Back on Bikes!

My new trainee, Sister Talbert!
Always an adventure! Always a gongshow. So... I am serving in Holladay! I am training! And I am on a bike!
On bikes again! 
Wild things... But! I have never had a stronger testimony. I have never been more bold. And I have never been more fearless. This is great!


Tuesday was our transfer meeting. Everything is a blur and nothing ever stops moving! Tuesday was our first day in the area. We met the stake president and we had a lesson with two investigators. They are 2 young girls whose mom doesn't want them to be baptized.. I've had so many experiences with this! I've seen hearts soften and I've seen hearts crushed. It is all in the Lord's timing! I keep praying that we will be able to teach and baptize them though. They are the sweetest girls. 

Wednesday we had interviews with our mission president. We just chit-chatted and then I told him all is well and that was it! haha. I think he might have been expecting me to be more overwhelmed but I am feeling completely wonderful! That evening, we had a lesson with our aaammaazing investigator, who the elders had started teaching. She wasn't on date for baptism, so we taught her a lesson about faith and how it leads to action. She said that she could tell we had the Holy Ghost with us. She's my favvvoritee! I love herr! So.. we put her on date! Woo hoo! October 26th!

Thursday: Sister Talbert had many FIRSTs! First: district meeting, weekly planning, tracting, and OYMing! And.. we saw chickens.
Chickens
And... these boys sang to us! They were 12 and 14, I think, and their mom played the piano and they serenaded us. It was so cute.

Friday: Elder and Sister West from the mission office came to our apartment to deliver furniture. We called Elder Jarvis, our district leader, to help us carry the dresser and things. He showed up with Elder Claybrook, his companion, PLUS four other elders! Feeling... dramatic! It was a party. 
Help moving in
Sister Talbert and I don't have a car, so we walked all over our area, discovering each ward. Miles and miles of walking.
We had a lesson with a recent convert that the elders baptized. He is 9-years-old and he has autism and ADHD. We played gospel memory with him and as SOON as we finished, he left the room. He came back in 2 seconds later and said, "Why are you guys still here?" 

Saturday: We had meals with our landlady, Cessie. She's from Chile and she's so sweet. She made us lunch AND dinner! She has always lived alone, so she is loving our company! 
Landlady and Alana
In the afternoon, we went to TEMPLE SQUARE with Tshering, who is getting baptized next Saturday. I LOVE HER! The Spirit was so strong. We had the best sister missionaries. Their names were both Sister Lee! Well.. Sister Lee and Sister Li! They were both Asian. Tshering is from Bhutan. It's right below China and near India. It was so good for those two sisters to be our tour guides! (I paused when writing that, because I never wanted to be called a tour guide when I worked at the Family Tree!! Oh well!) 
Temple Square with Tshering (pronounced See-ring) 
Ohhh my goodness. The rest of the day was wild! Sister Talbert and I were walking down the street and there was a car stopped in front of us. I looked at the driver and she looked at me, and then I realized it was Sister Smith, the Relief Society president of the 8th ward in Wasatch! I ran up to her car and was yelling and jumping. I reached in her car and hugged her! She told me that her husband's chocolate shop was right in the plaza we were passing on our way home! I just LOVE them! We went inside and Brother Smith talked with us and gave us free chocolate and caramel apples. What a blessing to see a familiar face!
And then, we kept walking and a girl yelled out the window of a passing car, "Hi Sister Missionaries!" and then I saw her and she saw me and the car kept going but she was hanging out of the window looking at me and I said, "I know you!!" ..It was Claira Toronto, a Return Missionary who lives in Cottonwood! Such crazy things!
And THENNN, on the way home.. A bird pooped on Sister Talbert's head.  

Sunday: Meetings and meetings and meetings. Cessie, our landlady, told us that she is inactive and so we got her to come to church with us on Sunday! Woohoo! And then, we taught the Gospel Principles class. Tshering was there and another non-member who we are going to start teaching the lessons to! Woo hoo! 
Ohhh my goodness. Another funny thing. This return missionary spoke in the 3rd ward sacrament. So when we were teaching the 3rd ward sunday school class, this non-member turned to Sister Talbert and went on and on and on about how much she loved her talk! And about how the things that Sister Talbert said were so inspired and she knew that she said them for her! Sister Talbert (obviously) wasn't the one who gave the talk, so we were confused for a minute and then realized the lady mixed them up. I was trying SO hard not to laugh and Sister Talbert just sat there and nodded her head. 
That night, we had dinner with the stake president and his family.
Our stake president
Tshering came and we talked more about her baptism. She is SO prepared!!

 Lastly.. I want to say that I've been feeling like Moroni! The first one. Captain Moroni! Moroni 51: 15. He tells the people to defend their country or he will put them to death! haha. He is just so passionate and wants things the Lord's way! I think that my bishops scared of me... haha! I am going to motivate them to ACT. 
My testimony has exploded since I've been on my mission. I LOVE THIS WORK! I absolutely love the Book of Mormon. I love the Lord. If I love these people, I will do everything I can to share the gospel with them. And I do! 
I never want to lose this enthusiasm for missionary work. I never want to forget my love for this gospel. I feel like Alma in chapter 29. O that I were an angel! I just want to be bold and declare what I know and help everyone feel the Spirit... because it's so good. It's just so genuinely good and wonderful!

Nielson's
MUCH LOVE!
Christensen's
 Trees

1 comment:

  1. Oh, dear Ariel, you are an angel. I am excited that you are so excited about doing the Lord's work. Keep up the good job that you are doing. Woo Hoo. I can't wait to hug you. Love, Ruby

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