I am still in Wisconsin if any of you were wondering. haha The weather
has been insanely nice. Saturday was 75 degrees!!! So it kind of feels
like Brazil. But not quite. The visa could be coming this week or they
might be holding it until transfers next week. I have no idea. But
it's coming. The mission office called me last Monday and said that
SLC called and that my visa is "coming". Whatever that means. So say a
little prayer for me why don"t cha? Muito Obrigada. This has been one
CRAZY week for me. So last tuesday we had a district lunch before our
district meeting. It was Elder Redd from my districts birthday so we
had a little birthday lunch. It was way fun and we had tacos so YUM. A
lady in the ward also made him the most hilarious but disgusting cake
ever. I will attach a picture and you can see for yourself. And yes,
it is really a cake. So that was pretty fun. We had dinner at a
members house one night and this lady has three very energetic
children. One of them said the closing prayer. It was the funniest
thing ever. We were sitting around this really small table. He stands
up and starts praying and as he is praying he walks around the table
and squeezes everyones shoulders. I was trying to not to laugh but I
couldn't help it is was so random and funny. He was saying the cutest
things and I think he prayed for about five whole minutes. My favorite
thing he said was "and thank you that Jesus is a member of this
church." So cute. I love kids. So we have been in the ghetto of racine
A TON this week. We saw some crazy things. We saw a ton of cops
arresting people and much more. We have been going through the ward
list this week some more and trying to visit some less actives and
former & potential investigators from the area book. A lot of people
weren't home but a lot were. We went to one lady's house and only her
husband was home. He said they go to a different church now and said,
"who sent you?" What kind of a question is that. I wanted to reply
that God sent us but I didn't think it would go over very well even if
it is true. haha So this week we made a TON of appointments for this
week so we are already packed for this week. Possible throw a visa
into the mix and things could get crazy!
We got to go to a baptism on Saturday for a man some Elders have been
working with. It was great. Our investigator was supposed to come but
didn't show. Pretty disappointing but that is how it goes sometimes.
He said we would see him on sunday but then again he was a no show. We
are gonna try and find out what is going on. Hopefully it goes well.
Cross your fingers! On Sunday Sister Ross gave a talk on the
Atonement. It was very good. A little back story: On thursday we had a
missed call from the 2nd counselor in the bishopric. For some reason I
didn't feel like calling him back so sister Ross said she would. And
then he asked her to give a talk! HAHAHAHA I thought it was pretty
funny. I think it was the spirit that told me not to call him back.
haha But her talk was good and I am sure I will get mine and have to
speak in church sometime soon, probably in Portuguese. oh boy.
Mom, you can cut this paragraph out when sending it or not. Up to you.
haha but forward it to katie so she cand send this part to all my
friends. We were going to this family's house for dinner in a shady
part of town. We were a bit early so we stopped by this park to go
over our message. There were a bunch of kids on bikes about to race
down this hill. It was funny to watch. And this younger little boy
came down on a scooter a little bit after. So cute. He struggled
getting down the hill. Well, the boys rode away and then this guy
comes out of one of the houses yelling for his kid to come home. He
walks into the park and we are watching him and then all of a sudden
we see water spraying and then we realize that he just started PEEING
as he was walking in the park. Don't worry, we didn't see anything.
But we were totally shocked and laughing our heads off. Some people.
Oh man.
At dinner one night we got to hold a huge snake. Mom, that was for you
:) I can't remember if I talked about this already but one of our
investigators gave her BOM away. We went back one more time to tell
her we couldn't come over anymore if she wasn't willing to read. So we
went and talked to her for a bit and I started bearing my testimony of
the BOM and then asked her why she didn't want one and she told me
"someone stole it." I looked at my companion and we both were
thinking... ummm, last week you told us you gave it away and didn't
want another one. But we just went with it because she is pretty old.
Maybe she forgot. Maybe she changed her mind. Maybe she is lying. But
she took the BOM and seemed like she really really wanted it. I don't
even know. We were kinda speechless when we left and had to laugh
about it.
I had the coolest experience here! So usually the weather is super
cold and absolutely no one is outside and no one invites you in when
you go tracting. But this week the weather has been SO nice that
people were out and about and everywhere. So we were driving home to
have dinner saturday night and then we drive past an old lady working
in her yard with her walker right by her. My companion and I looked at
each other and were like, uhh, should we help her? So we did a u-turn
and went and parked around the corner and then "casually" walked by
the womans house and asked if she wanted some help. haha missionaries
are so sneaky. So we helped her clean up her garden in our skirts but
we didn't care. She was such a sweet lady and she said she has an aunt
that is a member of the church. We talked to her for a while after and
were able to get her phone number and give her a pass along card with
ours on it. We are gonna stop by again this next week. I am pretty
excited about it.
Last night we almost ran over a cat. It scared me so bad!!! We are
going to the lighthouse in Racine to write some letters today. It's
pretty nice outside so we brought a blanket and stuff. I've seen
pictures of the lighthouse and it is so pretty.
