A week of change and excitement

July 9, 2012

 

S'mores pie I made for one of the elders' birthdays

This week has been good but crazy!  On Wednesday we had the entire day for preparation.  In the evening there was a BBQ with all of the missionaries in the Salt Lake City mission.  It was nice to be able to meet some of the other missionaries and to meet President and Sister Winn.  It was a lot of fun, and I am glad we had the chance to meet people.

On Thursday, President and Sister Winn came and visited our apartment, along with the assistants to the president and the zone leaders.  It was nice to be able to just sit and visit with them a little bit.  I think I am going to really like them.

We had a baptism on Saturday!  It is always so exciting when people decide to get baptized and come closer to Christ!  It was kind of crazy because the girl getting baptized and her mom got lost on the way to the church building, so they didn't actually get there until 15 minutes after it was supposed to start.  But even though the mechanics of the baptismal service didn't go according to plan, it still worked out okay.  I am so grateful that things will always work out when they are supposed to.

One week older and wiser too

July 3, 2012

Weekly funny thing:  Sister Loketi sometimes gets text messages in Tongan.  When I have the phone, I will open the text message and try to read the Tongan.  She about falls over every time I try because I can't pronounce anything correctly so she doesn't understand a thing.  Although I do know how to say I love you (ofa atu) and repent (fakatomala).  :)

A hike we took a few weeks ago

John Schmidt concert when he was playing with his foot as well.

 The next two pictures are from mud volleyball that we did last week.  It was a lot of fun, but a very big mess.  Some of the missionaries got completely covered from head to foot and had to get hosed down.  I didn't get quite that dirty.

I realize that I should be writing about two weeks of activities, but they are all kind of scattered in my mind.  I thought we would be emailing on Tuesday like we typically do, and I only found out a little bit before we came to the library that we would be emailing today.  It is definitely going to be interesting adjusting to how the SLC mission does things, but I know that it is still the Lord's work.  I am praying every day that I will have the patience and trust to adjust to the changes without resisting, since I know that they don't really matter.  I mean, it doesn't really matter if we have our p-day on Monday instead of Tuesday, but it will be an adjustment.

These past two weeks have gone by really quickly.  We had a young woman with us for a few days who was supposed to be with us for two weeks.  She was going on a mini-mission/trial mission thing. She lives in Bountiful and was supposed to come and be with us from 9am-9pm.  Unfortunately, she called after a few days and said that she just didn't have the energy.  I never realized how physically exhausting missionary work really is until I was thinking about someone else and if they had enough energy.  So, I hope that this young woman still decides to serve a mission and doesn't let the exhausting experience deter her enthusiasm for the work.

On Saturday, I had the chance to attend a wedding held in one of the church buildings.  It was for a member of the 8th Branch who was getting married.  It was very exciting and she was just SOO happy to be getting married.   I am grateful for all the chances I had to help out with other weddings, because I was able to show up and help with just random things.  It is such a blessing to know that even a little bit of stress is relieved.

I finished rereading the Book of Mormon yesterday.  It is such an awesome feeling!  The Book of Mormon truly does testify of Jesus Christ.  I encourage everyone to reread the Book of Mormon and see how much it testifies of Jesus Christ and His love and Atonement.

A pie eating contest

June 19, 2012

This is one of my zone leaders.  For district meeting we were talking about putting on the armor of God so that we don't get discouraged.  Someone had a suit of armor that the elders borrowed for a more effective object lesson.

 The three of us are all from Tennessee.  I am from Memphis, Elder Garrett in the middle is from Nashville, and Elder Vaughn is from Knoxville.  So we took a picture of us in order of where we live, while making the shape of Tennessee with our hands.  :)

This week has been really good.  It has gone by quickly, which is both a good and a bad thing.  If it goes by quickly it must mean that I am busy doing missionary work.  At the same time, it makes it harder to remember all that has happened.

On Saturday one of the wards was having a carnival.  We have an investigator named Monica in that ward, so we went to the carnival to help her feel more comfortable with the ward.  Monica is awesome!  She is 16 but is finishing school this year.  And there was a pie eating contest.  Almost no one from the Relief Society wanted to participate in the contest, so I figured I would go and show that I am a good sport.   I was the first one to sit down, but more and more sisters came up due to peer pressure and what not.  Anyway, we each had a little pie to eat, and man, it was tough!  There was a super yummy but thick chocolate cream on the inside and a thick and dry crust on the outside.  It was really hard to eat quickly.  But, I did it!  I even tied for first place!!!!   It was silly and funny and my stomach hurt afterwards, but it was worth it.

