Hi Everyone,
Well it turned cold here in Southern Cali. We got tons of rain and we got wet. One morning we went out and I had to cross a river to be behind the car so I could back Sister Hoover out. I didn't quite make it and my whole left leg was soaked. What a great way to start the day. Next rain season I will be senior companion. This week has been a week full of service. We spent time with Gretchen because she was doing very well. Andrew Wheeler helped out as well. Even though Gretchen was coughing hard and was out of breath at the slightest movement, she refused to go to the doctor. So we played behind her back and had the Bishop go over and he took her to the ER. He is so wonderful. She was admitted with pneumonia and was told that she had had a heart attack 10 days ago. She came home yesterday and all is well. She was pretty bad though. We are grateful that she is doing better. So I have a funny story for you. So we were in PEC on Sunday and Brother Boyce who is the Young Men's president had a concern he wanted to share. He was hesitant because he didn't know if anyone would understand him. He is from Utah and everyone, including himself, calls him an "Utahrd". Bishop Johnson told him to tell us and that if they didn't understand then I could translate for them because I too am a "Utahrd". Bishop said not only that but she can speak Spanish so she is a "Spantard". We were all laughing pretty hard. On Friday we were trying to find people home so that we didn't have to be out in the rain. Our regular appointment cancelled and we tried about 3 less actives who all were busy or not home. After visiting Sister Sawyer we went back to our car and ran into a young man. He asked if we were Mormon and we said yes. He was surprised that we were out working in the rain. We got in our car and he came over and asked us to roll the window down. He began telling us that we were wrong because in Galatians it says that if an angel comes down and preaches any gospel that is different from mine it will be wrong. We explained to him that God and Jesus Christ came first to restore the same gospel in the bible. He told us we were wrong and that the Book of Mormon was wrong. We asked if he had read it and he said no but that he knew it wasn't the word of God. Sister Hoover told him that she knew it was true and that the only way you could know was by reading it and asking God. Her voice wasn't rude but very powerful. It freaked me out a little. The guy didn't know what else to say and told us to have a good day. Sunday we had an investigator at church. Miguel came with his girlfriend and their kids. We need to get them married before we can baptize him. A lot of people knew her and her brother so we will have some great fellowship there. We had a great lesson with the Bautista's last night about the importance of church. Cleo is torn between her sons. She wants to be with her boys at church but wants to support her other son in soccer. It is very difficult for her. She wants to be there and she wants the young boys to be there too. With time they will come around. We just need to keep moving forward in faith. I know this church is true and I love it with all my heart. There is nothing that I would rather be doing. I love each and every one of you so much! Thanks for the notes from Sunday. I enjoyed hearing from all of you! I have the best family in the world! We are so blessed to have the gospel in our lives and the hope in the life to come. We know that we can all be together forever if we live faithfully and do our part. What a wonderful promise! I love you!
Have a wonderful week!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Week 26
Well it has been a wonderful week! A week of miracles for me and Sister Hoover. Tuesday night after our meetings with the ward mission leader and Bishop Johnson we were headed to the car. When we came out of the Bishop's office a lady stopped us and introduced to her 14 year old daughter who wanted to be baptized. We got their phone number from the Bishop and have been making preparations to teach her. We were so excited! Wednesday we had a good day. We went to the Bautista's to teach them English. It was fun. Cleo wanted help knowing how to say things to help her find a job. She is a seamstress and I don't know how to translate those words very well. I gave her a couple of phrases to use. She is so funny. It is interesting to watch people learn English because I am looking in a mirror. I see how I struggled and definitely have more patience than I used to. Thursday we had an amazing district meeting! Elder Sheets is
our new district leader. He is so great! We talked about planning and how we can make it more effective to help us in our work. Making sure that we have an Important activity planned for every hour of the day. After the meeting Elder Sheets told us that he felt inspired that everyone in our district should receive a priesthood blessing of comfort and counsel. I had wanted a priesthood blessing but I always get a little prideful. I don't want to be a needy sister missionary. He gave me and Sister Hoover blessings and it was truly amazing. It was a testimony to me that my Father in Heaven truly is aware of my needs and desires. Elder Sheets had no idea what I needed in my life right now but he was the instrument in which Heavenly Father used to comfort me and give me the strength that I need. It was really wonderful. An answer to my prayers. We had dinner with the Johnson's which is always a treat. You never know what kind of a mood the girls are going to be in. We had a family history activity and we helped Sister Johnson set up after dinner. She was grateful that we had offered. She didn't know what she was going to do. The only daughter that didn't have important obligations was Liz who is 8. Not the best age for quick help. It was fun. I love the Johnson family. Bishop claimed us as his daughters on Sunday. The High Priest Group Leader was taking out the lack of communication on us because we were present. Bishop told him to treat us nicely because we were his daughters. We love Bishop Johnson! Friday was a busy day. We had a lesson
