Thursday, March 12, 2009
OOPS!!
So I have been very neglectful, I am sorry! I hope I don't ever fall that far behind again, but their are no guarantees. She is doing great! She loves the Lord and loves sharing that with all those she meets.
Week 31
Mar 10, 2009
Hello my dear family! How are you all doing? I hope all is well. It sounds like you had a beautiful weekend together. I was thinking of you! Well I am not being transferred! I was worried that I would be leaving this area but I am not. I have new companion, Sister Hart. She is from Colorado and has about 4 transfers left in her mission. She is a great girl. We have spent some time together so it will be fun to get to know each other more. This is her greenie area. She knows some of our investigators but not many. I am not senior but I know the area better so now I have to be more of the leader in planning because I know what is going on. It feels weird to be switching roles. Long Beach was closed which surprised me. President moved all 4 of us to the same zone so that we sisters can be together. We are excited. We also found out that there are 4 sisters who have recently received their calls. They come in June and July! Sisters Colwell and Hoover left early this morning. I can't believe that they are gone. It seemed so far away when I first got here and now the time has come and gone. We shared a few tears but I didn't cry too hard. I'm sure it will hit me later on. They seriously are two of my best friends in the whole world. I wouldn't be who I am today without their love and support along the way. Heads up Sister Colwell fully intends on coming to meet the famous people in all of my pictures. She is very excited to meet all of you and I hope that she gets in contact with all of you! She is amazing! Ok so are you ready to hear about the amazing week I had? I hope you have all braced yourselves! So I briefly mentioned Melissa when I wrote you last week and that she was going to be baptized on Sunday. Well we met with her before church Sunday with one of the Johnson girls and committed her to be baptized. She had started reading the Book of Mormon and read the entire introduction. She went to work that Sunday and got her shift covered. We had dinner and family home evening with her and the Johnson family. It was great! Melissa informed us that she had told her supervisor that she was getting baptized and couldn't work on Sundays. Her supervisor changed her schedule permanently. We hadn't even taught her about keeping the Sabbath Day holy yet. Tuesday she came to the Relief Society activity and we taught her another lesson with Cassandra. Cassandra and Melissa are in the same situation because their loved ones are serving in Iraq. She told us that night that she had enrolled in institute and bought a bible. Wednesday we finished the 4th lesson with her at the Wheeler's. She came with a new favorite scripture from her institute class. She was interviewed on Thursday and we had the baptism on Sunday. It was kind of a unique experience because she moved out of our area on Friday. For technical reasons she was baptized into the other ward but we don't care. She has made a covenant with her Heavenly Father to change her life for the better. She is an amazing girl! She beat us to the baptism and was like a little kid at Christmas. She was counting down the hours. I wish everyone was that excited about the gospel. She had some non member family there and her best friend. The font had a leak so they went into the font and the water was at their knees. They had to fill it back up before she could be baptized. It was funny. Sister Hoover, me, and Evie sang “I Love to see the Temple.” Melissa loves temples and is excited to be married and sealed to her fiancé! She is so great! I have learned so much from her! She is an answer to some long sincere prayers. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and knows me. We were promised a baptism together and that promise was fulfilled. God truly answers our prayers and fulfills every promise he gives if we are but faithful and do all that we can do. I know my Savior lives. I know that this is His work and that He prepares people for each of us. I am nothing without him and I can't find his children who are ready by myself. It was a pretty crazy week packing and visiting everyone for Sister Hoover. She has left some big shoes for me to fill. We had a great time together. Sister Hoover, me and Sister Colwell was quite a trip. Sister Choi was a little surprised at how loud and crazy we were. We just love each other and have joined in this great work together. This last transfer we had 67 baptisms as a mission. The Lord is truly blessing us as we move forward in faith. I pray that all of you are doing well. I love being on a mission and I love seeing the changes that people make in their lives. I pray for you always and love hearing from you. I will be at the same place for another 6 weeks. Bishop Johnson on Sunday told the ward council to put us to work because they were fortunate to have 2 of the 4 sisters in the mission. He said “let's keep them here”. I love this ward and I’m so grateful for this sacred calling. I love you all! Have a wonderful week!
