July 26, 2010

Uh so i've failed you... i didn't have time to take the picture! It has been one of the busiest weeks of my mission and I've loved it! also I LOVED your message! N let me listen to it on Saturday. We have met some of the most amazing people. Last week we had 2 investigators and one with a date. This week we're back to 11 with 4 dates. Sunday we had another baptism and it went SO good! his Name is D. We had a few issues to work out the night before but it was all good. He never showed any emotion or excitement about his baptism until the day of and then after that he was happier than ever! it was so fun to watch! He also brought his family which was so wonderful. The way we met him was actually really funny. His sister was a referal from a set of elders. We kept calling her house but she was never there and he always answered. We asked him who he was and a little bit about himself. One day we just decided we were going to call her and then if there was no answer go to her house. He answered the phone and she wasn't home so we just asked him if we could teach him about Jesus Christ. He said sure and the rest is history. The funniest part is we never met the sister until she showed up at his baptism! hopefully we can teach her next.
Be sure and tell Crystal hello for me and that I love her! I haven't heard from her my whole mission. I'm sure she's been super busy. Is there any way you could send me a catalog some day :) I was trying to tell some people some of the stuff we sell but they don't have the same brands here so they were confused. I can't believe how much I miss all of the fishing stuff. I never thought it would happen but whenever I see poles or anything at peoples houses I always look at them and they think i'm crazy haha. It sounds like you have been really busy at home. Eating healthy is a hard thing to do but its good. I've kind of failed the last week though. My companion made AMAZING banana pudding and her boyfriend sent us a 3lb bag of gummy bears. I jokingly told him I wanted gummy bears and thats what he sent us! so yeah...failing. but I still excercise so thats good. I can't run right now because I'm adjusting to my shoes and I don't want to get shin splints again but I should be able to soon. I actually really enjoy it. Also- You haven't sent me any pictures from home in all this time! ok a few but still... some more would be nice. UMMM Pretty much I just am really happy and loving being a missionary and thats about it. I laugh way too much and I work harder than I've ever worked in my life. I have the best companion in the world and she takes really good care of me and keeps me in line :) We have tons of fun together. I'm really hoping to stay here together longer. We started teaching in spanish again so I'm letting president know- hopefully he'll let me stay! Either way I'll learn a ton and have the opportunity to teach the gospel and that's what it's all about.

July 19, 2010

Last night we had a stake YSA fireside with Elder Gay from the 70. He was one of the last mission presidents in Ghana actually. It was really good. I was really lucky to go because only the YSA missionaries were invited. He is also doing our zone conference this wednesday. Elder Gay just talked about how the hardest thing to do in life is do things the Lord's way and to allow him to refine us. It was actually a question and answer session. I'm really excited about wednesday though. Sisters conference was tons of fun. They talked a lot about how important education is and having a stable testimony and stuff like that. Also it's really funny that the person at home getting baptized is named D because our investigator who is getting baptized on Sunday is D as well. Just spelled differently. Austil will love hearing from you 2 times. You're an amazing speaker and teacher. Hopefully some day I'll be as good at it as you! I loved your testimony as well. I'm so greatful to you and Dad and the other kids for your examples to me and your strength. It really helps me a lot! You're the best- I hope you know that. Our ward has changed SO much since sister Lowe came. The members LOVE us. we had 3 sisters last week give us their schedules for the week and ask if they could come out with us. We also had one girl- K- she's amazing!- spend nine hours with us on exchanges one day. It was so fun! as soon as sacrament gets over we have 9 or 10 people come up to give us hugs and say hello. It is so nice. I just love all of the members and I love the change in the branch. They're like whole new people. Thank you so much for sending the shoes. They will be WAY better- make sure you stick a little note in there too though because thats better than the shoes :) also i need some recipes from you since we cook for ourselves. I need your biscuit recipe- your poppyseed muffin base recipe- your blackberry cobbler recipe- and your raspberry cream cheese coffee cake recipe- and any others of my favorites. Every day for breakfast I eat oatmeal with fresh peaches or nectarines- YUM and then we make tons of tortillas and eat tacos but I want some stuff from home too.
HAVE A GOOD WEEK! LOVE YOU ALL!

July 13, 2010

This week has been incredibly busy for me. Friday was the sisters luncheon and it was really fun. It was on things I wish i'd known sooner. It was funny because president told me that day again that i'm the mission china doll. About 6 hours later M told me I look like a porcelain doll. The next day we did the Habitat for humanity service project as well. it was really amazing. Then that night we did a workshop on the atonement. It was really amazing as well. We also had transfers and i'm staying for one more. Our ward mission leader called president and asked him to keep both of us here so he did. I'm really excited! I love this branch and things are really starting to grow.
I wish I could just call Fred and the kids and tell them how much I love them but a letter is all I can do for them. Give each one of them a huge hug from me. Our ward mission leader now LOVES us. He is definitely going above and beyond to help us. We can't just go out and find investigators for ourselves because it would be really hard to seek out only 18 to 30 year olds who aren't married and don't have kids so we just find for everyone else and then we have 16 companionships looking for us. Unfortunately in 3 weeks we have only got 2 referals so things got really slow. In 11 days we passed 44 referals, which is an incredibly large number. Our ward mission leader decided that he is doing an all day exchange with all 16 sets of elders to find us investigators. He's amazing. We didn't ask him to talk to president either. He did it on his own. President told me my first day in the mission that I look like a china doll because he says my face is "perfect" (yeah right but i'll take it) so he was just telling me again. It was just really random that M said the same thing the same day.
The teaching is going well. I love teaching with Hermana Lowe. We have been doing lots of member missionary work with the branch. The running was going good until I got shin splints. My shoes don't have enough support to run outside so i had to slow down a little bit. My headaches come and go. The last two days have been bad but not really before that. I'm definitely less stressed and loving life. I'm trying to eat good but it's been so busy the last week or so that I haven't. I didn't find another skirt but i'll probably need more money for when i find one. I am DYING from the heat. I've never been so hot in my life and most places here don't have air conditioning. especially in peoples homes and so you just talk while sweat is pouring down your face. its fantastic! we've haven't had too much time to bike but we're working on it. I know how you feel on the ill part. You get used to it. add humidity to that! uggh I'm glad things are working out with the business. Its about time. I love you tons and want you to know I'm truly happy and the Lord is changing me so much. I love it. I am so blessed. You're the best mom in the world! I have no clue why Kyle's letter got returned. Tell him to print it and put it in the mail or else try sending it again.

