What a wonderful week!! I am beginning to understand the life here at Temple Square. And let's be frank--I love it. There are people that come here from all over the world, sister missionaries from all over the world, and crazy people all over. :) There is this fabulous man who stands at the entrance to Temple Square every once in a while. He is super tan, has long white hair and wears jeans topped off with a white tank. S-a-s-s-y. He usually stands really prominently on the sidewalk and stares at traffic. Love him.
One of the things that I do, is every once in a while, I answer phones for people who call and want to learn more about the church, Jesus Christ or the Book of Mormon. Well....let me tell you...I have gotten a few doooozies of phone calls from people.
Here's a few of my favorites this week:
1) William--84 years old. William calls and says, in a wonderfully old, southern accent, "Now. I am calling because I want to get one of them FREE, and I'm gonna repeat myself, F-RrrEEee DVDs about Jesus". My response, "You bet William". William was fabulous. We chatted for a good 5-10 more minutes. Really interesting person.
2) John--one too many drinks. John called in, we chatted for a few minutes, and when I asked him for his zip code, I got a "K-9-J-4er.....". Good ol' John. :)
3) Christina--pregnant!! :) So, I was actually calling her to talk with Christina's mom (who some friends asked some missionaries to call). I ended up talking to her for a little bit, and she said, "Oh! You're with the Mormon church!"
Me: Yes, yes I am.
Christina: That's funny, because we have a sign on our door that says "No soliciting"
>>> a nice awkward pause <<<
Me: Oh, ok.
Christina: Yeah...
Me:
I met DANISH PEOPLE!!! HOORAY!!! They were fabulous!! I used my best Danglish that I could muster. They were so sweet! And in true Danish form, they were very knowledgable and loved learning about all of the buildings and history. At the end of our short visit around Temple Square, they weren't interested in learning more about the church, but they were so sweet. They told me that because I love Denmark so much, I should come back when I was done with my mission and meet up with them. They gave me their e-mail and everything. I LOVE Danes!! :)
I was at Welfare Square twice this week. So great. Did you know that at Welfare Square, we have huge wheat elevators (or wheat silos) and in them, there is 14 MILLION pounds of wheat?!?! I had no idea!! That's so much wheat. And every 4-5 years, the wheat is taken out and either donated or sold to different places and then replaced with new wheat. So amazing. The purpose behind this is all about being prepared. We use the wheat for any sort of natural disaster (not just for members of the church, but anyone, anywhere in the world). And the huge wheat elevators are a wonderful symbol of being prepared, personally, for anything. Physically, emotionally, spiritually, educationally...what have you. I love these giant reminders of how we can all be mindful about our personal preparation. So great.
And here is the BEST STORY OF THE WEEK:
--So, a couple came into one of the Visitor's Centers here. I welcomed them and commented on the woman's fabulous purse. Another sister missionary nearby (from India) overheard me. The couple went into the bathroom. Sister Vuppada comes up to me and asks, "Did you just put butter on them?".
Me: "Did I what?"
Sis. V: Did you just put butter on them?
Me: No! Was I supposed to?
Sis. V: No...you know...you complimented them a lot.
Me: Oh!! Did I butter them up?
Hahaha!! We shared a good laugh!!!
AND--Check this out!! I have seen so many friendly, familiar faces this week!! Dom, The McAdams and Julee-- all from the Redwoods!! It was so fun to see you all!! It was so refreshing to get a bit of Santa Rosa sunshine here! (And Bishop McAdam--Thanks for the letter!! :) It was a wonderful boost!)
And thank you all for those sweet letters! (And I am working on writing you ALL back...from last week too. Sorry I am such a slow poke!)
--Chels--YOU are HILARIOUS!! I love you so much!!! Haha!! I was so grateful for the Rohnert Park update (I am so happy you are cookin' with the rooms! :) Sounds like the good old days!) And I really appriciated your Pandora Coldplay shoutout/ Celeb update. What the?!?! MADEIRA!?! VACANT? How can this be? The legacy must be preserved I suppose. :) Keep on being sassy!!
--T-Mahafffff!! Eagle eye!! You're a doll!! Thanks for the love decorated with those darling butterfly stickers too! :)
--NICOLIOLIO!!!-- APPLE?!?!?!?!? You have no idea how creepy I am with babies here at Temple Square. I "coo" a lot more than usual. Babies love me. Adults inch away slowly. I am so excited for you four!! :)
--Grandma and Grandpa Davis-- Thanks for the incredible letter about service!! You shared some really sweet stories. Thank you so much!
--Jennifer--Hiking, the zoo and treats-- oh my! Sounds like the Bryan bunch is really having a fun summer!! :) Thank you for keeping me in the loop Jennifer! Happy birthday to Emily!! I can't believe she's already 3!! WOW!! Time flies!!
--T-Call....you will be getting a letter from me. I love you. :) DOLL FACE!! You kill me!
Well, thanks for everything everyone!! I'll be talking to you next week!! :) Love you!
-Sister Amerilia