Love Hermana Mickelsen
Hello my dear family! How are you all doing? I hope all is well. It sounds like you had a beautiful weekend together. I was thinking of you! Well I am not being transferred! I was worried that I would be leaving this area but I am not. I have new companion, Sister Hart. She is from Colorado and has about 4 transfers left in her mission. She is a great girl. We have spent some time together so it will be fun to get to know each other more. This is her greenie area. She knows some of our investigators but not many. I am not senior but I know the area better so now I have to be more of the leader in planning because I know what is going on. It feels weird to be switching roles. Long Beach was closed which surprised me. President moved all 4 of us to the same zone so that we sisters can be together. We are excited. We also found out that there are 4 sisters who have recently received their calls. They come in June and July! Sisters Colwell and Hoover left early this morning. I can't believe that they are gone. It seemed so far away when I first got here and now the time has come and gone. We shared a few tears but I didn't cry too hard. I'm sure it will hit me later on. They seriously are two of my best friends in the whole world. I wouldn't be who I am today without their love and support along the way. Heads up Sister Colwell fully intends on coming to meet the famous people in all of my pictures. She is very excited to meet all of you and I hope that she gets in contact with all of you! She is amazing! Ok so are you ready to hear about the amazing week I had? I hope you have all braced yourselves! So I briefly mentioned Melissa when I wrote you last week and that she was going to be baptized on Sunday. Well we met with her before church Sunday with one of the Johnson girls and committed her to be baptized. She had started reading the Book of Mormon and read the entire introduction. She went to work that Sunday and got her shift covered. We had dinner and family home evening with her and the Johnson family. It was great! Melissa informed us that she had told her supervisor that she was getting baptized and couldn't work on Sundays. Her supervisor changed her schedule permanently. We hadn't even taught her about keeping the Sabbath Day holy yet. Tuesday she came to the Relief Society activity and we taught her another lesson with Cassandra. Cassandra and Melissa are in the same situation because their loved ones are serving in Iraq. She told us that night that she had enrolled in institute and bought a bible. Wednesday we finished the 4th lesson with her at the Wheeler's. She came with a new favorite scripture from her institute class. She was interviewed on Thursday and we had the baptism on Sunday. It was kind of a unique experience because she moved out of our area on Friday. For technical reasons she was baptized into the other ward but we don't care. She has made a covenant with her Heavenly Father to change her life for the better. She is an amazing girl! She beat us to the baptism and was like a little kid at Christmas. She was counting down the hours. I wish everyone was that excited about the gospel. She had some non member family there and her best friend. The font had a leak so they went into the font and the water was at their knees. They had to fill it back up before she could be baptized. It was funny. Sister Hoover, me, and Evie sang “I Love to see the Temple.” Melissa loves temples and is excited to be married and sealed to her fiancé! She is so great! I have learned so much from her! She is an answer to some long sincere prayers. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and knows me. We were promised a baptism together and that promise was fulfilled. God truly answers our prayers and fulfills every promise he gives if we are but faithful and do all that we can do. I know my Savior lives. I know that this is His work and that He prepares people for each of us. I am nothing without him and I can't find his children who are ready by myself. It was a pretty crazy week packing and visiting everyone for Sister Hoover. She has left some big shoes for me to fill. We had a great time together. Sister Hoover, me and Sister Colwell was quite a trip. Sister Choi was a little surprised at how loud and crazy we were. We just love each other and have joined in this great work together. This last transfer we had 67 baptisms as a mission. The Lord is truly blessing us as we move forward in faith. I pray that all of you are doing well. I love being on a mission and I love seeing the changes that people make in their lives. I pray for you always and love hearing from you. I will be at the same place for another 6 weeks. Bishop Johnson on Sunday told the ward council to put us to work because they were fortunate to have 2 of the 4 sisters in the mission. He said “let's keep them here”. I love this ward and I’m so grateful for this sacred calling. I love you all! Have a wonderful week!
Love Hermana Mickelsen
Week 30
March 3, 2009
Hi Family,
I am sorry that this is so short but it has been a crazy day! We were in Long Beach so that Sisters Hoover and Colwell could go to the temple. The Long Beach Sisters were in an accident on Sunday so we had to pick them up and back track to Presidents. It has been a long day but a great one! I love being with Sister Colwell and Sister Choi is a sweetheart! We visited the Kavea's and Brother Kavea brought me a wooden sea turtle from Tonga. They didn't know I was coming but they got for me and were going to give it to me when they saw me again. I miss them so much! Melissa is getting baptized on Sunday! We met with her before church Sunday and committed her to baptism! She is so excited and is reading the Book of Mormon on her own! She basically commits herself! She is truly amazing! She lives out of our boundaries but still in our zone so we can still go to her baptism. She is a miracle to Sister Hoover and I! The Lord truly has prepared her! I love her! We had family home evening and dinner with her at the Johnson's. We couldn't have asked for a greater blessing. I am sorry that the rest of your post cards didn't come! I sent one to everyone. I hope that the rest come soon! I will write a letter to you all today and tell you more about my week! I apologize again for the briefness of my letter. Thanks for the package! You are all so wonderful! Have a wonderful week! You will all be in prayers as you gather together this weekend as a family. I would be nothing without you! I love you!