July 6, 2010

Wow you've had a busy week. ours has been pretty slow with the holiday and everything but we're working on building things up. This week will be busy. Friday we have a sister's conference with president and sister Hale and then Saturday is a multi-stake YSA conference. Well its Friday and Saturday but we're only helping saturday because its a huge service project. We're building houses for Habitat for Humanity and i'm REALLY excited! then me and my companion are doing some rotating workshops for the evening. It will be a busy day. This week m told us about her life and it's amazing what life is like in other countries. She has only been here for a year. At 21 she had her own orphanage over there and she is just incredible. It is amazing how the Lord protected her along the way and prepared her for the gospel. She was able to come to a lesson with us the other day and her testimony is so powerful I love it. For the 4th we just ate crap food but it was fun. It was just another normal day. Yes i'm still running. We run every other day and i'm loving it. I'm still not very good but i'm working up to it. my clothes are definitely different than what i came out with but they are much cooler. The skirt i just bought actually got stuck in my bike chain and tore really bad so i guess i'm back to square one again. I guess there's no hope for me :( I also have to get some new shorts to work out in because when I run mine fall off now even when they're tied as tight as possible. I'll probably grab some at walmart today. I also have to pay the mission office like 30 dollars because they ordered me a magnetic tag for my jackets and also a book. We got special permission to read the continuous atonement by brad wilcox so i'm jumping on the opportunity! its a little pricey but worth it i'm sure. He came and spoke to the mission last fall- i think he was mission buddies with president Hale or something. I also probably have a charge on my card from walmart for groceries because when i moved into the apartment there was no money on the laundry cards but they had already given the laundry reimbursement money to the elders that lived here earlier in the month and so i was out like 30 bucks that i would have had for groceries. I also made the coolest lesson plans this week. They are all the parts of the plan of salvation. we copied them and then laminated them because the rainy season has hit and everything in our back packs are getting destroyed. Next week is transfers but I have no clue if i'm staying or not. I thought I would be here until august but president really wants me in the spanish as well so he hasn't decided. That also means p-day will be on tuesday again next week. This week it was because of the 4th.
also I LOVE LOVE LOVED the cds and letters from the YSA. Thank you SO much! All of my songs by motab are on there. You are all so wonderful. Also anytime you're sending something again throw in my tennis shoes. They are either in my room or in one of the tubs in Utah... the plastic ones. They have lime green on them. The ones I have don't give enough support when running and they have holes in them... just like everything else I own :) who knew being a missionary was so dang distructive!?!

Photos

June 28, 2010

his week has truly been a miracle for me. We taught m every day so that she would be prepared for her baptism this sunday. She honestly didn't even need us to teach her, because the lord already had. She knew everything we taught her and was SO prepared. Often times she was the one teaching us. I just love her so much! we've only known each other 7 days and yet i feel like i've known her forever. Her baptism went so well. We did it right after church so there was a great turn out. she was bursting with joy! when she went in the dressing room she had to cover her mouth with a towel because she was screaming- what she doesn't know is that we heard a little of it haha. everyone loved it. D is also one of our AMAZING investigators. Sunday was his first day at church and he loved it. he stayed for church, the baptism, and the linger longer. the night before I was in charge of a huge ward activity and both of them came for that as well. it was awesome. we did a picture scavenger hunt all over miami beach and then showed them on a projector while the kids ate ice cream. one of the things to do was give away book of mormons and pass along cards and they all did it! D loved the activity as well. He has a date for July 23. He asked how we had given him that date. I told him that me and Hermana Felton had got on our knees and asked our heavenly father when he could be ready and thats the date we were told. He told us that was the coolest thing he had ever heard and that its really special. I think he's getting really excited! I bought the new skirt and it worked with the bike but it already got stuck in my chain and tore. JUST MY LUCK! it's killing me but whatever. can you check my wells fargo again this week because i need to get a picture frame to give to marie with some pictures from her baptism and i also have to print some up of mildred's as well. The lord is truly blessing us! I love being a missionary. It is definitely the HARDEST thing i've ever done in my life but it's so worth it. Tell dad that i'm keeping a journal and i've tried to write in it every day since i entered the MTC. there are a few days i've missed but i've tried to write about them later. I'm so excited for how everything at work is going! sounds like you are super busy. also its funny you talked about the hands thing in rs. we've been talking a lot about that too lately.