11/18/13

TWISTER:   not the game .. An actual twister! like a tornado in the green sky with wind rain and all i could really say was WHAT THE HAIL!!?   :)

It all started in Sacrament meeting yesterday.  It was High council sunday so everyone was half asleep or not paying attention.- haha typical - anyways.  we are sitting there and you could hear the wind flowing through the building. almost to the point that you felt like you were being pushed as well. - remember this is a sound building - built to withstand up to a category 4 tornado.  And then I guess the Lord really wanted us to wake up and listen because a lot of cell phones went off with warnings.  and the church building was equipped with a warning system so this loud alarm went off as well. ( at this point i was kind of freaking out a little inside but still some what calm.)  then a sister in the ward jumped up and showed the bishop on her phone the weather update and his face said it all.  mean while the speaker is still going trying to act like nothing is wrong- no one was listening. everyone was confused/ worried/anxcious/ hyperventilating etc etc..  

THEN a couple of brothers went out of the chapel to check on things and they came back and things did Not get better.   and the crowning event of my fright. was when the tornado sirens went off.  -  I was always told since i got here that they only go off if there is actually a tornado.  so that just freaked me out.  I felt like i was in a movie and i had to keep reminding my self- this is real life!! THIS IS REAL LIFE!  

I still think it is funny that the speaker was still going. -seriously no one was listening at this point. haha  

anyways then bishop stood up and told us that after the prayer we would be going into the hall way (it was away from all the outside walls and windows etc.) so we all went out and stood out there for the next 30 or so minutes. not really knowing what was happening or what to do.

haha i wasnt sure if our mission president was aware of the situation or not so i texted him while we were waiting there and i told him " we are in a tornado. we are with our ward family. we love you :) tell our parents we love them"  hahaha all he responded was "make sure you are safe" and we were in the church.  grateful for his concern. I love him so much! 

after it all blew away> we surveyed the damage.  this was the first time in 30+ years that a tornado ever touched down in Pekin itself.  half of the town is still out of power and to our knowledge none of the members in our ward were affected.- except for the power thing.    I was so touched by the love and hospitality that the bishop and his family showed to us.  we were told (as missionaries) to stay at the church building. rather than going home and mostly everyone had left. some were still at church because the roads were closed and what not. but the bishop after all of the stress and concern i am sure he had he took us to his home and we had lunch with their family. it was a sure way to calm and heal and turn off all the alarms and red flags going off inside and just get back into the "im safe" mindset. I am grateful for them. ( just think. we are pretty much strangers > another reason i know the church is true! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! )    

But within  our district it is a sad state.  our district makes up the pekin ward and the morton ward. and Washington IL is where over 50% of the morton ward members live.  Washington is where it is the disaster status is and so we are hopefully going to get to go there today to serve and help in anyway.  The sisters in that ward are safe and doing well -  they have a loss of power to their apartment.  please keep Elders Payne and Blackner in your prayers.  their apartment was hit by the tornado.  they are living at thier bishops house for the time being and i cant imagine how they are feeling right now. ( i am sure they  are fine, but if it was me i would prob. be pretty sad.)  

President Fenn, our Stake president and their bishop are working with the red cross and other organizations to try and get them to allow 20 missionaries to come in and help today.  so when we get the call is when we will go.  we cant just go because now it is all organized because Fema is there to help and etc.etc.  - its a sticky situation... 

The whole time i was in the church i kept thinking about the movie twister and at the end when they have to tie them selves down to and hold on so they dont fly away. and then i would start thinking > am i ready to die? what do i need to repent of? haha it was funny. and then It was " wait! i cant die! i have things to do! people to see! a life to live .. the Lord wont take me away." so i was fine after that.  oh also as a district we decided to fast for our investigators yesterday and as soon as we heard the sirens i thought " AND THIS is why we are fasting today" hahaha

It was an exciting time and experience. never to be forgotten.  I will write you next week about how service goes and all we come in contact with.      Friday we will be receiving our iPad minis!!  pretty exciting! 

