Times Are A-Changin': 6/22/2015

This week went by so incredibly fast. This week was crazy because our Mission President, President Hermansen came to say his goodbyes. He will be returning to Idaho after serving for 3 years over the missionaries in Reno Nevada and we will be receiving President Chestnut soon.

Some of President's closing council to us (and I wish I brought the paper so I could get it correct) is:

"When life gets hard, which it often does. When things go wrong, which they often do. When life seems unfair, which it often is--Remember who you are. You are a child of God, the most powerful being in the universe."

Life gets hard, things go wrong, and it often is unfair, but it really is just part of our mortal test and everything will be made right in the end. God, our loving Father, will see to that and give us comfort while we face the mountains we have to climb.

These are things I know to be true and right and just.

I love my mission and the people I get to serve here. There is nothing that can describe nor compare to the joy it brings.

Hope you have a great week!

What if you get attacked by a village of angry women?!?: 6/8/2015

Our week was packed with appointments! I love the people we are teaching so much. It has been fun working with the ward more to get those preparing for baptism integrated with the people. So much work and so little time!

But we did have an unexpected finding moment. We were walking to an appointment and started talking to this Hispanic man who was working on a water covering. We say Hi and he asks what we are doing. "We are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We teach people about Jesus Christ and what he has done for us as well as beliefs unique to our faith." Within seconds (and we only had seconds), he told us that he was prepared to listen to us and gave us all of his contact information. We don't have much time to find but as we are obedient the Lord will not let us pass by those who are prepared and will make it possible for us to reach them.

As for my title this week....

We were in a very strange lesson. We were teaching about repentance and well, suddenly we found ourselves in a slew of random moral situations and extreme outcomes. Here are a few examples.

-What if someone falsely accuses you and they chop your head off!

-What if you lived in a bubble and never learned how to park and a mall cop gives you a ticket?

- (And my Favorite) What if you shoot down a paratrooper in Vietnam and the next thing you know you are being attacked by a whole village, a whole village of women nonetheless. What if you get mobbed by an angry village of women!!!

It was an interesting moment. But that's what life is for! The lesson turned out alright and it's all good.

Hope you all have a great week!

I got to wear an exact replica of one of Clint Eastwood's belts thanks to a traveler through at the Cowpoke Cafe. Super cool.

Here's An awesome object lesson for repentance involving random sauces and cornflakes! I showed Sister Liddle and naturally she then had to "practice" on me. Yes. This is what missionaries do before bed.

Another picture to perfectly describe missionary work in Nevada! Gotta love the country.

When Life Poops on You, Laugh In It's Face: 6/1/2015

Yesterday, we were at an investigators house. The dog came up and cuddled with me after playing catch for a bit. Suddenly, the dog squirms under my arm and around my body. My head follows his trail. "What are you--" I look down. There is a freshly laid turd sitting on my lap. My original response was "Is that what I think it is?" Complete shock. Then I died. I could not stop laughing. The investigator was mortified. The dog was hiding for it's dear life in complete shame. I was sitting there laughing with tears running down my face. The lady comes over with a trash can and we attempt to roll it off my dress into the trash can but it gets stuck in it's final descent so we use my dress as a trampoline and launch it into the can-setting off another roll of laughter. 

The Culprit

 

I feel like it was God's way of saying, Lighten up and do what you always do. Roll with the punches and laugh at whatever comes your way!

Not much time but here are the highlights from the week:

-I did a fast on Wednesday for the health of one of our investigators as well as family back home, but the investigators doctor appointment is what sparked it. Midday, we call to give her a daily scripture and we are informed they moved the appointment to Monday. A lot of things tempted me to end my fast--I didn't eat much for dinner the night before, I could just end it at 3, etc.--but I kept feeling that I needed to continue my fast 100% and make it to dinner at 5:30. We get called over to that investigators to help with an unexpected project that was WAY too much for anyone. While there, she found out a friend stole a precious picture keepsake on top of all the other things she stole. She angrily picked up the phone to call the lady who had done this to her, but to our surprise her voice was even. She expressed apologies for things she had done. Completely calm. When I came back from the bathroom, she was sitting on the couch shaking her head. "I don't know what just happened. I had it all planned out what I was going to say. Those were not my words. I don't think I said that. Something just took over me and overpowered everything." Over and over again, it was confirmed to me. It was because I had fasted that she had the strength.