 On Sunday we spoke in the 8th Branch. (Yes, I am serving in a branch in Utah.)  It is for an apartment complex, and if every apartment had active members, there would be at least two wards in the apartment complex.  Sadly, there are only about 10 active couples/families.  Half of the congregation is made up of the service missionaries that are called from other wards in the stake.  Anyway, I spoke on Sunday, but we weren't supposed to focus on our earthly fathers.  Instead, we were asked to speak about our Heavenly Father and His love for us.  I think my talk went well.  This is the third week in a row that my companion and I have spoken in church.  By the end of my mission, I probably won't even know how many talks I have given.

This week I have really been noticing how awesome the members are.  Without their willingness to help drive us around and feed us, it would be really tough to be successful missionaries.  We are having a musical fireside up in Logan on Sunday, and we had a rehearsal for it yesterday.  So, we had to find a member who was willing to drive us all the way to Logan and wait around while we had our practice.  I am so grateful for all of those who do that.

So, Dad has requested that I include something funny that happens during the week.  I am not sure if the pie eating contest counts, so here is another story.  It is from a while ago, but it really made me laugh.  Sister Davis and I were having dinner with an older couple.  One of their daughters and her family were also there.  The mom/grandma was talking about how her husband always does the dishes. (They don't have a dishwasher.)  She said that they went to the store to buy a new fridge, and the sales person asked what color her dishwasher was.  Her response: "Caucasian."  Haha.  I thought it was really funny.  It made me laugh.  So there you go--my one funny thing for the week.

I love you all!  I hope you have an amazing week full of lots of fun and letter writing to your favorite missionary. :)

Logan Temple

June 12, 2012

Sister Despain from the MTC.  She is serving in Malad, ID.

This p-day, I had the chance to go to the Logan temple.  It was super fun to be able to go up to Logan.  It is absolutely gorgeous up there!  I am glad I had a chance to see if before the mission split.  

From the temple parking lot

I was also lucky that my two friends Monica and Jessica were able to take us there.  (I know Monica and Jessica from BYU.)  They were able to pick us up, drive us to the temple, go through the session with us, and then go around Logan as we ran our various errands.  There were a few stories that all the missionaries talk about, and I am glad I got a chance to see them.  One of the stores is Levens.  It is a pretty cool store, and they give missionaries a discount.  They also give the missionaries' rides a discount, so that is pretty awesome too. 

This week we have been trying to meet with all the bishops.  We still have a few more to meet with, but I am surprised by how much it helps!  Not only do I get to know the faces and names of the bishops, I think it really helps them to trust Sister Loketi and I. They can see that we are working hard and that we are truly trying to build up the area.  We really are trying our best to find people to teach.

One weird highlight this week is that one of the ward mission leaders forgot to find dinners for us.  So for those three days, we were taken out to eat for dinner.  And for the first time, it wasn't Joy Luck or Chuck-A-Rama.  One night, we went to Sizzler.  I had never been there before.  The next night we had pizza, and the last night we went to Cafe Rio.   It is sometimes fun to go out to eat as a missionary, but three nights in a row was a lot.  I think I probably ate more then than I normally do at dinners.

On Saturday, we went up to Morgan for a baptism.  Sister Loketi used to serve in Morgan, and one of the women she taught there was getting baptized.  Morgan is a super cute, small town up in a canyon, and it was fun to get to see it before the mission split.  The town only has one grocery, two gas stations, and three restaurants.  It would definitely be different living in such a secluded place.

On Sunday I gave a talk on faith.  I can't believe how much easier it is for me to give a talk now.  I remember when it used to be next to impossible for me to speak for five minutes in sacrament meeting.  Now I have a hard time keeping it to just 5 minutes.  It is tricky to say all I want to say in such a short amount of time.  I appreciate the chance I get to speak and prepare and learn.  After sacrament meeting, Sister Loketi and I were sitting my the bishops' offices.  These three little kids walked out of the chapel, and one of them said, "Oh, grape juice!  We're lost!"  It was just the cutest thing!  I was trying so hard not to laugh.  It was way funny.  Then the boy's little sister started saying the same thing.  It was just cute.  (And they weren't really lost.  They just got turned around.)

