Love-a-mucca Mountain: 3/16/14

Guess what. My entire family wrote me physical letters this week. That has NEVER happened! Record set!

This week we drove to zone/district meeting. For who understand why this is crazy, our zone is also the district. It consists of 5 companionship. We meet in Winnemucca which is about an hour and a half away. There's us from Lovelock, 3 sets from Winnemucca, and one set from Battle mountain. Before I came they asked President if we could officially change the zone name from Winnemucca Zone to Lovamucca Mountain Zone. The answer was no, but the name remains.

 Second week back and it only gets better. I feel less like I'm here as the guest missionary, and more like I am here for good. It's still weird that my companion knows people I don't, but this week I know people too! I feel extremely blessed. It's a great place. When I was home and thinking about how easy it would be not to come back I kept on thinking about all the amazing people I've been able to help so far and knew there were still people for me to find and teach. I think I found at least one of them this week. I love our little Autumn. She is nine and she CRAVES the gospel. She has read all 6 pamphlets that she borrowed from her sister who is a recent convert. The pamphlets are so marked up and she asks us every time we leave "can you come back tomorrow" or if earlier in the day "can you come back tonight?". Even when her family didn't come, she made her brother walk her to church. On Thursday she ran up and clinged onto my arm and said "You are my best friend!".

Fun Things about the Lovelock area:

-We cover Burning Man! It should be a crazy summer if I am still here.

-The jail with OJ Simpson is in the area. Yes, we technically get revelation for him! That is, if we went to the prison which we are not allowed to do.

-Thunder Mountain: It's a nation park thing.... It's a house made out of "White Man's Junk" Look it up!

-Rye Patch: It looks like it should be a HUGE town but there is just roads and roads with nothing on them except a random house every once and a while.

-There is Sulfur mining here. Every once in a while it smells a little funky.

-There is a road in our area call "Horse S*** Canyon". Yes. That's a thing. 

Well, I hope you all have a great week. We are looking forward to Easter and being able to talk to people about Christ and what he did a lot more. I love it here. I hope everyone is doing great :) Have a great week!

Back Again: Lovelocked: 3/9/15

For those who may not have got the memo and have been wondering what happened to the weekly emails I was sending, I guess I should address that. I just re-read my last mass email and I laughed a lot. I briefly mentioned I wasn't feeling good that week. The next week was even worse, and I got sent home for exploratory surgery. They found out it was a bladder condition as well as another thing that cause my body to mimic labor contractions for two weeks. I got treated for both of them and after 4 and a half months, I'M BACK!

It was crazy getting back. I missed my connection to Reno and had to fly standby. The 5 o'clock flight was oversold and I was 10th in line for a spot. You could only imagine my surprise when I was watching the monitor after everyone was on and I see that I am #6 on the standby list and #5 had got a spot. As a shot in the dark, I walked up to the counter and explained I was next in line and asked if there was any point of waiting around while they finished boarding--there was one seat left on the plan. It was a weird mixture of excitement and disbelief and nervousness as the gate attendant handed me my boarding pass. I guess the Lord was watching over me and didn't want me flying until 10:30 that night.

Once we landed, it felt like coming home. At the transfer meeting, they reintroduced me and announced that I came back from a medical leave. I didn't think I knew very many people in the crowd, but enough people knew about me and it was one of the loudest cheers I've ever gotten in my life. Then they announced I would be companions with Sister Harris! Sister Harris was in the other district at the MTC and we came out together! We didn't know each other super well. Our relationship mostly consisted of seeing them and screaming "RENO SISTERS!" and going on our merry way. But I always though she was awesome. Now I know it. On the drive from the airport I discovered that Wells area was closed. It broke my heart. All my hopes of going back were crushed. So, when I leaned over and whispered in Sister Harris's ear "So... Where are we going?" and she said Lovelock, I screamed! 1,000 people living in a town in the middle of nowhere, nothing else for 45 mins away--I can do that! 

Lovelock is constantly reminding me of Wells. I've grown quite fond of it. It's not quite the same, but it's real close. I'm loving it.

It's weird being in an area where my companion actually knows people. It's weird not starting from scratch. I've never had a normal transfer. I like being double transfered place because everything that the area is, you have created. But I won't lie, it's nice coming in and already having lessons and appointments.

