Strange Week

This week was a pretty strange week. Last week I forgot to mention that a 19 year old girl in the ward had passed away due to a rare form of cancer.  The family was trying to get her to Houston to see a very prestigious doctor, and their flight left on Thursday, but she had fallen in her house and couldn't get up. She was just literally dead weight because she had no strength. So a member of the ward picked us up and we went over to try and get her into their car.  But we could only lift her back into a chair in their house because she was not a small girl.  So eventually the fire department had to come with a special chair to help get her out of the house and into the car, which they did successfully, and the family was off to the airport. That night we got the news that they had to call an ambulance from the airport to get her to UT hospital, where she passed away the next day. It was such a sad situation. 

   This last Wednesday was the funeral, which I wasn't able to attend because I was on exchanges with the District leader in Maryville, but I was told it was very well attended. That same day, a man named Brother Sheets heart had stopped and he had to get an ambulance to the local hospital. He was put on a ventilator and had not been doing very well. Brother Sheets was the Bishop about a year or so ago, and then he was diagnosed with cancer. In the last year he has gone from about 230 pounds to about 140 pounds. He is still a powerhouse missionary, even through his sickness and old age, and he has made such a big impact on this ward and this community.  It’s just another sad situation. 

   This week was just another tough week for missionary work. We had been working so hard to get the area moving again, and then all of a sudden the last 2 weeks have come to a screeching halt.  But that's how it goes sometimes I guess. The biggest thing that my mission President told me in our interviews last week was to always be able to leave an area better than it was when I came in.  It has been really tough, especially the last couple weeks.  But the area has definitely improved. Sevierville is going to explode one of these days! It will just take some time.  I'm just here helping pave the street so that can happen.

Valentine's party

   On a better note, on Saturday night we had a really fun ward Valentine's party, so that was cool.  We had a good amount of investigators there as well. Also, transfers are coming up on the 28th so I'm really excited for that!

Well sorry there was nothing too exciting to report on, but we are pounding the pavement.

Elder Roden