Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Pictures
Here are some of her pictures she has taken over the last couple of months. This first one is of her and Sister Hoover playing sock wars! Its one of her favorite past times, and can't wait to play it with us when she gets home.
Week 46
June 23, 2009
Hello family! I hope you all had a wonderful Father's day! Mine was pretty great. I thought of all of you and the blessing you all are. I am so richly blessed! Well it has been a crazy adventure here in Fountain Valley. Sister Fifita returned home on Wednesday. President called me right before lights out to tell me he had someone to come and be my companion. I dropped Sister Fifita off at the office and then rode with President and the Assistants to a different church building to pick up my new companion. Her name is Sister Gallik. She recently returned from her mission in McAllen Texas. She is the cousin to Sister Fifita and was companions with the other Sister Colwell. It was meant to be. We get along great and she is so good. She is teaching me so much. She is helping me to be a better missionary. Not many people get to have a returned missionary for a companion. It is one of the greatest blessings of my mission. This last week has also been pretty busy preparing for our baptisms. Edgardo and Jorge are going to be baptized tonight! We are so excited! Two of the priests in the ward are going to baptize them. All of the assignments were given to the Young Men. This will be a great experience for everyone. Edgardo and Jorge are so good. They are progressing well. It is so great to see the spirit change people’s lives! They are excited to be baptized. Their mom and the Aunt that referred them will be there. We are hoping that the spirit will touch the mother's heart and spark a desire to learn. This is a great experience for the ward and we are just so thrilled! It has been a while since they have had a baptism in the 1st ward. President told me that they will probably split up the wards next transfer. He asked me where I would want to go and I told him that I couldn't pick. I love all of the wards and I would be sad to leave any of them. We will see what happens. I can never predict it. I just go where I am called and know that all is in the Lord's hands. It's a good thing that we don't decide where we go. He knows best. I hope that you all enjoy this week! Today marks 11 months and I can hardly believe it! Where has the time gone? This has been the best decision I have ever made in my life. I will be forever grateful for this experience. I hope these next few months slow down a little. I am going to just love every minute of my mission. I love you all!
Love Hermana Mickelsen
Hello family! I hope you all had a wonderful Father's day! Mine was pretty great. I thought of all of you and the blessing you all are. I am so richly blessed! Well it has been a crazy adventure here in Fountain Valley. Sister Fifita returned home on Wednesday. President called me right before lights out to tell me he had someone to come and be my companion. I dropped Sister Fifita off at the office and then rode with President and the Assistants to a different church building to pick up my new companion. Her name is Sister Gallik. She recently returned from her mission in McAllen Texas. She is the cousin to Sister Fifita and was companions with the other Sister Colwell. It was meant to be. We get along great and she is so good. She is teaching me so much. She is helping me to be a better missionary. Not many people get to have a returned missionary for a companion. It is one of the greatest blessings of my mission. This last week has also been pretty busy preparing for our baptisms. Edgardo and Jorge are going to be baptized tonight! We are so excited! Two of the priests in the ward are going to baptize them. All of the assignments were given to the Young Men. This will be a great experience for everyone. Edgardo and Jorge are so good. They are progressing well. It is so great to see the spirit change people’s lives! They are excited to be baptized. Their mom and the Aunt that referred them will be there. We are hoping that the spirit will touch the mother's heart and spark a desire to learn. This is a great experience for the ward and we are just so thrilled! It has been a while since they have had a baptism in the 1st ward. President told me that they will probably split up the wards next transfer. He asked me where I would want to go and I told him that I couldn't pick. I love all of the wards and I would be sad to leave any of them. We will see what happens. I can never predict it. I just go where I am called and know that all is in the Lord's hands. It's a good thing that we don't decide where we go. He knows best. I hope that you all enjoy this week! Today marks 11 months and I can hardly believe it! Where has the time gone? This has been the best decision I have ever made in my life. I will be forever grateful for this experience. I hope these next few months slow down a little. I am going to just love every minute of my mission. I love you all!
Love Hermana Mickelsen
Week 45
June 16, 2009
I hope you are all doing well! It has been a wonderfully crazy week! Wednesday was a day at the Doctor's. We left early around 8:30 to go to Long Beach. We made it back to Fountain Valley around 11. Enough time to prepare snacks and eat some lunch. A member in the 1st ward then took us to Los Angeles. We left at noon and made it in time for her appointment at 1:30. We didn't get home until 4:30. It was a very long day. The doctor told Sister Fifita that there was no way that she could send her to Paraguay. She was pretty heartbroken. I feel so bad for her. It would be frustrating to be told that you can't where you were called to serve, especially after you had already passed a physical once. She is a trooper. Thursday we had zone conference. It was wonderful! We had it at the mission home. It was so great to be there in their home and to feel of the spirit there. We all just sat in the living room like one big huge family. It was just so great! President talked about the change that there has been in the last month. The difference was remarkable. He told us to keep doing what we are doing because we have seen that it works. We don't need faith in it anymore because we KNOW it works. He helped me rejuvenate and be excited for the time that lies ahead. He still feels the best is yet to come. I feel the same way. This is just the beginning of a miraculous journey. Sunday Jorge and Edgardo came to church! It was so great to see them there. I was worried that they wouldn't be there. We had an appointment Thursday night but they weren't there. And Tuesday they had cancelled on us because of the Lakers game. Side note: I am so grateful that the NBA finals are over. I'm not excited that the Lakers won but now it's not an excuse. Anyway, we tried to visit them on Saturday but they didn't answer. We called Saturday night to remind them about church but just got the answering machine. We called Sunday morning at 7:45 and they answered! We told them their ride would be there in 45 minutes. Needless to say they made it there. We switched their date to a Tuesday night so that it could be for YM and so that their mom could come. The first ward didn't realize it was so soon. They haven't had a baptism in quite some time. This will be great for them! We also met with Angela and Astrid. Angela was talking and just started crying. She is searching and is looking in the right place. She is tricky to find at home though. We called Friday night and it was a phone call guided by the spirit. They were in need of some comfort and we had no idea. Astrid's grandfather is dying and is in Peru. She was with her dad so her mom couldn't call her. We called for her to make sure she was ok. They were grateful for our call. I was just doing my job. Sometimes we think we are just trying to do our everyday things but to other people it is sometimes an answer to a prayer. Sunday night we had dinner with a family who is part Poly. The entire family came for dinner. It was a big event. Sister Fifita was excited to have met so many of her fellowmen. She had me do the thought because she felt too much pressure to do a good job. After I finished my thought they asked her to give her testimony. She thought she had gotten out of it but not so. It was pretty funny. Yesterday was a hard day. Sister Fifita couldn't get out of bed. She got up to get ready but then sunk to the floor and just laid there. I felt so bad but there was nothing I could do. We filled her prescription but not much else. She decided that she had enough strength to visit Hazel but then ended up falling asleep so I took her home. We cancelled the rest of appointments that day. She just slept the entire day. Sister Matthews cooked us dinner. We did go to our appointment with Edgardo and Jorge. We have to finish up their lessons before their baptism and they need to be reminded of us and have spiritual experiences. We don't want Satan to change their minds. President is working on finding me a new companion. We will see what happens. It is never a dull moment here. I am up for just about anything now. I just go with the flow. There is nothing as constant as change. Well I hope that you all have a wonderful week! Life is always good when you put the Lord first. I love you all so much! Thanks for your love and support! Until next time. Love Hermana Mickelsen
PS Angela speaks Spanish better than English so now I can practice my Spanish here in Fountain Valley. A tender mercy.
