Well this week was my first exchange and it was awesome. One of the girls has one transfer left and the other girl has only been out one transfer, it was amazing that over such a short time as 3 days that they were able to open up so much to me and that I was able to help them in their teaching just a little bit. Hopefully, I will be better at helping with teaching in the future. It is rough for me right now because I am still learning the restored teaching method and I'm not very good at it! But I will improve, I have faith lol!!! So yeah that was pretty much the sum of my exchange. I was in Cooperstown and yes the Baseball hall of fame is there but I was not there on a P-day so I was not able to go, but wow Cooperstown is amazing!!! It's so beautiful and there is so much potential there!!! Something I wanted to tell you about is the quirks of NY, so they leave the stuff they don't want on their lawn in front of their houses and people just come and pick it up. The other day there was a pink toilet and sink haha so funny!!! Next there are stores and dentist offices and all sorts of stuff in old houses, so its not like the normal business buildings of the west, it is super weird. Also most people do not have you take off your shoes in their home and if they do they have slippers for you to wear because of the cold floors. Finally, unique to Utica is Chicken Riggis, It is a super good pasta dish but we get it fed to us all the time!! and also Utica greens but I haven't had those yet so yeah, that's new york for ya. Oh yeah and there are funny colored houses all over like BRIGHT orange with purple and all sorts of stuff super weird lol!!!
It is crazy how much I have realized the power of inspiration!! We pray about topics for our sisters to study before we go on exchanges and it is always EXACTLY what they need at the time. Sister Barley and I had to teach at Zone Training this week!!!! (yeah I have been getting out of my comfort zone one giant leap at a time) So we were praying about how to teach on the Book of Mormon and I felt like we needed to touch on the sacredness of it and how it was the keystone and sister barley felt like we needed to touch on humbling ourselves enough to trust using it in lessons and that it was the keystone. The first quote that was read at ZTM was about humbling ourselves and trusting the Sacredness of the book of Mormon (TOTALLY THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER) Wow inspiration is just the best and we HAVE to trust it!! If it is good it is from God, trust it!!!! Second I was feeling very over whelmed because I was asked to share a spiritual thought and play the piano for DLC which I do not like playing the piano in front of people, and then I was asked to train at Zone Training Meeting,and then the bishop called as asked if I could give a talk on Sunday and on top of that it was the first week of Exchanges. So I asked sister barley what more they could ask me to do this week and that I was overwhelmed and she told me that maybe Heavenly Father was just trying to teach me to give my ALL to him, which I thought I had been doing.... but after thinking about it there was a lot that I was holding back, in a sense I was not contributing to teaching a lot because I was scared and a lot of other things. So I just let it go!! I let go of all the fear of everything that was holding me back and I prayed harder than ever before and I just let Him take control. I said I will give my all and I will let you make me the best instrument that you can.... and He did!! I have not become anything amazing but I was not nervous to train our ENTIRE zone and I wasn't scared to give my talk, and I wasn't scared for exchanges either. I learned that it is amazing what the Lord can do for us when we trust him completely and Fear Not for He is ALWAYS with us!!! It was a very spiritual experience and there are still times I have fear but in those moments I pray for the strength to give my ALL. So that was the majority of my week I hope you are all doing amazing and that you let Heavenly Father guide your lives because he truly knows what is best for you!! Stay Strong!!
Love Sister Hamilton
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