8 MONTHS OLD #AlmostHalfway

Today I have been out for 8 months. Time is flying by so fast. I love and hate it all at the same time. This week has been so much fun! We went to this farm that we volunteer at every other week, and I got pooped on by a bird and peed on by a horse. Things are looking up for me guys. 

This week we helped out with the Special Olympics. It was so much fun! We spent 4 hours on Friday with the aquatics, and on Saturday we spend 8 hours with softball and aquatics. It was so amazing. I love people with special needs. They're so much more close to our savior than we are, and they always help lift my spirits. 

I think I've spent more time doing service in other missions than I have in my own. This week we were in the Mesa mission, and 2 weeks ago we were in the Tempe mission  helping out with the scouts. The perks of having the smallest pross mission in the world. 

Today we went to Top Golf with our district. It was so much fun, and definitely a fun way to spend my mission birthday. Elders are so much fun, and they're even more fun when they don't know how to golf. haha 

On a really upsetting note. The clowns that have been on the news? There are clowns in the park that we bike through ever night. Who's a basket case and scared to death? This Sister Missionary. Don't worry. Sister Macie has a good set of fists on her. 

Well I hope everyone has an amazing week! Remember the Savior in all that you do. 

https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/abide-with-me-1

This is one of my favorite Mormon Messages. I love it so much. Remember, when life gets too hard to stand...kneel. Heavenly Father is always there to listen. 

1. Elder Vest found an Elder Cullen

2. The Action Van on the way to the special olympics

3. Our district at Top Golf today!

4&5. I found some cats

6. I also found a snake

7,8,9. My beautiful companion and I 

10. The crew in my old house

 

 

 

TVZ ROUND 1

Transferred again. This time to Temple View Zone. 

This is my 4th area in 8 months. I'm either doing something really right or really wrong.
Sister Macie is the most rad person I've met. This area doesn't know what's hitting them. 2 southerners in one companionship? It's already been a lot of sass and southern drawl. 

This little week has been so good. I love my new area, my zone, and my companion. 

So Tuesday night I went to teach Gracie and Avery a lesson. They're going to get baptized on November 6th!! I'm so so excited. Wednesday night we ran into a guy at the park and we're going to start teaching. 
On Thursday a guy and his mom came to a farm that we do service at. He's paralyzed on one side of his body. We got him up on a horse and he rode it! then he walked a horse. It was so amazing. There are little miracles all over the place. You just have to open your eyes and look for them.
This is going to be an amazing transfer. 

“Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
- Walt Disney company

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/jeffrey-r-holland_remember-lots-wife/

take time to read this talk by Jeffery R. Holland. It's one of my favorites. I read it at least once a week.

1. 2.  Saying goodbye to my Sissy

3. Highland Zone. 

4. Sister Macie and I 

5. Loving on Jake and Cooper

6. I'm getting good at this biking stuff

7. My Hull girls

8. Fishing?

 

It's been real Highland

This week has definitely been an amazing one.

2 Pday's ago we tie dyed shirts together, last Pday we had a talent show, and this Pday we're playing games together. This zone is so rad. Too bad I'm leaving.

This week I went on exchanges with Sister Rigby in my area. We were biking and came across a member we've been trying to get in with for a while. He is Hispanic and was going on and on about how there are no Hispanic members in this ward. I looked at him and said "Brother Sanchez..you do know that there is a Spanish ward and that's where most of them go to..right?" He got so upset that he didn't know there was a Spanish ward. Poor man.

Sister B and I were tracking and the ONLY person that opened the door talked to us for about 45 minutes about marijuana and the presidential debate. He went on and on. I bet each of us got 1 word in. After he was done he thanked us for the chat and closed the door. It was the best OYM I've had on my mission. haha

One of the most awkward things that's happened my whole mission: last Sunday there was a primary program in one of our wards. One of the member's of our ward had here sister and her fiance there with her. He was one of the guys that I went on some dates with at BYUI. It's too small of a world!

On a spiritual note: Conference was this weekend. How amazing was that? If you didn't get a chance to watch General Conference..PLEASE go do it! One of the quotes that really stood out to me was from President Uchtdorf. It said something around the lines of "We walk a path of diamonds, but we can barely distinguish them from pebbles."

It's amazing how true and sad that is. Do we truly appreciate this gospel and all that we have, or do we take it for granted? This week try and take the time to look at the good things in your life rather than the bad and to truly appreciate the gospel in your life. The good is all around us. We just need to stop and take time to appreciate everything that Heavenly Father has given us. I know that when I do that..I feel so much better. I feel more joy and happiness. All of us can feel that if we just stop and take time.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

1&2.  Highland Zone

3. just a little bit of the "talent" show last week.

4. Me as a piece of toast. #stillsnapping

 

Almost to transfer 6! #week6of6

So this week wasn't really anything special, but it was still amazing because it was another week on the mission.

I learned something this week: The dumb side bags are actually good for 2 things/

1. holding a lot of stuff. Including 8 copies of the Book of Mormon, and a bunch of stuff you don't need.