I hope you are all doing well! It has been a wonderfully crazy week! Wednesday was a day at the Doctor's. We left early around 8:30 to go to Long Beach. We made it back to Fountain Valley around 11. Enough time to prepare snacks and eat some lunch. A member in the 1st ward then took us to Los Angeles. We left at noon and made it in time for her appointment at 1:30. We didn't get home until 4:30. It was a very long day. The doctor told Sister Fifita that there was no way that she could send her to Paraguay. She was pretty heartbroken. I feel so bad for her. It would be frustrating to be told that you can't where you were called to serve, especially after you had already passed a physical once. She is a trooper. Thursday we had zone conference. It was wonderful! We had it at the mission home. It was so great to be there in their home and to feel of the spirit there. We all just sat in the living room like one big huge family. It was just so great! President talked about the change that there has been in the last month. The difference was remarkable. He told us to keep doing what we are doing because we have seen that it works. We don't need faith in it anymore because we KNOW it works. He helped me rejuvenate and be excited for the time that lies ahead. He still feels the best is yet to come. I feel the same way. This is just the beginning of a miraculous journey. Sunday Jorge and Edgardo came to church! It was so great to see them there. I was worried that they wouldn't be there. We had an appointment Thursday night but they weren't there. And Tuesday they had cancelled on us because of the Lakers game. Side note: I am so grateful that the NBA finals are over. I'm not excited that the Lakers won but now it's not an excuse. Anyway, we tried to visit them on Saturday but they didn't answer. We called Saturday night to remind them about church but just got the answering machine. We called Sunday morning at 7:45 and they answered! We told them their ride would be there in 45 minutes. Needless to say they made it there. We switched their date to a Tuesday night so that it could be for YM and so that their mom could come. The first ward didn't realize it was so soon. They haven't had a baptism in quite some time. This will be great for them! We also met with Angela and Astrid. Angela was talking and just started crying. She is searching and is looking in the right place. She is tricky to find at home though. We called Friday night and it was a phone call guided by the spirit. They were in need of some comfort and we had no idea. Astrid's grandfather is dying and is in Peru. She was with her dad so her mom couldn't call her. We called for her to make sure she was ok. They were grateful for our call. I was just doing my job. Sometimes we think we are just trying to do our everyday things but to other people it is sometimes an answer to a prayer. Sunday night we had dinner with a family who is part Poly. The entire family came for dinner. It was a big event. Sister Fifita was excited to have met so many of her fellowmen. She had me do the thought because she felt too much pressure to do a good job. After I finished my thought they asked her to give her testimony. She thought she had gotten out of it but not so. It was pretty funny. Yesterday was a hard day. Sister Fifita couldn't get out of bed. She got up to get ready but then sunk to the floor and just laid there. I felt so bad but there was nothing I could do. We filled her prescription but not much else. She decided that she had enough strength to visit Hazel but then ended up falling asleep so I took her home. We cancelled the rest of appointments that day. She just slept the entire day. Sister Matthews cooked us dinner. We did go to our appointment with Edgardo and Jorge. We have to finish up their lessons before their baptism and they need to be reminded of us and have spiritual experiences. We don't want Satan to change their minds. President is working on finding me a new companion. We will see what happens. It is never a dull moment here. I am up for just about anything now. I just go with the flow. There is nothing as constant as change. Well I hope that you all have a wonderful week! Life is always good when you put the Lord first. I love you all so much! Thanks for your love and support! Until next time. Love Hermana Mickelsen
PS Angela speaks Spanish better than English so now I can practice my Spanish here in Fountain Valley. A tender mercy.
Week 44
June 9, 2009
Hello family!I hope that this letter finds you all doing well! I am doing great! I love being a missionary! My new companion is great! Her name is Sister Fifita and she is from Long Beach. She lives not far from my first area. Her uncle was the ward mission leader and her sister came out and helped us teach lessons when I was with Sister Colwell. It is a small world. I think she is tired of telling everyone her story. It's different than most stories. Everyone is surprised when they hear she is from Long Beach. She is a great girl. She has such a great attitude and is so grateful for this "mini Mission". She is so fun. This week has been pretty busy. We didn't have any investigators at church on Sunday. I was shocked but all is well. We taught Sabrina and Tony on Thursday night. We talked about baptism again and I asked her if she thought about it. She thinks about it often and I asked if we could set a date. She said we could when her dad could baptize her. So this week our focus will be preparing Tony for the priesthood. I am so excited. I know that the Lord is blessing us here in the work. We taught Edgardo and Jorge last night. We had to change their date because they haven't been to church yet. They keep sleeping in. I asked them what we needed to do to get them to church. I told them I would call them in the morning to make sure they were up and that we would have a ride to pick them up. They said that would work. We are doing the same for Young Men's tonight. We have another appointment with them Thursday. They are opening up more and starting to show more interest. They are quiet boys. I have faith that they will continue to progress. I asked them if they wanted to be baptized and they said yes. Edgardo asked me what a temple was and if he could go there one day. I told him yes and that he could go inside after he was baptized. He was excited about that. We didn't have the opportunity to teach Angela and Astrid. They are pretty busy right now. Angela works weird hours and is in LA so she doesn't get home until late. Astrid is busy finishing up school. We should be able to spend more time with them when school is out. Same with Natasha and Sabrina. We have an appointment with Angela tomorrow but I don't know that we will be back in time. We are going to LA for the doctor and we will hit rush hour on the way back. Who knows what will happen. I am really excited about all of the work that is going on here. It really is miraculous. There haven't been many baptisms here, especially in the first and second wards. A man that we have been working with is going to move on from the missionary lessons and start temple prep. He will be going to the temple shortly. He is a remarkable man and has made great changes in his life. The gospel is truly a blessing to all those who internalize it. I am constantly amazed at the love our Father in Heaven has. The more we give the more we receive. The blessings are more than we can hope for. The gospel is true and it will never change. We will always reap the blessings as we are obedient and strive to be the best that we can be. I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful week! Take care and always remember how much you matter! No one can ever change your infinite worth, not even you. You will always be of worth in the site of God. Love Hermana Mickelsen