with the Capps. I told him that if he wasn't at church on Sunday that I would be over after church asking him where he was. We went and visited Gretchen and found out that Monica was in the ER and that it was her second time that week. Her little baby Jaedyn who is teething has a cold, both ears are infected and an eye infection. His eyes had so much goop that when he would wake up his eyes would be caked shut. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen. We had them call their home teacher, President Chase to come over and give her a blessing. Evie brought us home golden spoon so we went to their house to pick it up. I met all of the Wheeler's. They are all so crazy and different. I just love that family. Their granddaughter was blessed on Sunday so everyone was in town. It made me a little sad to see what was happening at home but Heavenly Father kept me busy. Saturday we visited a referral with Andrew Wheeler. He was a perfect match for the guy. They live really close as well so it will be some great fellowship for us. We had dinner with the Bautista's. It was really good. It was Cesar's birthday but the family didn't do anything for him. It was sad. They are all mad at him. Sunday was a marvelous day! Saturday night Elder Sheets called and asked if we could pray as a district for the people we wanted at church. We had 3 out of the 5 show up. I have never had 3 investigators at church. Nick was one of them. He has been to church several times but we hadn't been given the green light to teach him yet. In ward council the young men's president told us that he had talked to his mom and she said that it was time. He is ready for the lessons. We are very excited! I think that will happen very quickly and we are going to involve the young men. When sacrament started he was the only one there. During the sacrament hymn, the Capps walked in and the Bautista's did with their cousin Aurora. It was truly a miracle. The Lord is opening the door. Noma wasn't able to make it but we taught her at Sister Wiseman's house after church. Sister Wiseman bore her testimony directly to brother and sister Capps. It was truly amazing. I think we are making a huge headway with Brother Capps. We had lunch with Sister Wiseman after church. It was my turn to give the thought. We talked about Alma 5:60. It talks about the Good Shepherd and how if we are in his fold he will protect us from the ravenous wolves who seek to destroy us. It is so true. The gospel of Jesus Christ will protect us more than we can imagine. Satan sends out some pretty nasty wolves to try and destroy everything good in our lives. Yesterday was amazing! We had zone conference. I just love zone conference! The spirit is always so amazing and leave very uplifted and edified. We talked a lot about making our studies and planning more effective to make every other aspect of the work the same. President taught us the plan of salvation and then we broke it down and talked about it. We made it to the Garden of Eden and the Fall and we talked for over an hour. He opened my mind to insight that I had never seen before. It was all there in the scriptures I had just never connected the dots that way. It was definitely some deep doctrine. I was blown away. We talked about the tree of life. He showed us how Jesus Christ is the tree of life and that Jesus Christ is the Love of God. It's pretty cool. Read the vision in 1 Nephi 8 and then read it in 11. It is truly amazing. I didn't cry in my interview like I usually do. I choked a little but there were no tears. He had us share something from our study journals. I love having gospel discussions with him. The Beach Ward fed us lunch. I just love the Beach ward. Andrew Wheeler came and I have never seen him so quiet. After zone conference we had Osvaldo follow us to the Wheeler's. He is going to live with them for a couple of weeks or so. He doesn't get any sleep at home when he gets off work. It was pretty entertaining. His English isn't very good but it will help to learn it quicker. He is excited to be there with them. They Wheeler's really are such a great family. We had 3 family home evenings last night. We had dinner with the Jenkins and then went to Monica and Gretchen's and then to the Bautista's. We talked about unity and then played Human knot. It was pretty easy because there were only 6 of us. Well I hope you all have a wonderful week! I can't believe that February is here. Where does the time go? Happy Birthday Clarissa Jane and Trent. I hope you have a wonderful day today! I love all of you and pray for you always! H. Mickelsen
our new district leader. He is so great! We talked about planning and how we can make it more effective to help us in our work. Making sure that we have an Important activity planned for every hour of the day. After the meeting Elder Sheets told us that he felt inspired that everyone in our district should receive a priesthood blessing of comfort and counsel. I had wanted a priesthood blessing but I always get a little prideful. I don't want to be a needy sister missionary. He gave me and Sister Hoover blessings and it was truly amazing. It was a testimony to me that my Father in Heaven truly is aware of my needs and desires. Elder Sheets had no idea what I needed in my life right now but he was the instrument in which Heavenly Father used to comfort me and give me the strength that I need. It was really wonderful. An answer to my prayers. We had dinner with the Johnson's which is always a treat. You never know what kind of a mood the girls are going to be in. We had a family history activity and we helped Sister Johnson set up after dinner. She was grateful that we had offered. She didn't know what she was going to do. The only daughter that didn't have important obligations was Liz who is 8. Not the best age for quick help. It was fun. I love the Johnson family. Bishop claimed us as his daughters on Sunday. The High Priest Group Leader was taking out the lack of communication on us because we were present. Bishop told him to treat us nicely because we were his daughters. We love Bishop Johnson! Friday was a busy day. We had a lesson
with the Capps. I told him that if he wasn't at church on Sunday that I would be over after church asking him where he was. We went and visited Gretchen and found out that Monica was in the ER and that it was her second time that week. Her little baby Jaedyn who is teething has a cold, both ears are infected and an eye infection. His eyes had so much goop that when he would wake up his eyes would be caked shut. