Don't go to Cookeville when you need to go to Mcminnville!

Dear Everyone!

Wow, what a week! There's just not even a way to start describing everything that has gone down this week, so I'm just gonna give a run down on the facts, and talk about a few of the incredible people here!

So, on Tuesday, we went to transfers and I got assigned to Manchester, TN! And that's where I am now! It's actually the same stake that Livingston Branch is in, but they combined two zones of missionaries into one. I was in the North zone, and now I am down south, but they needed someone who knew all the missionaries up north to help someone who knew all the missionaries down south, so that we could get all of our exchanges and meetings figured out. So, it's been really hectic and crazy, but it's ok! My companion, Sister Pinkston, is just the bomb, I love her so much! And we have another companion to help us with it all, but she is Cookeville, so we work together from a distance. It's kinda complicated, especially when we are all in the country so much that our phones don't get service sometimes, so we can't communicate super well, but we are figuring it out!

So transfer meeting was probably one of the saddest days of my mission because there were a ton of sisters going home, about 20 in total. And they are all incredible missionaries. I had to say bye to Sister Hulme, Hargadon, Williams, and so many more sisters that I love! Sis Hulme and Hargadon did a beautiful musical number, and I was literally just bawling the entire time.... it was kinda pitiful. But I just was so sad!

But it's ok, cause Sister Pinkston is such a good missionary, she snapped me out of it pretty quickly! And I am so grateful. Manchester is an AWESOME area to be. I love it, its beautiful here! Its still small, but bigger than Livingston!

So here are some of the sweet people we are working with here:

Whittney! She is just so solid, and looking for something more, it's so cool! She really needs the gospel, and she wants it! She asked us if there was something she could have all the time that would help her resist sin and temptation....I was like jumping up and down, because I was just like, Uh, YEAH! THE HOLY GHOST! SO we taught her about baptism and the Spirit and she totally understands and now she has a date! But we still have more to teach her, so we might move it back. We will see :) But then, the real miracle happened on Sunday! We were fasting, and specifically that we could find the right friend for Whittney. Our ward is mostly older/middle aged people and Whitney is like 20s 30s and a real sass....so I was talking to this younger couple, not even thinking of Whitney, and Sister Pinkston comes up and mentions it, and it turns out the member KNOWS WHITTNEY! It was seriously a miracle! We were so grateful, Heavenly Father totally answered our prayers.

Esteban: he was baptized a few months ago, but man is he a rock. He is just so hilarious. He practically teaches us when we go over. We love him so much! And his family. He has two daughters, one of whom is planning to be baptized on the 11th. We also might have to move her date, but she is totally ready to be baptized. Her name is Hope, and man she cracks me up! She is such a good kid, about 16. I used some analogy to Harry Potter, and now I'm totally accepted into the club. I love her so much!! And her little sister.

Terry: also a recent convert, who also likes to teach himself! Literally, yesterday he was just telling us all about how he was sharing the Book of Mormon with all of his friends. I was so impressed, he has been baptized for two weeks, and he knows so much! He really is a great person, so prepared for the gospel! But also socially awkward, but that's ok, We love everyone!

On Friday we had MLC, which was good minus the fact that we went the wrong way home and it took an extra hour to get where we needed to go. It was pretty hilarious in the moment. The Elder driving felt SO bad, but I was just busting up in the back seat with the sisters.... It was really hilarious because it really wasn't supposed to happen, and it really affected our plans. SO we just went with it.... :)

We did a lot of planning this week too, because this is the craziest transfer and this week is especially bad. But that's ok. We just keep hoping that we will have time to work in our area. This week, we will be going to Cookeville, McMinnville, Sparta, Tullahoma, etc. it's just always busier and busier it seems.

It was pretty weird to walk into a church building on Sunday, and to see so many people come to church, and to stay for three hours! All of those things didn't happen in Livingston. I knew everything about everyone in Livingston, and here, I don't know if i will ever learn everyone's name! It's pretty different, but still good. I am so glad to be in Manchester. The ward has some amazing people in it!