Hello family!I hope that this letter finds you all doing well! I am doing great! I love being a missionary! My new companion is great! Her name is Sister Fifita and she is from Long Beach. She lives not far from my first area. Her uncle was the ward mission leader and her sister came out and helped us teach lessons when I was with Sister Colwell. It is a small world. I think she is tired of telling everyone her story. It's different than most stories. Everyone is surprised when they hear she is from Long Beach. She is a great girl. She has such a great attitude and is so grateful for this "mini Mission". She is so fun. This week has been pretty busy. We didn't have any investigators at church on Sunday. I was shocked but all is well. We taught Sabrina and Tony on Thursday night. We talked about baptism again and I asked her if she thought about it. She thinks about it often and I asked if we could set a date. She said we could when her dad could baptize her. So this week our focus will be preparing Tony for the priesthood. I am so excited. I know that the Lord is blessing us here in the work. We taught Edgardo and Jorge last night. We had to change their date because they haven't been to church yet. They keep sleeping in. I asked them what we needed to do to get them to church. I told them I would call them in the morning to make sure they were up and that we would have a ride to pick them up. They said that would work. We are doing the same for Young Men's tonight. We have another appointment with them Thursday. They are opening up more and starting to show more interest. They are quiet boys. I have faith that they will continue to progress. I asked them if they wanted to be baptized and they said yes. Edgardo asked me what a temple was and if he could go there one day. I told him yes and that he could go inside after he was baptized. He was excited about that. We didn't have the opportunity to teach Angela and Astrid. They are pretty busy right now. Angela works weird hours and is in LA so she doesn't get home until late. Astrid is busy finishing up school. We should be able to spend more time with them when school is out. Same with Natasha and Sabrina. We have an appointment with Angela tomorrow but I don't know that we will be back in time. We are going to LA for the doctor and we will hit rush hour on the way back. Who knows what will happen. I am really excited about all of the work that is going on here. It really is miraculous. There haven't been many baptisms here, especially in the first and second wards. A man that we have been working with is going to move on from the missionary lessons and start temple prep. He will be going to the temple shortly. He is a remarkable man and has made great changes in his life. The gospel is truly a blessing to all those who internalize it. I am constantly amazed at the love our Father in Heaven has. The more we give the more we receive. The blessings are more than we can hope for. The gospel is true and it will never change. We will always reap the blessings as we are obedient and strive to be the best that we can be. I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful week! Take care and always remember how much you matter! No one can ever change your infinite worth, not even you. You will always be of worth in the site of God. Love Hermana Mickelsen
Week 43
June 2, 2009
Hello everyone! I hope that you are all doing well! It has been an amazing week! Probably one of the best in my mission! We were so busy and witnessed so many miracles! Where do I begin? First I will tell you about today. It has already been crazy! I got up early and sent off Sister Brinegar. I will miss her! She is a great friend and awesome companion. I wish her well. Grandma Rowe dropped me off at the Chase's to be with the other Hermana’s. I was back before it was time to get up. President Sexton called around 8 and asked if we could be flexible. He then told us that we weren't getting any missionaries because of the swine flu. We thought maybe a trio but we aren't in a trio. There is a sister who is available to serve on a temporary basis from this area. She will be my companion. I don't know if things will switch up again next Tuesday or what. We have all been thrown for a loop. It is in God's hands and He will take care of it. Guess we'll see. I will be staying here in Fountain Valley for this transfer. Are you ready for a crazy report? Ok, so Tuesday we were walking to go to an appointment with an Egyptian man we met last week. He spoke Arabic so we took an Arabic Book of Mormon with us to give him. Well he wasn't home so we were just walking around talking to people. We met a couple and talked to them about the Book of Mormon. We asked them if they would take a copy and he said he would but didn't read English well, he spoke Arabic. So we gave him the Book of Mormon in Arabic. What American carries an Arabic book? Missionaries. God prepared us to give that book to them. It was no coincidence. He was hesitant to give us any information so we gave him our number. The seed has been planted; God will take care of the rest. Friday we found a referral that we had been looking for and hadn't found. We sat down and taught them a first lesson and committed them to be baptized. They are set to be baptized in 2 weeks. We came out of the house and looked at each other and said "what just happened?" The first ward hasn't had a baptism since Sister Bunch and she left a good couple of months before I came around to the mission. It was a great miracle! These boys, Edgardo and Jorge, are 15 and 17 and were referred by their aunt who was baptized a couple of years ago. I can't even describe how I felt. We did nothing but knock on the door. Sunday was another miracle. We had many less actives at church that haven't been since I have been there. We were sitting in Sunday School for the 3rd ward and President Parker, the Stake President came and found us. He came to tell us that 2 women, a mother and daughter had just walked into the church and wanted to learn more. We went and met them and one of them Angela, the mother stayed for Sacrament Meeting. Astrid didn't want to come in because she had a simulated baby for school and didn’t' want it to go off. We told her no one would care but she didn't want to. We are going by to see them next week. They seem very interested and promising. We now have 2 potentials in every ward. If it is the will of the Lord we could have 6 baptisms this transfer! I am praying that I can say what they need to hear. I know that if I do my best that He will make up the difference. If they are ready it will happen. We taught Sabrina and Natasha on Sunday with Tony. It was a really great lesson. Sister Brinegar was going to commit them again to be baptized but the subject got changed and then we had to go. Their home teacher came to teach them. They are ready. It was truly one of the best weeks of my mission. I got so tired of food. We ate out for lunch and dinner 3 days straight. I didn't even need groceries because I didn't eat at home. Everyone wanted to say goodbye to Sister Brinegar. I was able to go back and say goodbye to some families in Westminster last night. I was with the other sisters. We visited Monica and Gretchen and the Bautistas. It was great to see them. I also saw Bishop Johnson at the distribution center when we were doing service. It was wonderful to see them all. Cleo made some good food for me. I couldn't eat very much because I just had a pit in my stomach. They kept trying and trying to get me to eat more. I just let it sit on my plate and told them I couldn't. Finally Osvaldo said he would eat it for me after I told them it would make me sick. It was so good but I just couldn't eat. Everyone was so excited to see me and I was excited to see them all as well. Missions are a wonderful blessing. I have met so many wonderful people and I have learned so much. I would never trade this experience for anything, even the hard times. Well I hope all is well wherever you are! I love you and pray for you always! Thank you for all of your love and support!