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen. We had them call their home teacher, President Chase to come over and give her a blessing. Evie brought us home golden spoon so we went to their house to pick it up. I met all of the Wheeler's. They are all so crazy and different. I just love that family. Their granddaughter was blessed on Sunday so everyone was in town. It made me a little sad to see what was happening at home but Heavenly Father kept me busy. Saturday we visited a referral with Andrew Wheeler. He was a perfect match for the guy. They live really close as well so it will be some great fellowship for us. We had dinner with the Bautista's. It was really good. It was Cesar's birthday but the family didn't do anything for him. It was sad. They are all mad at him. Sunday was a marvelous day! Saturday night Elder Sheets called and asked if we could pray as a district for the people we wanted at church. We had 3 out of the 5 show up. I have never had 3 investigators at church. Nick was one of them. He has been to church several times but we hadn't been given the green light to teach him yet. In ward council the young men's president told us that he had talked to his mom and she said that it was time. He is ready for the lessons. We are very excited! I think that will happen very quickly and we are going to involve the young men. When sacrament started he was the only one there. During the sacrament hymn, the Capps walked in and the Bautista's did with their cousin Aurora. It was truly a miracle. The Lord is opening the door. Noma wasn't able to make it but we taught her at Sister Wiseman's house after church. Sister Wiseman bore her testimony directly to brother and sister Capps. It was truly amazing. I think we are making a huge headway with Brother Capps. We had lunch with Sister Wiseman after church. It was my turn to give the thought. We talked about Alma 5:60. It talks about the Good Shepherd and how if we are in his fold he will protect us from the ravenous wolves who seek to destroy us. It is so true. The gospel of Jesus Christ will protect us more than we can imagine. Satan sends out some pretty nasty wolves to try and destroy everything good in our lives. Yesterday was amazing! We had zone conference. I just love zone conference! The spirit is always so amazing and leave very uplifted and edified. We talked a lot about making our studies and planning more effective to make every other aspect of the work the same. President taught us the plan of salvation and then we broke it down and talked about it. We made it to the Garden of Eden and the Fall and we talked for over an hour. He opened my mind to insight that I had never seen before. It was all there in the scriptures I had just never connected the dots that way. It was definitely some deep doctrine. I was blown away. We talked about the tree of life. He showed us how Jesus Christ is the tree of life and that Jesus Christ is the Love of God. It's pretty cool. Read the vision in 1 Nephi 8 and then read it in 11. It is truly amazing. I didn't cry in my interview like I usually do. I choked a little but there were no tears. He had us share something from our study journals. I love having gospel discussions with him. The Beach Ward fed us lunch. I just love the Beach ward. Andrew Wheeler came and I have never seen him so quiet. After zone conference we had Osvaldo follow us to the Wheeler's. He is going to live with them for a couple of weeks or so. He doesn't get any sleep at home when he gets off work. It was pretty entertaining. His English isn't very good but it will help to learn it quicker. He is excited to be there with them. They Wheeler's really are such a great family. We had 3 family home evenings last night. We had dinner with the Jenkins and then went to Monica and Gretchen's and then to the Bautista's. We talked about unity and then played Human knot. It was pretty easy because there were only 6 of us. Well I hope you all have a wonderful week! I can't believe that February is here. Where does the time go? Happy Birthday Clarissa Jane and Trent. I hope you have a wonderful day today! I love all of you and pray for you always! H. Mickelsen
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Mission Home Address
Here is the new address to the Mission Home.
California Long Beach Mission
6500 Atherton Street
Long Beach, Ca 90815
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Week 25
Hola Family
Well I can hardly believe how quickly the time goes. This week I will hit my 6 month mark! I still feel so brand new and yet I'm not. I was reading through my journal and letters this last week and was amazed at myself. Sometimes we don't see our own progression until we look back. The gospel truly blesses our lives. This week was really great. We experienced many miracles and I am beginning to trust my thoughts as impressions from a loving Heavenly Father. Tuesday night after we met with the Bishop we went to visit a family in the ward. The Bishop asked us to visit the Ridolfo's and we had felt the same. We went over there and the tension could be cut with a knife. Something was way off in the home. We talked with Sister Ridolfo and asked her if she could take Gretchen to the doctor for us on Wednesday. She hesitated but accepted. We talked to her for awhile and then she ended up giving us some dinner. We helped her move some furniture in their bedroom. It was fun. A couple of days we went back. We took her some brownies to thank her for her service. She was very grateful. This time when we went over the problem revealed itself. I'm not quite sure what we are going to do but we both feel like this family needs some extra spiritual care right now. The Bishop asked us to do a challenge that we did with his family. We both feel that it will work wonders with this family. I almost forgot! Tuesday we went to President Sexton's house for lunch. It was so much fun! It was so great to see my dear Sister Colwell! Oh how I miss her! If I don't stay companions with Sister Hoover this next transfer I won't see her again. I don't want to think about that one. We had a wonderful meal and it was just so great to talk with all of the Hermanas! They let us linger as long as we wanted and we took pictures as well. It was so fun! He told us that there are no missionaries scheduled to come in for March or April. The latest they can enter the MTC is in February so we will have to see. Hopefully we will be getting some missionaries and sisters! On Wednesday we had one of the best lessons you could ask for! The spirit was so strong! I felt like I was going to burst! We were teaching Noma. We planned to commit her to baptism. The night before after we had finished planning I had the thought to call Florence Wiseman and invite her to the lesson with us. Sister Hoover had the same thought during the prayer so we called her. She was already planning on going over there to take her to lunch and so we made it a date! During the lesson we discovered why Sister Wiseman needed to be there. She didn't agree to be baptized anytime soon but she knows she needs to do it. She is scared to jeopardize her relationship with her daughter. I think she is very torn. The gospel softens hearts. Yesterday we cleaned a huge fish tank. Sister Hoover was in heaven! She kept asking me if I wanted to pet the fish. I just shook my head and said no. It was fun but so gross. I had to go home and change my skirt. I had T-shirt on but I got water on my skirt and I didn't want to smell like fish for the rest of the night. We had family home evening with the Bautista's last night. Cesar taught and it was good. We try to help them teach so that when we leave they can do it without us. They are such a great family! They are always doing all they can to help us. I can't believe that both of my companions will be returning home in a short few weeks. Sister Hoover tells me not to remind her but I tell her that it is 2 months of my mission gone too. There will be a lot of change for me in this transfer or the next. I am excited but really curious to know what president will do. Whatever happens I know that it will be under the direction of the spirit. I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you! Hermana Mickelsen