-We went to a car show and saw TOMATER from cars!

-My bishop and his wife from Wells came and visited me!

-Graduation parties

-Lots of awesome lessons and teaching. It's been a great week.

The Smallest of Grapes (Beating the Funk): 5/26/2015

As expected, Sister Liddle and I will be staying another transfer in Lovelock! Super Happy about that. The work is really coming along. We have SIX people preparing for baptism and they are solid. We spent yesterday with our investigator Lori, dying Sister Liddle's hair bronze! It looks SO good. It was so much fun. 

We are SO busy, but busy isn't the right word because it's not business for business sake but actual meaningful work every second of everyday. We get to the end of the night and there are people that we wished we had time to see. I'm worrying that we aren't finding as much as we should, but the only way to free time would be to drop someone and everyone that we are teaching is keeping commitments and progressing in their own ways and I would NEVER want to ruin that. It's a great problem to have as a missionary. I love it here in Lovelock and I love the people even more.

As my mom told me to, I just uptowned my funk. Really, I got over any of the remnants this morning. Turns out laughter is great medicine. But I found as I went about my week and wrote more sincerely in my journal, that everything always falls into place and the Lord does the heavy lifting. I found an amazing quote this week quoted in "raising the Bar" by a former mission and MTC president Ed Pinegar.

Faith is the Power

Love is the Motive

Obedience is the Price

The Spirit is the Key

Christ is the Reason

I love it so much because it is true. Then I thought about the Savior and how he lived his life by the first three. Faith in His father was the power behind everything he did. When He was suffering in the Garden, he must of had faith in His role as the Savior. But the reason he did it was love, deeper than we can imagine, for all of us. But surely, obedience was the price, a high price to be made. In the depths of His agony He cried out "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." (Matt 26:39). In an act of perfect obedience, He payed the price that had to be payed for all of us. 

Another quote that I just loved from this week was from a speaker in Sacrament Meeting, Brother Puttey. 

"The sun shines it's light on the smallest of grapes as if it had nothing better to do that to warm that one grape"

How fitting is that in reference to our loving Heavenly Father who is all knowing and all powerful, yet takes the time to listen and answer every prayer even when we are telling him the smallest of our concerns. 

It has been a week of growth and humility, but that is exactly what missions are for. As I am becoming the missionary I know I can be, it becomes easier to have fun and find enjoyment along the way.

Well, I love all of you and miss you! 

Happy Mother's Day and the Year Mark...ish: 5/11/2015

During church a definition of Motherhood was read that said it is the act of taking someone into your protective care. So, to all the mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day!

It was amazing to be able to talk to my family :) This can put some missionaries in a funk but I guess I just saw them and will be back in a short 6 months so all I have is pure enjoyment of being able to talk to them. I think it can last me the rest of my 6 months :)

I'm not sure how to count my year mark with being sent home. I figured I would just count back 6 months from when I went home and that was yesterday! I burned a shirt with the Autumn and her family :)

This week has been really amazing. Sister Liddle was sick for most of it, but when we were able to go out a LOT of lessons and miracles happened. I've gained a stronger testimony of the Book of Mormon. There is a man we have been working with. Though we were teaching well, using the spirit, and showing scripture, you could tell that nothing was really sinking. They were just facts of our belief to him. He finally keeps his commitment to read the Book of Mormon. He not only read, but he read FOUR chapters! That lesson was very spiritual and there was a change in the atmosphere and a change in him. 

A dear friend sent me this quote That I wanted to share:

    “When filled with God’s love, we can do and see and understand things that we could not otherwise do or see or understand. Filled with His love, we can endure pain, quell fear, forgive freely, avoid contention, renew strength, and bless and help others in ways even surprising to us.” John H. Groberg

    The Lord loves all his children so much, when we understand his love for us and our relationship to others, it gives us power and strength and allows us to bless others in ways that we can never imagine. I assume that it is this love parents have for their children. I know it is this love that missionaries have to those they serve. I love seeing others through the light of God. There are no lost causes. There is always hope. 

Love you all and hope you have a great week!

Sister Liddle and I helped out on a farm :)

I tried on a fur coat made from Timber Wolves!

Skirt Burning!

