"Dad! There's white folks here!" and other musings from the South!

Dear family and friends,

Happy Father's Day yesterday! Cherish your relationships with your fathers, grandpas, and husbands, but also cherish your relationship with your Father in Heaven!

I've had the privilege for the past two weeks to play piano in Sacrament. The ward organist is gone so they asked me to play (I agreed, but on conditions...not the organ, only the piano!) Along with playing in Sacrament, I've also played in Primary because the Primary pianist moved away! Primary is fun. And we combined the two when the Primary sung in Sacrament for Father's Day :) It's been good to play the piano (including playing in Relief Society and at baptisms) because it keeps up my practice, and also gets me accustomed to playing in front of people! But soon I'll have to tell them that I can't keep filling in mainly because I need to be with my investigators in class, and I also need to be edified (even though missionaries lead pretty spiritual lives, we still need that weekly recharge from Church)!!

On Friday there was a Sister's Training Meeting! All the Sisters from our mission met at the Birmingham Stake Center. President and Sister Hanks spoke to us, as well as a few other awesome people! We had lunch, ice cream, a clothing exchange, decorated planners, and got the chance to visit with each other. Basically, it was the most estrogen-filled meeting this mission has ever seen. :) I got to see my MTC companions which was way fun, as well has have Sister Bailey and Hall in the same vicinity, which was weird but awesome!  

Later that day, we drove back to Tuscaloosa and Sister Hall and I had plans to go see a woman named Talina. We had also met her neighbor Amber once before, and we decided to see her after. So we walked across the street, and Amber's husband and kids were outside. The kids were running around and the husband was working on his car with his head in the hood. The kids noticed us and tried to get their dad's attention, but to no avail. Finally this cute little 5-6 year old shouted, "Dad! There's white folks here!" That got his attention.

I don't have much else to report except that the Church is true and will bless you. In the past, I haven't always been in-tune spiritually, but there can come a time where you develop a very familiar relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ, and how beautiful it can be!  That's something I'm working on. We need to remember that conversion is continual, not a singular event in one's life.

Just for fun, I'll add some Southern sayings I've come to know... :)

"Fixin' to": Getting ready for or going to

"It's been a good minute": It's been a while or long time

"Have a blessed day!"

"Let's get a buggy": Let's get a shopping cart.

Love always,

Sister Griffith

At the park with the regulars: Derrick, me, Jon, Pirlene, & Kendrell

 At the Sister's Training Meeting with my two companions!
(It was very weird to have both of them together)

"Mr. Chen's Authentic Chinese Food"!!
Brought me back to my China days! I got roasted duck and rice!

Sister Hall eating noodles!

Alabama is notorious for sudden freak-storms.

One moment it will be calm, the next moment you feel like it is now officially 

the end of the world. That happened this past Saturday. 

We took our car into the mechanic and decided to walk across the street to contact. 

We didn't make it but a few seconds walking down the road when we had to turn back or we'd be drenched (even with an umbrella.) We took shelter in the waiting area at the Mechanic's. And of course, it just a bit of time, the storm cleared up.

 Took today, but wishing all the dads' a Happy Belated Father's Day :)