2. It hides your butt sweat.

I went on exchanges with Sister Angeloudis this week. It's just what I needed! She's hilarious. We had so much fun. I was the designated driver for the day so why not go to Sonic with Sister Farrer and Miller? I haven't laughed that hard on my mission is so long!
Something else I learned this week. Perspective can change the smallest detail into the biggest. I watched the General Women's Session of Conference this weekend and it was so amazing. General Conference is coming up this weekend, and it makes me so happy. Every time I watch it I get a greater appreciation for this gospel and for the fact that we have modern day prophets and apostles.

I love this gospel, and I'm so excited to spend these next 10 months still serving the Lord with my heart, might, mind, and strength.

Have a good week everyone!

1,2, and 3. Exchange pictures. Ignore the double chins.

4. telling knock knock jokes with Lydia

5. lyds. Literally cried when we left their house last night. I want my siblings to love me this much.

6. Inspiration from the prophet

7 months down.

This week was by far one of the best and most interesting weeks of my mission. To start off, Sissy got baptized last night. It was the most spiritual baptism I've been to. She is so amazing. Tons of primary kids and members of the ward came to support her. When she got out of the water and she was changing..she looked at me and said "adeezhí (sister in Navajo), When I came out of the water I could feel the weight being peeled off of me. Like a layer of sin is gone. I'm clean now." I literally balled my eyes out. She has the sweetest spirit about her. I love her with all of my heart.

On a light note..there's a lady not in our area who wanted us to bring her daughter out on visits with us. We were thinking her daughter was 15 or 16. When she dropped her daughter off with us..she was 12. It was the funniest night ever. We felt bad taking her by potentials so we took her to the Tui'One's and made brownies. On our way there her tire got flat. "My bike tire bulges out like my cat does when it lays down." straight quote from Lilly. I almost peed myself I was laughing so hard.

Then at the constitution fair that we helped out with on Saturday night, Selema ( a girl in Sister Sprouse's area) told me that the stain on my white shirt looked like an armpit fart.

https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/wrong-roads

This is one of my favorite videos and talks by Jeffery R. Holland. It makes you realize that everything happens for a reason. You need to go down some paths to realize why another is so much better for you. No matter what things happen in your life - good or bad - they're all for a reason. They're all to get you to where you need to be - Closer to our father in Heaven.

I hope that you all have an amazing week.

STAY GOLDEN

1. Sister Burton, Sissy, and Myself
2. The missionaries and Sissy! Elder Kenner, the one to the left of Sissy, found her and started the lessons with her

3. The Reeds came!

4. Kenzlie, Avery and Gracie's little sister. She's a psycho, and we love her.

Change is a good thing

Nothing really happened this week. I can say that football season stinks on a mission. People either don't want to talk to you because they're watching the game, or they invite you in to watch the game...which you can't.
Also the best part of my mission was an LBGT LDS Support group FHE that we went to at the Torriente's house 2 weeks ago. It was so much fun! The people there loved that we were there. We made it known that we didn't support their way of life, but that we loved them because they are children of God. One of the guys came up and hugged me and thanked us for being there. He said it was so nice to see real missionaries talking to gays. It made me feel so good. You never know how something so simple could change someone's mind.
So I think everyone who's been on a mission or has had a sibling or child who has gone on a mission knows that missions are hard. This week has definitely been a difficult one. With all things that are hard and try us, they break us down then build us back up. That's what my mission is doing..it's building me back up into the person that Heavenly Father wants me to be. It's what every mission - and every trial - will do if you let it.

Change is a good thing. That's one of the biggest lessons that I've learned on my mission. You're supposed to change. That's what we're sent here to do. To change and grow closer to our Father in Heaven so that we can make it back to him one day.

This Saturday I got permission to go to the temple with Sister Koyle. She and I did a session together and ended up in a Spanish session. It was so amazing. It was one of the most spiritual experiences that I've had at the temple. As I was sitting in the Celestial room I cried my eyes out. I know that this gospel is true. I know that we go through trials for a reason. I know that my family can be together for eternity. I KNOW that this gospel can change lives.

STAY GOLDEN

1. Sometimes you need to make a hair change.

2. One of my favorite quotes by President Uchtdorf

3rd week of the 5th transfer

So nothing really exciting this week happened. We went to the old people's home on Thursday like we do every week. When we had to leave I leaned over to give Mrs. Sylvia a hug. She grabbed my bottom and yelled "WOW! You have a firm butt. Boys. Her butt is reeeaaal firm." Literally the most embarrassing moment of my life thanks to an 80 year old. 

Our fav ward mission leader got up in church yesterday and mentioned us in his heartfelt testimony. It made me tear up.

Word for word is what he said. "Our sisters are weird. One likes potato flavored ice cream and potato chips. The other is from Mississippi and should be from Malaysia because you can't understand a word she says." Wonderful words from Brother Boone, and definitely picks up the member trust. haha

A miracle that did happen this week is that Sister B and I were biking down a street both of us were prompted to go down. We ended up talking to this amazing guy, Paul about the gospel. He is in the marines and is getting shipped off to the middle east in 2 weeks. He told us to come back and talk to him before he leaved. We're going to write our testimonies in a Book of Mormon and give it to him the next time we see him!

Wise words from Sister K: Be a pineapple. 

Stay Golden everyone, and remember that Jesus loves you