Hermana Mickelsen
Hi Family,
I am sorry that this is so short but it has been a crazy day! We were in Long Beach so that Sisters Hoover and Colwell could go to the temple. The Long Beach Sisters were in an accident on Sunday so we had to pick them up and back track to Presidents. It has been a long day but a great one! I love being with Sister Colwell and Sister Choi is a sweetheart! We visited the Kavea's and Brother Kavea brought me a wooden sea turtle from Tonga. They didn't know I was coming but they got for me and were going to give it to me when they saw me again. I miss them so much! Melissa is getting baptized on Sunday! We met with her before church Sunday and committed her to baptism! She is so excited and is reading the Book of Mormon on her own! She basically commits herself! She is truly amazing! She lives out of our boundaries but still in our zone so we can still go to her baptism. She is a miracle to Sister Hoover and I! The Lord truly has prepared her! I love her! We had family home evening and dinner with her at the Johnson's. We couldn't have asked for a greater blessing. I am sorry that the rest of your post cards didn't come! I sent one to everyone. I hope that the rest come soon! I will write a letter to you all today and tell you more about my week! I apologize again for the briefness of my letter. Thanks for the package! You are all so wonderful! Have a wonderful week! You will all be in prayers as you gather together this weekend as a family. I would be nothing without you! I love you!
Hermana Mickelsen
Week 29
Feb 24, 2009
Hello my dear family and friends!
I hope you are doing wonderful! This week has been a little bit of a challenge but I am trying to stay positive and move forward. Last week I mentioned that I was going to visit the doctor for my foot. He told me that I have tendonitis in my left foot. I haven't tracted very much but I do the best I can. We work until I can't go and then we rest for a while and then go back. The Lord is blessing us. It is amazing what He can do if we have faith and do the best we can. Since we haven't tracted much we didn't have any new investigators when Sunday came. We went to church and a young girl in her twenties was sitting in the chapel. Sister Hoover introduced herself while I was playing the piano for someone. She told me after that she wasn't a member but her fiancé was. Her fiancé was just deployed to Iraq in the Marines. The couple who spoke in Sacrament Meeting was engaged when he went to Iraq for the first time. He talked about Iraq. The speakers were inspired. We talked to her after sacrament meeting and she was very excited. We answered some questions for her and got her address and number. She told us that she wanted to read the Book of Mormon but didn't know where to get one or how to get one. Of course we had one in our bag. The one that we had was the Book of Mormon that we had the Johnson family write their testimonies in. We told her what they were and she wanted to meet them. We took her to the Bishop's office and introduced her. She said she would be back next week. You don't find people that excited about church everyday. The Lord placed in our path because we couldn't go and find her. We have been praying to know who needed that Book of Mormon and that we could find news. The Lord answers our prayers if we move forward in faith and do all that we can. After church we had our first lesson with Nick. It was so great. His friend sat in through the entire lesson. The Young Men’s president, my fellow Utard, was there with us. The spirit was so strong. We can't teach him again until next Sunday but he committed to baptism. We are so excited! We are hoping that we can teach him the rest of the lessons next week and have him be baptized before Sister Hoover leaves. I can't believe it is only 2 weeks now! Transfer calls are next week and I can hardly believe it. The time seriously goes so fast. The Lord loves each and everyone of us. I know that our Savior lives and that He died for us that we might live again. I was reading in Alma 40 today and it talked about how we will be judged for our works. We are our own judges. If we don't make it to the celestial kingdom we can't blame anyone but ourselves. We have our agency and we have knowledge to know whether we are doing good or bad. It is my prayer that we will all continue to good so that we can be together forever in the celestial kingdom. Our Heavenly Father is merciful and loves each and every one of us so much! May we all remember that all we have comes from Him and we can be so much more if we submit our will to His. Have a wonderful week! I love each and every one of you! Thanks for all of your love and support! I wouldn't be who I am today with the love and examples I receive from you! Hermana Mickelsen
Hello my dear family and friends!