Oh! I forgot about the General Women's Meeting! BEST THING EVER. There were some cheesy cheese moments for sure, but at the same time, I am just SO grateful for the prophets today, and especially for their wise words. If you didn't see it, I promise it will change your day, week,month, life. Spend an hour and watch it! It's online at lds.org, probably by the next few days.

Anyway, I am so glad to be here. I love serving the Lord. I love my companion, and how supportive she is, and how much I know we can grow together. I love that God knows exactly what we need, when we need it. I trust him completely!

Love,

Sister Penrod

ps sister Hulme left me the teddy bear she bought in Livingston :)
boots a tickling me!
saying bye to mickey!
saying bye to Megan, my twinner!

NO TIME!

Dear Everyone!

I am so sorry, there is SO much to write about this week, and I literally have three minutes. So all I will say is this! I am getting transferred, which is breaking my heart! I love Livingston, TN and the people here more than I ever thought I could! There are so many lessons I learned here that I will treasure forever.
Here are just two:

1- Livingston teaches you to see the world and people with your spiritual eyes, rather than your physical eyes. It''s not anything I have gotten down yet, but I am working on it. And I have realized that life is so beautiful when you do that. It really doesn't matter what people wear, or what they talk like, or how they seem to be. All that matters is that we are brothers and sisters, and God is our loving Father in Heaven. And that makes our lives so much better, because we can love each other so much more!

2- Living life simply is a blessing. I don't like the thought of having to go back to a city, with stop lights everywhere, and big stores, and just more things to make life complicated. ( I know, I know, next week I'll probably mention how grateful i am for a Walmart!) I thought before, it was boring to keep life simple, but I have definitely changed my mind on that. I think I have seen that a simple life leaves more room for important things in life.

I am so grateful for everything that I have been blessed with here. Livingston is a place of healing, joy, and love! But I know you can find that wherever you go, if you look for it. I'll let you know more about what's up next week!


Love,


Sister Penrod

This is Burgess Falls! where we went hiking!! it was so fun!
we wore our overalls.....
Sis Huddleston took us :)
and Megan my twin!

A little practice for Sunday:)

Sister Huddleston (wife of the branch president) is so good to send us pics of Emma and her companion.  This time it was a video of a song they are rehearsing!  Miss that laugh like CRAZY!!!

Busy busy!

we started at two members houses in crawford and hanging limb. then we went to a random guys house, who needed help . 

that's the pic of us on the balcony. it was a beautiful house! we also found a snake!

sister carpenter was all about the ax :)

oh yeah! and we are going to be getting some overalls like that! but the store is closed on monday, so we will have to figure it out sometime :)

Dear Everyone!

This week we had two meetings, so I won't bore you with the details from those, even though as a missionary those are some of my favorite things. We get to see other missionaries, and be instructed by our leaders about how we can help our missionaries and our mission. It's the best! But it takes a lot of time too.

So in between all those other times:

We met an awesome guy named Ken! it was one of those really fun moments when we were tracting a street and he was outside, looking like he was getting the mail. So, we awkwardly walk up behind him, and I try to diffuse the tension by saying hi before we get all the way up to him and freak him out! We start talking, and he mistakes us for Jehovah Witnesses- happens all the time- and we tell him who we really are! We get in to an awesome conversation about what we believe, and he brings up tattoos, which he is covered in, and tells us that he thinks they are such a bad idea, and how he wishes he had never got them. He was a talker, but so nice, and we were able to share a little more about what we believe! But the real miracle was probably that he set a return appt, and then when he missed it, he CALLED US! I just love people who are polite and don't totally just blow you off. it doesn't happen too often, but just enough to make you appreciate when people are kind. So we will meet with him in a  few weeks!