Hello everyone! I hope that you are all doing well! It has been an amazing week! Probably one of the best in my mission! We were so busy and witnessed so many miracles! Where do I begin? First I will tell you about today. It has already been crazy! I got up early and sent off Sister Brinegar. I will miss her! She is a great friend and awesome companion. I wish her well. Grandma Rowe dropped me off at the Chase's to be with the other Hermana’s. I was back before it was time to get up. President Sexton called around 8 and asked if we could be flexible. He then told us that we weren't getting any missionaries because of the swine flu. We thought maybe a trio but we aren't in a trio. There is a sister who is available to serve on a temporary basis from this area. She will be my companion. I don't know if things will switch up again next Tuesday or what. We have all been thrown for a loop. It is in God's hands and He will take care of it. Guess we'll see. I will be staying here in Fountain Valley for this transfer. Are you ready for a crazy report? Ok, so Tuesday we were walking to go to an appointment with an Egyptian man we met last week. He spoke Arabic so we took an Arabic Book of Mormon with us to give him. Well he wasn't home so we were just walking around talking to people. We met a couple and talked to them about the Book of Mormon. We asked them if they would take a copy and he said he would but didn't read English well, he spoke Arabic. So we gave him the Book of Mormon in Arabic. What American carries an Arabic book? Missionaries. God prepared us to give that book to them. It was no coincidence. He was hesitant to give us any information so we gave him our number. The seed has been planted; God will take care of the rest. Friday we found a referral that we had been looking for and hadn't found. We sat down and taught them a first lesson and committed them to be baptized. They are set to be baptized in 2 weeks. We came out of the house and looked at each other and said "what just happened?" The first ward hasn't had a baptism since Sister Bunch and she left a good couple of months before I came around to the mission. It was a great miracle! These boys, Edgardo and Jorge, are 15 and 17 and were referred by their aunt who was baptized a couple of years ago. I can't even describe how I felt. We did nothing but knock on the door. Sunday was another miracle. We had many less actives at church that haven't been since I have been there. We were sitting in Sunday School for the 3rd ward and President Parker, the Stake President came and found us. He came to tell us that 2 women, a mother and daughter had just walked into the church and wanted to learn more. We went and met them and one of them Angela, the mother stayed for Sacrament Meeting. Astrid didn't want to come in because she had a simulated baby for school and didn’t' want it to go off. We told her no one would care but she didn't want to. We are going by to see them next week. They seem very interested and promising. We now have 2 potentials in every ward. If it is the will of the Lord we could have 6 baptisms this transfer! I am praying that I can say what they need to hear. I know that if I do my best that He will make up the difference. If they are ready it will happen. We taught Sabrina and Natasha on Sunday with Tony. It was a really great lesson. Sister Brinegar was going to commit them again to be baptized but the subject got changed and then we had to go. Their home teacher came to teach them. They are ready. It was truly one of the best weeks of my mission. I got so tired of food. We ate out for lunch and dinner 3 days straight. I didn't even need groceries because I didn't eat at home. Everyone wanted to say goodbye to Sister Brinegar. I was able to go back and say goodbye to some families in Westminster last night. I was with the other sisters. We visited Monica and Gretchen and the Bautistas. It was great to see them. I also saw Bishop Johnson at the distribution center when we were doing service. It was wonderful to see them all. Cleo made some good food for me. I couldn't eat very much because I just had a pit in my stomach. They kept trying and trying to get me to eat more. I just let it sit on my plate and told them I couldn't. Finally Osvaldo said he would eat it for me after I told them it would make me sick. It was so good but I just couldn't eat. Everyone was so excited to see me and I was excited to see them all as well. Missions are a wonderful blessing. I have met so many wonderful people and I have learned so much. I would never trade this experience for anything, even the hard times. Well I hope all is well wherever you are! I love you and pray for you always! Thank you for all of your love and support!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Week 42
May 26, 2009
I hope you are all doing well! I am doing well as always. It has been a good week. The most exciting news is a little bit scary. Well for me but it was coming sooner or later. We sisters went to the mission home this morning so that Sister Brinegar could go the the temple with the departing missionaries. We got there super early because we were afraid of traffic so we parked up the street and were just chatting. Well wouldn't you know that President walked out and moved the van and saw us. He rolled down his window and told us that to come inside. So we were caught and we did. It ended up being perfect because he wanted to talk to all of us. He told us that we are a big topic of conversation. He isn't sure what it going to happen with us this Tuesday. We had one sister scheduled to come in and take Sister Brinegar's place and then 4 scheduled to come in July. Those 4 entered the MTC on the 13th and one of them minored in spanish and was moved to the advanced class and will be coming to the field on June 2nd as well. It creates a problem because we will have an odd number and neither place can have 3 sisters. There just isn't room. He had us put on priority for a visa delay sister but we won't know until Monday if one is coming. He has arrangements for us to go to an area where there are Elders now but he wouldn't tell us. So all 3 of us may train this transfer and next transfer. It will probably be Sister Hart and I training if we don't get a third because we drive. I don't know that I am ready to have a new sister but ready or not here it comes! I am so excited but so scared at the same time. I will be on my knees a lot more than I already am. I don't know if I will get transferred and train or if I will stay in the same area and train. It is always up in the air. The scenario you think will happen never happens. Another couple of crazy transfers! I think that transfer calls will be pointless because it will most likely change on Monday. I guess we will see what happens. I will be going to a training meeting on Friday which means time at the mission home and with Sisters Hart and Choi. I am excited about that! I love being with other sisters and with President. We had a great lesson with Tony and his girls the other night. Tony is so great and so humble. He is so willing to help and learn and just wants the best for his girls. We taught them a first lesson and at the end I committed them to be baptized but they don't have a date. It didn't feel right. They did say that they would be baptized in the future but not yet. I honestly don't think that will take that long especially if it keeps going like it is. They come to church and they ask great questions and they are just so good. They have great fellowship already. We will just let the spirit do its work. It is so great to see the blessings of the gospel and how it touches the lives of those who listen. We had a great lesson with Brother Burrows. We always teach at Brother Andreason's house. When we were there Tuesday night he took us outside and showed us his orchid greenhouse. It was amazing! There were hundreds of them. They weren't blooming but some were close. I never knew that it took 7-8 years for one to bloom. He makes crosses and creates his own orchids. It was so cool! That is one of his hobbies. It reminded me of you dad and your love for plants and nature. My companions are always impressed that I know so much about flowers and bugs. They start asking me a bunch of questions that I can't answer. I am a little rusty. I have been thinking about other things I guess. Yesterday was an interesting day. I am not a huge fan of holidays as a missionary but I do my best. The 3rd ward had a triathalon. We went after studies to mingle and get free food. They wanted us there the whole time but we told them that wouldn't fly with President. He wanted us to invite him but we told him that if we did then we wouldn't be able to go. So we went for our lunch and did the best we could. We talked with some non members but nothing solid. It was a good little activity. Every one we tried to visit was busy with family or not home. So we ended up walking around a lot. Well my time is short but I hope that you all know how much I love you! I hope you have a wonderful week and I will let you know who my new companion is and where I will be! I love you!