I hope you are doing wonderful! This week has been a little bit of a challenge but I am trying to stay positive and move forward. Last week I mentioned that I was going to visit the doctor for my foot. He told me that I have tendonitis in my left foot. I haven't tracted very much but I do the best I can. We work until I can't go and then we rest for a while and then go back. The Lord is blessing us. It is amazing what He can do if we have faith and do the best we can. Since we haven't tracted much we didn't have any new investigators when Sunday came. We went to church and a young girl in her twenties was sitting in the chapel. Sister Hoover introduced herself while I was playing the piano for someone. She told me after that she wasn't a member but her fiancé was. Her fiancé was just deployed to Iraq in the Marines. The couple who spoke in Sacrament Meeting was engaged when he went to Iraq for the first time. He talked about Iraq. The speakers were inspired. We talked to her after sacrament meeting and she was very excited. We answered some questions for her and got her address and number. She told us that she wanted to read the Book of Mormon but didn't know where to get one or how to get one. Of course we had one in our bag. The one that we had was the Book of Mormon that we had the Johnson family write their testimonies in. We told her what they were and she wanted to meet them. We took her to the Bishop's office and introduced her. She said she would be back next week. You don't find people that excited about church everyday. The Lord placed in our path because we couldn't go and find her. We have been praying to know who needed that Book of Mormon and that we could find news. The Lord answers our prayers if we move forward in faith and do all that we can. After church we had our first lesson with Nick. It was so great. His friend sat in through the entire lesson. The Young Men’s president, my fellow Utard, was there with us. The spirit was so strong. We can't teach him again until next Sunday but he committed to baptism. We are so excited! We are hoping that we can teach him the rest of the lessons next week and have him be baptized before Sister Hoover leaves. I can't believe it is only 2 weeks now! Transfer calls are next week and I can hardly believe it. The time seriously goes so fast. The Lord loves each and everyone of us. I know that our Savior lives and that He died for us that we might live again. I was reading in Alma 40 today and it talked about how we will be judged for our works. We are our own judges. If we don't make it to the celestial kingdom we can't blame anyone but ourselves. We have our agency and we have knowledge to know whether we are doing good or bad. It is my prayer that we will all continue to good so that we can be together forever in the celestial kingdom. Our Heavenly Father is merciful and loves each and every one of us so much! May we all remember that all we have comes from Him and we can be so much more if we submit our will to His. Have a wonderful week! I love each and every one of you! Thanks for all of your love and support! I wouldn't be who I am today with the love and examples I receive from you! Hermana Mickelsen
Week 28
Feb 17, 2009
Well another week has passed and I can hardly believe it. The week has been pretty good. Never exempt from challenges but always learning. Tuesday night Sister Hoover and I felt overwhelmed. Sister Hoover was in tears after out meeting with the Bishop. She is feeling very stressed about ending her mission. I'm sure I will feel the same. We went back to the church and asked if she could get a blessing. The Bishop of course was very willing. I didn't want to ask for one because I knew he was behind schedule but I really felt like I needed one. After Sister Hoover was finished Bishop looked at me and could read my face. I asked and he accepted and willingly gave me a blessing as well. I love Bishop Johnson. He is one of the greatest men I know. I know my Heavenly Father loves me and is aware of my needs. We must be humble to receive them. Something I am constantly working on. Wednesday we went to dinner with the Tanner's. While we were there the Jazz vs. Lakers game came on. I happened to glance at the TV and see that they were playing. Of all the times for that game to be on. Of course I was curious to know who won and was pleased to find out the Jazz had pulled it off. I haven't thought about the Jazz in a long time. Darn Satan. We had a great lesson with the Flacks. We haven't been able to get in their home to teach for a couple of weeks. We talked about church and the blessings we receive from going to church. The tension is quite thick in that house. Coming back to church will help a great deal but it is hard to take that leap of faith. It is hard to go into homes where there is so much going on and you can only teach and testify. We both know what they need but all we can do is teach and pray. We can't make their choices for them. It is hard to watch people struggle. It makes me so grateful for all of the blessings that I have. I was privileged to be raised in the gospel and to have the blessings in my life. I am learning the importance of the gospel and how big the little things are. I may not have understood why I needed to go to church when I was young but now I appreciate church so much. I am grateful for the habits and principles I was taught so that it would back me up and be a testimony that I didn't even knew existed in such strength until now. Thank you to everyone for showing me how important family and the gospel are to be happy in this life. All we have to do to be happy in this life is live the gospel. We had a great lesson with Noma on Friday. She was having a hard time understanding how we can know. We told her it is like describing the taste of salt. I know exactly what it tastes like but I can't describe to someone. You have to taste it for yourself to know what it really tastes like. The light bulb went on. We talked to Brother Capps about the world today and showed him how it is the same throughout history. He was surprised when Sister Hoover pulled out a scripture in the Book of Mormon to explain exactly what he was feeling. He asked us when it was written. She shared a scripture from Ether. The people are being told that they can obtain the blessings of the Promised Land (America) if they would but keep the commandments and remember their Savior. How great would the world be today if we all remembered Jesus Christ? If we all strived to be like Jesus Christ we wouldn't be facing the problems that we are now. We gave some heart attacks for Valentine's Day. We got caught on 2 of the 3. They were all excited. I got a valentine from Noah. It was his birthday so we went to a transformer birthday party and got spider man valentines. It was fun. Sunday our dinner appointment called and cancelled while we were at ward council. Bishop Johnson invited us over to have prime rib and twice baked potatoes. It was berry yummy. Yesterday we didn't do too much because I have been grounded to only set appointments. My foot is in pain and I try to deny it but Sister Hoover made me call Sister Sexton. So now I am going to doctor to see what is wrong. I pray that it is not serious but we shall see. We had a great lesson with Marcela. Her testimony is growing everyday and she has great faith. I love talking to her. I hope you all have a wonderful week! I pray and think of you all often. The gospel is true and we are so blessed as we live and abide by its principles. I love you!