Also, becky I am getting your letters and I LOVE them. I thought I
wrote you back but maybe I am going nuts. Things are crazy but I am
gonna try and write you back today. Mom and Dad, have a blast in
Miami!!!! How fun! Thanks for the dear elders mom! I actually got one
on Wednesday that I think you sent a while ago. For some reason they
take FOREVER to get to me. SO thanks for that.
Well, I feel like sharing my testimony one last time as a 21 year old.
I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It is not only true but is
amazing. You can build a stronger relationship with your Father in
Heaven and with your Savior, Jesus Christ when you read from it. I
know that prayer is real and that every prayer we give, God hears.
Whether we believe He does or not, He does. And He will answer us. How
amazing is that. The only catch is that we have to be listening. I
know that Joseph Smith was a prophet. How grateful I am to him for all
he sacrificed for this Gospel. I know that Jesus Christ lived and dies
for us and that he lives again. Every pain, sorrow, guilt, worry.
every anything we have every felt, he felt too. He understands how we
feel and he knows how to help us. I love this Gospel so much and am so
grateful for the direction it has given me in my life. I love being a
missionary and getting up each morning to serve my Father in heaven.
(If I had to get up for anything else at 6:30 every day I don't think
I could do it). I know that Heavenly Father has a plan and that we can
trust in it. He will direct us where we should go. I am grateful He
directed me to come on a mission. I have only been out for almost four
months but I have learned so much I know that I am a much better
person already. I know that when we serve those around us we are
serving God. We are all in this together and every one in this world
He loves. He loves everyone. When we try to look at people the way He
does than we come to see the good in everyone. Some people make it
harder to find the good but it is there! haha So get lookin. I love my
Savior Jesus Christ and I know that if I do my best here that someday
I can return and live with Him and my family forever. In the name of
Jesus Christ, Amen.
Anyone that feels like sending me something for my birthday feel free!
haha If you send me my visa you will be my new BFF! haha Martha, have
a fun spring break! Write me a letter for my birthday you little
weasel! and be safe! Jeff, I wanna see your braces! I am sure you look
handsome! Katie, I want a picture of CJ! Dang, you are slow! I am glad
Grandma got my letter and that Mac's funeral went well. Rachael, don't
feel left out. I love you too. But I love you all!
Tchau!
-Sister Zeller
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
26 March 2012
.... I am now officially twenty-two years old. I know this last
wednesday was a crazy day of celebration for everyone in honor of my
birthday. I hope you all didn't go TOO crazy. Thanks everyone. I too,
had some fun. Oh, and if you were wondering I am still in Wisconsin. I
have officially been here for as long as I was in the MTC. kind of a
cool fact. haha But two other visa waiters left last week so I am
thinking this week is mine :) Say a little prayer please? Not that I
don't love it here in Wisconsin. haha More details on my birthday
later though.
This week has been very crazy. But then again, pretty much every week
is crazy when you are a missionary. Last Monday after we emailed,
Sister Ross and I went to the Lighthouse here in Racine. The weather
here has been AMAZING lately and so we thought we would spend the day
up there having a picnic and writing letters on a blanket on the
grass. Mother Nature hates us though and it was pretty foggy and kinda
cold that day. But we stuck to the plan and sat on blankets on the
grass and wrote letters. We just also had blankets on top of us too.
haha but it was fun. Take that mother nature. and thanks to the
beautiful humidity my hair looked pretty nasty that day (kinda like
stefs hair in the morning. haha) jk jk. It was bad though. As P-day
came to a close we headed up to a member family's house for dinner. It
was really fun and as we are sitting there eating dinner with this
sweet family I look up into the corner of the kitchen on this shelf
that is above the cupboards and I see what looks like a fake creepy
zombie cat. Then I realize it is a real cat! WHAT WAS IT DOING UP
THERE! I amlost had a heart attack and I'm pretty sure it was glaring
at me all through dinner. Weird. But the family was nice. Sister Ross
noticed the cat too and we had a good laugh about it. When you are a
missionary people make you eat SO much food. Even for me, it's a lot.
So we were super full after dinner and then we go to read with a less
active lady and when we get there she says, "Oh, I just made potatoes
let me make you a plate." So she gives us each a huge plate of
potatoes and then we sit down. Sister Ross and I looked at each other
like there is no way we can ever eat this. But we did our best and
although I think my waist is two inches wider than it was earlier that
day I survived. haha
Tuesday was interesting. I got an email on Monday saying that I had to
take a language assesment for some MTC follow up thingy to see how
well they teach you. Oh boy. So we had to drive to Greendale (45min)
to take it at the mission home and were a bit late for district
meeting that day. Those assessments stress me out bigtime. But it's
okay, I got to use a Mac laptop and it was pretty fun. Kind of worth
it I guess. haha That trip was bad for our miles though. District
meeting was good and then at the end the Elders brought out a surprise
cake for me. It was an ice cream cake and as we all began to eat it we
looked at each other thinking, "This is pretty nasty." We decided the
cake had freezer burn. haha Thanks Dairy Queen! haha but it was still
fun.
