Week 20

Well, well, well. Another email has arrived! How is everyone? I miss all of you too much! It's still going a wee bit slow around here but I do have a story for all of you! So Sister Gardner and I were out tracting one evening down on Galena Crossing. It was a fun night! We just made our way down the street, knocking on doors, and talking to people. We knocked on one door and no one was answering. So, this mission is a "three knock mission": once for your companionship, once for your mission president, and once for the Lord! So of course we keep knocking. Well it's really nice when you're standing on someone's front porch and you're knocking on the door and then they drive up and pull into the garage. Just kidding. It's not nice it's SO awkward! Well as they were pulling into the garage Sister Gardner turned to me and said  "This is awkward let's run!" So…… We ran! We ran all the way down the street and around the corner! We looked crazy! LOL! So we just kept walking to get around to the top of the street again because we were going to attract another street nearby. As we are walking down the street there was a guy sitting on his porch. This was September 14! September 14 was the super moon! Huge moon! I like the moon in a little bit… That's a lie. I LOVE the moon!!! Anywho, we decided to talk to him and at first we thought he was just sitting there staring at the moon. But as we got closer and started talking to him we realize that he was painting. How cool is that?! So we talked to him for I don't know how long, and it was cool! He was really nice and we asked to him about what his belief in Christ was, he told us that he did not think you need to be a part of an organize religion. So we asked him what his specific beliefs were so that we could just kind of see where Ground Zero was with him. Crazy though, he has a lot of the same beliefs that we do! Which was cool for us but then also cool for him because he was shocked that we believe a lot of the same things he does! We are super excited to go see him again this week and just kind of see if we can relate to him more about his beliefs and helping to come to Christ! 

Who all is excited for Thanksgiving?! I know I am! I'm excited for the thankfulness part but especially for the getting fat part! I love food! One crazy good thing about serving here in Vegas though is that it is warm. We get to walk a lot because it is not snowy which is good because I am able to lose the weight that I'm gaining from all the stinking food! Lol, I was told that the Lord protects his sisters by making them fat! Isn't that great???? XD

So today I was reading in Mark 16 and in it Mark talks about how first angels appeared to the women at the tomb and tell them that Christ is risen, then the resurrected Lord comes to Mary Magdalene and then he visits two apostles traveling on the road. And yet the other 11 Apostles still refuse to believe! And my first reaction was one that was not so flattering towards the apostles. But then I read this:

President James E. Faust (1920–2007) of the First Presidency explained why it may have been so difficult initially for the disciples to believe that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead:
"Perhaps the Apostles should not be unduly criticized for not believing that Jesus, having been crucified and buried in a tomb, had come back to earth as a glorified being. In all human experience, this had never happened before. It was completely unprecedented. This was a different experience than the raising of Jairus’ daughter (see Mark 5:22, 24, 35–43), the young man of Nain (see Luke 7:11–15), or Lazarus (see John 11:1–44). They all died again. Jesus, however, became a resurrected being. He would never die again. …
“Said President David O. McKay of this experience: ‘The world would never have been stirred by men with such wavering, doubting, despairing minds as the apostles possessed on the day of the crucifixion.
“‘What was it that suddenly changed these disciples to confident, fearless, heroic preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ? It was the revelation that Christ had risen from the grave. His promises had been kept, his Messianic mission fulfilled. … On the evidence of these unprejudiced, unexpectant, incredulous witnesses, faith in the resurrection has its impregnable foundation.’ (Treasures of Life, comp. Clare Middlemiss, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1962, pp. 15–16.)
Like the Apostles of old, this knowledge and belief should transform all of us to be confident, settled, unafraid, and at peace in our lives as followers of the divine Christ. It should help us carry all burdens, bear any sorrows, and also fully savor all joys and happiness that can be found in this life” (“The Supernal Gift of the Atonement,” Ensign, Nov. 1988, 13–14).
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Please let us all be like the apostles of old and the living prophets! Let us all be fearless in our efforts to spread the good news that Christ IS Risen! And that because of him, everything that the Father has is within our reach!
I love you all and have faith that you can overcome all weaknesses with the Holy One of Israel!

Love,
Sister Longo

Isn't this the coolest door????! Me want!!!!

This is Suzy, a recent convert that we visit every week. She pulled out her French crystal champagne glasses and treated us to alchohol free Chardonnay! Lol, it was SO much fun! It tasted nasty. Which I guess is why normal people have to have the alcohol in it. But she was so sweet and cute, telling us that no one else besides us would appreciate her fine crystal glasses.

So we went out to get Boba drinks one night and they make it so in order
 to get your straw in it you have to stab it. Well Sister Gardner had done it with a lot
 of force so I teased her that she went all "she-hulk" and then,
 in a hulk voice exclaimed "GARDNER SMASH!"
 She laughed so hard and then demanded a photo shoot of 
her hulking out. Isn't she the best???? XD

Hahaha, so... the rule with iPads is that when we are using them we have
 to be within sight and hearing of our companion. We can't use it when they are
 in the bathroom or when we are in different rooms of our apartment.
Sister Gardner and I have been forgetting this rule and will continue to
 be on our iPads if the other is in a different room of our apartment. So.
I made this picture of my companion with 3 pointed questions and
 made it my lock screen. LOL! As you can imagine I've been
doing pretty good at keeping this rule now. xD

I cut my hair! Well...technically, Sister Gardner cut my hair. xD