Love Hermana Mickelsen
I hope you are all doing well! I am doing well as always. It has been a good week. The most exciting news is a little bit scary. Well for me but it was coming sooner or later. We sisters went to the mission home this morning so that Sister Brinegar could go the the temple with the departing missionaries. We got there super early because we were afraid of traffic so we parked up the street and were just chatting. Well wouldn't you know that President walked out and moved the van and saw us. He rolled down his window and told us that to come inside. So we were caught and we did. It ended up being perfect because he wanted to talk to all of us. He told us that we are a big topic of conversation. He isn't sure what it going to happen with us this Tuesday. We had one sister scheduled to come in and take Sister Brinegar's place and then 4 scheduled to come in July. Those 4 entered the MTC on the 13th and one of them minored in spanish and was moved to the advanced class and will be coming to the field on June 2nd as well. It creates a problem because we will have an odd number and neither place can have 3 sisters. There just isn't room. He had us put on priority for a visa delay sister but we won't know until Monday if one is coming. He has arrangements for us to go to an area where there are Elders now but he wouldn't tell us. So all 3 of us may train this transfer and next transfer. It will probably be Sister Hart and I training if we don't get a third because we drive. I don't know that I am ready to have a new sister but ready or not here it comes! I am so excited but so scared at the same time. I will be on my knees a lot more than I already am. I don't know if I will get transferred and train or if I will stay in the same area and train. It is always up in the air. The scenario you think will happen never happens. Another couple of crazy transfers! I think that transfer calls will be pointless because it will most likely change on Monday. I guess we will see what happens. I will be going to a training meeting on Friday which means time at the mission home and with Sisters Hart and Choi. I am excited about that! I love being with other sisters and with President. We had a great lesson with Tony and his girls the other night. Tony is so great and so humble. He is so willing to help and learn and just wants the best for his girls. We taught them a first lesson and at the end I committed them to be baptized but they don't have a date. It didn't feel right. They did say that they would be baptized in the future but not yet. I honestly don't think that will take that long especially if it keeps going like it is. They come to church and they ask great questions and they are just so good. They have great fellowship already. We will just let the spirit do its work. It is so great to see the blessings of the gospel and how it touches the lives of those who listen. We had a great lesson with Brother Burrows. We always teach at Brother Andreason's house. When we were there Tuesday night he took us outside and showed us his orchid greenhouse. It was amazing! There were hundreds of them. They weren't blooming but some were close. I never knew that it took 7-8 years for one to bloom. He makes crosses and creates his own orchids. It was so cool! That is one of his hobbies. It reminded me of you dad and your love for plants and nature. My companions are always impressed that I know so much about flowers and bugs. They start asking me a bunch of questions that I can't answer. I am a little rusty. I have been thinking about other things I guess. Yesterday was an interesting day. I am not a huge fan of holidays as a missionary but I do my best. The 3rd ward had a triathalon. We went after studies to mingle and get free food. They wanted us there the whole time but we told them that wouldn't fly with President. He wanted us to invite him but we told him that if we did then we wouldn't be able to go. So we went for our lunch and did the best we could. We talked with some non members but nothing solid. It was a good little activity. Every one we tried to visit was busy with family or not home. So we ended up walking around a lot. Well my time is short but I hope that you all know how much I love you! I hope you have a wonderful week and I will let you know who my new companion is and where I will be! I love you!
Love Hermana Mickelsen
Week 41
May 19, 2009
This week has been so great! One of the highlights of the week was the primary activity. Sister Brinegar and I were invited to talk to the kids in the Fountain Valley 2nd ward and talk to them about our missions. It was so fun. As I was telling them about my decision to go on a mission tears filled my eyes as I said it is true. That is the real reason that I am on a mission, because it is all true. It was a wonderful reminder of the greatness of this gospel and the love I have for it. We talked for about 10 minutes and then the kids asked us questions. It was really great. The children are so great and have sweet spirits. Another highlight that wasn't exactly fun but crazy was the earthquake. There was 5.0 earthquake in North LA but we felt down here in Fountain Valley. We had come home and we were visting with the Matthews when all of a sudden the house started shaking and we could hear rumbling. It was pretty crazy. It got my heart racing and it took a few minutes for it to calm down. It was quite the experience. Nothing happened to anything in the house or to us but it shook me up:). We were nervous it would happen in our sleep but nothing did. Yesterday we visited our dear Hazel. Oh how I love her! We gave her a birthday card, her birthday is Thursday and she will be 90!!!! We sang "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus" and she just loved it. We did too! The spirit was so sweet. We have had some great lessons this last week. We are teaching a less active lady who sometimes just doesn' t seem interested. It is frustrating sometimes because we feel like she isn't connecting and we are just going through a checklist. This last week we decided to teach her about faith as a principle of action. When we got to her house she asked us about the word grace and asked us to define it. So we opened the bible dictionary and it says that we are saved by grace after all we can do. So we have to do our part in order to receive grace. It was amazing how perfect in lead into what we wanted to teach. We didn't the lesson we had planned to teach with it but we taught what she felt she needed. I love when the spirit confirms what you have prayerfully selected. It was what she needed because she asked about it before we even said anything. This truly is the Lord's work and He will help if we seek it. So Saturday night we visited Grandma and Grandpa Rowe. THey make sure we are full before we leave of all the goods. Even if you say no Grandpa still gets it for you. He had gotten me a root beer float and then asked Sister Brinegar if she wanted one as well. She said no but he brought her a can of root beer and then gave her a bowl of ice cream. He told her that she wanted it she just didn't know it. We were all laughing pretty hard. Grandma Rowe is going to take us to the airport because we have to be there so early and we don't want to bother the other sisters. There is no reason that they should get up so early. Then she will just drop me off in Westminster around 6 or so where we will wait until the afternoon to pick up the newest sister. Crazy times. Well it has been another wonderful week. I love being a missionary and I am so grateful for this sacred opportunity. I love all of you and hope that you have a wonderful week. I pray for you all always!