Wednesday was the big day! I asked President if I could sleep in on my
birthday but I guess that is not a good excuse. I will try again next
year in Brazil I guess. I thought the other day that the whole time I
am 22 years old I will be a missionary. Pretty sweet. Anyhoo, my
birthday was fun. The weather was pretty nice and since we had to head
out early to an appointment that morning we stopped at a park to have
lunch and finish our studies in the afternoon. I swang on the swings
and had a blast. Then we went to a part member couples home for dinner
and she made me a red velvet cake and they sang Happy Birthday and the
whole deal. So fun. THEN, we went to the correlation meeting with the
Ward mission leader at his house and after that was over his wife made
me ANOTHER cake and they all sang Happy Birthday again. haha Three
birthday cakes. beat that. And caudle, I got your letter on my
birthday! Thanks! It was great! That night I came home and had some
popcorn of course. Best way to end the day.
Thursday we had a lesson with one of our investigators and him and his
girlfriend said that they had been reading and praying everyday! I was
like giddy! I was so happy! They said every time they read the
scriptures it gets easier and easier to understand. WAHOO! Some
background: Sunday they were a no show and wouldn't text us back.
Contacted them again monday with no text back and then they cancelled
the appointment we had on wednesday. We were frustrated but they
rescheduled for Thursday so we were kind of expecting something bad.
But it went amazing! They wrote down a lot of questions they had while
reading and so we spent most of that lesson focusing on those and then
we talked a bit about prayer and the holy ghost. It was so great. We
invited them to the YW spaghetti dinner/auction fundraiser thing on
friday. We were skepticle if they would come even though they said
yes. So we were at the dinner friday waiting for them to show up. 20
minutes into it I start writing a text asking if they were coming. As
I am writing the text I get a text from them saying they were on their
way! They showed up and had a great time! Again, I was giddy. Everyone
was talking about hunger games too. haha that will be on my list of
must see movies when I get back. Mace, I got your little note with the
bridal shower announcement! SO CUTE! You have no idea how excited I
was to see that. I bet you guys had a blast! I love you so much!
Saturday was kinda the worst day. haha we had a HUGE list of people we
were going to see and a couple appointments. The entire first half of
the day consisted of EVERYONE not being home. People like to ditch the
missionaries! Que isso?!?! But it was all worth it when one lady WAS
home and we were able to give her a little message we had prepared. It
was just a little quote from one of the conference talks but as she
read it I could see tears in her eye and I was SO grateful for the
chance I had to be there. Things like that make every hard time worth
it. Then that happened again later that night! We share the story "The
Room" with this less active lady and she was in tears when she
finished reading it (thanks for that story Blake. We have been sharing
it a ton). It was just what she needed. I love it when that happens.
Then when we got home that night the members we live with were having
birthday cake and ice cream because it was Brother Briggs birthday.
They invited us to join and it was a blast.
Sunday was great too. All during sacrament I kept looking at the doors
waiting for our investigator to walk in. It didn't happen. I was
pretty sad about it and then as we are all filing out after the
meeting ended they came walking down the hallway. I guess the baby was
fussy so they listened to sacrament in the nursing mothers room. It
was seriously a miracle. I was happy. It's funny when you are on a
mission the things that make you happy change. We get SO excited all
the time over the funniest things. But they came to church and stayed
for the whole three hours! David, our investigator went to Elders
quorum for the first time and afterwards he told the Elder that it
felt like "home." When they told me that I about had a heart attack I
was so happy. It was great!
I love this Gospel so much. I can't believe what an effect it has on
every aspect of your life. This is a way of life. It is THE way of
life. The best way we can live and the ONLY way we can be truly happy.
Every day I am so grateful for the knowlegde that I have that I am a
daughter of God. For the knowledge that He loves me and that I will
never be alone. Christ suffered for everything that we ever have to go
through. I still can't even comprehend it. I know my Savior lives and
I know that He will come again. I want to be ready when He comes. With
His help I can be. Conference this next weekend is such a great
opportunity to receive answers and guidance in our lives. So watch it!
and don't fall asleep! (sometimes it's super hard I know) But if you
do be sure to read what you missed. haha How lucky we are to have a
prophet on the earth at this time that we can put our trust in.
I know this email was gigantic but congratulations to those of you who
actually read the whole thing! haha Obrigada!
Sister Zeller
wednesday was a crazy day of celebration for everyone in honor of my
birthday. I hope you all didn't go TOO crazy. Thanks everyone. I too,
had some fun. Oh, and if you were wondering I am still in Wisconsin. I
have officially been here for as long as I was in the MTC. kind of a
cool fact. haha But two other visa waiters left last week so I am
thinking this week is mine :) Say a little prayer please? Not that I
don't love it here in Wisconsin. haha More details on my birthday
later though.