The first day back, I did wonder if I remembered everything and if I'd be able to just jump right back in. The first day was the acid test if I ever saw one. We had 6 appointments and 5 that went through. We taught someone with a baptism date, contacted people on the street, invited a lady to be baptized, saw a less active member, followed up on a referral, saw recent converts. The whole slew of people you interact with as a missionary, we saw and taught that first day. I was amazed to find that when the Lord calls, he qualifies. Everything just came back and it felt natural. If anything, I felt like because I was relying on the Lord even more, I was a better missionary than when I left! The rest of the week was more of the normal pace--lessons falling through, a lot of street contacting--but I was impressed that the Lord knew I needed that first day to regain my confidence.

Sunday was weird and threw us off. In planning the night before I jokingly asked Sister Harris if we needed back up plans for church. Then the electricity went off after the sacrament and we were told to go home! Awks. In addition, we had someone that was working towards baptism tell us that he no longer wanted to convert and essentially "See you never"! After some more messaging to figure out what happened, we told him we understand and asked if we could see him again just to get some feedback and say hi. He told us he had to "weigh the consequences"..... so that's weird. We think he may got some anti literature.

Other than that, life in Lovelock has been great. There is a motel whose main selling point is "COLORED TV!". I considered joking and saying that was where I loved, but we live a cute little apartment in town.

I have had no mail because no one had my address and it's been sad, so you should really write me family and (with less obligation) friends.

I guess I will see you all in 8 months! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE SISTER BAILEY!!!!!

Here's a picture of me and my new comp!

A TV Week: 10/6/14

This week has been awesome (minus the fact that I'm sick again) because we were able to watch a lot of TV.

First off: We got to preveiw a church released film Meet the Mormons. Really it's more of meet 6 really amazing and cool people that will inspire you that there is hope in life and they happen to be Mormon. It's awesome. You will love it. I recommend watching it. It will be realeased in select theaters this weekend and then on the internet afterwards.

Then we got to watch General Conference. I have a lot of favorites like always, but I really liked Bednars talk to the nonmembers in the audience about why we don missionary work :)

I always think it's neat when they pray for the missionaries. It helps to remember that all the church is praying for missionaries like me. did you know there are over 88,000 missionaries right now? That is crazy! It makes me glad to know there is a force for good in this world.

I hope you all liked conference and it was great!

I got to go. Maybe one of these days I will write my mass email first :)

Facing the Music: 9/29/14

Last week was a little discouraging. This week was suppose to be a ladies Baptism. It didn't go through. So this week was a little rough too. BUT we are facing the music and going to be finding a lot. Even more then before I guess. The cold weather is coming in so we gotta do it now or else we will be hurting soon. So far not much luck, but we hope that will change soon. Blech. I dislike finding. 60%of the time you are annoying people, 30% of the time people just don't care, 8% people like you a lot but aren't interested but say you can come back, and the other 2% are people that love you and allow you to change their life. I just made up that.

We are in Carson today because our computers are down at the Gardnerville library. Our ride is coming nowish so I got to go. I don't think I replied to anyone this week so please don't be too hurt. I was only on for about 45 mins.

Love you sll and hope you have a great week!

Mission Life:

A lady with a rotten tooth tried to pull it out in front of us

A guy is actually believing in God after being agnostic

We used a toilet that had a pull string. It was awesome

Wanda wants to listen to the Book of Mormon more so a lady bought her a CD player. There was no power cord #SATAN!

Our Zone leaders got "stickerfied" at dinner and carrots thrown at them. I love Sharla

I SAW SISTER WOOD!!!!!! We had a giant service project in reno and I saw her :)

Here's a picture of me and another set of sisters before the big service project last week!

There's a picture of our shadows. I'm the far left one :)

Worm Status: HALFWAY: 9/22/14

I have spent most of my computer time looking at pictures and now I have to go. 

BUT EXCITING THINGS:

I hit my Halfway mark this week! I have been out 9 Months!

I learned how to use a floor buffer. It's dang hard. You have to be pretty buff to work them.

The New Spanish elder in our area in a greenie straight for the training center: that's fun

Elder Lawrence of the seventy came and gave awesome talks at our stake conference about Light and Darkness. "Success or Failure in this life depends on how much light we gain". Very interesting. 

