Week 41: never give up even if its chicken liver

as i have been reflecting on last weeks email, i realized i made myself look like a high key loser with nothing in control in my life. so this week i decided i should spice it up a bit and brag about how together i really do have it DISCLAIMER: im honestly a hot mess but like a controlled hot mess does that make sense? anyway BUCKLE UP for the longest email ill probably ever send because this has been one of my favorite weeks on my mission thus far:we found 5 new people to teach this week!!!! Heavenly Father is letting us see so many little miracles and i feel #blessed. We started teaching a family. we have been meeting with kelly the past three weeks and this week jackson and dan sat in while we discussed Moroni 10:3-5 and invited them to read and pray to know of the truthfulness. jackson who is 11 said "only if we read it as a family". wow i loved that! we are going back this week to teach them as a family. kelly has told us how much more peace has been in her home as she has read the Book of Mormon. wow that book is SO cool . i would recommend to a friend. I recommend it to everyone actually even if they arent a friend! is my job! wahoo what a cool job! we started teaching a man name skyler this past tuesday...... then the elders who we share a ward with sent into our zone chat a miracle of them picking up someone new to teach named skyler.... we thought that was kind of interesting so we texted them and said " is skyler black and where does he live?" and lo and behold its the except same dude. he ran into missionaries 2x in one day but didnt tell the elders he met us and he is actually a pretty suspicious and it actually isnt going to go anywhere but it was a fun time figuring out that us and the elder picked up the same new person hours apart LOL Heavenly Father has a sense of humor ;). we were at an apartment complex and we were trying a lady who had been taught in the past and she wasnt home. s0 we start walking back and i look up and see apt 27 and it was really weird because i saw it and i just had the strongest impression to go over there. i said to sister van amen "lets go try 27 and why not 26 too". no one was home in 27 but in apt 26 we met kyle, and he was so open to the gospel and was searching for truth #minimiracles. we have an appointment with him tomorrow. and last but least angela. she had requested a bible so we gave her a BOM as well. she had never heard of it... YES i love it when that happens. we are going to go see her this weekend! HEAVENLY BLESSED SIS VAN AMEN AND I THIS WEEK. also heavenly father just blessed me with her in general. she has taught me so much and is a champ for putting up with me and my uniqueness ;-). im not even done yet please keep reading. Dayshawn and Nora Audrey are probably my highlight of the week. and i feel like i need to explain a little bit about who they are because its been a minute and my fans may be confused. so they Nora Audrey is 9 and a returning members daughter and Dayshawn is the returning members boyfriend. BUT this is what is SO SO exciting they are getting married before April 27th so that Dayshawn can get baptized!!!!! (they were already planning on it but they just pushed it up so he could get baptized, no false motives here). they just are amazing people and teaching them has been such a blessing. they are so prepared for the gospel and they just want to do what is right and get back on the right path. THE GOSPEL BLESSES FAMILIES BIG TIME. they told us we were the best missionaries ever and then Nora Audrey and her 7 yr old brother asked for our autographs. am i famous yet? but thats not even what it is about. I LOVE being a missionary. i am so LUCKY to have this calling. anyways sister van amen and I are so excited for their baptism in April! okay last story then ill wrap up. we went with the elders to the hospital yesterday to visit a couple who had an accident while traveling form texas to ohio. the elders were able to bless the sacrament for her and give them both blessings. it was such an amazing experience and again just another reason i love being a missionary. the priesthood power is so amazing and i love the experiences im having. okay you have approached the end of a novel...almost... more proof i have my life together: - i drove to st louis and back, no accident. im not that bad after all. - i ate chicken liver like a champ (and i thought i wouldnt try exotic foods in the mid west) wrongo this is a foreign country. i just LOVE LOVE LOVE being a missionary. im pretty sure im on cloud 9 right now so either im boutta fall off and this next week is gunna be rough or its gunna be another fab week, its all up to me and my attitude in the end really, so cloud 9 it is. here is the quote that got me to cloud 9 though, cuz it wasnt all rainbows and butterflys to this point. Never give up kids, thats what i have learned. "Perseverance is demonstrated by those who keep going when the going gets tough, who don't give up even when others say, "It can't be done." -James E. Faust. all my love + some more, sis folk

pics!!!! 1-4 really cute murals in springfield so enjoy some pics of me, 5. when you block the elders in and then the other elders roll up and block you in even better and you played yourself because you are then stuck in the malibu RIP 6. nothing a 89 cents dr pepper cant solve 7&8. new missionary orientations - me an my baby. and me and my trainer. wore the same outfit on purpose. sadly forgot to take pic of me and sis van amen until 9pm so this will do 9. the beautiful lake springfield!!! with the classy factory behind it. so pretty!!!! wow!!!10. me and my gurl

Addendum:
this was my email to president this week just thought i would share. :)

This week has been so great! We have been able to see so many miracles and it has been one of my favorite weeks of my mission this far. I know it is because I have truly done all I could this week to serve the Lord. I was so grateful to learn more ways to daily contact and since Wednesday we have been teaching principles through daily contact and it has been so amazing, Dayshawn came to church and I know it is because we were able to contact him each day and pray about what he needed to hear. It has been such a blessing to feel Heavenly Father's love and Jesus Christ love for them. I loved your email this week because I recently came to a amazing understand of their love. I sometimes wondered how could Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me individually when there are so many other people on this earth. As Sister Van Amen and I were studying last night I realized that the really do love us individually. I realized throughout my life looking back how many people I have grown to truly love and especially on my mission how many people I grown to absolutely love. I really didn't understand how it was possible to continuing to have more and more love and last night is when I finally really understand that their love is infinite and I get to feel it for all the people I am serving in my mission. I knew they loved me before but now because of the love I have felt for others from them, I really truly KNOW they love me. It was an eye opening experience. I am so grateful to continue to love and serve the people in Chatham/Springfield! -Sister Folkman