Well I can hardly believe how quickly the time goes. This week I will hit my 6 month mark! I still feel so brand new and yet I'm not. I was reading through my journal and letters this last week and was amazed at myself. Sometimes we don't see our own progression until we look back. The gospel truly blesses our lives. This week was really great. We experienced many miracles and I am beginning to trust my thoughts as impressions from a loving Heavenly Father. Tuesday night after we met with the Bishop we went to visit a family in the ward. The Bishop asked us to visit the Ridolfo's and we had felt the same. We went over there and the tension could be cut with a knife. Something was way off in the home. We talked with Sister Ridolfo and asked her if she could take Gretchen to the doctor for us on Wednesday. She hesitated but accepted. We talked to her for awhile and then she ended up giving us some dinner. We helped her move some furniture in their bedroom. It was fun. A couple of days we went back. We took her some brownies to thank her for her service. She was very grateful. This time when we went over the problem revealed itself. I'm not quite sure what we are going to do but we both feel like this family needs some extra spiritual care right now. The Bishop asked us to do a challenge that we did with his family. We both feel that it will work wonders with this family. I almost forgot! Tuesday we went to President Sexton's house for lunch. It was so much fun! It was so great to see my dear Sister Colwell! Oh how I miss her! If I don't stay companions with Sister Hoover this next transfer I won't see her again. I don't want to think about that one. We had a wonderful meal and it was just so great to talk with all of the Hermanas! They let us linger as long as we wanted and we took pictures as well. It was so fun! He told us that there are no missionaries scheduled to come in for March or April. The latest they can enter the MTC is in February so we will have to see. Hopefully we will be getting some missionaries and sisters! On Wednesday we had one of the best lessons you could ask for! The spirit was so strong! I felt like I was going to burst! We were teaching Noma. We planned to commit her to baptism. The night before after we had finished planning I had the thought to call Florence Wiseman and invite her to the lesson with us. Sister Hoover had the same thought during the prayer so we called her. She was already planning on going over there to take her to lunch and so we made it a date! During the lesson we discovered why Sister Wiseman needed to be there. She didn't agree to be baptized anytime soon but she knows she needs to do it. She is scared to jeopardize her relationship with her daughter. I think she is very torn. The gospel softens hearts. Yesterday we cleaned a huge fish tank. Sister Hoover was in heaven! She kept asking me if I wanted to pet the fish. I just shook my head and said no. It was fun but so gross. I had to go home and change my skirt. I had T-shirt on but I got water on my skirt and I didn't want to smell like fish for the rest of the night. We had family home evening with the Bautista's last night. Cesar taught and it was good. We try to help them teach so that when we leave they can do it without us. They are such a great family! They are always doing all they can to help us. I can't believe that both of my companions will be returning home in a short few weeks. Sister Hoover tells me not to remind her but I tell her that it is 2 months of my mission gone too. There will be a lot of change for me in this transfer or the next. I am excited but really curious to know what president will do. Whatever happens I know that it will be under the direction of the spirit. I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you! Hermana Mickelsen
Friday, January 16, 2009
Week 24
Hola! Well another week has passed and I can hardly believe it. This week has been warm and I love it! It was in the high 80's yesterday and was about 70 when we went shopping at 630 this morning. I love Southern Cali! Well there was an earthquake on Thursday but we didn't even know it. We came home and the Chase's asked us if we had felt it and we hadn't. Sister Hoover was pretty bummed. She wanted to experience another earthquake before she goes home. Maybe she will. Who knows? Tuesday night we had an enrichment activity. It was game night. One lady brought Ticket to Ride and I wanted to play so bad but we can't play board games. Sad day! We ended up playing a game called Rage. It was really fun. Everyone got to see the competitive side of me. It was really fun to visit with the sisters and to spend time with them, getting to know them as people. Wednesday we were able to do some service. It was really fun. We helped a lady in our ward clean up her house. Sister Jenkins is a great help to us. Thursday we got a media referral which hasn't happened in this area for awhile. We were pretty excited. We taught him last night with Sister Wheeler. His name is Carl. His friend had been talking to him about the church and he got on the website and sent in a request. I'm not sure that he was completely interested but he was very open minded and nice. I'm pretty sure he thought we were crazy. But he has a Book of Mormon, a Mormon friend so only good things can happen. The seed has been planted. We also talked to Nick who is eleven and living with a family in our ward. He comes to church every Sunday. We will probably take it a little slow at first so we don't overwhelm him but I don't doubt that he will be baptized. Thursday night we had dinner at the Bishop's house. It is always so fun there. They have 5 girls. When we taught them the lesson we