Well another week has passed and I can hardly believe it. The week has been pretty good. Never exempt from challenges but always learning. Tuesday night Sister Hoover and I felt overwhelmed. Sister Hoover was in tears after out meeting with the Bishop. She is feeling very stressed about ending her mission. I'm sure I will feel the same. We went back to the church and asked if she could get a blessing. The Bishop of course was very willing. I didn't want to ask for one because I knew he was behind schedule but I really felt like I needed one. After Sister Hoover was finished Bishop looked at me and could read my face. I asked and he accepted and willingly gave me a blessing as well. I love Bishop Johnson. He is one of the greatest men I know. I know my Heavenly Father loves me and is aware of my needs. We must be humble to receive them. Something I am constantly working on. Wednesday we went to dinner with the Tanner's. While we were there the Jazz vs. Lakers game came on. I happened to glance at the TV and see that they were playing. Of all the times for that game to be on. Of course I was curious to know who won and was pleased to find out the Jazz had pulled it off. I haven't thought about the Jazz in a long time. Darn Satan. We had a great lesson with the Flacks. We haven't been able to get in their home to teach for a couple of weeks. We talked about church and the blessings we receive from going to church. The tension is quite thick in that house. Coming back to church will help a great deal but it is hard to take that leap of faith. It is hard to go into homes where there is so much going on and you can only teach and testify. We both know what they need but all we can do is teach and pray. We can't make their choices for them. It is hard to watch people struggle. It makes me so grateful for all of the blessings that I have. I was privileged to be raised in the gospel and to have the blessings in my life. I am learning the importance of the gospel and how big the little things are. I may not have understood why I needed to go to church when I was young but now I appreciate church so much. I am grateful for the habits and principles I was taught so that it would back me up and be a testimony that I didn't even knew existed in such strength until now. Thank you to everyone for showing me how important family and the gospel are to be happy in this life. All we have to do to be happy in this life is live the gospel. We had a great lesson with Noma on Friday. She was having a hard time understanding how we can know. We told her it is like describing the taste of salt. I know exactly what it tastes like but I can't describe to someone. You have to taste it for yourself to know what it really tastes like. The light bulb went on. We talked to Brother Capps about the world today and showed him how it is the same throughout history. He was surprised when Sister Hoover pulled out a scripture in the Book of Mormon to explain exactly what he was feeling. He asked us when it was written. She shared a scripture from Ether. The people are being told that they can obtain the blessings of the Promised Land (America) if they would but keep the commandments and remember their Savior. How great would the world be today if we all remembered Jesus Christ? If we all strived to be like Jesus Christ we wouldn't be facing the problems that we are now. We gave some heart attacks for Valentine's Day. We got caught on 2 of the 3. They were all excited. I got a valentine from Noah. It was his birthday so we went to a transformer birthday party and got spider man valentines. It was fun. Sunday our dinner appointment called and cancelled while we were at ward council. Bishop Johnson invited us over to have prime rib and twice baked potatoes. It was berry yummy. Yesterday we didn't do too much because I have been grounded to only set appointments. My foot is in pain and I try to deny it but Sister Hoover made me call Sister Sexton. So now I am going to doctor to see what is wrong. I pray that it is not serious but we shall see. We had a great lesson with Marcela. Her testimony is growing everyday and she has great faith. I love talking to her. I hope you all have a wonderful week! I pray and think of you all often. The gospel is true and we are so blessed as we live and abide by its principles. I love you!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Week 27
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!
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!
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
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