This week has been very crazy. But then again, pretty much every week
is crazy when you are a missionary. Last Monday after we emailed,
Sister Ross and I went to the Lighthouse here in Racine. The weather
here has been AMAZING lately and so we thought we would spend the day
up there having a picnic and writing letters on a blanket on the
grass. Mother Nature hates us though and it was pretty foggy and kinda
cold that day. But we stuck to the plan and sat on blankets on the
grass and wrote letters. We just also had blankets on top of us too.
haha but it was fun. Take that mother nature. and thanks to the
beautiful humidity my hair looked pretty nasty that day (kinda like
stefs hair in the morning. haha) jk jk. It was bad though. As P-day
came to a close we headed up to a member family's house for dinner. It
was really fun and as we are sitting there eating dinner with this
sweet family I look up into the corner of the kitchen on this shelf
that is above the cupboards and I see what looks like a fake creepy
zombie cat. Then I realize it is a real cat! WHAT WAS IT DOING UP
THERE! I amlost had a heart attack and I'm pretty sure it was glaring
at me all through dinner. Weird. But the family was nice. Sister Ross
noticed the cat too and we had a good laugh about it. When you are a
missionary people make you eat SO much food. Even for me, it's a lot.
So we were super full after dinner and then we go to read with a less
active lady and when we get there she says, "Oh, I just made potatoes
let me make you a plate." So she gives us each a huge plate of
potatoes and then we sit down. Sister Ross and I looked at each other
like there is no way we can ever eat this. But we did our best and
although I think my waist is two inches wider than it was earlier that
day I survived. haha
Tuesday was interesting. I got an email on Monday saying that I had to
take a language assesment for some MTC follow up thingy to see how
well they teach you. Oh boy. So we had to drive to Greendale (45min)
to take it at the mission home and were a bit late for district
meeting that day. Those assessments stress me out bigtime. But it's
okay, I got to use a Mac laptop and it was pretty fun. Kind of worth
it I guess. haha That trip was bad for our miles though. District
meeting was good and then at the end the Elders brought out a surprise
cake for me. It was an ice cream cake and as we all began to eat it we
looked at each other thinking, "This is pretty nasty." We decided the
cake had freezer burn. haha Thanks Dairy Queen! haha but it was still
fun.
Wednesday was the big day! I asked President if I could sleep in on my
birthday but I guess that is not a good excuse. I will try again next
year in Brazil I guess. I thought the other day that the whole time I
am 22 years old I will be a missionary. Pretty sweet. Anyhoo, my
birthday was fun. The weather was pretty nice and since we had to head
out early to an appointment that morning we stopped at a park to have
lunch and finish our studies in the afternoon. I swang on the swings
and had a blast. Then we went to a part member couples home for dinner
and she made me a red velvet cake and they sang Happy Birthday and the
whole deal. So fun. THEN, we went to the correlation meeting with the
Ward mission leader at his house and after that was over his wife made
me ANOTHER cake and they all sang Happy Birthday again. haha Three
birthday cakes. beat that. And caudle, I got your letter on my
birthday! Thanks! It was great! That night I came home and had some
popcorn of course. Best way to end the day.
Thursday we had a lesson with one of our investigators and him and his
girlfriend said that they had been reading and praying everyday! I was
like giddy! I was so happy! They said every time they read the
scriptures it gets easier and easier to understand. WAHOO! Some
background: Sunday they were a no show and wouldn't text us back.
Contacted them again monday with no text back and then they cancelled
the appointment we had on wednesday. We were frustrated but they
rescheduled for Thursday so we were kind of expecting something bad.
But it went amazing! They wrote down a lot of questions they had while
reading and so we spent most of that lesson focusing on those and then
we talked a bit about prayer and the holy ghost. It was so great. We
invited them to the YW spaghetti dinner/auction fundraiser thing on
friday. We were skepticle if they would come even though they said
yes. So we were at the dinner friday waiting for them to show up. 20
minutes into it I start writing a text asking if they were coming. As
I am writing the text I get a text from them saying they were on their
way! They showed up and had a great time! Again, I was giddy. Everyone
was talking about hunger games too. haha that will be on my list of
must see movies when I get back. Mace, I got your little note with the
bridal shower announcement! SO CUTE! You have no idea how excited I
was to see that. I bet you guys had a blast! I love you so much!
Saturday was kinda the worst day. haha we had a HUGE list of people we
were going to see and a couple appointments. The entire first half of
the day consisted of EVERYONE not being home. People like to ditch the
missionaries! Que isso?!?! But it was all worth it when one lady WAS
home and we were able to give her a little message we had prepared. It
was just a little quote from one of the conference talks but as she
read it I could see tears in her eye and I was SO grateful for the
chance I had to be there. Things like that make every hard time worth
it. Then that happened again later that night! We share the story "The
Room" with this less active lady and she was in tears when she
finished reading it (thanks for that story Blake. We have been sharing
it a ton). It was just what she needed. I love it when that happens.
Then when we got home that night the members we live with were having
birthday cake and ice cream because it was Brother Briggs birthday.
They invited us to join and it was a blast.
