Letters from Sister Alston: Now Riding the Cedar Rapids

BREAKING NEWS: I'M BACK WITH SISTER HILL!!!!!!!! Exactly a year later, we get to serve together again! What a wonderful surprise! I am now in Cedar Rapids, IA...which is a HUGE change from Keokuk, but exactly like Iowa City (Africans and all) so I'm excited to be here!!! It will just take a little time to get used to big buildings and lots of people again...and there's even a Target, and a Chick-Fil-A!!! hahahaha!!! It was so hard to leave Keokuk, but there's no where else I'd rather be and no one I'd rather serve with than with Sister hill here in CR! Funny thing is... Last Sunday in Keokuk, there was a 24 year old girl, Sherstin Anderson, who came to Keokuk from Cedar Rapids to see if she could find somewhere to live because she was going to work at the Keokuk Walmart pharmacy...and now I'm living at her house in CR! So we kinda switched places...haha. Brother and Sister Anderson have already taken me in as their own and I am so grateful for the love they have shared with me already..they are wonderful!!! He's a rocket scientist and she's a professor... I LOVE THEM! Sister Hill and I were pretty much in shock for the first couple days; well, we still are...but SO HAPPY! It's been so amazing to see how she has changed so much in the past year. My baby is all grown up!!!...she's going to be sick of me saying that this transfer that's for sure!

Anways... Highlights of the week:

PAINTING THE WALL: haha....so Shari Pena trusted me to paint a design on her bedroom wall with black paint!...and it turned out so good! ...It was fun to "leave my mark" in Keokuk! hahaha.... and quite therapeutic!

FRESH, RAW ASPARAGUS and HUNTED MUSHROOMS: My new favorite things to eat. :) So...mushroom hunting is a big deal here in Iowa, and sadly it is not possible out west...but I was finally able to eat some fresh mushrooms! Wednesday evening we went to the Cains to say goodbye and Malissa had just picked a bunch of fresh asparagus and the kids had gone mushroom hunting...so we just sat there and ate probably a whole (bush?) of asparagus raw. Rachael had me try it mom...I loved asparagus anyway, but it's so good RAW!!! Ditch weed, as my mother calls it. haha... she hates the stuff. We had a fun 10 commandments lesson with them, took some pictures, got stuck in Mason's little tent...and said goodbye. :(

TRANSFERS: Pretty sure this was the hardest transfer meeting to sit through yet... I guess I haven't really been to THAT many. But I just wanted to know where I was going and who I would be with...and who was going to Keokuk! haha. The talks were both really good, but I was just super anxious and couldn't sit still. By the time they got to the Cedar Rapids zone I had a pretty good feeling and when they called Sister Hill and I we both were kind of expecting it, but not at the same time. Keokuk is always one of the last to be called... so we knew by that time who it would be...and SISTER BARKER (who also went to Brighton) is now in Keokuk and will do so great! It's amazing because some of the people in Keokuk already to Sister Barker because she came on exchanges with us when she was serving in Quincy! Heavenly Father is a genius.....just so you know. :) After transfer meeting, find out that RACHAEL PASSED NURSING SCHOOL and got to say goodbye to the Salyers one more time over the phone... then we were off to CR! Stopped for lunch at a place called "Maid-rites", dropped stuff off at home, and we were off to work!

CHRISTINA AND JOSE: Sister Hill had had a feeling to knock some apartments, and we had about 20 minutes left in the day. We say a prayer in the car, and knock on the first door and no one answers. Hear some kids crying in the door across and debate whether or not to knock...so we do...and Christina answers! She was so nice and told us she wants us to come back this week. Introduced us to her 3 little kids and husband, and seems super solid! Amazing!!!

JACOB AND ADRIANNA: We met Jacob and Adrianna, who were potentials, and found out that Jacobs whole family is Mormon, and one of his uncles had just emailed him 30 minutes prior to us knocking on his door and asked if he was going to church! ...we are so excited to work with him. His daughter, Adrianna, is 12 years old, an amazing artist...and we are excited to get her involved with the young women.

MELISSA: Last night, we got a phone call, while I was skyping my family, haha.... and it was a former investigator who had met with the sisters a few months back. She called and said how she had moved, has been talking to her husband (who learned about the church in prison and is getting out soon and wants to be baptized when he can) and how she is ready to be baptized and wants to do it as soon as possible and get more involved with church again. It was so cool!!!! MIRACLES!!!

SIGN LANGUAGE: The Cedar Rapids 3rd ward has a deaf couple, and one of the interpreters is moving soon. They were so happy to find out I could sign...and man...they are just going to put me to work! ...now I just need to study up and refresh my signing!...but it's amazing to see how Heavenly Father has already showed me a big reason why he needs me here at this time!

KEOKUK SISTERS CALLED: Last night, also...we got a call from the Keokuk sisters telling us that Halie Cain is getting baptized on Thursday!!!!! Malissa took the phone and told me I better be there... so I called president and got it approved to go!!! ANOTHER MIRACLE! Oh! and they also told me that Charley Scudder came to church! He told us as soon as he got his truck back he would start coming...and he kept his promise! Wow... I am so grateful to know that Keokuk is just going to keep on exploding and seeing miracles. President told me he knows that there will be several baptisms there, and I need to pick and choose which ones I want to/need to be at...but so grateful he's letting me go on Thursday.

There's so much more I could say, as always.....but it was so so so good to "hang out" with my family last night for Mother's Day on Skype. It's always so much to see them and hear from them and know that they are doing well. It's crazy to think that the next time I talk to them will be in person! I am so grateful Heavenly Father knows me so perfectly. He knows that my work in Keokuk was done, that I am needed and need to be here in Cedar Rapids with Sister Hill, with the Andersons, and with this ward... I know He hears every one of our prayers. I know the Atonement is real. I know that He has a specific plan for each one of us. The church is true. The book is blue...and true. ;) ...and I love you all!!!!

HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEK!

Love Always,

Sister Natalia Alston