bluegrass. Here's a cool story:

Its been amazing to see how music brings people together. We have this friend, Henrietta, whose son-in-law, Glen, is the pastor of her church and who lives right next door. Sister Jones and I tracted into Henrietta back in November and have been friends since, but this Friday our visit was a little different: she invited us and the elders to come so we could meet her son-in-law and his family, who make up a bluegrass band. Now, I was already friends with the girls in the family (because Henrietta would record Sister Jones and I singing and show it to them on her phone) but this was unprecedented and a little bit intimidating. We got there, and Glen was a little bit skeptical--not hostile, but not particularly open, either. We started sort of trading songs back and forth and cracking jokes and the atmosphere got more and more friendly, until the point where they had us take their instruments and learn a little bluegrass ourselves (note: I can't play the banjo...yet). Then we just became friends, musicians, and Christians united in the common cause of bringing hope. It was easily one of the most fun nights I've ever had on my mission. I'm fairly certain the elders won't stop talking about it for another few weeks. In the end, even if we don't get to go back or anything (which I think we will), we all felt the Spirit. Music is such a powerful way to break down barriers in the South, and I'm so grateful I got put in the district I did so we could use it to our fullest. It's a simple, nonconfrontational way to teach about the savior and about the little things. Even at the hotel when I play, if the other three need time to talk to people, I can just pull out some of my more religious piano solos. Although I'm not actively testifying of the gospel, through music I have found I can bring the Spirit better than through the words that come out of my mouth. It's been a really good seed planter and finding technique.

but really. I might have become converted to bluegrass.

Con Amore,

Sister Steele

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?

I send the most boring emails ever, I know. But my life is about as monotonous as yours, just in a different way.

We hit a bit of a slump this week. We've done a lot of service, and that's really fun (that'll be this week too) but for teaching, it's been really difficult. The investigator we met last week that I thought I told y'all about but apparently didn't was killed in a car accident while I was on exchanges on Thursday. Friday's performance went kind of poorly, but Saturday's was really good! We had a whole bunch of people talk to us, including an 11-year old local who came from apparently a family of 12 brothers and 5 sisters. She wants me to learn a Pocahontas song for next week so I am, since the Disney stuff isn't that hard.

Speaking of Disney, I did get the Frozen soundtrack this weekend and already have the whole thing memorized :)

Aside from that, we did have a pretty cool experience on exchanges. The Pineville district (where our sister training leaders serve) had a goal for each companionship to pass out 10 copies of the Book of Mormon a week, and they had only done 3, so Sister L and I decided we were going to pass out the other 7. We did! In 30 minutes! It was really cool. I normally dislike tracting, but it was a warm day and a different area and all the sudden I had no fear. We joked and decided to go with "no purse or scrip" meaning we left everything in the car except for the books, but had to come back so we could write down the name and number of some people who wanted to hear more. The Lord put us there at exactly the right moment, though because this girl just randomly appears and is walking down the street (seriously if apparation was a thing I would have believed it). The thought popped into my head to talk to everyone, so I just started talking to her and shared a verse from Alma (7:11-12 to be exact). She looked at me and said that her dad had died a few months ago and she had just told her mom the day before that they needed to go back to church. She gratefully accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and sister L got her phone number and they're going to go back and teach her :). It was a miracle!

We also had to speak in church again this week, and our bishop asked us at 9:15 the night before when church starts at 9:30 the next day. Both of our talks were pretty good, though. I was a bit impressed.

That's mostly it for this week. Helping the Elders move tomorrow from their place, and they get a TRUCK! And we have to start mowing lawns again :)

Picture Dumping People Style

These are all from about January, but they're still quality pictures.

Boring Week, Again

March 17, 2014

The weeks seem to sort of blur together, to be quite honest. We didn't do a ton this week. Most of it was spent practicing and trying to see people who ended up not being home or whatever. The performances this week were pretty good though.

Oh! If you were wondering, our set list usually was as follows:

Summertime (Porgy and Bess, Sister H)

Shenandoah (Sister H)

Go Down Moses (with all the bass power he can muster, Elder V)

O Sole Mio (in true opera form, Sister H)

Go the Distance (Moi, piano solo)

God help the outcasts (Sister H)

So Close (Elder V)

I'll Follow You into the Dark (Moi)

In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning (Sister H...yes she has a lot of music but we're working on it)

Smile (Sister H)

Postcards from Far Away (Me)

I Dreamed a Dream (Elder V)

On My Own (The lonely alto in myself cries out!)

Bring Him Home (Elder V and I trade off from it being a piano solo and a vocal thing)

Were You There (Sister H and I, duet)

Abide With Me, 'Tis Eventide (All three)

While the hero of the night is Elder Castro with his amazing page turning :) We actually had a few people sit down this week and listen for the majority of the set. We're learning a few more, like Feelin' Good and Foggy Day in London Town and Try a Little Tenderness and Make them Hear You, so we have a bit more variety.  It's really cool to see how the atmosphere changes though, as we shift from our lighthearted stuff into "Bring Him Home" and into the more spiritual set. The Spirit was there super strong, especially on Friday. It was an amazing chance to bear testimony to the people around us that God does hear and answer our prayers and that Jesus Christ really does live. It was a powerful experience for me.

We are also putting together a ward Easter program using predominately the Bible videos (WHICH ARE AMAZING, you should totally go watch them. They're straight out of the KJV, and the church has done a really really good job on them.) So that was most of the week. It rained a lot on Tuesday and Saturday, and we are looking forward to a sunny week at least!