Love Hermana Mickelsen
This week has been so great! One of the highlights of the week was the primary activity. Sister Brinegar and I were invited to talk to the kids in the Fountain Valley 2nd ward and talk to them about our missions. It was so fun. As I was telling them about my decision to go on a mission tears filled my eyes as I said it is true. That is the real reason that I am on a mission, because it is all true. It was a wonderful reminder of the greatness of this gospel and the love I have for it. We talked for about 10 minutes and then the kids asked us questions. It was really great. The children are so great and have sweet spirits. Another highlight that wasn't exactly fun but crazy was the earthquake. There was 5.0 earthquake in North LA but we felt down here in Fountain Valley. We had come home and we were visting with the Matthews when all of a sudden the house started shaking and we could hear rumbling. It was pretty crazy. It got my heart racing and it took a few minutes for it to calm down. It was quite the experience. Nothing happened to anything in the house or to us but it shook me up:). We were nervous it would happen in our sleep but nothing did. Yesterday we visited our dear Hazel. Oh how I love her! We gave her a birthday card, her birthday is Thursday and she will be 90!!!! We sang "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus" and she just loved it. We did too! The spirit was so sweet. We have had some great lessons this last week. We are teaching a less active lady who sometimes just doesn' t seem interested. It is frustrating sometimes because we feel like she isn't connecting and we are just going through a checklist. This last week we decided to teach her about faith as a principle of action. When we got to her house she asked us about the word grace and asked us to define it. So we opened the bible dictionary and it says that we are saved by grace after all we can do. So we have to do our part in order to receive grace. It was amazing how perfect in lead into what we wanted to teach. We didn't the lesson we had planned to teach with it but we taught what she felt she needed. I love when the spirit confirms what you have prayerfully selected. It was what she needed because she asked about it before we even said anything. This truly is the Lord's work and He will help if we seek it. So Saturday night we visited Grandma and Grandpa Rowe. THey make sure we are full before we leave of all the goods. Even if you say no Grandpa still gets it for you. He had gotten me a root beer float and then asked Sister Brinegar if she wanted one as well. She said no but he brought her a can of root beer and then gave her a bowl of ice cream. He told her that she wanted it she just didn't know it. We were all laughing pretty hard. Grandma Rowe is going to take us to the airport because we have to be there so early and we don't want to bother the other sisters. There is no reason that they should get up so early. Then she will just drop me off in Westminster around 6 or so where we will wait until the afternoon to pick up the newest sister. Crazy times. Well it has been another wonderful week. I love being a missionary and I am so grateful for this sacred opportunity. I love all of you and hope that you have a wonderful week. I pray for you all always!
Love Hermana Mickelsen
Week 40
May 12, 2009
Hello my dear family! I hope you are all doing well! I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's day! Mine was so great! It was wonderful to be able to hear your voices and chat just like old times. There is something about hearing the words I love you instead of just reading them. I was moved to tears when I heard you ask how I was doing and how my foot was. I know you are always wondering that and I am doing great but it was good to hear you ask instead of reading it. After we hung up it was back to work. We had the privilege of attending a baptism in the Beach ward. Byron was baptized and it was so wonderful! The spirit was so sweet. Byron was wiping tears the entire time. He is a choice spirit and has a strong desire to follow his Savior. There is nothing better than a baptism. We sang "A Child's Prayer" with the elders and other sisters. It was pretty funny. We sang it all together and then when it broke into parts the elders stopped singing. It was an abrupt ending which made us all laugh. The church is still true. I was able to see Bishop Johnson and his wife and the Wheeler's. It was so great to see them! I miss them a lot. They have had such an impact on my life. I look forward to the friendship that we have created and know that it will continue beyond the mission. Sister Hart told me that another of our investigators as decided to be baptized. I am so excited for her and the miracles that are happening in the Beach ward. There are miracles happening throughout the mission. What a great work to be involved in. Our mission exceeded our standard of excellence for baptismal dates for the first time. We had 12 baptisms this last week. The Lord truly blesses us as we move forward in faith, nothing wavering. The Church is true. The Book of Mormon is true. I am about to finish it again this week and I never stop learning. Take time to read it everyday and you will be amazed at the difference it will make in your life. I love this gospel. It truly has been restored and we are so blessed to live in such a time. I love each and everyone of you so much! Thanks for being such great examples to me. Have a wonderful week!
Love Hermana Mickelsen
Hello my dear family! I hope you are all doing well! I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's day! Mine was so great! It was wonderful to be able to hear your voices and chat just like old times. There is something about hearing the words I love you instead of just reading them. I was moved to tears when I heard you ask how I was doing and how my foot was. I know you are always wondering that and I am doing great but it was good to hear you ask instead of reading it. After we hung up it was back to work. We had the privilege of attending a baptism in the Beach ward. Byron was baptized and it was so wonderful! The spirit was so sweet. Byron was wiping tears the entire time. He is a choice spirit and has a strong desire to follow his Savior. There is nothing better than a baptism. We sang "A Child's Prayer" with the elders and other sisters. It was pretty funny. We sang it all together and then when it broke into parts the elders stopped singing. It was an abrupt ending which made us all laugh. The church is still true. I was able to see Bishop Johnson and his wife and the Wheeler's. It was so great to see them! I miss them a lot. They have had such an impact on my life. I look forward to the friendship that we have created and know that it will continue beyond the mission. Sister Hart told me that another of our investigators as decided to be baptized. I am so excited for her and the miracles that are happening in the Beach ward. There are miracles happening throughout the mission. What a great work to be involved in. Our mission exceeded our standard of excellence for baptismal dates for the first time. We had 12 baptisms this last week. The Lord truly blesses us as we move forward in faith, nothing wavering. The Church is true. The Book of Mormon is true. I am about to finish it again this week and I never stop learning. Take time to read it everyday and you will be amazed at the difference it will make in your life. I love this gospel. It truly has been restored and we are so blessed to live in such a time. I love each and everyone of you so much! Thanks for being such great examples to me. Have a wonderful week!
Love Hermana Mickelsen
Week 39
May 5, 20009
Hello Everyone!I am doing well. It has been a great week despite the reappearance of tendonitis. I just go and do as I can and try to rest up the rest of the time. I was hoping I was out of the water but not so. Heavenly Father as more to teach me I guess. We had a wonderful Zone Conference. President has asked a lot of us but we have already seen the blessings of his vision for this mission. He has asked that we commit people to baptism in our first lesson. He wants us to be bold and knows that if we have the faith the miracles will happen. We had 124 dates set this last week within the mission. That is the highest it has been. If we faithfully do this we will weed through the investigators that just aren't ready and find those who are ready. The spirit was amazing and you could really feel that it was inspired. He told us that they Zone Conference all planned and then the weekend before President felt he needed to change it. It will be hard for me to do because it is going to take some major stretching but I have faith and the desire to do what is asked. On Friday night we had a wonderful lesson with Tony. We met with him in the Kendrick home. I met his daughter Natasha. We went in with a prayer and knowing that we were going to commit him to be baptized. Before we started the lesson he was asking us about baptism and what happens, what you have to wear. I was like are you kidding? No one does that. So anyway we taught him so much. He kept asking all of these questions and it was a great discussion. We finally got to the lesson we had prepared and at the end I commited him to be baptized. It was the first time I had ever done it and I was so nervous. It was so dang hot in that house and I just was so nervous. He said Yes I will! and we were all relieved. We of course knew that he was ready but we weren't sure if he knew himself that he was ready. So Tony is being baptized this Saturday and will be confirmed on Sunday. We are so excited. The sisters are also having a baptism this weekend of someone that Sister Hart and I met the day before I got transferred. This sweet man just had tears streaming down is face. Sister Hart said that he went to church on Sunday and then when they went to visit him Monday he had shaved his bushy beard. He is progressing well and seeing the love of his heavenly Father in his life. It is a wonderful experience to see the gospel bring light into someone's life. There are no words to describe it. The gospel just blesses us in every aspect of our lives. The gospel is true. I love being a missionary and having the sacred calling of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He truly lives and knows each and everyone of us. If we take the time to put him first in our lives everything else falls into place. I have seen it happen. I know it to be true. I love all of you and hope that your week is full of greatness and success! Until next time...HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all of the wonderful mothers in my family.
