Hey mom!!
If I had to describe this week in two words the first would be service. SO MUCH SERVICE!!! But honestly it was a great time! Doing service is so much fun!
So to start out the week, one of the ladies in the branch just got back from Utah, and they had a whole Uhaul truck FULL of clothes and blankets and other things that people have detonated to help the people affected by the fire. So Tuesday morning we sorted all those clothes with the help of the other missionaries. It was a good time! And we got a lot of work done in just abut 2 hours! But that was fun to be able to hang out with the other missionaries and sort through things and get things together for people who have literally nothing.
The next big service project we did was Thursday morning. We went to a building at the high school (because school was cancelled last week all the way till December 3...) to sort more clothing! It is amazing how much people are giving. But we sorted clothing and put it all into boxes there for about 3 hours. Again, we just kinda served while talking with the Elders and it was a great time! They are all supper awesome and super funny!
The last service opportunity for the week was Saturday morning up in Oroville. First of all, Oroville is SO SMOKEY!!! Like it was bad. Honestly, Its been pretty bad all week. We have to wear those lovely masks whenever we are outside... Not a fan... But I guess it's good for my lunges and stuff... But anyways, on Saturday we went to a warehouse where they had a quarter of a million dollars worth of food there that we were boxing up to give to a shelter. We ended up making 5000 boxes worth of food! In only 3 hours! It was all very organized, and a good time! Hermana Feveryear and I were collapsing boxes, so I basically got to rip things apart. It was a good time! And we also got to wear some cute yellow vests! That is a joke... They are not actually cute... But hey, it was a good time! Fun to work with the missionaries, as well as the members to help out these people.
But as you can see, there is still a lot going on with the fires... We will probably continue to do a lot of service for the fire victims throughout the next few weeks. The other missionaries from Chico are still down here in Gridley, and we don't know how long they will be here, but honestly I'm fine if they stay! It's a fun time. But we were talking about the people affected by the fires with some members, and they said some people will probably be living out of lean tents and stuff for months, possibly even years. It's just so crazy... but what is even crazier is to hear all the miracle stories. There are stories of some peoples' houses being saved. There are stories of people being prompted to get out with their loved ones. Or even just seeing the different communities come together to help out all these people. It has been a really sad and devastating time, but we are still able to see God's hand working in our lives, even if it is through other people. That is one thing that I have loved being a missionary. Is being able to be a tool in God's hands in order to help his children in whatever way they need.
The other word I would use to describe the week is Elders... As you know, there are lots of Elders here, and it's a great time! I like hanging out with the Elders and Sisters.
But yeah it was a crazy week for service, and still more to come! One other cool thing that happened this week is that we have started reading the Book of Mormon every night with one of our investigators, Gabe, and his family. That has been an awesome experience to be able to help that family grow closer together as we study the word of God!
It was a good week though. A crazy week, but a good week! This week will be busy because we have a zone conference, and thanksgiving!!
I love and miss you! Hope you have a great thanksgiving! I'm super thankful to have you in my life! Enjoy the time with the family :)
Kiley
Hermana Atkinson
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