Sunday was great too. All during sacrament I kept looking at the doors
waiting for our investigator to walk in. It didn't happen. I was
pretty sad about it and then as we are all filing out after the
meeting ended they came walking down the hallway. I guess the baby was
fussy so they listened to sacrament in the nursing mothers room. It
was seriously a miracle. I was happy. It's funny when you are on a
mission the things that make you happy change. We get SO excited all
the time over the funniest things. But they came to church and stayed
for the whole three hours! David, our investigator went to Elders
quorum for the first time and afterwards he told the Elder that it
felt like "home." When they told me that I about had a heart attack I
was so happy. It was great!
I love this Gospel so much. I can't believe what an effect it has on
every aspect of your life. This is a way of life. It is THE way of
life. The best way we can live and the ONLY way we can be truly happy.
Every day I am so grateful for the knowlegde that I have that I am a
daughter of God. For the knowledge that He loves me and that I will
never be alone. Christ suffered for everything that we ever have to go
through. I still can't even comprehend it. I know my Savior lives and
I know that He will come again. I want to be ready when He comes. With
His help I can be. Conference this next weekend is such a great
opportunity to receive answers and guidance in our lives. So watch it!
and don't fall asleep! (sometimes it's super hard I know) But if you
do be sure to read what you missed. haha How lucky we are to have a
prophet on the earth at this time that we can put our trust in.
I know this email was gigantic but congratulations to those of you who
actually read the whole thing! haha Obrigada!
Sister Zeller
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
13 March 2012,
Well, hello again. This week has been so jammed packed of crazy things
happening. No, I'm not in Brazil yet. That visa teases me. But things
are still crazy here in Wisconsin.
So last Tuesday night we had to drive to Wauwatosa and spend the night with the
Sisters up there in their apartment so we could get to a training in Osh Kosh on
Wednesday. Wauwatosa is pretty much Milwaukee and I have heard some
crazy stories about Milwaukee. But it was fun. Their apartment was
like a SAUNA! It was sooo hot. Sister Ross and I both slept terribly.
I guess it was good preparation for what Brazil will be like. haha
Then we got up way too early and headed up to Osh Kosh for yet another
training. This time it was a Sisters training so it was fun to get to
meet all the sisters in Wisconsin and catch up with my old companion.
There are 18 sisters in the mission including me and another visa
waiter. It was really fun. They brought out lunch and there were two
pans of lasagna. I was thinking in my head "I could eat half of one of
those pans. There is no way that will feed all of us." haha Needless
to say I didn't get to have seconds but maybe that is what the mission
presidents wife was aiming for. Trying to keep the sisters looking
good. haha She doesn't realize some girls like to eat... a lot. Yes,
rach, stef and mace. I'm a fatty :) haha Anyways that night when
sister Ross and I got home we had a good cookie dough snack anyways so
it was all good. Also, after the training they had a clothing swap. IT
was cool. Almost like going shopping. Except free. And there is only
one store. With only skirts and blouses. But it was still great. Last
week I also heard from one of my MTC companions Sister Barnes! She is
doing great in Brazil and I can't say how great it was to hear from
her!!!
I had a lot of different experiences this week. Let me just say,
little children are hilarious. Here are two examples of how:
1. We are at a family's house for dinner. My companion tells the 5
year old girl, "Tell me your favorite story." The little girl
responds, "Umm... I can tell you about my favorite movie that I don't
actually like so much." I was like, uhh, okay. So I asked, "oh, well
what is it about." She looks at me like it was a dumb question and
says, "I don't know." hahaha yep, I was confused too. But it was
pretty funny.
2. We are reading the BOM with a lady and her 4 year old is doing our
hair and putting jewelry on us. She tell me to take my ring off and I
didn't really want to so I "tried to take it off" but it "wouldn't
come off." I said, "Sorry, it won't come off." She looks at me and
with the most serious face she says, "try harder." So i took it off.
haha
Also, yesterday when we were driving down the road all these cars were
stopped and so we looked and it was because a whole bunch of ducks
were crossing the road. This one lady got out of her car and was
ushering the ducks across the street so they wouldn't get hit. It was
hilarious.
Towards the end of this week we had a lot of cancelled appointments.
Pretty much everyone we work with has been getting sick this week. We
went to see one of our investigators and I am sharing a scripture from
the BOM and I ask her if she has her BOM and she says, "No, I gave it
away." We said, "Oh, do you need another one?" She said no. dang it.
We were really sad. But maybe the friend she gave it to will be
interested. Later she was talking about how much she enjoys us coming
over and we know it's just because she is lonely. She said, "I love
Sister Ross and Sister.... (then she glances at my name tag because
she forgot my name but she reads my tag wrong) Cristo." Yep, she
called me Sister Cristo. I had a hard time not busting up laughing. My
name tag is in portuguese so she read it wrong and thought my name was
Sister Cristo. My companion started laughing too but covered it up
nicely with the "I have a cough" routine. It was pretty funny. I am
sad she doesn't want the BOM. It's hard to tell people that if they
aren't progressing you can't come over anymore. That is just not our
purpose right now.
We went to track down a former investigator in this really ghetto area
of town. We knock on the door and a guy answers and says that lady
doesn't live there anymore. Then he gives us a strange look and says,
"What is ya'll?" We said we were missionaries for the church and he
goes, "I don't believe in that." We weren't exactly sure what he was
talking about but he closed the door and we left. haha people are
funny.