Love Hermana Mickelsen
Hello Everyone!I am doing well. It has been a great week despite the reappearance of tendonitis. I just go and do as I can and try to rest up the rest of the time. I was hoping I was out of the water but not so. Heavenly Father as more to teach me I guess. We had a wonderful Zone Conference. President has asked a lot of us but we have already seen the blessings of his vision for this mission. He has asked that we commit people to baptism in our first lesson. He wants us to be bold and knows that if we have the faith the miracles will happen. We had 124 dates set this last week within the mission. That is the highest it has been. If we faithfully do this we will weed through the investigators that just aren't ready and find those who are ready. The spirit was amazing and you could really feel that it was inspired. He told us that they Zone Conference all planned and then the weekend before President felt he needed to change it. It will be hard for me to do because it is going to take some major stretching but I have faith and the desire to do what is asked. On Friday night we had a wonderful lesson with Tony. We met with him in the Kendrick home. I met his daughter Natasha. We went in with a prayer and knowing that we were going to commit him to be baptized. Before we started the lesson he was asking us about baptism and what happens, what you have to wear. I was like are you kidding? No one does that. So anyway we taught him so much. He kept asking all of these questions and it was a great discussion. We finally got to the lesson we had prepared and at the end I commited him to be baptized. It was the first time I had ever done it and I was so nervous. It was so dang hot in that house and I just was so nervous. He said Yes I will! and we were all relieved. We of course knew that he was ready but we weren't sure if he knew himself that he was ready. So Tony is being baptized this Saturday and will be confirmed on Sunday. We are so excited. The sisters are also having a baptism this weekend of someone that Sister Hart and I met the day before I got transferred. This sweet man just had tears streaming down is face. Sister Hart said that he went to church on Sunday and then when they went to visit him Monday he had shaved his bushy beard. He is progressing well and seeing the love of his heavenly Father in his life. It is a wonderful experience to see the gospel bring light into someone's life. There are no words to describe it. The gospel just blesses us in every aspect of our lives. The gospel is true. I love being a missionary and having the sacred calling of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He truly lives and knows each and everyone of us. If we take the time to put him first in our lives everything else falls into place. I have seen it happen. I know it to be true. I love all of you and hope that your week is full of greatness and success! Until next time...HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all of the wonderful mothers in my family.
Love Hermana Mickelsen
week 38
April 28, 2009 Hello Family!I am grateful for all of the cards and letters and packages that were sent for my birthday. I was overwhelmed with the love that I felt. Thank you, thank you, thank you! It has been a wonderful week. This week went by a lot faster than last week. It just takes a little bit of time to adjust. Last Tuesday we went to Westminster with the intention of playing soccer with the other sisters but instead we just talked and talked and talked. It was wonderful to see them and just talk. That night we met 2 new investigators. They were referrals from the RC in provo. One of them, Miriam, requested a video and she was very excited to receive it and watch it. We are going by this week to teach her a lesson. We also met Gabriella. We had been trying by her house several times and this time she answered the door. She asked us if we had knocked before and told us that she usually doesn't answer the door unless she knows who it is. Some of her husbands family was recently baptized and they went and she really loves the peace we bring. She was so excited that we were there to see her and that we said a prayer for her. The timing is amazing because she left 2 days later and won't be back until May 8th. Had we not met her that night we probably would have considered it a bad referral. We gave her the Book of Mormon to read on the plane and told her that we would be back when she came home. It was such a wonderful miracle for us! We met a young girl walking the other day and we went by and taught her a first lesson yesterday afternoon. She seems to be searching and interested. We have another appointment with her next Monday. I was overwhelmed with the potentials that we are finding. This area is really hard to find people because it is orange county. The only people that will usually talk to us are the latin or other cultures and they are few in this area. We have been truly blessed. Tony came to church on Sunday. We taught him during Sunday School. He asked what the requirements were to be baptized. He is another Melissa. He is so ready and looking. He thanked the Bishop for letting him be a part of the congregation. We have an appointment with him this Friday with the ward mission leader. We are excited! Funny tidbit. The Bishop in the Fountain Valley 3rd ward is Bishop Johnson, no relation to Bishop Johnson in the Beach ward. We were in PEC on Sunday and he was asking where I was from, my address, what high school I went to, what year I graduated. He had lots of questions. Come to find out he is a Highland High Ram as well. He lived on 21st and 20th. Crazy. Anyway I asked him what year he graduated and everyone just laughed. I said it was a fair question. He answered 1985. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I wasn't even born yet. Small world. The stake president also graduated from Highland. Go Rams. We had a fireside Sunday night about the Book of Mormon. A professor from BYU came and talked about how it followed the form of the bible and that no one could have just written it. There were at least 4 non members there and one of them was BOB. I just love Bob. He was very interested and very pleased with all that he learned. He was very impressed. He says he is not ready to make a commitment to any church but it will catch up to him. He loves the gospel already he just doesn't realize that he already has a testimony. Saturday was a great day. Not just because it was my birthday. We were able to do service! It was so great! We put on our yellow "mormon helping hands" shirts and went out and painted fire hydrants for the city of Fountain Valley. It was so fun! We got a map and a bucket of paint and went out and did 15 hydrants. There is no other way that I would have rather spent my birthday. We notice all of the hydrants as we drive now and make a comment if it didn't get painted. We didn't finish all of the hydrants but we did do a lot. Tomorrow is Zone Conference and I am pretty excited! I just love Zone Conference. I hope that you all have a wonderful week. The church is true and God truly does know who we are and what we are in need of. I love you!
