Colorado to Kingston : Miracles, rain, and blackouts galore!

Hello fellow people! I hope everyone had the best weeks ever! Our week here was full of adventures, miracles, and lots of laughter!

Monday:

The dear lovely Sister Ballard took us to do our grocery shopping and emailing since we didn't have a car. Bless her soul. We love that lady so much! Then we just hung out at home for the rest of the day because it was insanely hot and we didn't feel like walking anywhere when we were allowed to stay home haha. Then at six, we decided to walk to the beach behind our house and go street contacting! We were able to find four people that have a lot of potential... yay for teaching on the beach!!

Tuesday:

Tuesday was such a good day full of a ton of adventures! First of all, we bussed to one of the areas we teach in for the morning because it was too far out to walk to. We got on the bus and the driver (who neither of us had ever seen before) took one look at us and changed the radio station to a gospel station. Hahahaha it was fantastic.People here know us, even if we don't know them! It was just a reminder that everyone is always watching us, and even if we don't realize it, we are representatives of Jesus Christ literally at all times, and we'd better act as such! After the bus ride, we had a few appointments in that area, and then we were walking to our next appointment (about a half hour away), when it started pouring. And when I say pouring, I mean pouring. Picture earth shaking thunder and someone literally dumping what feels like the entire ocean on top of your head all at once. Our umbrellas didn't stand a chance to keep us dry, and we literally could not see a thing in front of us because there was so much water coming down. So we sprinted to an abandoned roof building thing on the side of the road and stood under it to attempt to wait out the rain. Well after about five minutes, we realized it wasn't letting up any time soon and we had to get to our appointment. So I just said a quick little prayer in my head and told Heavenly Father that we needed just a little bit of help to get to our appointment on time. We started walking again, and after about thirty seconds, we realized it wasn't raining anymore! We thought that was kind of funny and kept walking, but then as we looked around, we realized it actually was raining still. The rain was falling all around us just as hard as it had been before, but it wasn't falling on top of us anymore. As we were walking, the rain just kept moving away from us! It was seriously a miracle, and we were able to get to our appointment on time! It was so good we got there when we did too, because our investigator told us he'd been waiting for us all day... he had been praying the night before, and he got an answer! He told us he wants to be baptized :) Heavenly Father will do what you ask him to if you ask in faith and it is His will! He knew we had to be at that appointment to talk to that investigator at that time... so He provided a way! Tuesday night, right after we got home and changed into dry clothes, the doorbell rang... and there was a grocery man standing outside with a delivery of food from the best parents in the world! Thanks familia! You guys rock! Free food, free food, free food!

Wednesday:

Wednesday, we had district meeting in the morning, and then after district meeting, Sister Rampersad started feeling really sick. So we went home and she slept all afternoon... which gave me a chance to read the Book of Mormon for a few hours! I love that book!! And bonus... I finally finished Alma!!! Woohoo! It always feels like Alma takes forever to get through because it's so long haha.

Thursday:

Thursday was a normal proselyting day. When we got home, we made dinner, and started to plan. Just as we were all going to our rooms to plan, the entire house went dark. I screamed and sat down (I don't know why I do that, but lately every time I get scared I just sit down haha. It doesn't seem like a very practical reaction. Oh well.) Sister Collier screamed and ran to get the American Flag (don't ask haha). Sister Woolf screamed and then continued to just sit at her desk, and Sister Rampersad just kind of laughed and went to find a flashlight. So now we know who to go to in times of crisis haha! But anyways, there was a blackout all over the entire island. And for some strange reason, when the power goes out so does the water and usually so does the gas. We sat around and told stories by candlelight for a while until bed. So Thursday we didn't get much sleep because it was dark and hot (no fans=still, humid, hot air everywhere), but it was such an adventure! I felt like I was camping haha.

Friday:

Fourth of July!! The power came back on around 4:45 Friday morning, so we got a little less than two hours of sleep with fans, and then we were up and ready to go! We still didn't have running water, so I took a bucket shower... if I said I felt like I was camping before, it was nothing compared to how I felt Friday morning! Thank heavens I know how to wash my hair with a bucket... camping gives you some serious life skills man! Right after we finished studies, the power went out again, so we did superplanning in the front room because there's the most light there haha. We finished superplanning, and had a mini photoshoot with an American flag we found in the attic a couple of weeks ago when we were exploring. So we could be patriotic and stuff, ya know? Then we started teaching for the day! We were riding the bus to our area, and we were wondering why there was so much chaos all over the roads (more so than usual haha), when we realized the power was still out all over the island so none of the stoplights were working and people were just kind of going whenever they felt like it! If there was ever a day I was grateful to NOT have a car, Friday was it. haha. Friday night after branch correlation meeting, Sister Smith was driving us home and we got to watch some fireworks the US Embassy was shooting off over the ocean! It was a perfect way to end what was possibly the most adventuresome independence day of my life :)

Saturday:

Saturday was bucket shower day 2! I was grateful again for having parents who made me learn how to bathe in the wilderness :) hahahahah. We had one appointment in the morning, and then we had a branch mission activity! We had a bouncy house (which didn't work the first half due to a power outage again haha), and we grilled chicken wings and hot dogs, and the young men and young women did a free car wash! We advertised it on the street, and while people were waiting for their cars to be washed, we gave church tours and they watched the Restoration movie! It was such a cool activity and we got a ton of good contacts and referrals! Woohoo! After the activity, we went to a few more lessons for the evening, and called it a day! We also ate the world's biggest hot dogs for lunch... literally. I'm pretty sure one hot dog was like almost three feet long. It was insane.

Sunday:

Sunday, Sister Scott picked us up to take us to church! She's wonderful!! We had one of the most spiritual fast and testimony meetings I've ever been to (*sniff, sniff* I love my little branch!) Sister Rampersad and I had to teach young women's again, so we watched Finding Faith in Christ and had a mini testimony meeting with the young women... they're such good girls! I love them all!!! Then Lisa and Andrew took us to the Dinkleman's house for dinner, and after dinner, Brother Dinkleman took us to a marching band thingy in downtown so we could go street contacting! It was a really cool cultural event, and there were a ton of awesome families we got to talk to about the church! After that, we walked across the island to teach some of our recent converts, and Brother Dinkleman picked us up and took us home for the night!

This week, I've been thinking a lot about temples. We have quite a few recent converts that we're helping prepare to go to the temple, and since we've been talking about it so much, I've been thinking about it! I never realized how blessed I was to have a temple so close to home... even though at the time it felt like it was so far away, it's nothing compared to these people. They cannot get to the temple unless they take a plane, and it's a HUGE deal when they get to go. I am so blessed to have had a temple so close to home my entire life... they say you never know a good thing till it's gone, and I never really understood that saying until now. I've never appreciated the temple as much in my life as I do now that I know I can't go again for a little over a year. I can honestly say I will never take the temple for granted again... for the rest of my life, I will go at least once a month. No sacrifice is too great to make for the blessing of attending a temple!

Have a great week everyone!! I love and miss you all... keep up the good work everywhere you are! You are all such good examples to me!!

xoxoxoxo,

Sister Oman

The avocados here are insanely large and funny looking. But they taste delicious!!

The giant box of food that got delivered to my doorstep tuesday evening! Thanks family! I love you guys!!

My water bottle is as big as my head. And I drink about three or four of these every day because its so hot haha.

I killed three more cockroaches! gross. But I think we've all come to a consensus that if they don't mess with me, I don't mess with them (usually. muahahah)