Monday... Sister Talbert and I got the calls about Transfers.
I started my application online to BYU! Ahh! That's where most of the anxiety is coming from! Trying to pretend that I am never leaving my mission, but still making sure that I am not homeless in a few weeks. I'd really love to get into BYU and of course I procrastinated, but let's just see what the Lord can do with me! Bless this mess.
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| Sister Talbert's last day.. Seeing Sister Evan's at Walmart! |
After Pday, Sister Talbert and I went to a member's and did a lesson with her and her less-active 15-year-old daughter. It went really well and she is coming along! She's gone to church 2 Sundays in a row! Woo hoo! We ended the lesson with brownies and icecream.
That night, we stopped by the set of sisters that we dropped a few weeks ago (10-years and 15-years old). Sister Talbert wanted to say goodbye. Before the girls came out, their grandparents told us that the girls asked if we were coming to teach them; they told them No because they made it seem like they didn't want us to come; and the girls were like, "Whaattt, we never said that!" So then they came out and talked to us and we were firm about making sure that they were committed before we said we would teach them again. So they said they will keep commitments and let us prepare them for baptism. We have another lesson with them tonight, and we invited some Young Women, so we will see what happens!
Tuesday: Transferss! Super long transfer meeting. Seeing almost every face that I love! Sisters Willis, Summerhays, Villoso, Allen, Simon, etc etc. I am so nervous that that was the last I will see my friends for a while! Sad! Buuut, I found out AFTER I got my companion, that I am training her! She is second-transfer, so she's not fresh from the MTC, but of course President would have me train during my last transfer! Anyhow.. My companion is Sister Brown! She is from Virginia. She is 21. She has been out for 6 weeks. She loves to talk... A Lot! And really quickly!! haha. Sometimes she is talking and I'm not listening, I'm just laughing because she is saying so many things so quickly that I can't even follow along! It's a lot of fun.
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| My new companion, Sister Brown, drying her hair during studies |
In the evening, we had dinner with Sister Judy Anderson, the 1st ward Relief Society President, and the Young family. Brother Young is the very newly called Ward Mission Leader. Also, their son came and he JUST returned from his mission from the mission in... Pittsburgh! We had so much fun talking about Pittsburgh and he even knew some missionaries who served in Slippery Rock.
Then, we went to the stake president's, President Boyer, and Sister Brown got to meet him and talk about the senior couple that she previously served with in Monument Park... We are getting a new Senior Couple next week!! They are members of our stake already, but they are called to serve as missionaries WHERE THEY LIVE! I am so so excited to work with them. It is the Carlstons. They are so great. So we discussed some ideas to work effectively with them.
Wednesday: Sister Brown and I (I just realized that I might slip up and write "Sister Talbert" sometimes, but I am actually with Sister Brown now, so sorry!) .. Wednesday, Sister Brown and I set goals for the coming transfer. I am so excited! and nervous! Pretty much every day I wake up with knots in my tummy because somehow my body knows that I only have a few more weeks of this beautiful missionary life! But I am really grateful for the time I have left, and I want to work really diligently and faithfully, and sprint to the end! So.. I decided that these next few weeks, my motto will be: "Have ye inquired of the Lord?" ...If I am struggling, or confused, or tired, or even feeling perfectly content, I can ALWAYS inquire of the Lord as to what can I do better? Beg Him to help me focus and have energy and not be sad about the end! Together, Sister Brown and I set the goal to be 5 minutes early to each appointment. I feel like this is something that I SHOULD master by the time that I go home, but who knows!
Also, we made some visits and shoveled some snow off of driveways. We always catch this elderly sister, Sister Rice, shoveling her own snow. I'm like, "Sister Rice, you are so wild. Give me your shovel and go inside!" She was shoveling without a coat and then we took over and she came out to take pictures of us.. hahah.
For dinner, we went to Quiznos with Moroni and Jerry! They are just the best. Moroni is this little Hispanic man who is hilarious, and Jerry is this old man who is so cute. They are roommates and best friends. I was laughing so much. They are such good missionaries, too!