challenged them to write their testimony in the Book of Mormon as a family. We are going to prayerfully give that Book of Mormon and then if we continue to teach this family we wanted to involve the Johnson's in the teaching process. Bishop loved the idea! I'm excited to see what happens. I know that the Lord will place it where it needs to be. It will be a wonderful experience to see a family help someone come to Christ. Friday we taught the Capps. Brother Capps seems to be struggling a little. The last 2 times he has been different. I think the reality of being baptized scares him. He has never been interested and now he is seeing how important it is. I know he will be baptized but it is going to take more time than we had hoped. Satan is working hard on him and his wife. His wife is trying to quit smoking and is doing a remarkable job. She used to smoke 2 packs a day and now she has only had a couple since Christmas. We gave her a framed picture of the Newport Beach temple to help her remember why she is stopping. That is where she wants to go and she knows how to get there. They loved it. I just love this family. Friday night Sister Hoover had an interview with President. It was so great to see him. I just love that man! Sister Sexton called us the next morning and told us that they wanted to have a sister's lunch. After talking to us Friday they decided that they were going to do it. So today we are having lunch at President's house! I am so excited! I am super excited to see Sister Colwell! I really just miss her! I feel so privileged to be invited to eat at President's home. There are only 8 of us. 2 weeks from today there will be 6 and then one short transfer later only 4. There are bonuses to being small in numbers. Friday night we also taught Brooklyn Flacks. She is a recent convert but hasn't been to church since I have been in this area. Her mom is less active and it's hard. It makes me sad to see people make these sacred covenants without realizing how important they are. We can't just be baptized and be saved. It is something we have to work at for our entire lives. This was the first time that we have taught them since I got here. They have a standing appointment but they always cancel. We went and picked up my clean coat and helped Juanito with his fractions. It was fun to do math. Sister Hoover gave me the job of explaining it in Spanish to his dad. That was interesting. I don't know if he understood. I didn't practice that one in the MTC. Saturday was a fun. I was feeling sick but I just worked anyway. We had lunch at the Bautista's. Cleo made this soup that tasted exactly like spaghettios but much better. She also made a soup that had half a cob a corn, huge pieces of chicken, potatoes, winter squash, and carrots. It wasn't bite size pieces. It was crazy. And of course we had tortillas. You never eat a meal without tortillas at their house. We visited Gretchen randomly. She has been sick all week. The poor dear. She was having a hard time. Noah luckily was a big help but he can't do much for the baby. Jayden is a chunk! He is just like Matthew. He is about as big as Noah. I bet they are pretty close in weight. It is always comforting to act on the spirit and to see that it wasn't you but the Lord working through you. We had a ward party that night. It was a chili cook-off. I promised President Chase that I would eat some of his chili which was loaded with jalapeños. It was good though. I really liked it. There was a huge turnout. We even had an investigator come. Noma came with Sister Wiseman. We visited Noma the day before. We had a wonderful lesson about faith and repentance. We are committing her to baptism on Wednesday. I really think that she is ready, just as long as her health cooperates. She has some great friends at church. Fellowship is one of the biggest keys to having successful missionary work. Sister Wiseman taught everyone how to dance. She was dressed in boots and a fancy western dress and the biggest smile you ever saw. She is a riot. She is 80 and never stops. She just returned from her own mission about 2 years ago. She is truly amazing. We then took some chili over to Gretchen and Monica. They were excited because the chili sounded good but they couldn't make it to the party. Sunday was ward conference. We didn't have an went to the Bautista's and had Osvaldo follow us to church. He was really nervous about coming to the English ward but he loved it! We introduced him to Bishop Johnson and he is super excited to come back next Sunday. He only needed translating at some points which I think surprised him. Sister Hoover told me that he understood my jokes in english. He said "She doesn't just do that it Spanish?" I guess it is just part of my personality. The meetings in church were wonderful. The spirit was so strong and I just love this ward! I love the bishop and everyone. It is an amazing experience to be in a ward as a missionary. You have the opportunity to learn and see the love of the ward members. You get to see how everything works and how much time and effort and thought and love are put into everything. I have a gained a deep appreciation for all that goes into the organization of the church. It is truly inspired of God. After church we did our studies and then went to the Wheeler's. Our dinner appointment cancelled so we went to their house to eat. We had some great laughs. They are such a great family. They always bring up how I broke the gas cap. I feel right at home with them. Yesterday we had a busy day as well. We walked around in the warm sunshine for awhile in the morning. It felt so good! We then went and taught Monica and Gretchen. We talked to them about the gospel and why it is important. It was a really great lesson. The spirit was so strong. We convinced Gretchen that see needed to go to the doctor. That is one place she refuses to go. We went to the Johnson's to ask if they would come to the Bautista's and help us teach them about the priesthood. It is hard to teach the priesthood as a sister. I know the blessings of the priesthood but we aren't involved like the brethren are. We taught the Bautista's about tithing. It is a sensitive subject for them. It is hard to see that it will be a blessing when you don't have a lot of money and a lot of things to pay for. It really is a trial of our faith. I am grateful for the testimony that I have gained of tithing. I know that this gospel is true. I am truly amazed everyday at the love my Heavenly Father has for me. He is real and He knows each and every one of us. It is a beautiful thing. I love being a missionary! I love you all and hope that you have an amazing week! Thanks for all of you love and support!