Wish I could write more but I am a worm. To all the Family in Disney World, I hope you all have fun! To everyone, send pictures and letters! I may not be the best at responding but I love to hear from people :)

Random: 9.15.14

It has been a good week. It's been a long one too. It's been a strange week. I really can't tell you what happened because I don't remember much. I just flew by and everything was so random this week. Good, but random. Most of our plans fell through and we ended up seeing a bunch of new people. TONS of new people. Where we normally talk to about 10-20 new people everyday, we saw about 25-50 new people everyday. Most people are nice but uninterested. I feel like that's how I would be if missionaries from another faith walked up to me as well, so I always walk away feeling good having at least met a new friend. 

We are staying another transfer together in Gardnerville! As Sunday drew closer and closer Sister Anderson and I would look at each other and say "I don't think we are leaving yet." It's a funny thing, when you are leaving, you can feel it. You draw away from your area and the people a little bit. God prepares you to leave. We were even telling members, "yeah, I don't think we are gone yet". Lo and behold, we get our call and we are staying! After a week of ALL the appointments falling through, I'm not so sure what it is that we are suppose to do and why we have to stay together, but I think we will know soon.

I'm sorry this is short today, I just don't have much to say.

This week I've been studying God's love. I found this scripture and I love it. 2 Nephi 26:24

"He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation."

He doesn't do anything to us except it be for our benefit. He loves us so much. He wants all of us to return to Him. He wants us to return, because he loves us. NONE are told that they should not partake of His sacrifice, His cleansing, His empowering. All are welcome into the all loving, all merciful arms of God. He is the loving Father of our spirits and wants all of us to "return unto God who gave it" life (Ecclesiastes 12:7). I think God is a firm believer in "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" and he knows what he is doing. Though it can sometimes feel like we aren't getting stronger at all and he doesn't understand. He does and He cares. Bu even death, he know when we have accomplished what we need to. To Him, death is not the end but only a part of his plan to make us better. I trust that it all makes sense in his omnipotent eyes.

A Normal Week: 9/8/14

Not that any normal week happens on the mission. What we are doing isn't exactly normal. But, as far as missionary work goes we had a normal week this week, an awesome week this week. I won't lie, I left my planner at home and have somewhat forgot all the things that happened. We saw all the normal people and had fun. Of course there are the Lolies :) Wally called Lila on the way back from costco and asked if we were still there and said "Keep them there! I'm bringing home a rotisserie chicken." and holy cow, that was the best chicken I have ever had in my life. They really spoil us. They got gatorade and ice cream and some other things for us to take home as well. They have three dogs. DeeDee is a little overweight and eats everything.  I told them if I was one of their dogs, I would be DeeDee :) Then we also saw the Beland, Elizabeth, the Roaches! 

Weird Story/I guess we are on that level now: There's a lady and we were at her house. About 30 minutes into us being there she says "Make yourself at home, I'm gonna go take a shower!". She promptly left and took a shower and we sat there confused.

I am loving here in Gardnerville. It's fun. I still miss Wells a lot. Maybe you can't replace your first area, but I have learned to like it here a lot. I really like my companion too. It's been good.

For my message, I wanted to share something I learned. I read an article in our church magazine. It's the last page of the August 2014 Ensign( https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/08/replacing-my-fear-with-faith?lang=eng). There's a member who shared an experience she had and it she a new light on a well known story. She went through a breakup and found herself feeling lonely and sad. She found comfort in the story of Mary Magdalene and the apostles finding an empty tomb. "He is not here, for he is risen" (Luke 24:5-6). That's when she realized "I was looking in the wrong place for comfort. Wallowing in the past and “yearn[ing] vainly for yesterdays” was not consoling me or motivating me to fruitful action. I realized I needed to stop looking in the tomb of past experiences."

How brilliant is that? I realized I have been there before, looking for the savior--hope and healing--in the wrong place. Only forgiveness, repentance, faith brings healing and forgiveness, repentance, faith are all in the future. Healing is heavenwards. But I've found myself not believing that. I've been as the apostles that Easter Sunday, where the words "seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not" (Luke 24:11). It seems unfathomable and too good to be true that the savior really can heal us from our pains, or if not heal us at least comfort us and make it bearable. But he is not found in the tomb of the past. He is never found in holding onto the past, but only found in looking forward.

Hope that everyone had just as good of a week as me. I wonder what next week will bring. we have transfer calls this week and the possibility to get moved by next Tuesday. I think I will stay but you never know! Talk to you in a week!