Also, on March 9th I finished the Book of Mormon! I started reading it
from the beginning in the MTC on Dec. 17th and I just finished! It was
such a great feeling and now I am going to start all over! I love it.
So much. I have also strengthened my testimony of prayer so much this
week. There are so many more attributes I need to be a better
missionary and I can see throughout the day Heavenly Father blessing
me with the things that I asked for that morning. It really is amazing
how much our Father in Heaven loves us and wants to bless us. Whether
or not we utilize His help is up to us. I am so grateful for the
testimony I have of this relationship with God. I felt His guidance
and His help in very real ways. How grateful I am to have this
opportunity to serve Him with everything I have. Because everything I
have still isn't enough. But that is why He is there. To make up the
difference.
I know this gospel is true. Sometimes we forget the power of a
testimony but we should share our testimonies every chance we get.
happening. No, I'm not in Brazil yet. That visa teases me. But things
are still crazy here in Wisconsin.
So last Tuesday night we had to drive to Wauwatosa and spend the night with the
Sisters up there in their apartment so we could get to a training in Osh Kosh on
Wednesday. Wauwatosa is pretty much Milwaukee and I have heard some
crazy stories about Milwaukee. But it was fun. Their apartment was
like a SAUNA! It was sooo hot. Sister Ross and I both slept terribly.
I guess it was good preparation for what Brazil will be like. haha
Then we got up way too early and headed up to Osh Kosh for yet another
training. This time it was a Sisters training so it was fun to get to
meet all the sisters in Wisconsin and catch up with my old companion.
There are 18 sisters in the mission including me and another visa
waiter. It was really fun. They brought out lunch and there were two
pans of lasagna. I was thinking in my head "I could eat half of one of
those pans. There is no way that will feed all of us." haha Needless
to say I didn't get to have seconds but maybe that is what the mission
presidents wife was aiming for. Trying to keep the sisters looking
good. haha She doesn't realize some girls like to eat... a lot. Yes,
rach, stef and mace. I'm a fatty :) haha Anyways that night when
sister Ross and I got home we had a good cookie dough snack anyways so
it was all good. Also, after the training they had a clothing swap. IT
was cool. Almost like going shopping. Except free. And there is only
one store. With only skirts and blouses. But it was still great. Last
week I also heard from one of my MTC companions Sister Barnes! She is
doing great in Brazil and I can't say how great it was to hear from
her!!!
I had a lot of different experiences this week. Let me just say,
little children are hilarious. Here are two examples of how:
1. We are at a family's house for dinner. My companion tells the 5
year old girl, "Tell me your favorite story." The little girl
responds, "Umm... I can tell you about my favorite movie that I don't
actually like so much." I was like, uhh, okay. So I asked, "oh, well
what is it about." She looks at me like it was a dumb question and
says, "I don't know." hahaha yep, I was confused too. But it was
pretty funny.
2. We are reading the BOM with a lady and her 4 year old is doing our
hair and putting jewelry on us. She tell me to take my ring off and I
didn't really want to so I "tried to take it off" but it "wouldn't
come off." I said, "Sorry, it won't come off." She looks at me and
with the most serious face she says, "try harder." So i took it off.
haha
Also, yesterday when we were driving down the road all these cars were
stopped and so we looked and it was because a whole bunch of ducks
were crossing the road. This one lady got out of her car and was
ushering the ducks across the street so they wouldn't get hit. It was
hilarious.
Towards the end of this week we had a lot of cancelled appointments.
Pretty much everyone we work with has been getting sick this week. We
went to see one of our investigators and I am sharing a scripture from
the BOM and I ask her if she has her BOM and she says, "No, I gave it
away." We said, "Oh, do you need another one?" She said no. dang it.
We were really sad. But maybe the friend she gave it to will be
interested. Later she was talking about how much she enjoys us coming
over and we know it's just because she is lonely. She said, "I love
Sister Ross and Sister.... (then she glances at my name tag because
she forgot my name but she reads my tag wrong) Cristo." Yep, she
called me Sister Cristo. I had a hard time not busting up laughing. My
name tag is in portuguese so she read it wrong and thought my name was
Sister Cristo. My companion started laughing too but covered it up
nicely with the "I have a cough" routine. It was pretty funny. I am
sad she doesn't want the BOM. It's hard to tell people that if they
aren't progressing you can't come over anymore. That is just not our
purpose right now.
We went to track down a former investigator in this really ghetto area
of town. We knock on the door and a guy answers and says that lady
doesn't live there anymore. Then he gives us a strange look and says,
"What is ya'll?" We said we were missionaries for the church and he
goes, "I don't believe in that." We weren't exactly sure what he was
talking about but he closed the door and we left. haha people are
funny.
Also, on March 9th I finished the Book of Mormon! I started reading it
from the beginning in the MTC on Dec. 17th and I just finished! It was
such a great feeling and now I am going to start all over! I love it.
