The Dish that Started It All.....

Being a missionary is absolutely wild! My companion and I go and visit so many people everyday. We love to visit people who had at one time shown interest in our church, those wanting to increase their Faith and random people in the streets! We will seriously stop people dead in their tracks and ask them about their beliefs or invite them to church. Honestly, most of the time they are busy and don't want to talk but I feel like those few who do, are amazing and are prepared for the gospel. Talking to people on the streets is super easy because we don't have a car, so we ride our bikes everywhere! It's honestly so fun! We are able to talk to so many more people!! 

A couple weeks ago my companion and I went to go visit some people who weren't home (shocker) so with our extra time we were talking to everyone we saw. We ran into a man walking his dog. We stopped and introduced ouselves began talking about Jesus Christ and trusting in God. This random, 10 mintue conversation, with a stranger strengthened my testimony more than he will ever know. 

We began talking about his relationship with God and how trusting in God means everything to him. We talked about his life experiences and how he was in a super rough place but through having faith and trusting in Gods plan, it saved his life. What this man said really stuck with me, he said that when his mom passed away she told him, "God's plan is beautiful." He bore his testimony of that simple truth to us and it gave me goosebumps.  

That simple sentence and that simple testimony strengthed mine. I feel like that truth sometimes gets lost, because we can only see the very very tip of God's plan and we think we know better. 

Trust in God and "all things shall work together for our good."

I will admit trusting in God is hard sometimes, it's hard to continue to have that faith through those rough days but it's always worth it. 

Talking to this stranger was different, he had the strongest testimony, he had such a light and the Spirit was radiating from him. All I could think about what how I wanted too meet with him again! So I straight up told him that he didn't have to join our church but we would LOVE to just talk to him again! So we gave him our number and he texted us right away!! Riding away all I could think about was how much I wanted others to hear his testimony because of how much he strengthened mine. I honestly wanted to tell everyone about that interaction and I couldn't wait to tell my family back home. It was just different then the rest! 

Later that day, a member of our church was kind enough to take us out to lunch at a restaurant called, The Lazy Dog. That restaurant changed my perspective on everything and opened my eyes to a whole new world of culinary arts with endless possibilities. 

Every week I write an email to my friends and family back home. I just talk about my week, cool stories and what I learned! I feel like how I wrote about the Lazy Dog best explains how it changed my life. I said:

"A member took us out to lunch instead of having us over for dinner that day. We went to the Lazy Dog and it was the coolest restaurant ever. It was a very modern country, southern place and had picture of basically Cowboy Tough dogs.

Before I take this story any further there is one basic thing you need to know about me.... I love chicken. ESPECIALLY fried chicken. Another minor thing about me is I love waffles. Mmmmkk? So when a restaurant has Chicken N' Waffles, automatic yes. 

YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE WHAT THIS RESTAURANT HAD.... they had "Hot Honey Chicken and Waffles Salad." YES THEY DID. Right when I saw that, no need to look anymore, bring me at least 10! Have you ever hear of that before??? In a salad?? I had to try it!! It said that it was a salad with fried chicken, hot honey drizzled on top, Chipotle ranch.... with WAFFLE CROUTONS. MMMMHHH YOU READ THAT RIGHT. I kid you not when I tell you this salad changed my life y'all. 

The croutons were actual crunchy fried Waffle squares. My mind has never been blown before that moment. I cannot even express how much that has changed my life. 

Why? I have no idea. I guess I have always just thought about food only being able to go up to the creative fence. But that salad was over the fence, across the river, straight into left field. Does that make sense? 

Who would have ever thought about a fried chicken salad with fried crunchy waffle CROUTONS drizzled with hot honey? You guys, I don't know. Does that make sense? Well it didn't make sense to the waiter either let me tell you!!

Guys.... I don't even know. How I look at life has changed, there are literally no limits to your imagination. That is why I absolutely love cooking so much and why I love learning about food so much. It's so much more than just Cook. Eat. Repeat. Most people stop at the fence and are too afraid to cross it. I wanna be someone who crosses the fence, like Adriano Zumbo or the guy who made up waffle croutons. 

Talking about food or not, cross the fence this week. See what happens. Stop letting the world tell YOU how to do things." 

While the salad was AMAZING it wasn't even the taste that changed me. It was the whole idea of the endless culinary possibilities it brought to my understanding. I am not really sure what clicked in my brain to be honest or how to explain it. Anyone got Adriano Zumbo's phone number? I just feel like he would understand. 

I even told the waiter that the salad was amazing and changed my life and he just laughed and said "I am glad you liked it" He just didn't get it. Our waiters name was Justin and he was the best waiter ever! He made sure we had everything we needed, offered us tea when we were cold and amused me in my salad rant. The world needs more kind hearted people like him. Shout out to Justin! 

We even went back on Tuesday and he remembered who we were, my exact order and how it changed my life!! I even got the Executive Chef's number, so who knows! Maybe after the mission, we can do a Waffle Crouton Collab! 

Between the testimony strengthening stranger and my life changing restaurant experience, my mind was opened and I wanted to share it!

How has trusting in God's Plan blessed your life?? Have you ever eaten a mind blowing dish? 

Love, your Favorite Cookie Sister, 

Sister Pickett