B
arkhamstead Reservoir (Connecticut, Oct. 2008)
Anybody
home?
Mark Twain's mansion
Dec. 29, 2008 email: Sounds like there was a lot of excitement over the Christmas holiday [snow, wind, closed roads]. I'm glad to hear that everyone is safe & that they had a great Christmas. Christmas morning we went to a member's house for breakfast, the Macks. They're a cute, little old couple. We had a white elephant game afterward which was fun. We had previously planned on going ice skating in downtown Providence that afternoon, but we opted for a nap instead. Yay for two hour naps! Then we headed off to another dinner appointment with a recent convert & her family. Her name is Isabelle Fortes & she was baptized just about a year ago with her son & daughter. She's originally from Cape Verde (islands off north west coast of Africa). And guess what...her daughter is going to LDSBC! I gave her some tips on teachers & fun things to do. We had thought that this dinner company was going to be few, but we were wrong. Cape Verdians love to have parties! We had up to 20 people in the apartment, us Sisters being the only non-Cape Verdians. It was a lot of fun & I even tried out some octopus. It was quite good, except for the little tentacle hanging off of it. I almost couldn't do it, but I'm glad I did.
Sunday was a new experience for me. Central Falls is an inner city ward...much different from anything in Idaho or Canton. About half of the ward speaks Portuguese. I was practicing the piano after our meeting with the bishop in the morning & he said that all of his piano players were out of town for the week. He told me that I was playing the sacrament hymns, which happened to be the hardest Christmas songs in the book. So I was pretty much scared to death. I played two or three hymns over & over for the prelude music, but nothing could calm my anxiety. Sacrament meeting started & I was just praying for a miracle so I didn't have to play with my meager one-handed playing ability. The bishop announced the opening hymn & also introduced me...as Sister Lima...and said that I was our last resort. But thankfully at that second, Brother Wood walked in and saved me. He can play the piano a lot better than me! Whew...my prayers were definitely answered in the nick of time. But that didn't get me out of saying the closing prayer in Sacrament Mtg. or playing for Relief Society. Now I wish that I would have made myself practice the piano so I could be of some benefit to the ward here. Later that night we met with two Brown students, one from India & the other from Thailand, who were interested in learning more about "Mormonism." The Indian had a roommate a few years ago who was LDS & had given him a BOM. The lesson went very well & we're setting up another appointment to meet with them.
This week has been slow with our investigators because of the Christmas holiday. They are all out of town or swamped with so many activities. Not many people have been home while we were tracting, either. But things can just go up from here!
Now I feel that I've caught the true spirit of missionary work. I love being out here & sharing the gospel with so many people. I feel that my testimony has grown leaps and bounds. My knowledge of the scriptures has increased more than I ever thought it could. I definitely feel the Spirit more in my life & recognize the promptings of it. I'd like to thank Dad & my brothers for setting such great examples for me by going on missions. I look up to you all so much! It's not an easy experience. Much, much harder than I thought it would be. But so worth it. Thanks to everyone for all the support & love! And thank you all for your wonderful Christmas packages & cards! Sister Darrington
Sunday was a new experience for me. Central Falls is an inner city ward...much different from anything in Idaho or Canton. About half of the ward speaks Portuguese. I was practicing the piano after our meeting with the bishop in the morning & he said that all of his piano players were out of town for the week. He told me that I was playing the sacrament hymns, which happened to be the hardest Christmas songs in the book. So I was pretty much scared to death. I played two or three hymns over & over for the prelude music, but nothing could calm my anxiety. Sacrament meeting started & I was just praying for a miracle so I didn't have to play with my meager one-handed playing ability. The bishop announced the opening hymn & also introduced me...as Sister Lima...and said that I was our last resort. But thankfully at that second, Brother Wood walked in and saved me. He can play the piano a lot better than me! Whew...my prayers were definitely answered in the nick of time. But that didn't get me out of saying the closing prayer in Sacrament Mtg. or playing for Relief Society. Now I wish that I would have made myself practice the piano so I could be of some benefit to the ward here. Later that night we met with two Brown students, one from India & the other from Thailand, who were interested in learning more about "Mormonism." The Indian had a roommate a few years ago who was LDS & had given him a BOM. The lesson went very well & we're setting up another appointment to meet with them.
This week has been slow with our investigators because of the Christmas holiday. They are all out of town or swamped with so many activities. Not many people have been home while we were tracting, either. But things can just go up from here!
Now I feel that I've caught the true spirit of missionary work. I love being out here & sharing the gospel with so many people. I feel that my testimony has grown leaps and bounds. My knowledge of the scriptures has increased more than I ever thought it could. I definitely feel the Spirit more in my life & recognize the promptings of it. I'd like to thank Dad & my brothers for setting such great examples for me by going on missions. I look up to you all so much! It's not an easy experience. Much, much harder than I thought it would be. But so worth it. Thanks to everyone for all the support & love! And thank you all for your wonderful Christmas packages & cards! Sister Darrington
Dec. 22, 2008 email: New England got dumped on with snow! I honestly don't know how much we've gotten in the past few days...but it's been a lot! It all started Friday afternoon while we were in the middle of our Christmas Mission Conference. It was a good program besides the fact that I have a cold & I couldn't sing! But our 3 songs still turned out pretty good. It took Sister Jones & me 2 hours to get to Bloomfield, CT...but 4 1/2 hours to get back home! The roads were VERY snowy and we crept along at about 30 mph. Luckily we made it back to East Prov. without any problems. It continued to snow up until last night. Church was cancelled yesterday so a member invited us over for dinner...yum!