Thursday: We had a looong weekly planning, because I was trying to update Sister Brown on everybody. We made some carecenter visits and even had a lesson with a non-member. She was 7th-Day-Adventist, she was the aid of an old woman we visited, and she was completely uninterested. I invited her to be baptized anyway! Well, she said no.. But one of these days, someone will say Yes!
That night, we went to a lesson with my lovely less-active family, who we spent Christmas eve with. Bishop Jones came with us and committed the husband to prepare to baptize their daughter when she turns 8 in March. He said yes! Then he committed them to go to the temple to be sealed as a family. They said yes! Yaayyy! They are preparing for December 29, this year. I won't be on my mission, but I would definitely LOVE to be there when they are sealed! How special.
Friday: District Meeting. My companion and an elder left, so we had 2 new missionaries in our district, but everyone else is the same.
After lunch, we had a lesson with Eva and Charles. Their non-member roommate came in for our lesson! We were teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so it was perfect. We asked her about her baptism and she said she was baptized Catholic when she was a child and couldn't remember it. I asked her if she would want to make the decision to be baptized and then be able to remember it. She said that she might, and that she would talk to the Marshs about it. Woo hoo!
Friday, we tried contacting people all day. We got a lesson with Tshering and read a chapter in the Book of Mormon with her. I am so proud of her! Her testimony is growing every day!
In the evening, just before we went in for the night, we tried contacting a less-active, who I didn't know exactly where she lived. We knocked on what I thought was the right door, and RayAnne, this very wonderful member, showed up at the door!! It was the wrong house, but we didn't tell her; she was so excited and invited us in! She has been coming back into activity this past year and said that Satan is really working on her! We talked with her and shared some experiences, and every time I said something, she would say, "I need to write that down," and would write it. I shared a scripture and she said, "I need to write that down."..haha. By the end of the lesson she said, "I would give almost anything to hear you give your homecoming talk!" It was so nice. I knew we needed to see her that night!
Saturday: We borrowed Sister Rice's shovels and spent the day doing random acts of kindness. We shoveled non-members driveways and then left notes, "Love, the sister missionaries," with our phone number. One of them actually called us to thank us!
That evening, we had dinner with the Prestwich family and it was so so so wonderful. Brother Prestwich, is an institute and seminary teacher, and I realized that is EXACTLY what I want to do! I have never been fond of the idea of being a teacher, but if I were to teach the Gospel, it would be perfect! He said that I really should consider it. They have these classes you can take if you attend certain Universities with Institute.. I just HAVE to get into BYU! It is my dream job.
Later, we had a lesson with our investigator, who is progressing so well!! She is ward hopping around the stake, but she wants to be baptized. The only problem is that she still lives with this boyfriend who she isn't dating anymore.. She has some financial troubles, so she is letting him stay in her apartment to help her pay rent. We just need her to kick him out so that she can be baptized!! He is planning on moving out at the end of the month, so she is on date for February 8.. I pray pray pray that it will happen!
Sunday: Running all around! NOT a Day of Rest, but a Day to DO the Rest! We went to so many meetings, and we were with President Boyer ALL DAY! It was so good though. I love to be busy! We spoke in the 10th ward, along with our ward mission leader, Brother Carlston (the son of the couple who will be our Senior missionaries). He did SO WELL! I made him give me a copy of his talk. He was so inspiring and I actually think I teared up a little bit! The Spirit was so strong as he talked about his experiences with sheep and compared it to missionary work. In one instance, he came across a sheep stuck in this quicksand-like-mud. He thought, "Should I just walk away? Surely someone will find this sheep. It's not my responsibility." ..So parallel to sharing the Gospel! Wonderful wonderful wonderful.
Other things: we helped the 26th ward with their ward conference Primary sharing time. They did an activity revolving around "Fishers of Men" and had the kids "fish" for ways that they could be missionaries. It was fun.
Also, we went to the setting apart of the Carlstons!! It was at their house and the Spirit was so strong! I want to be set apart as a missionary over and over again!
That night, we had dinner with the Boyers. Full house!
Lastly, we went to a stake youth fireside and it was the best thing ever!!!
Mostly, I love you all and I love the Lord!
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| Sister Brown got her fingers stuck in her hairband and I made her get out of the car and go into our dinner appointment anyway! |
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