there is no comfort inside a growth zone, but there is no growth inside a comfort zone.

Oh boy, where do i start...

First off how is your reading going! i hope you are enjoying it as much as i am! i love telling people about this challenge! it makes me feel so good to know that my family and friends are reading along with me! The bom is the greatest book i've ever read... and ive learned so much from this book. it truly is the word and works of God!
Monday was pretty fun! we went to stone mountain... we couldn't hike all the way to the top because of sister cefalo's toe... but we just walked around the park and looked at all the different things there... it is a REALLY neat park and we didn't even scratch the surface of all there is to do there... because there is so much... and because as missionaries we can't really afford it... ha ha. but we did get to watch a glass blowing demonstration... that was pretty neat!

Tuesday we had a loaves and fishes experience ha ha... we planned a picnic that was supposed to be between our district (the four of us) but because we ate outside on the picnic tables at the church the whole zone saw us an came and joined... there were like 18-20 missionaries that we didn't plan for... but between the four of us there was 2 loaves of bread and our elders brought lots of different kinds of lunch meat... a member sent us home with 2 cases of soda one night so we brought that and we had cookies that we brought and chips... and miraculously there was enough for our whole zone to join us... ha ha it was kinda fun! it did make our cupboards bare for the week, so we have been living off of ramen noodles.. ha ha ! 

Later that evening i found out that i am gonna be a "grandma" sister cefalo is training! She is super excited about that!

Wednesday was pretty busy we were dong service pretty much all day long for different members in the ward and then before we went to the ward mingle we saw a potential investigator that we met through an interesting way. we were tracting one day and we saw this family in their yard doing yard work so we asked if we could help and they said yes not really expecting us (in our skirts) to jump in and help, but when we did they were very surprised! we were helping then pick up leaves and we got to talk to them a little bit and they were just so suprised that we would just offer to help when we didn't even know them... we told them we would come back the next week and help them with other things if the wanted us to... and again they were more and more suprised and asked who we were... so we told them and left them with our card and an invite to church!

anyway, we went back to see them and only the wife Tina was home.. she opened the door and was so excited to see us she let us right in and told us that she had been thinking about us. She wanted to come to church but didn't make it because of some health reasons... but she said that we could come back and share the lessons with her family! We prayed with her and got her phone number to set up a time to meet with her! She is super sweet, i have a feeling she might take some time though... she is a preachers daughter! But the lord softens people's hearts and he performs miracles so who am i to judge! 

Thursday we went to the New Trainer meeting for sister cefalo, and i met with the assistants in another meeting! what a great meeting that was! The spirit was so strong and i left felling energized and ready to work! I love feeling the spirit!

We spent the day doing more service and then we went visiting teaching with some ladies in the ward who have less active sisters they teach... the first sister we met was really great and im so glad that we got to meet her! she works a a nurse so her hours are CRAZY and they keep her from church unfortunately... but she is great. she had a guinea pig named percy and she let me hold him.. he is a funny little thing... and she absolutely LOVES him... she found out that i worked in a vet clinic so she asked if i knew anything about guinea pigs... so i employed my limited knowledge that i have about guinea pigs and was able to put her mind at ease about a few things like bathing her pig... she asked if we would come over and help her bathe percy on monday because she was afraid that he would drown... i told her that guinea pigs are actually excellent swimmers... and i agreed to come help her bathe percy... you know me.. i can't pass up an opportunity to be around the critters.. ha ha!

the second sister we met with is really great too... gosh i just meet so many great people!

ha ha bu she also works as a nurse and her hours keep her from church...but that was her own doing.. she became offended and picked up hours on sunday... but she knows that she needs to come back... we sat and visited with her and then i asked her if we could come back and go through the missionary lessons with her... she was so excited... and she told us that we were more than welcome to come back and teach! woohoo exciting stuff happening... so if i do leave Lilburn on wednesday, then sister cefalo can use that to help train her greenie! 

Friday was pretty uneventful just weekly planning and tracting and dropped appointments... ehh it happens!

Saturday was very much the same

Sunday was great, i always learn so much from the lessons and love the spirit that is there, it helps me to really recharge and get ready for another week! We ate with the bishop that night and had a pretty powerful lesson with them as we explained the month of consecration... it was great...

i have a feeling that i may be leaving lilburn, but i don't want to get to set on that because last time i thought i was leaving and i ended up staying...

Well here we are...its monday and we transfer calls today... and this morning during personal study i got a personal call from President Wolfert... telling me that he had a special assignment for me... uh oh!

He told me that the Lord has chosen me to be a Sister Training Leader over one of the zones here in the mission.... *gulp* i cried a little when he extended the call, because there is so much that the STL's are responsible for... not only training and exchanging with all the sisters in their zones, but also giving trainings at leadership and zone conferences... oh boy... they are to keep a radiant proselyting area and be the example to other missionaries... yikes... im not so sure that the lord wants someone like me to be an example for his missionaries.... im not by any stretch of the imagination good at this missionary thing... i do alright, but there are so many more sisters that are more qualified for this calling than i am. of course i can only see my limitations, but even my abilities i don't think are that great! But with all of this, ive learned a thing or two about trusting in the Lord and i can't turn my back now... i know what happens when i place my trust in Him and move forward in faith... he magnifies my abilities and makes me equal to my calling... i know he will do the same with this calling. i trust him completely, that is why i accepted the call, but i am still scared and satan isn't making it any easier on me. As i have read the bom this time through i have really come to admire Nephi... his faith... his courage and his trust in the Lord... so i will go and do like Nephi and i KNOW my faith will be strengthened. This is hard, but i can do hard things and this will put me one step further outside my comfort zone, but i've learned here on my mission that there is no comfort inside a growth zone, but there is no growth inside a comfort zone. and it is when i have been outside my comfort zone completely, that i have learned some of life's most valuable lessons and i wouldn't change it for the world! I thank my heavenly father for giving me hard things to do... and i am grateful that he has helped me do them. I can't even begin to tell you what my mission means to me... am so glad i decided to serve.

Family, have a great week i love you all so much and keep up the good work, reading the Book of Mormon!

your loving and favorite sister missionary 
Sister Dannika Nielsen