challenged them to write their testimony in the Book of Mormon as a family. We are going to prayerfully give that Book of Mormon and then if we continue to teach this family we wanted to involve the Johnson's in the teaching process. Bishop loved the idea! I'm excited to see what happens. I know that the Lord will place it where it needs to be. It will be a wonderful experience to see a family help someone come to Christ. Friday we taught the Capps. Brother Capps seems to be struggling a little. The last 2 times he has been different. I think the reality of being baptized scares him. He has never been interested and now he is seeing how important it is. I know he will be baptized but it is going to take more time than we had hoped. Satan is working hard on him and his wife. His wife is trying to quit smoking and is doing a remarkable job. She used to smoke 2 packs a day and now she has only had a couple since Christmas. We gave her a framed picture of the Newport Beach temple to help her remember why she is stopping. That is where she wants to go and she knows how to get there. They loved it. I just love this family. Friday night Sister Hoover had an interview with President. It was so great to see him. I just love that man! Sister Sexton called us the next morning and told us that they wanted to have a sister's lunch. After talking to us Friday they decided that they were going to do it. So today we are having lunch at President's house! I am so excited! I am super excited to see Sister Colwell! I really just miss her! I feel so privileged to be invited to eat at President's home. There are only 8 of us. 2 weeks from today there will be 6 and then one short transfer later only 4. There are bonuses to being small in numbers. Friday night we also taught Brooklyn Flacks. She is a recent convert but hasn't been to church since I have been in this area. Her mom is less active and it's hard. It makes me sad to see people make these sacred covenants without realizing how important they are. We can't just be baptized and be saved. It is something we have to work at for our entire lives. This was the first time that we have taught them since I got here. They have a standing appointment but they always cancel. We went and picked up my clean coat and helped Juanito with his fractions. It was fun to do math. Sister Hoover gave me the job of explaining it in Spanish to his dad. That was interesting. I don't know if he understood. I didn't practice that one in the MTC. Saturday was a fun. I was feeling sick but I just worked anyway. We had lunch at the Bautista's. Cleo made this soup that tasted exactly like spaghettios but much better. She also made a soup that had half a cob a corn, huge pieces of chicken, potatoes, winter squash, and carrots. It wasn't bite size pieces. It was crazy. And of course we had tortillas. You never eat a meal without tortillas at their house. We visited Gretchen randomly. She has been sick all week. The poor dear. She was having a hard time. Noah luckily was a big help but he can't do much for the baby. Jayden is a chunk! He is just like Matthew. He is about as big as Noah. I bet they are pretty close in weight. It is always comforting to act on the spirit and to see that it wasn't you but the Lord working through you. We had a ward party that night. It was a chili cook-off. I promised President Chase that I would eat some of his chili which was loaded with jalapeños. It was good though. I really liked it. There was a huge turnout. We even had an investigator come. Noma came with Sister Wiseman. We visited Noma the day before. We had a wonderful lesson about faith and repentance. We are committing her to baptism on Wednesday. I really think that she is ready, just as long as her health cooperates. She has some great friends at church. Fellowship is one of the biggest keys to having successful missionary work. Sister Wiseman taught everyone how to dance. She was dressed in boots and a fancy western dress and the biggest smile you ever saw. She is a riot. She is 80 and never stops. She just returned from her own mission about 2 years ago. She is truly amazing. We then took some chili over to Gretchen and Monica. They were excited because the chili sounded good but they couldn't make it to the party. Sunday was ward conference. We didn't have an went to the Bautista's and had Osvaldo follow us to church. He was really nervous about coming to the English ward but he loved it! We introduced him to Bishop Johnson and he is super excited to come back next Sunday. He only needed translating at some points which I think surprised him. Sister Hoover told me that he understood my jokes in english. He said "She doesn't just do that it Spanish?" I guess it is just part of my personality. The meetings in church were wonderful. The spirit was so strong and I just love this ward! I love the bishop and everyone. It is an amazing experience to be in a ward as a missionary. You have the opportunity to learn and see the love of the ward members. You get to see how everything works and how much time and effort and thought and love are put into everything. I have a gained a deep appreciation for all that goes into the organization of the church. It is truly inspired of God. After church we did our studies and then went to the Wheeler's. Our dinner appointment cancelled so we went to their house to eat. We had some great laughs. They are such a great family. They always bring up how I broke the gas cap. I feel right at home with them. Yesterday we had a busy day as well. We walked around in the warm sunshine for awhile in the morning. It felt so good! We then went and taught Monica and Gretchen. We talked to them about the gospel and why it is important. It was a really great lesson. The spirit was so strong. We convinced Gretchen that see needed to go to the doctor. That is one place she refuses to go. We went to the Johnson's to ask if they would come to the Bautista's and help us teach them about the priesthood. It is hard to teach the priesthood as a sister. I know the blessings of the priesthood but we aren't involved like the brethren are. We taught the Bautista's about tithing. It is a sensitive subject for them. It is hard to see that it will be a blessing when you don't have a lot of money and a lot of things to pay for. It really is a trial of our faith. I am grateful for the testimony that I have gained of tithing. I know that this gospel is true. I am truly amazed everyday at the love my Heavenly Father has for me. He is real and He knows each and every one of us. It is a beautiful thing. I love being a missionary! I love you all and hope that you have an amazing week! Thanks for all of you love and support!