So the day of one of our meetings, we had car inspections, which means all the missionaries bring their cars and they get checked for tire pressure, fluids, cleanliness, all that jazz. But the night before, we found out that the Assistants to the President would be driving up to Livingston to stay for the night, and then come to the meeting the next day, which sorta made sense since the meeting was two hours away from where they stay. So when they arrived, to stay with the Elders, they had a trailer on their truck! We were really confused, but we later found out that this was the story:

There is a new senior couple coming to an area about an hour away from us, and they needed to bring some furniture for them to have! So, they told the Livingston elders at 10 pm the night they were arriving to stay, got there around 12 am, and then woke up at 5 or 6 am to drive to Jamestown and deliver the furniture. But, the elders didn't know any of that. And their trailer is really small, so it was a tight fit! But even better was that it was raining all morning, and the road to Jamestown is notoriously windy! And, then they had to move the stuff to the third floor! Three flights of stairs up! And, they had a washer to move in that was approximately 400 lbs. (that's what the elders said...easily an exaggeration, but there were four of them trying to lift it.) All of the elders showed up to the meeting late, soaked, and dirty! We felt so bad for them, we knew it was not an easy job. But we also just laughed the whole time they told us. Who trusts four 20 year old boys with a job like that.... OH! but the miracle was that once they made it up the stairs, they were all wet and muddy and tired, and they still had to move it into the apartment! So one of the elders thinks, check inside and see if there is a towel? And there WAS! It was a miracle :)

We sanded Sister Coopers new ramp down this week, which was fun. We got to talk to Boots the whole time too. We love her! And, we got to wear our jeans, which is just always a plus!

We also gave a Book of Mormon to a Japanese lady named Kay! She has an awesome accent, since it's not southern. She was telling us she's not interested, but when we gave her the Book of Mormon in Japanese, she was really excited! And she wants us to come back. It was really a neat moment, to see her read it in her language. She was so happy!

We mucked the stalls at the farm this week, on exchanges too! I bought come sweet shoes that look like rain boots that have been cut off below the ankles for 6 dollars at Dollar General. it was worth it even just for that one day since the next day we were in Monterey cleaning up in the mud all day! It was a fun, but really tiring day. That's what the picture are from. There are just entire tree uprooted, and power lines down all over. It's rough to see! Everyone says it's like a tornado hit!

We did two exchanges with sisters this week, which was crazy cause of all the meeting we had going on too. But, I love exchanges and I love the sisters! It was fun. Except for the part when we bought them slushies, and I had just started not eating any sugar....that was really hard.

oh yeah! It was also on the day we fasted for Shirley. He was doing it too, which was a big deal since he is addicted to snuff. But, he did it, and we are hoping to see some progress with him now. it's been a tough one to discern. he so wants to be good, but he doesn't do anything about it. #agency

Church was grand as ever, and the Elders had an awesome investigator come who they just started teaching! Her father and brother are pentecostal preachers, but she has doesn't attend and she has never been invited to church, ever! Except for the Elders! She is so cool, and we can't wait to see how she progresses. She has two daughters, so we are going to be involved in teaching too. She was so funny, her name is Sarah. When she met us, she just said, 'you mean, you do what they do too?!' it was awesome :)

I know this is a pretty random letter, but it was just a crazy week. This week we get to go to the temple, which is awesome, and we have transfer calls which is not awesome. I have no idea whats going to happen, but I am praying that I can handle whatever it is. I know Heavenly Father wants good things for me, I just have to keep remembering that, even when it's not what I want! 

Thanks for all the love,

Sister Penrod

Whale and well....

the snow this week :(
we made snow angels! and the one on the tray was for the elders, haha :)
also, we love our air vents, they are so warm :)

Dear Peoples!

This transfer has just been weird. We were stuck inside for an entire day this week, but fortunately, we were able to teach David on Facebook! He is the son of the less active lady we found a few weeks ago by total accident, so it's really been a miracle! They are so nice, and they so need the gospel.

It was actually one of the funniest things this week, when we saw her, Louise. Her husband, Lewis, (I'm not kidding, that's their names) is blind, but he likes to know whats going on, even though he acts totally uninterested. So we were reading with her out of the Book of Mormon, and we were talking about church and why they hadn't come yet! She just points to him, and mouths to us "it's him!', so then we turn to him and ask Lewis if he would want to come to church. After we convinced him that it was totally ok if their granddaughters were rambunctious and that it wasn't very long, he agreed to come! It was a really blessing, especially because I don't know if Sister Carpenter or I were going to give up on it! So they said they would come next week!