I am grateful for these type of experiences.  they bring a lot of perspective and help you feel alive - i dont say this meaning i am happy this happened. but I know that "nothing shall be done save it shall be for our benefit and good"  so there is good in all things. we just have to look for it.  HOTRO(ptimistic)CKS! - right!   

hope i explained everything well. ask me questions if you dont get it :) anyways. love you all

all is well. 

i am safe. :) love    Sister O'Neil 

11/11/13

BIG NEWS

Where do i even begin...  

this week: we have 5 new investigators!!  - that is a huge deal fro Pekin! you have no idea! i am so excited! all 5 of these individuals are going to make EXCELLENT members of the church! it is amazing!  

Parents: last week we went shopping for Coats, and i got two coats and a pair of boots for $160.00 i thought it was a pretty good deal, so i did it.  and one of the them was a Steve Madden coat, and it is SO cute!   

I am privileged to announce that I am officially an Online missionary.  This means that I am on Facebook, email, mormon.org, skype and blogging.  

We are the 10th mission in the world to implement this program and there will only be 30 missions to pilot the program out of 405! 

I can not tell you how privileged i feel right now.  Elder Martino from the second quarm of the 70 told us that we were one of the most obedient missions he had ever seen, and that he was very impressed with us.  The truth is, president Fenn told us later that he only said that we were one of the most  he had seen, because he didnt want us to get big heads.  But he told President Fenn in his office that the first presidency believes that we are the most obedient mission in the world right now.  and they base that off of anonymous surveys that we filled out and that 98%of our mission rates them selves as being exactly obedient.  Also that 95% of the mission gets up every morning by 6:30.  anyways. i cant tell you how privileged, excited, anxious, honored and special i feel to be a member of this mission, and a missionary serving under President Fenn.  He truly is an inspired man and I am SO grateful for him.  I am excited to be a part of this pilot program, but i feel like a huge weight has been placed on our shoulders.  This is a HUGE opportunity and we get to pave the way for future missionary work.  It is amazing to think that in 10 years from now even 5 years from now how different missionary work will be.  ITs just like when those missionaries frist got the "preach my gospel" program, and think about how that has changed our membership since then.  AHH! it is just AMAZING to think about! it is so cool!! 

WE have been on Facebook every day for at least an hour since thursday and will be from now on.  WE are allowed to be friends with friends and family, but this will not replace weekly communications. it would be for the sole purpose that you could observe who i am teaching and what i am teaching and that you could refer me to your friend s and family so that we might be able to start teaching them via, Facebook and Skype.  I can teach anyone in the world!! it is amazing to think of.  

Being on FAcebook is the most draining thing ever!  everytime i get on i feel like i am breaking Every commandment ever given.  it is so hard. i just feel so drained after we get on and that i have SO much repenting to do. its not funny. haha  but i just have to keep telling my self that i am allowed to be on. hahah its really hard.  so lots of changes, they are hard, but they are good. 

OK!! the big news!!  

WE will be the first mission in the world to recieve 32 GB iPad minis.  wait for it... EVERY MISSIONARY will have their own!! -- WIKA WHAT?!?!? this is CrAZY!!  and SO exciting! THis is going to change our teaching, communication, scheduling. EVERYTHING!!  !! its so cool.  

our area books, planners, etc, will all become digitalized and be on our iPads.  When we get transfered President just goes -whaa la and we get our new area book.  Its just so cool! 

SO PRIVILEGED!  no joke!    anyways! now you know. Its pretty exciting! - oh I am not being transferred, neither is Sister Payne.  so another 5 weeks together.  should be great! 

hope i got all the important details in there. oh we will get the iPads around the 20th of November.  

its all just So exciting! :)  

So are all the CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!!!  - it makes me so happy people are putting them up already! every time we pass a house that has them i freak out!  YAY CHRISTMAS!!

I love you all!  - keep the faith! 

Love love love!

Sister O'Neil