Week 23
Hello family! Happy New Year! Well I can hardly believe that 2009 is here! I am excited to serve this entire year as a missionary! Well I hope you are all staying warm but if it makes you feel any better it froze here the other night. There was frost on the grass and the windows. I was freezing. It didn't stay cold for long though. This week has been great. We had a busy week and Sister Hoover felt pretty good this week so we were able to work harder. It is amazing how truly blessed we are. I have seen the Lord's hand over and over again this week. Sister Hoover and I want to be working harder but every time she gets energy it is spent quickly and she needs to rest. The Lord knows our desires to work and has compensated by placing his children right in front of us. We talked to a bunch of people on Monday just walking for an hour or so. We had a lesson with Marcela who is a recent convert. When we got there 2 of here grandkids were there. I love unplanned member lessons! We talked about baptism and the elements that make up the gospel. The kids were so excited and read the scriptures with us and answered the questions. They are smart kids. They want to come to church but their parents aren't big fans. We are praying for their hearts to be softened. We also went to the Bautista's and had family home evening with them. Little Juanito wants to be baptized so bad! He is so excited every time we come. He has had all of the lessons but his dad won't let him come to church either. He doesn't want him to miss soccer. He wouldn't have missed soccer this last Sunday so there is something more. As soon as we can get permission we will have a baptism. We are not quite sure what we need to do but the desire is there for this little boy. His cousin Nicole also wants to get baptized but her parents are not too thrilled. They will hopefully come around as the little testimonies of these children grow. All we can do is pray and continue to teach and serve. I think there are about 5 potential baptisms in the Bautista home. We also had a marvelous member lesson on Sunday. The first Sunday of every month we eat at Sister Wiseman's home. She is a fireball. She is in her 80's and recently returned from a mission. She is constantly working as a missionary. She is a dear friend to 2 of our investigators. One of them she invited to dinner on Sunday. It was wonderful. The spirit was amazing. After dinner we went and decided to knock. The day before I had chosen a street to knock and you will never believe what happened. I picked a street full of apartment complexes. Leave it to me. That's what I get for not liking knocking a whole lot. It just scares me. We found a new investigator. We are going over there tonight. Sister Hoover also felt prompted to give a Book of Mormon to a young man. I was talking and she just interrupted and gave him the book. It was pretty amazing. We picked up where we left off Sunday and the first door we knocked on was a young lady named Jenny. She invited us in. She told us that her husband and his family were all members but she wasn't. Her mother in law talked their 3 girls to church every Sunday. Two of her husband’s brothers had recently returned from their missions. While we were there all of them came over. They were in shock to see the missionaries sitting there. We visited for awhile and then shared a scripture. They asked me to offer the prayer. I was saying the prayer I felt prompted to ask that we could all receive witnesses that we are children of God. I have never felt that so strongly before. It was amazing the peace that filled the room and my heart as I acted on the Spirit. After we left Sister Hoover told me that she felt like she knew them. As we were driving home we talked about and it is a blessing from our Heavenly Father. When we got home she realized how she knew them. She had seen them in a dream before I came here. She knew that we needed to find a family to be baptized. It was a remarkable experience and I know that it is because I am in the right place. God truly loves us and is aware of each and everyone of us. He leads us to those we need if we are faithful. I love all of you and hope you all have a wonderful week! You are the best! I know that the gospel is true! I know that God and Jesus live and that we can return to live with them again. Never forget who you are. We are all children of God no matter what. Love you!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Week 22
Hello Family! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! It was great to hear all of your voices to hear your love and support! This Christmas was very different than any other year but it was so great! We started by receiving a phone call from the Hoover's in Maryland bright and early at 630. Well actually we were awakened earlier by the excited grandkids that were up and waiting to see what Santa had brought them. After we finished talking to the Hoovers we went out to open presents. I opened my presents from home while Sister Hoover was on the phone. I loved all of them! I really love the new jacket as well as everyone else. It is very cute. It is fun to receive a new wardrobe! I get tired of wearing the same outfits day after day. We received stockings with a bunch of goodies. We also got lotion and body spray and stationary. You can never have enough of that. We also got 5 gift cards. I am excited to use them! It was really fun to open presents with the whole family. It was just like it would have been at home but a lot more people! There were 5 grandkids and 6 children and 3 spouses, plus grandma and grandpa. It was really great. Then is was time for me to talk to the best family in the world! You know who you are! I was sad little Matthew wouldn't talk but it was great to hear the voices of those I love dearly! It made my day! Then we ate French toast and bacon for breakfast. After breakfast we headed out to District meeting. It was a wonderful lesson about faith, virtue and humility. I have been studying faith and it has really been edifying. It is amazing how much you think you know and