Love you!

Sister Steele

Picture Dump...Cemetery Style

This was last week's pday. They like to go to the cemetery apparently.

There was this great sale...

Hangin out...in a crypt...

This is what my future tombstone will look like :)

Sometimes....we remember that Natchez is one of the most haunted places in the United States.

Here we are again...

March 4, 2014

Well, you've now seen what I spent my weekend doing. Clearing out a bayou. Brings back all these memories of when it was so hot I was drowning in my sweat and trying to figure out what exactly I signed up for. Except this time I was one of the only ones who was actually in the zone for the cemetery project and so I felt kind of old.

Start transfer 6! This is kind of crazy. Also I am still in Vidalia, at least for one more transfer anyways. Not a ton to report this week, again, because we were practicing and we went to the temple and did service in Alexandria on Saturday.

Lots of little miracles though:

When we try and get people to go to the temple, Satan really does not want them to go and so that means that things tend to fall apart and then only get better right in the nick of time. Cue this temple trip. Everything was good to go Sunday evening--rides were set, everyone had their temple reccommends and were plenty excited. We had budgeted exactly 300 miles in our monthly mile allotment so that we could go down before and do a session.

Come monday, and the member that was going to take the W family down ended up in the ICU with a severe gallbladder infection.

Okay....weird. We'll find them another ride, or their car will start working again.

Wednesday: W family car not working, boys didn't come to YM because of it, and so they didn't get to put their family names into familysearch so they have to do temple names.

Also, Sister T comes down with scabies. Yuck.

Also, B comes down with...spray paint poisoning. I didn't even know that was a thing. But so it is.

Thursday: Still no ride for the W family. Scrambling. It's going to be a natchez ward temple trip with no natchez members!

Thursday evening at 8:30 PM: Bishop steps in and is taking the W family. A miracle occured and Sister T's treatment for scabies worked so she is no longer itchy or contagious. They can all go. And unfortunately, B could not go. So rides and getting down was good.

Friday: Almost hit a vulture going down to Baton Rouge on the freeway.

We get to do a session and it is fantastic. Then we go get dinner and come back and....no one is at the temple except for Brother M, who was one of the priesthood who set up the whole trip.

After some frantic calling, everyone finally got down and were able to do baptisms. It was a miracle in and of itself. We had exactly enough priesthood holders to man all the required duties.

So that part was done...but we weren't done yet! We and the Elders had to get to Alexandria before 10:30, so we could stay the night and not lose our driving priveleges. it's a 2 hr 15 minute drive, so we head out on time....only to find out that the road we needed to take to get to the freeway was closed. So we go...and the whole time I'm praying we get in by 10:30.

So we turned off the car in the driveway at....10:29.

Remember how I said we budgeted 300 miles for the trip? And it was the end of the month so those were the only 300 miles we had? We couldn't go over?

We used 299.6.

So that was the temple trip. On thursday, before, we went in and were going to try and see if we could get on to play at the Natchez Grand hotel, as previously discussed. Well, the manager wasn't content with just letting us play background music...he wants us for a few bigger venues as well and now is going to help us find other places to play too!! I pretty much had to on-the-spot unplanned audition for the whole group with the only song I still have memorized--the solfeggietto in c minor by cpe bach. I was kind of freaking out but apparently they couldn't hear how badly I botched it because they were excited. So we'll see where that goes!

Hope y'all had an awesome week!!

Love you!

Sister Steele

 

Instrument Vs. Object

February 24, 2014

once upon a time there was a girl who practiced the piano a lot.

That was most of my week, actually :) I've been surprised. I struggled at home to practice for an hour and a half...now my short rehearsal days are 2 hours and my long rehearsal days (I have allowed myself 2 of those a week) are 6 hours. I am learning a TON of music, more than I had ever thought possible. Heavenly Father has really helped me out with this, cause at home there would have been no way on earth I could learn this much this fast. But it's been pretty good :)

K and her family finally got into their own apartment this weekend! They had been living with her mom and been fasting and praying for a house or apartment, so prayers were answered! We're going on Friday to do baptisms for the dead at the Baton Rouge temple, so we are super duper excited. Also, a bonus which is much needed--we and the elders are going down to Baton Rouge earlier that day and we get to do a session before. It's been six months since I've been to the temple, and it might be the only thing that will get me through this week and next transfer.

It's hard to believe its week six already! This transfer has FLOWN by. Next transfer is going to be awesome though!

Let's see....nothing really other than that! I told you, most of the week was practicing.

Oh! Happy birthday, Cody! (I actually remember all y'all's birthdays, just usually I forget to put it in the email. I made sure to remember this week though!)

Love y'all, miss y'all and hope everything's going well! (Yup, turned true southern, I guess.)

Here's my spiritual thought this week:

An OBJECT is something perceptible, especially to the sense of touch or vision; a focus of attention or effort.

An INSTRUMENT is a means by which something is accomplished.

an AGENT is one that acts. In order to be an AGENT we need to be INSTRUMENTS in the hands of the Lord. An instrument is something that does. It acts. It accomplishes.

An OBJECT is something that is being acted upon. It's just there. What do the scriptures say?

"And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. and because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to ACT FOR THEMSELVES and not to be ACTED UPON..." (2 Nephi 2:26)

"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an INSTRUMENT in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy." (Alma 29:9) That soul can be your own. It is just as valuable as any other.

Be instruments this week, will you? Act, don't be acted upon.

Love you!!