On Monday, we had our last interviews with President Olson.  It is weird that he is finishing his mission, and that I am leaving that mission.  I don't know what my new mission president is like, but I know that he is called of God.  I know that there will be changes and adjustments, but I also know that it provides a chance for me to grow. 

Taken at the musical fireside up in Logan.  It was the Sunday before President and Sister Olson finished their mission.

Joshua 1:9

June 5, 2012

On Wednesday we had a lesson with a really awesome family in one of our wards.  (There was a miscommunication with the ward mission leader, so we had a lesson with an active family instead of a less-active or part member family.)  Anyway, this family all sings.  I had heard that they were good singers, but I was blown away when they sang a song at the end of the lesson.  The music was beautiful, and their voices were absolutely wonderful.  There was such power in what they were singing.  I felt the Spirit so strongly!  I know that it was partially the music, partially their talent, and mostly their testimonies that helped convey such a strong witness of God's love for all of us.

I made snickerdoodles for our investigators.  Everyone absolutely loves them! 

On Friday we had choir practice for a musical fireside.  Next Sunday we are having a fireside in Bountiful.  I love being able to be a part of the choir and seeing how music can truly soften people's hearts.  I am hoping that some of the people we are teaching will be able to come.

On Sunday, our two new investigators both came to church!  It was very exciting to know that they were there and that they were able to meet people in their wards.  Unfortunately, they both had church at the same time, so my companion and I were only able to go with one of them to church.  I am looking forward to talking to both of them in our upcoming lessons to see how church went and what they learned and felt while they were there.  I know that the Spirit can answer so many questions and concerns that people have.  I know that as I am doing all I can to invite the Spirit into my life, I will be better able to accomplish what I am called to do.

On Monday I got two letters!  It was exciting to hear from both Teresa and Jon on the same day.  Thank you for your letters! My wall is now decorated with pictures of family and inspiration quotes.  It is great.

So this  isn't very interesting as far as missionary work goes, but Sister Loketi and I are doing our best to find more people to teach.  It is always better when we are teaching and helping others keep commitments.  It is difficult to find those who are ready.

I know that what I am doing is right.  Heavenly Father's plan of happiness is meant for everyone.  I know that by sharing the message of joy and hope, I can help others gain a new perspective on life and have the chance to receive the blessings of eternity.  The Gospel truly is Good News!

And it came to pass

May 29, 2012

A funny/touching story: We met a family this week whose mom is Tongan and the dad is Hawaiian.  They have five girls and one boy.  The oldest girl is 15.  One day, the dad was driving his car around town and saw me and Sister Davis on our bikes.  He started thinking about how his daughters would soon be old enough to go on missions and then they would be the ones riding bikes.  Well, that thought made him so emotional he started crying.  When he got home, his wife just had to laugh that he had started crying when he saw the sister missionaries riding bikes.  I never would have guessed that by riding a bike around town, I would make someone cry.  :) 

Picture of Elder Toone, Elder Holladay, Elder Richardson, Sister Despain, me, and Sister Johnson.  It was at transfers.  (Typically, we meet at the office if we are getting transferred, and often other missionaries come, even if they aren't getting transferred.)  This was the first time we had all been together since we first came into the mission.  It was fun to see them and to be able to hear how they are doing.

So, this week has been good, but kind of crazy.

Wednesday was transfers.  My friend Liz Stuart picked Sister Davis and I up and took us to the office. (Liz lives in Bountiful and we met on our study abroad.)  Most of the day I was at the office, talking to different missionaries and saying goodbye and what not.  (My ride back to Woods Cross wasn't until the afternoon.)  I also got to more officially meet my new companion, Sister Loketi.

Me and my new companion, Sister Loketi.  She is awesome. Sister Loketi is from Tonga.  She has been on her mission for a little over a year.  She is super excited to be down in Woods Cross and going to the Salt Lake Mission.  She has a lot of family in the area who are not members of the church.  It is also neat that I get to see a little bit of the Tongan/Poly culture as she talks with her family in the area.  (I just stand there thinking about whatever, since they are usually speaking in Tongan.)