Happy Birthday Sister Liddle! 5/4/2015

It's been a long week, because so much has happened. As of this week, we have THREE investigators with a baptismal date and another person that agreed top the soft commitment! Three with a date was what Sister Harris and I were working for the whole time we were companions. When I went to write on our board the date Lori Wise agreed to and saw that we have finally achieved our goal, I began to cry and immediately had to say a prayer. I have been so filled with gratitude that the Lord is trusting us with these people to teach and bring closer to God. I've been thinking a lot about the scripture "whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain" (Matt 5:41). I have to think that God takes this advice. When we ask him for something in faith, he gives us what we ask and then some more. 

Our ward, due to the size and we just did a month fast in January, adjusted the fast to be a 30 day fast. On May 1st, the day the fast ended, we tried seeing people all day. Even our most solid appointments and solid backups fell through. No one was home. We had only one other lesson the whole day. If that doesn't strengthen your testimony on the power of fasting I don't know what will. I feel like it was a very strong message to make sure I knew all the success had been, in reality, due to the faith of others and our own. The days following were normal again, but I was very amazed by that.

ALL the crazy things happened. For Sister Liddle's Birthday, we got the black/tiwi boxes. They aren't too bad.They give you like generous "grace period" before they yell at you. But the traffic getting to Reno was insane. We got lost. During our time there we almost got hit 3 times. We have a new investigator that agreed softly to baptism. Then, this lady, Lori. She is awesome. She just knows this is the path for her. We only taught a Restoration overview while we were eating our dinner and she was like, "I know this is the path, what is the next step?". We say baptism. She is aiming for as soon as she possibly can. She is awesome. We have three amazing people with a date and a solid teaching pool. We are busy.

Funny/Awkward Moments:

-Sister Liddle turned 20, but her mom thought she turned 21. After laughing about this in the car for a while, we stop to get gas. A 25 year old guy tells us that he's a member of our church and starts chatting with us. I only realize it's a lie when he motions to my companion and asks if she's my little sister. I laugh thinking it was a play on her name. "Close! She's my Sister Liddle!" and then "Oh! I thought she was like 13!". "umm.. no." Then he brings up dating and I'm like "We don't date. BYE!". This was probably one of the most awkward encounters for both of us in our entire mission. Weird.

-This lady gave me a shirt! It didn't fit perfectly but when I tried it on she yells "fit's you better than me! It's yours now!" Then she makes me wear it right then and there! haha. I love her. Here's a picture it happened while on exchanges so I got to surprise Sister Liddle :)

It's been a great week. Love you all!


My Goodbye to Sister Harris. On her last morning we hiked the L for our morning exercise in our Awesome Lovelock Shirts!

Sister Liddle and I on our "Taking the long way through Unionville to District Meeting" trip

Our "We had to shower because we were covered in horse poop" Face

Unionville

Driving back from our trip to the Lovelock Caves, Sister Liddle and I saw a JUMBO tumbleweed crossing the road. Naturally we pulled over to take the picture. It's as big as me!

Great Things in Store: 4/27/2015

Once again, I have no clue where my email time has gone. Also, I have failed to bring my camera but I have pictures from our Fun Run a month or so ago!

The former Love-a-mucca Mountain Zistrict!

Life here is good. Loving role plays is something we have both struggled with, but they have been helping a TON for our teaching. We are starting to get in the groove with each other. All my previous companions were all super confident, knew what you were doing, people so it's a change, but a good one. Lots of room for growth for both of us. The area has been booming. It is all the fast. We have a family in the ward fasting every day of April for missionary work. I've worked this hard, if not much much harder, my whole mission and have never seen the results we are seeing. I told my district leader to not be too surprised if things slow down after the fast. He told me that didn't sound like faith talking. I just laughed and said, "No! It is faith! It's faith in the power of fasting!". The Lord is letting great things happen here. It's fun to be part of it. I hope everything continues, but I also know that it is the Lord's work and I can feel satisfied when I am doing all I can. 

News: Tomorrow we get the Driver Accountability Program installed in the car. It monitors everything, even if you go one mile over the speed limit, and it you prove to not follow the rules of the road I heard you get you driving privileges taken away! I've been practicing since I got the car not going even one over. We will see! 

Love you all tons! Hope everything is going good in your neighborhood!