Fried Green Tomatoes

It's another great week out in the South, and this time I'm looking at it all with a new set of eyes....

I am training!!!

Sister Hill is from Bend, Oregon, graduated in Communications from BYU-I, and worked as a Medical Assistant at U of U before coming to serve in the TNM!

She is AWESOME. Sister Hill is obedient, driven, independent, hard-working, and we get along together so well! Get this:

• She loves to sing, so we sing duets all the time to people we teach. 
• She loves to run. She's run 3 half marathons and is a lot faster than I am! It's motivating me to work harder and get in better shape!
• She is the biggest Choco-holic I know. Enough said. 
• She has a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!!! We are an awesome teaching team, and I'm pretty sure she came out into the field pre-trained. 

I love my companion! I also love training. I didn't expect such a responsibility this soon in my mission, and I've been really surprised at what I've been able to accomplish. The only white-knuckled moments have been while driving, haha. I've been trying to find my way around these country highways, and I'm driving for the first time in 6 months, which has proven itself a daunting task. Sister Hill has been so patient with me. She is not afraid to teach and I try to give her as much opportunity to speak up in lessons, even if it's imperfect, so she can gain confidence and experience. She is going to do amazing things for this mission.

I had my first fried green tomatoes a few weeks ago. (they are DELICIOUS!) A green tomato is just an un-ripe red tomato. They are supposedly easier to fry and batter when they are still green. You may think I am going to liken my greenie companion to a green tomato, but really I'm thinking of myself. I've certainly been battered and fried in this sizzling hot, first summer of my mission. The refiner's fire of the South is really a hot, greasy, frying pan on the Gospel stove top. It's better to go through this refining process early on in my tomato-life, so I can retain the flavor and be a more effective appetizer.

Okay, that was a really cheesy analogy, but it works in my head. I'm grateful to be having a refining experience at the onset of my mission so I can learn the things I need to do to become the missionary the Lord called me to be.

Don't forget to check out my MISSIONARY blog: http://themusicofmyfaith.blogspot.com! 

Love y'all!
Sister Ryceejo Nordström

Sister Warwood

Sister Hill and Sister Warwood

Butterscotch and Baptisms

Meet Tanner Copeland, the newest member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Fulton, KY ward.

Tanner is 20 years old.

He is funny, thoughtful, introspective, and a friend of a family in the ward who introduced him to the church.

Tanner was addicted to cigarettes.

Through daily prayer and daily scripture study, Tanner overcame his addiction to smoking in just a few months. 

He also received his answer that this is Christ's church on the earth today and he needs to be baptized!

We asked him what his secret was! Most smokers who try to quit will tell you that you need to find something to do/eat/drink that discourages the habit and taste of cigarettes. He tried "The Cinnamon Thing" but it didn't work for him. One day while Tanner was at the store, he bought some Butterscotch candies. He used to eat them all the time as a kid and hadn't for 9 years. He ate one and then took a hit of a cigarette to see what would happen. He said it was awful! As he has prayed for the strength to overcome his addiction, the Lord has taken away his desire to smoke completely. 

It's amazing to see someone who used to smoke all the time become disgusted at the sight and smell of cigarettes.

Butterscotch. 

Who'd've thought?

Tanner was baptized Saturday night, July 21, along with an 8 year-old, Chase. It was a beautiful and spiritual service. Tanner has taught me the importance of diligently reading the Book of Mormon every day. Yesterday in church I spoke in Sacrament meeting about how crucial it is that we read the Book of Mormon every single day.  We need constant, daily nourishment for our bodies. Our spirits need it too. We must prioritize our schedules, and make sure there is enough time for studying the scriptures every day. 

We are what we eat, right?

So if we "feast upon the words of Christ," (2 Nephi 32:3), doesn't it follow that we become more like Christ?

Just some "food" for thought!

Love,

Sister Nordstrom