On Saturday, we had a baptism!!!  Kristi is 17, and she got baptized.  She is awesome.  Even though there are a lot of things that could stop her from joining the church, she really, really wanted to get baptized.  She didn't care how many people were there or even if all of her friends could be there.  She was just sick of waiting and wanted to be baptized.  It is amazing to see how much the Spirit can change someone and their desires.  Some of the sister missionaries that used to serve in Woods Cross came down for the baptism, because they had taught her as well.

This isn't a very long email, but those are the highlights from the week.  Every day I am learning more about trusting in the Lord.  He truly is directing our paths and strengthening us to accomplish His plan.

So, I realize I didn't include anything about "It came to pass" in my email.  I guess I just have to say that this week I have learned that even missionaries have bad days.  But they will pass and we can be strengthened and helped by the Gospel.  There truly is a reason missionaries emphasize the importance of church attendance, reading the scriptures, and prayer.  Those simple actions are the way we receive personal revelation, gain spiritual guidance, and develop the energy and strength to overcome and endure gracefully whatever we are facing.  Even if we are in the midst of a trial, through the Lord's help, we can learn from the experience, not just endure it.

Transfers.The mission I will be returning from...

May 22, 2012

So this week is transfers.  This morning we had our transfer breakfast with all of the missionaries in our zone.  The zone leaders waited until we had all eaten and then they told us who was being transferred, who was staying, and who was going to be companions with whom.  It was pretty exciting and there were not as many changes I thought there would be. Obviously, Sister Davis will be going home. And I will be staying in Woods Cross.  My new companion's name is Sister Loketi, from Tonga.  She is really cool and I am excited to serve with her.  So, I will be in the Ogden misison until July 1, at which time I will become part of the Utah Salt Lake City mission!   I am really excited about it.  When I first found out about the mission changes, I wasn't too excited.  I wanted to stay in Ogden, especially when I found out about the sister missionaries getting to help out at the Brigham City Temple open house.  But, I am at peace.  I have been praying a lot to have the faith and courage to go wherever I am called.  And I know that I will continue to be serving where I need to serve and helping those people that specifically need something I can give them.  Overall, I am very excited.

On Saturday, we had a baptism!  Isabella, Kristian, and Nicholas got baptized.  They are the cutest kids ever and are so enthusiastic about the Gospel.  They are always volunteering to prayer, answer questions in lessons, and read scriptures.   We were so happy to see all the people there to support them and their excitement to get baptized. Sadly, the font water was ice cold, so they were all a little chilly, but they were troopers about it.  The picture is of the kids, their mom and step-dad, the bishop (who baptized them), and me and Sister Davis.

This week I made a buttermilk pie for Elder Crowe.  It was his birthday and he was very excited about the pie.  I have never even heard of a buttermilk pie before, so it was definitely an adventure making it.  But it tasted really good!  It actually tasted a lot better than I thought it would, but you really can't go wrong if the pie has butter, sugar, eggs, and buttermilk.  It is a perfect combination of fattening and yummy.

I finished reading the conference edition of the Ensign yesterday!  It is such a blessing that we are able read and reread the words of the modern prophets and apostles.  It is amazing how different things "hit-home" based on what we are going through.  I love the time I am able to spend reading General Conference and I plan on making it partof my daily study, even if I read all the talks 20 gazillion times before the next conference. :)

We had stake conference on Sunday.  It was a broadcast for all of Davis County.  It was such a cool opportunity to be able to sit in our stake center and watch the broadcast and hear the words of Elder Holland and President Uchtdorf.  Elder Holland followed up about General Conference and asked if we had enacted any of those changes we felt compelled to do at Conference.  It was a good wake-up call for me. There is so much more I could do being to improve and grow. All-in-all, stake conference was just great!

Sister Davis and I just took the two other pictures.  So, that is what we sometimes do on p-day.  Take random pictures and send them to our families.  It is fun!  Have a good week.  Never forget how much the Lord loves us and how much Heavenly Father is directing our lives.  As long as we have faith in that, we can receive the strength to endure and overcome whatever we are going through.

Bucket List

May 15, 2012

This is Joe's baptism.  Joe is on the left, and his brother Willie is the other guy in the jumpsuit.  Everyone else in the picture are missionaries that taught Joe.  The guy in the back met Joe almost three years ago when his siblings were investigating the Church, and all the sisters have taught him over the past two years.  Even President Olson came to his baptism.  We were all very excited for Joe.