So much. I have also strengthened my testimony of prayer so much this
week. There are so many more attributes I need to be a better
missionary and I can see throughout the day Heavenly Father blessing
me with the things that I asked for that morning. It really is amazing
how much our Father in Heaven loves us and wants to bless us. Whether
or not we utilize His help is up to us. I am so grateful for the
testimony I have of this relationship with God. I felt His guidance
and His help in very real ways. How grateful I am to have this
opportunity to serve Him with everything I have. Because everything I
have still isn't enough. But that is why He is there. To make up the
difference.
I know this gospel is true. Sometimes we forget the power of a
testimony but we should share our testimonies every chance we get.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
March 5, 2012 Attack of the Snow!!!
Well after sending out my email last week on Monday we left the
library and headed out to the car. It was
HAILING. Like, a lot. haha That hail turned into crazy snow that day
and we had about four inches. Then again the next day it snowed. And
it snowed all day yesterday haha Today is actually surprisingly warm
and sunny. So weird.
Anywhoo! This week was definitely packed. It is so weird how by Sunday
things that I did at the beginning of the week seem like they happened
a month ago. Time is weird like that.
So I had a super cool experiencethis week that is very very special to me. We
were scheduled to have dinner with a part-member family on Tuesday night. I was really
excited because they are both amazing people. A little while before we
went I was wondering what we were going to share with them. I was
thinking and thinking and I had nothing.
My companion was in the bathroom and I was just walking around in the kitchen trying to think
of something. Then I thought, "Duh, why don't I pray about it?" So I
knelt down by the oven, haha, and asked Heavenly Father what we needed
to share with this couple. After I finished my prayer and stood up and
started thinking again a random scripture mastery scripture popped
into my head. D&C 76:22-24.
I was like, hmmm, I don't know. Then I remembered how I had JUST prayed
about it and then that scripture popped into my head. It must be right. Sometimes we
try and resist promptings of the spirit when we should just trust them. So that is
what I did. At dinner I shared that scripture and talked about the
testimony of Joseph Smith. After I shared that scripture the wife
looked at me and said that that was her favorite scripture. That was
the scripture that gave her a testimony of the Gospel. She had read
the book of Mormon and gone to church but it wasn't until she read
that testimony of Joseph Smith in that scripture that she knew the
church was true.
I thought to myself, "yep, Spirit, you were right." It was really amazing and
I am so grateful that Heavenly Father is truly here to guide us. He has helped me so many
times on this mission. The work would go nowhere without Him. We can look to Him for
guidance every day! And we should! He is just waiting for us to ask
Him!
We also had a lesson just yesterday with an investigator. We had
planned the lesson out perfectly but knew if the spirit directed us to
talk about something else, we should. and we did. We didn't even get
to part of our lesson. But it was so amazing because the spirit helped
them to really open up and we were able to talk with them on a deeper
level and really help them.
It's amazing how much you can love someone you barely know at all. You just want
them so much to have all the happiness that the Gospel can bring.
On Thursday we drove to Milwaukee and then hopped on the "Fun Bus"
(12 seater van) and drove up to Osh Kosh (Yep, that is a real place. haha) It
was packed full but it was a pretty fun drive. Although we had to get up early to get
there on time. They had the new missionary training. Yep, even earlier than
6:30. And we get to do it all again this Wednesday for a Sisters
Training.
It was really fun and I learned a lot. I was grateful to
have this training while still in America because if I was in Brazil I
probably wouldn't have gotten much out of it since it would have been
in Portuguese. haha
Dad! Thanks so much for the PIZZA! It was delicious cheesy goodness!
My companion and I ate one pizza and then we gave the other pizza to
the members we live with. They loved it too. Earlier that Wednesday my
companion and I were joking about the pizza arriving when we weren't
home and they left it on the doorstep then we would never know it was
there (we always leave through the garage door). Then when we got home
that night Sister Briggs said "There is something for you at the
door." Sure enough, it was the pizza!
I was so excited! Finally! My visa is approved! It's only a matter of time now
before it arrives here in Wisconsin and I get the call from the mission office telling
me to pack my bags! I have loved Wisconsin so much and I am so
grateful for the time I have had here! The people are amazing. At the
same time I am so excited to meet the people in Brazil I have been
praying for.
Funny thing: Last Sunday in relief society they handed out a piece of
paper that said, "101 ways to Praise a Child." The RSP said it also
works on husbands. haha some of them were really funny. Here are a few
that we have implemented into our daily conversation: " Beautiful
sharing" "You've discovered the secret" "I like you" "You're a-okay my
buddy" "Hot dog" "You are a treasure." Those are only a few but man
did we get a good laugh over those.
Also on Saturday we got to do some service and help a lady in the ward clean up her
house. I got to vacuum (yes, I like to vacuum.) so I was excited. haha It looked SO
GOOD when we finished. It was so fun to help her and see how much good
it did for her. She was so grateful. Service is reeeally good.
Last night we had dinner with some members and they had the CUTEST
little boys ever! Seriously. So cute. We were playing with them the
whole time but as you know missionaries aren't supposed to hold
children or let them sit on your lap or anything. man, that is hard.
