Buckle Up Buttercup (Week 77)

 Gooood morning  This week was full of ups  and downs , trial and error, and just plain trials  Let's just say, a lot was learned....

First, let's talk about the happy things 

 We went to noche de hogar (family home evening) last Monday and I taught everyone how to play signs and it was a hit! It was also hilarious, because some people caught on really quick and others...never really caught on lol. But everyone loved it and we're playing it again today for noche de hogar 

 We had a lesson with our friend Helena and she is soooo sweet. We gave her a Book of Mormon when we met her and when we went back she had already started reading  So we taught her about the Plan of Salvation and the Restoration this week and she loved it  She was going to come to church, but unfortunately she has some health challenges that prevented her

 We finally got in contact with one of our friends! Some other missionaries sent us his information and we haven't been able to get it contact for a while

 The Tongan ward had a "missionary for a day" (it was actually 2 days) activity and we got to help out! On Thursday 2 girls came with us and we knocked some doors  and talked to people in the park  And then on Wednesday 3 girls came with us and we had a lesson with Helena and knocked some more doors  It was a lot of fun! 

 Saturday we helped out with the primary Easter activity and we shared the spiritual thought! The kids were so cute and loved talking about Jesus with us  And then they gave us pizza  it was a 10/10 experience 

And here are the not so happy things 

 On Tuesday, we were riding home on our little bicycles  and all of a sudden, I look behind me and hna. Jones was really far away... it turns out her inner tube popped. But not only did it pop, it completely wrapped itself around the wheel 

So...the bike didn't roll anymore after that... 

Thankfully we were close to home  and so I carried the bike all the way back to the apartment and we fixed the tire the next day, Wednesday 

 On Wednesday, we were riding the bikes after we had fixed the tire, and for some reason, it was really really hard to ride hna. Jones bike. It turns out the front brakes were basically always engaged...

Unfortunately we were VERY far from the apartment (our roommates dropped us off) and so we uhh disconnected the front brakes and rode the bike to the nearest park where we called the bike elders and they came and adjusted the brakes for us

 AND THEN after we had fixed all these problems with hna. Jones bike, we picked up dinner and went to a park. As we were leaving the park I look down and my front tire is as flat as can be. We start calling some missionaries with trucks to see if they can pick up our bikes, and the zls answered and offered to come patch the tire for us! A miracle ️ They patched the tire and the bike was good for the rest of the day! 

 Thursday morning rolls around. We go outside to get the bikes out of our little storage closet and  my front tire is as flat as can be AGAIN. We decided that that was a problem for Friday and thankfully we didn't need the bikes that day because of the youth missionary day and our incredible roommates.

 Friday morning comes...we buy a new inner tube for my tire...we got out to our bike closet...and there's not  but  flat tires. YAY So, we start fixing them and we find out that the valve on the inner tube we bought is too big to go through the metal part of the wheel. So we inspected the old tube to see if the patch was the problem and we found another hole. So we patched that hole and put the old inner tube back on- and so far it's held 

 And now it's Friday afternoon. And we're about to leave the apartment when we remember that we still need to reconnect hna. Jones back brakes (we had to disconnect them to take off the tire) After a while, we realized that we're just not going to be able to do that. So we called our Knights in white shirts and ties (the zls) and they come and save the day again (reconnect the brakes) 

 Saturday - we had a different vein of problems! Yay! A change! Here's the story from hna. Jones perspective:

"We had to say goodbye to our bikes Saturday nignt because I got into a crash...I was riding down a hill and made a last minute turn. I almost hit a pole but I swerved like a pro  and.... ran face first into an electrical box! And my head HURT but I was too stubborn to admit I was in pain until our nurse (Sister Bott ) said my forehead looked bad. So we had to drag our butts to urgent care BUT don't worry!!! I passed the concussion tests!! I'm okay but the doctor doesn't want me to bike for a week just in case I secretly do have a concussion..." 

Thankfully, she's okay. We just have to take it easy. 

So...yeah... it was a longggg week. But I did learn a lot (mainly about how to fix bikes and patch tires - I'm thinking of skipping college and opening a bike repair shop) 

This week is Holy Week! And that means that it was the last week of the life of Jesus Christ before He died on the cross. It's a really good opportunity for us to learn more about Christ. About what He did and why he did it. I want to invited you to do a little Easter study with me this week! It won't take a lot of time, just 5 minutes a day. And it will help you feel closer to your Savior! Here's the link for the study plan I'm following:

Holy Week Study Experience

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/easter-plan?lang=eng

Email me with any insights/cool things you learn! Love you all  

 Hna. Erickson

100 Degrees! (Week 76)

 Happy monday everyone! I hope you all had a marvelous week and that it wasn't as hot for you as it was for me... We got up to 100 degrees this week for 2 days in a row! And yes, we're still biking ... So any prayers would be greatly appreciated 

Other things that happened this week:

 We had interviews with the president on Tuesday. I got some good advice, and now I just have to do my final interview in a week or two 

 We went to the temple. It was really peaceful

 We taught english class on Thursday. For the first time since the start of my mission... thankfully there were other missionaries there to help with the words I didn't know

 We met a really sweet inactive family who welcomed us right in when we knocked on their door. When they learned that we were bike missionaries, they immediately offered to drive us home (it was the end of the night) which was a miracle because we were exhausted.

 Yesterday we met a really sweet lady named Helena and got to talk to her for a while! I'm excited to meet with her again this week!

While it's been a good week, it's also been very hard. I've felt pretty discouraged. Between the biking, and not really seeing results from our work, it's been exhausting. Yesterday a scripture came to my mind "do not run faster than you have strength" and it feels like that's what I've been doing. The thing is, I don't really like to slow down. I think that's how most of us feel when we go through a hard time. Like if we just speed everything up, it will all get better and easier faster.

But yesterday I was listening to a talk called "Of things that matter most" and what I learned is that in these times you need to slow down. Take a step back. And focus on what really matters. And so that's what I'm working on this week and I want to invite you to do that too.

If life feels like a little too much, slow down. Focus on the things that matter most. And I know that it will help you have more peace in your life

I love you all 

 hna. Erickson