 

This is my companion Sister Davis with Sister Hill and Sister Carrizalles.  Our ride one day drove a convertible, and Sister Davis was super excited about it.  She said that riding in a convertible was on her bucket list, so she was really happy to get the chance. :)

 

We are teaching a twelve-year-old girl named Michelle.  She is absolutely amazing!  She helps out her parents and siblings so much, and she knows how important it is to be a good person.  Her parents are kind of watching her example to see if they want to investigate the Church, and I know that she will be a great example to them.  Hopefully we will be able to start teaching her parents soon, and that way they can start progressing towards the temple and becoming a forever family.

 

On Monday, Sister Davis had training at the office, so I went with Sister Hill and Carrizalles to study.  Another new missionary, Sister Skidmore, was there as well.  So the four of us had companion study and just discussed the things we had learned in personal study and then read some General Conference talks together.  I feel so lucky to be able to read them as often as I can.  The member that they live with bought us pizza for lunch.  She got a regular pepperoni one, and then a taco pizza.  It is the new flavor that Papa Murphys is advertising.  The pizza had refried beans for the "sauce" and then all of regular taco toppings were on it.  It tasted a lot like a taco, and I am not sure I would ever buy that kind again, but it was fun to try something new.

 

We went on this different type of exchange on Wednesday-Thursday.  Once a transfer, we switch companions so we can see how other missionaries teach and what not.  We also have this different exchange where one companionship goes and joins the other.  So Sister Davis and I were both in South Weber, helping out Sister Hill and Sister Carrizalles area.  Because of that exchange, we were able to help out with some service in Ogden on Thursday.  It is an annual service that all of the missionaries in the Ogden area do to help out a local garden plot thingy.  Basically, we were wedding and mulching and spreading new dirt and picking up trash and what not.  It was a lot of fun to be able to help out, and we got to eat at Chick-fil-A afterwards, which always makes me happy.

 

On Sunday, I talked to you guys!   It was so nice to be able to talk to the family and to hear how everyone is doing.  It was wonderful to hear your voices.  I also made chocolate peanut butter brownies on Sunday.  They turned out pretty well, and I am going to keep on trying to improve the recipe to find the perfect combination. (But not a secret combination...I am reading about those in Alma and man, the Gadianton robbers and secret combinations sure brought a lot of destruction and apostasy to the Nephites.)

 

Random story from teaching:  We were teaching a cute little nine-year-old about tithing, and we were telling her how everything we have is from God, and that tithing is our way of giving back the Heavenly Father.  We were describing the physical act of giving the tithing to the bishop, and she asked how the tithing got to God.  It was so sweet.  She thought we were literally giving the money to our Heavenly Father.  It was awesome.  Teaching people about Jesus Christ makes me so happy.

Zone Conference

May 1, 2012

We had zone conference on Thursday.  It was a really good experience and I learned a lot from it.  Our mission president encouraged all of us to create profiles on mormon.org and to invite our parents and siblings and friends to create profiles as well.  So, if you haven't created a profile yet, please do.  It is a great way for us to show investigators that we are normal people too.  If you do create a profile, let me know, so then I can tell investigators to look up my family and friends on mormon.org to see what they have to say.  I haven't finished mine yet, because I need to take a picture in non-missionary clothing.  We were also asked to encourage our family to feed the missionaries, since we get feed every night, so it is just perpetuating the turning.  But I am pretty sure that you already feed the missionaries most months, so thank you.  We really appreciate being feed as missionaries.

On Friday, Sister Davis and I taught a combined lesson with two of the elders in our zone.  One of their recent converts wanted to meet the sister missionaries.  She is 9 years old and absolutely adorable!  She was adopted into an active Mormon family not too long ago, and she wants to serve a mission.  It was fun to meet her and be able to teach her more about missionary work.  I absolutely love being able to share the Gospel!  It just brings so much happiness and joy into people's lives, when they are really willing to listen and to change.