We also had a fun day of service this week! because of the crazy destruction up in Monterey, and a lot of people being out of power, the church had sent a truck with food from Salt Lake to Monterey! So there were a ton of volunteers there to compile the boxes and hand them out! We compiled 1000 boxes of food in about an hour and a half! Even the mission president and his wife came to help :) It was the first day she had worn her jeans since she was on her mission, haha! It was really fun, but a long day, cause then we went and delivered boxes to the food pantry in the town 20 or 30 minutes north of Monterey, called Hanging Limb. They are organizing another day of service up there this coming week too, so we are glad to keep helping!

As soon as we got back from Monterey, we showered and jumped in the car to drive two hours to Dunlap, TN. It's practically in Chattanooga. Half of the people who live there are on Chattanooga time because they work there! I got to be with Sister Sumbot, and it was just the funnest day ever. They have some crazy situations there- like living up a mountain and 5 miles out of town, living in a one room apartment, living an hour from where they meet for church, having three members in town, teaching people who live in tents up in the mountains who make greenhouses out of water bottles, etc. It was fun to be with her though :) She's an awesome missionary!

Earlier in the week, we were tracting at night, in the rain! it was kinda crazy, because no one here knows how to handle or prep for the rain, so the streets were just flooding, but it was still totally drivable. We met some really nice people, including Judy, a Methodist. Her husband teaches at the church here, and apparently some missionaries really made an impression on them, so she let us in and we got to tell her all about the Book of Mormon! Somehow, we got to talking about music (funny how that happens) and she asked us to come back and play for her and her granddaughters sometime! Sometimes, it's enough for me to just explain the Book of Mormon to someone, so that I know one less person in the world has these awful misconceptions about us! That's enough for me!

But speaking of the rain:

It's supposed to rain. All. week. And just now, our landlord stopped by to show us how to turn off the power to our trailer, JUST in case the water behind it HAPPENS to rise this week when it rains NON STOP....but you know, it might not happen! But, if it rises to the vinyl siding, we need to call him. So pray that our trailer doesn't flood!! (Don't worry, it won't. And, we have a plan in case there's a tornado, so we will just adapt that to suit a flood, cause we aren't allowed to be in the trailer if there's a tornado :)

Ok last thing. Last night, somehow, this came up with Mickey and Sister Cooper. I asked Mickey to say whale. and then I asked him to say well. And you couldn't tell the difference! I was cracking up!  I just love southern accents! Try it for yourself. You can know if you are legit if the two words sound the same :)

Haha, I sure love it here! The people just have my heart. I am so glad to be a missionary!

Love,

Sister Penrod

Dear Everyone,

This has been a weird week, since we had to get back into the swing of everything after our crazy ice storm. Today is the first day that almost everything has melted which makes us soooo happy! But we heard there is more snow coming this week, so we are praying if won't effect us too much!

Because we haven't been able to do our exchanges, we will be doing those twice a week for the rest of the transfer. But this week, we exchanged with Tompkinsville. I went with Sister Roberts, who is an amazing missionary. She is a sweet heart, and I love her to death. She really helped me out a lot this week, as she was reflecting on her mission because she only has one more transfer, and her companion goes home this transfer. I loved the day we spent together. Also, crazy coincidence was that we had dinner at the exact same member I had
dinner with last time I went on exchanges in Tompkinsville. It was so fun! Also, they have a truck, so that was really fun! Oh, and Sister Robert's was Sister Carpenter's MTC companion, so that was strange :)

The worst part of exchanges is that I miss out on teaching our amazing people! Like Monica! She actually had to work late this week, so we didn't get to teach her, but she said she read the chapter we left with her, and we are going to see her in the next day or two, because we were supposed to see her today, but she didn't answer. It's rough cause she works third shift, so she gets home at 7 am in the morning, so she is sometimes asleep when we knock, even though she tells us to come at that time. That's just how it goes sometimes here, but it's
ok, cause we know she knows we can answer her questions, so we aren't discouraged one bit!