So I wanted a picture with them before I left so I knelt down on the
ground to pose with him and his dad picked him up and dropped him on
my lap. haha So I got a picture with him and it wasn't even my fault.
haha It was great.
Also, a message to the trash hole members. I wear a
watch every day and am learning to tell the time quite well! haha I
thought you guys would appreciate that! Love you all!
library and headed out to the car. It was
HAILING. Like, a lot. haha That hail turned into crazy snow that day
and we had about four inches. Then again the next day it snowed. And
it snowed all day yesterday haha Today is actually surprisingly warm
and sunny. So weird.
Anywhoo! This week was definitely packed. It is so weird how by Sunday
things that I did at the beginning of the week seem like they happened
a month ago. Time is weird like that.
So I had a super cool experiencethis week that is very very special to me. We
were scheduled to have dinner with a part-member family on Tuesday night. I was really
excited because they are both amazing people. A little while before we
went I was wondering what we were going to share with them. I was
thinking and thinking and I had nothing.
My companion was in the bathroom and I was just walking around in the kitchen trying to think
of something. Then I thought, "Duh, why don't I pray about it?" So I
knelt down by the oven, haha, and asked Heavenly Father what we needed
to share with this couple. After I finished my prayer and stood up and
started thinking again a random scripture mastery scripture popped
into my head. D&C 76:22-24.
I was like, hmmm, I don't know. Then I remembered how I had JUST prayed
about it and then that scripture popped into my head. It must be right. Sometimes we
try and resist promptings of the spirit when we should just trust them. So that is
what I did. At dinner I shared that scripture and talked about the
testimony of Joseph Smith. After I shared that scripture the wife
looked at me and said that that was her favorite scripture. That was
the scripture that gave her a testimony of the Gospel. She had read
the book of Mormon and gone to church but it wasn't until she read
that testimony of Joseph Smith in that scripture that she knew the
church was true.
I thought to myself, "yep, Spirit, you were right." It was really amazing and
I am so grateful that Heavenly Father is truly here to guide us. He has helped me so many
times on this mission. The work would go nowhere without Him. We can look to Him for
guidance every day! And we should! He is just waiting for us to ask
Him!
We also had a lesson just yesterday with an investigator. We had
planned the lesson out perfectly but knew if the spirit directed us to
talk about something else, we should. and we did. We didn't even get
to part of our lesson. But it was so amazing because the spirit helped
them to really open up and we were able to talk with them on a deeper
level and really help them.
It's amazing how much you can love someone you barely know at all. You just want
them so much to have all the happiness that the Gospel can bring.
On Thursday we drove to Milwaukee and then hopped on the "Fun Bus"
(12 seater van) and drove up to Osh Kosh (Yep, that is a real place. haha) It
was packed full but it was a pretty fun drive. Although we had to get up early to get
there on time. They had the new missionary training. Yep, even earlier than
6:30. And we get to do it all again this Wednesday for a Sisters
Training.
It was really fun and I learned a lot. I was grateful to
have this training while still in America because if I was in Brazil I
probably wouldn't have gotten much out of it since it would have been
in Portuguese. haha
Dad! Thanks so much for the PIZZA! It was delicious cheesy goodness!
My companion and I ate one pizza and then we gave the other pizza to
the members we live with. They loved it too. Earlier that Wednesday my
companion and I were joking about the pizza arriving when we weren't
home and they left it on the doorstep then we would never know it was
there (we always leave through the garage door). Then when we got home
that night Sister Briggs said "There is something for you at the
door." Sure enough, it was the pizza!
I was so excited! Finally! My visa is approved! It's only a matter of time now
before it arrives here in Wisconsin and I get the call from the mission office telling
me to pack my bags! I have loved Wisconsin so much and I am so
grateful for the time I have had here! The people are amazing. At the
same time I am so excited to meet the people in Brazil I have been
praying for.
Funny thing: Last Sunday in relief society they handed out a piece of
paper that said, "101 ways to Praise a Child." The RSP said it also
works on husbands. haha some of them were really funny. Here are a few
that we have implemented into our daily conversation: " Beautiful
sharing" "You've discovered the secret" "I like you" "You're a-okay my
buddy" "Hot dog" "You are a treasure." Those are only a few but man
did we get a good laugh over those.
Also on Saturday we got to do some service and help a lady in the ward clean up her
house. I got to vacuum (yes, I like to vacuum.) so I was excited. haha It looked SO
GOOD when we finished. It was so fun to help her and see how much good
it did for her. She was so grateful. Service is reeeally good.
Last night we had dinner with some members and they had the CUTEST
little boys ever! Seriously. So cute. We were playing with them the
whole time but as you know missionaries aren't supposed to hold
children or let them sit on your lap or anything. man, that is hard.
So I wanted a picture with them before I left so I knelt down on the
ground to pose with him and his dad picked him up and dropped him on
my lap. haha So I got a picture with him and it wasn't even my fault.
haha It was great.
Also, a message to the trash hole members. I wear a
watch every day and am learning to tell the time quite well! haha I
thought you guys would appreciate that! Love you all!
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