The musical fireside on Sunday went really well!  There was a big turn out and the music was performed beautifully.  I am glad to be a part of it, and I hope that the investigators who were there were able to feel the Spirit strongly and acted on those feelings.  The fireside was in Syracuse, which is about a half hour from where we live, and our ride back was really impressed.  She said she hadn't expected a very impressive program with a bunch of 19-year-old guys singing, but she was really impressed.  There are a lot of very talented missionaries, and I feel blessed to be able to serve around them and to be able to sing with them as well.  Some of the songs sung were even arranged by missionaries.  All-in-all, it was just a very good way to share music and the Spirit.

The picture I attached is next to one of the chapels we cover.  In our mission, we report QGCs, which stands for Quality Gospel Conversations.  I have no idea what the spray-painted QGC stands for, but it was too good to pass up.  There are actually a few of them floating around, so I imagine that is has something to do with the underground wires and electricity or something...  Anyway, as missionaries (and members), if we make a point of talking to everyone and trying to bring up something about how the Gospel blesses our lives or gives us hope or encouragement with every single person we talk to.  Just try to share the Gospel as much as possible.  I know that it is sometimes easier to just skim over those portions of our lives, but it is our life!   Without the Gospel, we would not have the joy we have.  We would not know about repentance and eternal life.  So, just try to talk to people more often about the Gospel, or at least don't avoid the subject.  I know in high school, I would talk about church, but I would never really talk about what we discussed or how important it was to me.  Sorry, I didn't mean to get on a soap box.

 I meet amazing people every day.  We are teaching this awesome family, and three of the kids are getting baptized in a few weeks!  They are just the cutest thing ever.  They all want to read every scripture, answer every question, and say every prayer.  If only all our investigators were more excited about participating and learning.  This family's enthusiasm to be involved should really be how everyone acts when they find out about the Restored Gospel.  This is the Lord's work!  I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and is watching over all of us.  The Book of Mormon truly testifies of Jesus Christ.

Zeal

April 24, 2012

 

The pictures are from the baptisms last week, and the picture of the pie was my first attempt at a banana cream pie.  One of the APs had asked if I could make one, and since I had never tried, I really wanted to.  So, last week I made one and dropped it off on transfer Wednesday.  Apparently, it tasted really good.  Which is a relief, because now I know it is a good recipe to use in the future.

I don't have a lot of time today to write, but I want to let you know that I love you.  This work is amazing.  I cannot believe I have already been in the field for two months.  I know that this is the best thing I can be doing with my time right now, and I am so incredibly glad that I can be serving the Lord and helping other people come closer to Christ.

This week we taught two new families.  It is such a blessing to be able to meet families who seem interested in the message of the restored gospel.  I am looking forward to our upcoming lessons with them to see how keeping commitments and working towards baptism have helped them.  I know that this is the Lord's work, and nothing can stop it from progressing.  I am just doing my best every day to study and invite the Spirit into my life so that I may be better able to serve Him.

I love being able to ride a bike.  We have so many more opportunities to talk to people and just stop and chat.  When you are driving by in a car, you can't really just pull up next to them and start talking.  But when you are riding bikes, you definitely can.  We have beach cruiser bikes, and people just love them!  Just yesterday we had conversations with two different less active people that wanted to just try our bikes out and to see what we were up to.  It is amazing how the Lord can bless our efforts in ways we never would have imagined.  (It reminds me of the part in The Hiding Place when Corrie Ten Boom's sister thanks the Lord for the fleas.  It has always kind of stayed with me to show that we never know how we are being blessed.)

The Atonement is real!  Every day I realize how much I need it in my life to help me with this work.  Missionary work is tough, but it is totally worth it.  It is only as I rely on the Lord and trust in Him that I am able to have the energy and courage to do what I am here to do.  I was reading in Alma 27:27 and it is talking about the people of Ammon (the Lamanites who repented and buried their swords).  It says, "And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God. And they were also distinguished for their ^azeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly ^bhonest and upright in all things; and they were ^cfirm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end."

How cool is that?!  They were known for their zeal towards God.  I was thinking about how I want to be remembered on my mission (my "legacy" or whatever), and I thought that it would be so amazing to be remembered for my zeal towards God.  And not only now on my mission, but for the rest of my life.  It made me stop and think if I am living every day with a zeal towards God that cannot be hidden.  It is like that song by Cherri Call that talks about how she can't stop smiling or being happy because she knows that Heavenly Father loves her and knows her name.