On Wednesday, Mickey, our ward mission leader had a surgery done, so he was in Nashville for the day. He had asked us to watch over his dog, Ellie Grace, and let her out to go throughout the day, you know? Well, that was the day we were on exchanges. And Sister Carpenter forgot! So the next morning i mention it, and her eyes get all big, and we run over to Mickeys. Fortunately, he had asked some other people to watch over his dog, so that was a blessing.

But, as we checked and made sure everything was ok, we found a pillow that she had peed on....so, we took it to wash in the elders washer, and dry in our dryer.

We just forgot to tell him about it for a few days, so last night, Boots and Sister Cooper told us something about how they looked under his bed for a missing pillow.....and we remembered! So we ran it over to him last night. It was pretty funny, but also not, haha :) We felt so bad!

Don't worry, Ellie Grace had made those accidents just because she has separation anxiety. She was checked on like every hour, so it wasn't totally our fault! But it was so funny.

On Friday we had a mission wide conference in Franklin, and since we had so many miles we drove ourselves there. It was a great meeting, all about how blessed we are to be a part of the digital age. They presented a program to us that will teach us how to be wise and in control of the technology we are using, and how to listen to the Spirit in order to stay protected from the dangers it can present. It's really interesting. Our whole mission will be getting off of Facebook for two months so that we can relearn how to be effective online, and how to use the tools we have safely. So, in a few months i will get back on, but you won't see me post any more until then! It was great getting to see everyone in the mission too. I sure missed Sister West and Cotton though :(

We actually did a lot of service this week, now that I think about it. We helped one of our member's wife clean out her upstairs, because she had let someone stay there and they left it a mess. So that was an adventure. It didn't take very long, but she thought it would, so the extra time left over she used to talk our ears off! But we didn't
mind, since she is a sweet lady, and we wanted to get to know her! She is taking us out to lunch this week to thank us!

This weekend, we went up to Monterey and helped clean up the mess there! It was really a crazy sight to see. Everyone said it looked like a tornado had hit! The whole city was without power for about a week, some people for even longer. We all got into teams and had certain addresses to go to so we could start moving tree limbs.They gave us all chain saws to use ....just kidding :) But a lot of members brought their chain saws, and we helped move the tree limbs. It was a lot of work, because there were just thousands of limbs everywhere! We started at a members house, and then their friend saw us and needed help, then we drove to the command center and were directed somewhere, but we ended up helping another lady. It was really a fun project, and not hard. It felt good to get out and work too. The elders worked a few hours more than we did, since our ride had to get back earlier, and then they helped out at the Koehler's farm later that day, so they were just working ALL day, we felt so bad! But there is so much more work to do there. It's really crazy, trees all over cars and houses and car ports and buildings. The power companies have been working non stop! Sure made me grateful for our trailer :)

Anyway, it was a great week, and it's gonna be another crazy one because of our exchanges and MLC and so many wonderful people to teach!

Thanks for all the prayers :)

Sister Penrod

PS  I totally forgot to mention the best thing of the week! I got to see Grandma and Grandpa Barfuss at church yesterday! It was crazy having the worlds collide, but I loved it! And everybody loved meeting them too. It was so fun! I cried when I saw them. It's really strange to have something so familiar to you, after not knowing anything that familiar for a long time! But don't worry, it hasn't distracted me one bit, it just gave me more juice to keep going! And they were sweet and gave us some of their left over food from the week, and paper towels. We needed those, so it was a real blessing. Anyway, that was definitely the highlight of my week!

that's one of the five piles we made of tree limbs at this lady's house. she was so grateful!
also, that's the view outside our trailer, until it all melted! woohoo!

this was the train depot in monterey, the headquarters of the project :)

all the missionaries
all the ice on the branches! this was a week after the storm hit!
me and mama h!
and the tarp we used for the littler branches. dad thats Brother
Cobian Ponce, he reminds me of you sometimes! haha :)