Hello hello!
Today is day #108 of quarantine for me, but I am still choosing to thrive and enjoy every minute of it!
There's only been 4 days since I last emailed, so not a ton has happened in that time, but I'll give an update in what has!
The "field trip" version:
We got a mission finding day and a musical fireside; we found a couple cool people through Facebook; why we shouldn't take advantage of our faith; we got a bed bug examination; a crash course all about bed bugs
The full version:
Our mission had a mission-wide finding day in which we had a goal to find 170 new people to teach (1 person per missionary). We ended with a grand total of 3, and our mission got about 140 new friends to teach this last week! Such a blessing, considering how hard it can be to find while in quarantine. Miamisburg was a miracle area for finding, but we've needed these miracles here in Xenia and are so grateful for them 
One woman we texted told us that she had seen God's hand in her life a lot recently as she'd been going through a lot and felt that God had literally lifted her burdens off her back. I was stunned at her faith and the fact that the way she said it almost quoted the Book of Mormon scripture in Mosiah that says:
"And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." (Mosiah 24:24 pg 194)
I told her more about the message we share and how the Book of Mormon has helped me have the faith in God to allow him to take my burdens from me. We're now working on setting up a lesson with her 
We had a mission musical fireside this Sunday over Zoom (because we're still not allowed to get together with other missionaries). Sister Lamarche and I sang "Nearer My God to Thee" for it. I'll be posting it on Facebook, so feel free to check it out! And speaking of music, we have an electric piano in our apartment and it's my favorite thing ever 
We have a friend named David who I found on Facebook while I was still in Miamisburg. I kept teaching him when I came to Xenia and he's been progressing so well! You may notice more in my Facebook story recently, and it's because he's been watching my stories and asking questions about stuff and we've been really excited about his desire to learn. I didn't fully realized before my mission how much influence for good the internet can have, and I'm so grateful to be able to help flood the internet with the gospel!
While messaging David one time, he gave us a list of questions we had and then told us "I do want faith like yours, as you actually live it. Not many people do, and your faith makes me want to know your God."
I stopped for a moment and pondered on my faith. Faith is something I've been focusing on improving recently (Meaning, I've been doing things such as praying more specifically and studying references to Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon to build my faith). But how often do we look forward to how much more we have to grow and forget to look back on who we have become? How often do we take advantage of the faith we do have and forget to be grateful for the things we know. I know I sure do. So many people around us either don't want to know or simply don't know how to know the simple truths about God and his Plan of Salvation that we hold so dear. Any faith we have is something we should be grateful for and something we should be willing to help share with those who want that same faith, because many people do.
We also had an extermination examination for our bed bug problem. In the process we learned way more about bed bugs than I ever thought I needed to know. If you'd like a crash course, I included one at the end of my email that was written by Sister Lamarche. That also means if anyone is still waiting on a response from me I would like to apologize because we had to spend some time today taking care of bed bugs and taking naps because I've been really tired. But I'll email you back next week, I promise!
Speaking of preparation days, our P-Day has been moved from Monday next week to Thursday because of another rush of missionaries. So I'll talk to you then!
I hope you all have a great week!
Love,
Sister Bliss
P.S. Here is the crash course on bed bugs I promised. Sister Lamarche sent to one of her friends, so I thought I'd grt it from her and include it here as well! Let me know if you learn anything fun from it. It you an skip past it to my pictures because it's not really part of my email 
"I just learned so many new things! Bed bugs dont actually bite you because if they did it would feel like a mosquito bite and would wake you up. They actually stuck your blood so they are like vampires. Because they stuck your blood they will leave blood spots on your sheets or on the wall where they mostly stay. Bed bugs are nocturnal. Bed bugs can go up to 18 months with no feeding. Bed bugs need to have blood to lay eggs so if you cut their supply they will starve out which is why a bed bug cover works for getting rid of them for a bed. There are different kinds of bed bug covers. Bad, okay and good. The bad is self explanatory. The okay is it keeps the bed bugs in and won't let them out but they can still bite through the cover (which is the ones we have....) and the good ones are ones that are bite proof and keep them from coming in and out. (The ones he sells are like 65 dollars yikes!) Also a bed bug cover basically is for if you dont want to get rid of the mattress if you have bed bugs. If they are bite proof it will say it on the cover. Bed bugs can "eat" your dead skin cells and hair that had fallen of your head (it has a hair skin on it that they eat) which means if you move into a different room they may just resort to eating that instead of moving to find you. So get water and if you want a little soap and wipe the base boards down and vacuum and then they may be more motivated to find a blood source but then again can survive for 18 months without feeding because they can go into a hibornative state kind of like what bears do. If you take the outlets off they can get in your walls. Permetherin is more of a prevention for bed bug and when they exterminate they use something like that to flush them out from hiding and something stronger to kill them after the stuff that flushes them out wears off. Bed bugs can hitch hike onto suitcases and so he said to take your clothes out and dry them for an hour and that will kill any and then spray your suitcase with lysol and you should be good. Bed bugs can also hid is non bed things too like couches and any other stuff like that and the most surprising one to me was they can live in the wheels in your bed stand because there is dust in it so they have something to grip and people dont spray there. When you get a bed bug they lay 3 to 5 eggs a day so you dont normally notice you have a problem to 6 weeks later when you have an infestation. Oh also permetherin only kills bed bugs if it is direct contact. Also for putting permetherin on your clothes there is a specific way you mix it to have it not hurt or irritate your skin and it takes 6 washes for it to lose effect. Bed bugs can live in outlets but mostly prefer the seams of mattresses and small places like that. When the eggs hatch they still can "bite" you but they are still learning so you may just have a random bug bite that doesnt itch but the more they practice the more they itch because they get better at it. Dryer skin is more likely to be more irritated by bed bug bites then not dry skin. And sheets should be washed every week to help prevent bed bugs. Beds that have a metal frame need specifically duck tape to be put over sharp parts so that when and if the bed moves the sharp edges dont tare the bed bug cover. Also when the exterminator comes they basically rate how bad the infestation is and the worst it is the more it costs. But they dont usually exterminate right after because you have to then prep the house. Wash all of the clothes and put them in bags and move them to a garage, vacuum and clean everything, move the beds out and that's just a few of the steps they have you do. Also bed bugs is just one of the bugs the exterminate. There are termites and spiders and rats and mice and ants and lots more! That all I can remember right now.
" -Sister Lamarche
*Remember the new Miamisburg mural of movie characters that I sent a picture of awhile back? I got a picture of the final piece before I left last week 
*we had to try iut this little ice cream place near our apartment in Miamisburg before we left. It's the best. 10/10 definitely recommend
*The colorful mural is one from Downtown Dayton that belonged to an art studio and was super cool
*The backyard of our duplex currently. I've decided I want to stay here forever
*A picture of me and Sister Lamarche
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