"Happy 10 months, princess!"

Feb. 27, 2017

Today, I have been on my mission for 10 months! Sister Swanson sang me a birthday song replacing "birthday" with "10 months". "Happy birthday, princess, this is your special day, we're gonna have a good time together, happy birthday princess!" She sings it at every month mark. We also went to Sonic. Yum!

On Monday we taught S, a 17 year old girl who the elders thought we should teach instead of them. She is really cool, but we are still trying to gauge how serious she is about learning more. She seems to like the social environment of the church but has a hard time understanding the doctrine of the gospel and focusing during lessons. She comes from a non-Christian background, so we are really starting from the beginning with her.

On Wednesday, we went to Metropolitan Ministries and served in the kitchen. I cut up a bunch of sausages and wiped down giant spice and sauce containers. It was fun! We hope to go there more often, maybe even weekly. They have a pantry, clothing, and housing area as well.

On Thursday, we had a great zone conference and learned how to teach more simply and use more scriptures. Then we got to practice it with other missionaries! I also saw Sister Minson for probably the last time on her mission. It was sad.

On Saturday, there was a ward activity that was a youth fundraiser. It included the youth serving dinner and a big auction. We were given 2 big cakes, some cookies, and a bath set. How are we supposed to eat it all?!

Anyway, that was pretty much our week. I love you all! The Relief Society lesson yesterday was on the talk from the last General Conference called "Am I Good Enough? Will I make it?" I recommend that you all read it. It is something I think a lot of people struggle with. I know I do! It is easy to focus on the things we aren't good at and miss all the wonderful things we do. The speaker talks about how we are never "bad" enough to not be loved or forgiven by Heavenly Father. I know that is true.

I hope you all have a great week! --------------------------------------------------------------

The Broken Nomads

Feb. 20, 2017

So we went to the mission office to get a Tiwi (mission driving monitoring system) installed in our car on Friday, and we were in the process of moving. We saw President Cooper and he asked how the move was going. We said it was going and he called us wandering nomads. We thought it was funny. Later we were talking to the mission nurse about the new exercise plan to run a mile. Sister Swanson and Sister Hunt both can't run because of different medical things, so Sister Swanson joked and said they are both broken. So we have decided to call ourselves the broken nomads.

So we moved this week! Not to where we were expecting. It turns out there was a miscommunication and our new apartment will not be ready until March 22, not February. We found out at a special conference that the mission had for all the sisters on Wednesday. Which was really awesome, by the way. So we kicked the zone leaders out of their apartment and they moved in with the other elders. We live in our area now! It was a huge feat to pack up and clean the whole apartment, and we just get to do it all over again in a month!

Not only that, but Sister Swanson has been in Land O Lakes since Saturday because Sister Smith is sick with some flu bug and it just worked out well that way with the two trios. We found out last night she will be staying there until Wednesday so she can have an official exchange with Sister Frye and we can all save miles. We will meet up at a zone service activity we will be having at a food bank on Wednesday. Crazy!

Also, this week we have been trying to tackle some communication problems in our companionship. It is especially hard in a trio to make sure everyone is happy and getting their needs met. It has been really hard, but I think progress is being made. I have definitely learned a lot about how to communicate effectively and with love.

I do have a miracle to share this week, though! We had dinner with the Relief Society president and her husband and son. Her husband and son are not members of the church. At the end, we shared a scripture with her and her husband and invited them to have family prayer every day. We could tell that she was very hesitant to be too pushy on him, and very surprised when he agreed. She came up to us yesterday at church and thanked us for coming. She said that every morning before she leaves for work, her husband will get out of bed and pray with her. Once, he even added his own part of the prayer. It was very special.

Well, that's about it for this week! It's been a crazy roller coaster, but it seems to be slowing down again. I have found that there is always something good to find in every situation. I hope you all have a great week ahead of you! _______________________________________________________________

Valentine's Day and Sisters' Conference!

1. Our district leader and his companion made us these little heart thingys
2. Valentine's cookies!
3. Sister Anderson!  And her companion Sister Naa.
4. All the sisters in the mission!  We had a special conference for all the sisters on Wednesday. 

______________________________________________________________________________

Evidence of the crazy move... 

1. Me getting caught eating muddy buddies while packing our food...
2. The office elders who helped us move sent us this nice text! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Jan. 13, 2017

Hello, all!

So on Tuesday we had a zone training meeting and learned that President Cooper has decided to set a few boundaries for us after loosening the reins. We now need to run 1 mile every day for our exercise. So far it has been really good, but it is hard to measure on the days that we don't use the gym. We also did some service unpacking for a handicapped woman who is moving in. The Relief Society president referred us to her. Hudson is very different. The members are more missionary focused and the people are more low-income and willing to listen more. We literally can't walk down the hall of the church without somebody stopping us to tell us to visit someone they know, usually a less active member.

We had interviews on Wednesday with President and Sister Cooper. It is always great to talk to them. We also had missionary coordination and it was so weird to have 4 sets of missionaries there. The other missionaries told us we could teach a few people they had been teaching. Our ward mission leader is pretty great, too. Also, yesterday the elders called us and asked if we wanted to teach one of their investigators because she is a young woman and they thought it would be better for her. So we have our first investigator!

Otherwise, we met a few less active members, and a lot of them are recent converts, which is really sad. A lot of them can't come because they need a ride. We taught C who is really nice and has been a member for almost a year now, but hasn't been to church in awhile.