then you realize that you have learned something completely new. That is why we continue to learn and study the gospel our entire lives because we can't learn it all at once. We had Christmas dinner with the Kennedy's. They have a son who recently returned from his mission in Ohio. It was fun to talk to him and hear missionary talk. You could tell that he missed it. I know I will. We then went over to the Bautista's to share some Christmas cheer. Cleo fed us again. Luckily we knew that she would so we ate slow and not too much at the Kennedy's. We then watched The Testaments with them. It was weird watching it in Spanish. Korihor's voice is not as annoying in Spanish. It was great because the spirit was the same even though I couldn't understand all that was being said. It was good to watch the life of Christ and to see His love manifested as he performed countless miracles and acts of selfless love. We gave this movie to them for Christmas with a picture of the Los Angeles Temple. They loved it. The entire day I was overwhelmed with love. After the Bautista's we went home to do our studies. It was pretty weird to do studies at the end of the day but it was the only time we had to do them. Overall Christmas was wonderful. I really enjoyed it. The spirit was different than ever before. I know it was because I am a missionary and my whole life is centered in Jesus Christ. When we focus on him it is an amazing difference. The rest of the week was good as well. Wednesday was a crazy day. We visited Noma and wished her a Merry Christmas. She had fallen last week and broke her arm. She is a sweet old lady. She was grateful that we stopped by. After Noma we went to fill up with gas. I couldn't get the gas cap off and neither could Sister Hoover so we went to the Wheeler's. Brother Wheeler was outside working on their car so we asked if he would help us. He tried and tried and couldn't do it. He went to the garage and came out with a huge wrench and hammer and he finally had success. However he broke it in the process. So he went to Autozone to get one but he couldn't because it was a dealer part. He went to Mazda and argued with the people to get it. They were closed but someone was there so they helped him. They said that they needed the car and he said I could go home and get it but then you would be closed. They finally gave him the gas cap and gave him paperwork for us to fill out and then we were to go back on Friday to give it to them. I felt bad. They were supposed to be at the hospital visiting their new grandbaby. They are a wonderful family. I really love them a lot. We went caroling with the elders in our district and it was really great. We went to the Capps and sister Capps was just thrilled. Brother Capps slept right through it. He was sad he missed it. We sang to the Bautista's and a less-active family, the Flacks as well. It was really great. After caroling we went home for a few minutes to get stuff for the weenie roast. While we were outside there was a stray cat that we had promised to get for a family in our ward who don't have much. We caught and took it over there. Noah was so excited that he couldn't even talk. It was a great moment. A true Christmas miracle. There is nothing better than seeing people light up as you make their day. We then went to the Bautista's. I have to say that it was quite entertaining to have a weenie roast with a Spanish family. They really seemed to enjoy it. I told them that it was one of my favorite traditions. It was so fun. When we got there Cleo was cooking a huge meal for us. The boys forgot to mention to her what we were going to eat. So we had the weenie roast and then had round 2 of dinner. While I was roasting one of my hot dogs Cleo asked me if I wanted some spaghetti. I thought she was telling me that she was going to be eating some spaghetti so I just said Si. Needless to say I had a big plate of spaghetti and half of a chicken to eat when I sat back down. It was pretty funny. I understand part of her Spanish. One day I will understand correctly. We opened presents and we had a great time. It will definitely be a Christmas that I will always remember. On Friday we had a great lesson with Brother Capps. We have been trying to commit him to baptism for like 3 weeks. Every time we get close the phone rings and we have to leave. This week we were determined to do it. We talked about the different steps we have to take in our life to get to the celestial kingdom. We talked about how we can endure to the end. I started crying because of the overwhelming feeling of love that I have felt this last week. It is so great that I can feel like I have family here while I am on a mission. We committed him to pray about being baptized. He was a little surprised but I think that he will do it. I think he is surprised at his progression. The spirit was so strong and it was just wonderful. We also had an amazing day yesterday. All of our lessons were great and we talked to a bunch of people on the street. Not to mention that it was about 75 degrees. It was a beautiful day! It was so great! I also finished the Book of Mormon 2 times this week. It was so great! I was excited to finish reading it in Spanish. I didn't understand all of it but it is a lot better than the first weeks I was reading it. I understand the story line so I just need to practice reading it. As I finished reading it, my testimony was strengthened and I know that it is true. I know without a shadow of a doubt that the gospel has been restored and that the Book of Mormon truly is another witness of Jesus Christ. I learn so much everyday and I am overwhelmed with the feeling of its truth. I know it is the word of God. If you aren't reading it I suggest that you make a new resolution to read it everyday. I promise that it will bring you strength and that you will receive that witness for yourself. Moroni's promise is true. I have done it and I have seen it work in the hearts of the people here. I love you all and hope that you have a great week! You are the best!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
