Coldplay, Elvis and a whole ton of fun!

This week was so fun!...okay, most weeks are so fun!!!...but this one was extremely fun!  We started it off by going to Cedar Falls and spending last P-Day with the sisters there.  They are the only sisters in their zone, so they needed a little TLC.  haha.  We walked around old downtown and went window shopping.  Yay for girls' days! haha.  Sister Farnsworth and I then went to check up on a potential family that I had actually met on my last exchange there...the Funks.  They let us right in, and we just got to know them a little better!  They are a strong Catholic family, have 6 wonderful children, and met with Elders about 10 years ago (even took them to a baseball game when they lived in Cedar Rapids) but haven't ever been interested in the church.  They had a baby grand piano in their living room, so of course I had to play it.  Even got in a little Coldplay from the music book they had just bought.  It was so fun!  I love how Heavenly Father continues to allow me to meet such incredible people and hear their stories, and feel of their faith.  Other exciting exchange adventures included:  Singing Elvis Karaoke at the retirement home, painting more old ladies nails, practicing giving a church presentation tour thing, teaching an agnostic that I'm pretty sure is in love with Sister Farnsworth (oh, and the lesson was on the law of chastity, so that was even more fun!), taco Tuesday at Qedoba, meeting a quarterback who played in Paris (who also wants to learn more), and so much more!  It was such a fun exchange!  

Now back to what's happened/happening in my neck of the woods!..Good ol' Cedar Rapids!  Wednesday we taught a mother and her 4 kids (11, 6, 4 and 2) which was so fun!  She had been sitting in on a lesson with her brother in law the week before and invited us back.  She is from Pohnpei, and is actually the sister in law of a less active in the ward!  Anyways, it was an amazing Restoration lesson.  The 11 year old, Eric, was soaking it all in and understood the restoration of the Priesthood and importance of the Priesthood better than anyone I've ever taught!  It was so cool to invite them both to be baptized and have Eric say, "well, yeah...because it needs to be with the authority that Jesus Christ had..."  They are amazing!!!  A couple trailers down, there is also a part member family...actually a couple of them...who moved from Omaha a few months ago that we are teaching.  Everyone (like 12 of them) came outside and we all sat down and talked about the Book of Mormon and how it has and can bless our lives.  I love teaching people about the Book of Mormon, because it has worked miracles in my own life!  I am so grateful Heavenly Father has given us more scripture to learn from, and each day as I read I feel more and more connected to those wonderful people who came before us.  

We also had the most amazing Plan of Salvation lesson this past week with Fred, the one from Texas who talked to us on the street... He is loving the gospel and receiving more answers each day.  He asked us the most amazing questions, about how what he had been taught about Adam and Eve didn't make to him, how he believes we have always been ourselves and always will be ourselves... and as soon as we taught him about the Celestial Kingdom, he said, "that's where I want to be, because I want to live with God with my family."  WOW.  He is amazing!  

Ann Bates, the woman who lost her husband a couple months back and whose daughter referred us to her, is moving to Arkansastomorrow to live with that daughter.  We taught her about the Book of Mormon, and she said she is so grateful we have been able to meet with her and help her through this rough time.  She plans on going to church with her daughter in Arkansas, and having her son in-law baptize her down there.  It's amazing how Heavenly Father works.  

With a lot of Tornados, thunder storms, and such...there has been a lot of flooding.  We were able to help a member in her basement for a couple hours, then hear about how she and her husband became converted.  Completely changed their lives around to receive the restored gospel, and have such powerful testimonies.  

We had a fun movie night with Michele, and watched the Prophet of the Restoration movie.  Pretty much have the whole thing memorized, but I love watching it anyway!  :)  We are truly blessed to know about the restoration and partake in the many blessings that have come from it!  

Sunday, I guess that was yesterday wasn't it? haha...yes...yesterday was crazy!!!  We have missionary coordination, run to make sure Madreen was ready for her ride to come early and go to choir, miss ward coordination, have the weirdest sacrament meeting ever.  Erika, the daughter of the deaf couple in the ward, insisted on sitting next to me...then Madreen's 2 year old son Junior, was on the other side of me.  haha....we had fun!  Preparation for the future I guess!  ;)   We were supposed to start the member missionary class over again for Sunday school, but that wasn't communicated to everyone else, so we ended up going to Gospel Principles class with Madreen...then we were supposed to help in Primary, but because we were supposed to teach the missionary class we weren't able to do that, but we could have...yeah...it was a crazy Sunday to say the least!  After church we had a huge breakfast for dinner party at the Munsons and I ate WAY too much!...but it was oh so good!  (story of my life...) Oh and they surprised us with our own personal steel batons!  bahahaha.... apparently people here think Cedar Rapids is very dangerous!  No, it was kind of a joke, because they had given their daughter one and we thought it was awesome, so they got us some too!...but now we are REALLY SAFE!  

WELP, time is up!  And boy is time flying!  I had my final interview with the Mission President on Friday evening...that was weird!  I can't believe my time as a missionary is coming to an end so quickly!  I am forever grateful for the experiences I have been given, the people I have met that will forever be a part of my life, and for the testimony I have gained.  These next couple weeks are going to be busy, busy, busy and full of work, work, work!  ....I may have to be carried off the plane....  haha.  

I know I say it all the time, but I really can't thank everyone enough for all the love and support you have given me.  I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

Love Always,

Sister Natalia Alston

Exchanges in Cedar Falls!

What is my companion wearing??