So we move out on Friday and are going to live with the Palm Harbor sisters until the 22nd when we finally get to move into our new apartment. It will be crazy. A lot of our time this week has already been spent packing and cleaning and we still have a lot to do. But I know it will all work out. "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success." -Alma 26:27

I hope you all have a great week and Valentine's Day!
_____________________________________________________________________

We went to Outback today!  Yummm 😊 

Goodbye, Odessa

Feb. 6, 2017

So we are now 3/4 in Hudson! We are working there now, but still living in Odessa, so it doesn't seem complete yet. We should get our new apartment on the 22nd. We went to church there yesterday and it was great! Everyone was super nice. We got some referrals for service and less active members. We were also able to set up several appointments with the members. However, it was really hard to leave Odessa. Saturday was crazy because that was when we found out when we were transferring and had to say goodbye to everyone. So yup, that was pretty much our week. We did teach O on Tuesday. I don't know if you all remember me talking about him awhile ago. Sister Hunt had taught him a lot when she was here. We taught him about the Book of Mormon and he said he would read it. He really seemed to understand that it would bring him peace. We also got some referrals from the Palm Harbor sisters of people who are now in Hudson boundaries who Sister Hunt had taught before, so that will be great! I hope you all have a great week.

____________________________________________________

The third picture is us saying goodbye to the Cooks.  I love them and will miss them so much!  The fourth is of some brownies we found at Walmart and thought were super cute.

Halfway to ... Hudson?!

Jan. 30, 2017

Hello, all! Today was a crazy week.

So we went to transfers and the Worldwide Missionary Broadcast on Wednesday. Before it starts, we hear that we are not staying in Odessa, but moving to Hudson! Sister Hunt apparently knew this all along, but it was news to Sister Swanson and I. There will no longer be missionaries in Odessa, but the Land O Lakes sisters will take it over as needed. President told us we would probably stay in Odessa another week, and most recently he said he hopes to have us moved by Sunday. That might not happen because we don't have an apartment yet. We will have to see! Anyway, we are pretty excited because there will be a lot for us to do there. There are already 2 sets of elders there, so that will be interesting. At the broadcast itself, there were some changes made to our schedule and some other things and it was a huge blessing because our mission had already been doing some of the changes. It made it an easier adjustment. It is still pretty weird, though. What a crazy week full of changes!

N came to the Pinewood Derby on Friday, but that was pretty much the only contact we had with her. Her family isn't sick anymore, so hopefully we will be able to teach her again this week.

Yesterday Sister Swanson gave an amazing talk in church and we all taught part of a lesson on the Two Great Commandments (Matthew 22:36-40). After church, we got to go to the mission home for interviews with President and to talk a little more about going to Hudson. That was the first time I've been able to go there since my first day here. Speaking of which, I hit my 9 month mark on Friday! I am halfway through my mission. I'm not sure how I feel about that...

Alright, well, if there is anything y'all want to send me, it would be best to send it to the mission office for now since nobody knows when we are moving. I hope you all have a great week!
____________________________________________________________

Uneventful week...but transfers!

Jan. 23, 2017

So transfers are this week 😫 Sister Jensen is going to Seminole 2 with Sister Clement and Sister Swanson and I are staying...but we will still be a trio! Sister Hunt is coming back. She was Sister Minson's companion in Odessa before I came.

This week has been somewhat uneventful. We had a couple exchanges. On one of them, Sister Jensen, Sister Huber and I went to the nursing home again and also got to go to a hospital to contact a referral. N's whole family has been sick, so nothing much has happened there. We met a few cool people and found some service opportunities for the future, so that should be good.

Yesterday it rained a lot. We got poured on. It's been raining a lot today, too. I wonder if summer is coming early...

Anyway, that's about it. What has been going on for all of you?☺
_____________________________________________________________

1. A delicious smoothie I got at Bahama Bucks!
2. We got soaked...

Let Your Light Shine!

Jan. 16, 2017

Anyway, how has everyone's week been? Ours has been pretty busy.

On Tuesday we had zone training meeting and interviews with the mission president. On Wednesday we had an exchange so I was in Land O Lakes with Sister Huber. We taught a 6 year old girl and her mom (who is a member of our church, stopped coming, and is starting to come back) in the morning and then walked with them to the bus stop. They are super sweet. We went to Vallarta's for lunch, where they have dollar tacos on certain days. It was really good. We went to a youth activity that night with a little girl who just got baptized and a little girl who is about to get baptized. We made cute jars with glow in the dark paint to remind us to let our lights shine, like Jesus says in Matthew 5:16.

On Thursday, we taught the M's. Somehow, we were able to break through some ice and find out a little more about why Brother M never prays in our lessons. Apparently he has not prayed in their almost 20 years of marriage. We need to find out what it is that keeps him from communicating with Heavenly Father. It is not enough to just participate in prayer, but it needs to be from the heart, an actual conversation, done with faith and willingness to act.

We met with several member families this week to get to know them better and strengthen their faith and desire to do missionary work. We also helped take down the set from Night in Bethlehem on Friday and Saturday. On Saturday afternoon, we stopped by the Ss. Brother S is a less active member and his wife is not a member. They were very nice and were happy to let us share a short message about Jesus Christ. We set up a time to go back.

That was basically our week. N has been super busy, so we haven't been able to meet with her again and her kids were sick yesterday, so they didn't make it to church. They seem to be progressing, though, and we are very excited for them!

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week! Don't forget to update me on what's going on in your lives.😊
 __________________________________________________
Just some selfies ...