Love Hermana Mickelsen
Love Hermana Mickelsen
week 37
April 21, 2009
Hello my dear family and friends!Well it has been a new experience for me this last week. I was transferred to Fountain Valley with Sister Brinegar. Last Tuesday I was nervous and a little uncertain about all that was going to happen. This week I am in much better spirits. I have been humbled and know that this is what the Lord needs and that I am where the Lord needs me to be. Sister Brinegar is so great! I just love her! This is her last transfer and we are determined to make her best. We get along great and we have shared many laughs. I am hitting a huge landmark this week of 9 months and I have been a little unsettled about it. It is a weird feeling to be on the downslide. It seemed like it would never come and now it is here I don't know how I feel about it. I had a hard week emotionally. It was a lot harder to transfer this time. Sister Brinegar was very patient and gave loving advice. She is a great friend already. We serve in 3 wards here in Fountain Valley. I was reading through my letters this last week and I read my first letter that I sent home from the field. I talked about how tired I was and how long church was. On sunday I just laughed because that was nothing. On Sunday we went PEC for the first ward at 745 and then went home and did our studies. After study we went to 3rd ward for sacrament, missionary correlation for 1st ward then to 2nd ward sacrament and 3rd ward correlation and then to 2nd ward Relief Society. In short we spent more than 5 hours in meetings at church. We then had a dinner appointment, a baptism for our district leader and then a lesson with Bob. I was soooooooo exhausted when I came home. I just wanted to sleep. 3 wards keeps us very busy. I tried to at least meet the bishop and the ward mission leaders. Man I thought one ward was a lot of work. Being able to attend a baptism was beautiful. The spirit is always so sweet and strong. I just love it. We had an amazing lesson with Bob. Sister Matthews, the member we live with, came with us. We were running a little late and we weren't quite sure how serious he was. When we got there he opened the door before we could knock and invited us in. We had a great lesson! He was so full of questions and a desire to learn. His word has taken him to Salt Lake for years and he loves the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He watches Music and the Spoken Word every Sunday. It seems very promising. He told us he would do more than pray about the Book of Mormon but that he was going to read it. It was really great. We do a lot of less active work here in Fountain Valley and I love it. Yesterday it got up to 100 and we were dying. It was so hot! The warm season is just beginning. Luckily we are pretty close to the coast so we can still feel the ocean breeze. We met an amazing lady the other day. We were picking some older members that we could go and meet that we didn't know. We chose a 90 year old lady and went to visit her. She is a foster mom for emergency shelter babies. Sister Brinegar and I were floored. She has so much energy and just loves these little babies. I want to be her when I grow up. It is weird being the driver. It has been a while since I have been behind the wheel but it is fun. I don't have to stand in back of the car and look silly now. I love the Matthews! They are a great family! They have a son who lives in the first ward. They are always looking out for us. If we don't have a meal appointment they make sure that we are fed. I am so excited to get new sisters! I am so excited for the experiences that they are going to have. There truly is nothing else like it! Oh I met another sweet old lady, Hazel. She is bedridden and has been for quite some time. She is so sweet! I love visiting the older generation. They are the best! She told me that I have all of the qualities to be a great nurse. We also met the Rowe's. We call then Grandma and Grandpa. They are funny! I truly love these people already and it is because of my testimony and love for my Savior. There is no other way to love than like the Savior. I love this work and I love this gospel! I know that this is the work of the Lord! I love all of you and wish the best of luck this week wherever you are! You are in my prayers and thoughts always! Love Hermana Mickelsen
Hello my dear family and friends!Well it has been a new experience for me this last week. I was transferred to Fountain Valley with Sister Brinegar. Last Tuesday I was nervous and a little uncertain about all that was going to happen. This week I am in much better spirits. I have been humbled and know that this is what the Lord needs and that I am where the Lord needs me to be. Sister Brinegar is so great! I just love her! This is her last transfer and we are determined to make her best. We get along great and we have shared many laughs. I am hitting a huge landmark this week of 9 months and I have been a little unsettled about it. It is a weird feeling to be on the downslide. It seemed like it would never come and now it is here I don't know how I feel about it. I had a hard week emotionally. It was a lot harder to transfer this time. Sister Brinegar was very patient and gave loving advice. She is a great friend already. We serve in 3 wards here in Fountain Valley. I was reading through my letters this last week and I read my first letter that I sent home from the field. I talked about how tired I was and how long church was. On sunday I just laughed because that was nothing. On Sunday we went PEC for the first ward at 745 and then went home and did our studies. After study we went to 3rd ward for sacrament, missionary correlation for 1st ward then to 2nd ward sacrament and 3rd ward correlation and then to 2nd ward Relief Society. In short we spent more than 5 hours in meetings at church. We then had a dinner appointment, a baptism for our district leader and then a lesson with Bob. I was soooooooo exhausted when I came home. I just wanted to sleep. 3 wards keeps us very busy. I tried to at least meet the bishop and the ward mission leaders. Man I thought one ward was a lot of work. Being able to attend a baptism was beautiful. The spirit is always so sweet and strong. I just love it. We had an amazing lesson with Bob. Sister Matthews, the member we live with, came with us. We were running a little late and we weren't quite sure how serious he was. When we got there he opened the door before we could knock and invited us in. We had a great lesson! He was so full of questions and a desire to learn. His word has taken him to Salt Lake for years and he loves the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He watches Music and the Spoken Word every Sunday. It seems very promising. He told us he would do more than pray about the Book of Mormon but that he was going to read it. It was really great. We do a lot of less active work here in Fountain Valley and I love it. Yesterday it got up to 100 and we were dying. It was so hot! The warm season is just beginning. Luckily we are pretty close to the coast so we can still feel the ocean breeze. We met an amazing lady the other day. We were picking some older members that we could go and meet that we didn't know. We chose a 90 year old lady and went to visit her. She is a foster mom for emergency shelter babies. Sister Brinegar and I were floored. She has so much energy and just loves these little babies. I want to be her when I grow up. It is weird being the driver. It has been a while since I have been behind the wheel but it is fun. I don't have to stand in back of the car and look silly now. I love the Matthews! They are a great family! They have a son who lives in the first ward. They are always looking out for us. If we don't have a meal appointment they make sure that we are fed. I am so excited to get new sisters! I am so excited for the experiences that they are going to have. There truly is nothing else like it! Oh I met another sweet old lady, Hazel. She is bedridden and has been for quite some time. She is so sweet! I love visiting the older generation. They are the best! She told me that I have all of the qualities to be a great nurse. We also met the Rowe's. We call then Grandma and Grandpa. They are funny! I truly love these people already and it is because of my testimony and love for my Savior. There is no other way to love than like the Savior. I love this work and I love this gospel! I know that this is the work of the Lord! I love all of you and wish the best of luck this week wherever you are! You are in my prayers and thoughts always! Love Hermana Mickelsen
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