So I didn't get my packages before I left. SAD! Luckily the Bristol Elders were checking on our apartment & mail so they let me know that I had 3 packages waiting. They're going to forward them to me today. Hopefully they get here in time for Christmas!
Now on to the actual missionary work related things. I love Rhode Island. It's a totally different world over here, but its a good one! Our area covers East Providence, Barrington, and the east side of Providence. We've got downtown Providence (all those big buildings!) and the famed mall in the area. Plus there are quite a few colleges and universities around. I love all the activity and people out and about. Much different than "sticksy" Canton. My first night in RI & the very first door I knocked on, some guy let us in, which is a very rare occasion! His company has offices in Salt Lake City & the head of the company is LDS. We had a nice little chat with him & taught a watered down Restoration lesson. He claims to still be non-religious or spiritual, but hopefully our words will spark something inside of him. I've only met one of our investigators, Angela. She's in her 50s and is progressing along well. We just have to repeat things over and over until it finally clicks with her.
Our ward (Central Falls) covers our area & also Pawtucket (pronounced without the W). Rhode Islanders drop letters and add ones that shouldn't be there, such as "ideer" for idea & "South Afriker" for South Africa. Crazy people. Pawtucket is mostly Portuguese speaking so we have some Portuguese speaking Elders in the ward. Elder Lima & Elder Gonzales are both from Brazil, but Elder Lima has lived in Utah for quite a few years. Elder Gonzales didn't speak a lick of English before he came, but he's doing great now. I guess the sacrament meetings here are split with some talks in English & some in Portuguese. But I have yet to experience it!
The work is progressing along good here & I'm seeing many miracles happen. I love working with Sister Jones. She's got a great attitude & an amazing work ethic. Maybe I can pick up on a little of that. I hope you all have a WONDERFUL & MERRY Christmas! I'm glad things are going well back home. Remember the real meaning of Christmas & carry the spirit of Christmas in your hearts all year long. If everyone did that, the world would be a better place. Love you all! Sister Darrington
Dec. 15, 2008 email: NOPE! I'm getting exiled to East Providence, RI! I'm super excited about it. I hear that it's the "big city." My new companion will be Sister Jones from SLC (in red sweater vest below). She's a hard worker so hopefully I'll pick up on that. Sister Haueter is going off to Windsor...they're closing Canton for a short time. I guess there hasn't been much progress the past few years. The sad thing is this past week has been our best ever. Oh well. President knows what the Lord wants. The Bristol Elders will be taking care of the area for the time being.
Thursday was probably our biggest day. We had a great district meeting & then went out for district unity because that was our last time together. The zone leader that was there on exchanges (because Elder Bodily was at the temple...going home Wednesday!) asked me if I knew any Cranneys from southern Idaho. I said I did...he says that Bryce Cranney is/was the ward mission leader out in West Warrick, RI or somewhere around there. Crazy!
We had a lesson with Lillian after that. Our main focus was on prayer & finding out if the Book of Mormon was true. We got off on a little tangent because she wondered why a loving Heavenly Father would let so much suffering happen. We explained that sometimes we don't have all the answers. Some suffering occurs because of the agency of others, but sometimes, such as in the case of cancer, things just happen. Heavenly Father can see the big picture. He knows what's best for us. She committed to read the BOM, which is a huge step. We're slowly softening her old, stubborn heart. :)
The Perdomos were later that night, too. Our main focus was prayer & scripture study. It was a great lesson! We read passages from the BOM out loud with the kids. They ar
e such special kids. They are very ready for the Gospel. We've tried to get the family to church ever since I've been here and it finally happened this week! Four investigators at church! I'm going to miss that family very much. They hold a very, very special place in my heart. Friday we had a "Sisters' Seminar" (right) at the mission home in West Hartford. It was great! The assistants did trainings on how to find investigators & how to improve our teaching skills. Its nice to get an outsiders opinion on those things because us Sisters have been trained by the same people and we are all stuck in the same "box" of thinking. I truly felt the Spirit there & it got me excited about the work.
We got a tiny bit of that ice storm, but most of it was just rain. And I mean RAIN! The next few days were bitterly cold, but today is beautiful! I wish the whole winter was like this. If you come across any good object lessons/stories/etc. that I can apply to the missionary lessons, send them to me, please! I need to spice up my teaching a bit. Thanks to all of you who have sent me letters & packages. Thanks to grandma especially for the scarf & money. They help so much! Love you all and hope you have a great week!
Thursday was probably our biggest day. We had a great district meeting & then went out for district unity because that was our last time together. The zone leader that was there on exchanges (because Elder Bodily was at the temple...going home Wednesday!) asked me if I knew any Cranneys from southern Idaho. I said I did...he says that Bryce Cranney is/was the ward mission leader out in West Warrick, RI or somewhere around there. Crazy!
We had a lesson with Lillian after that. Our main focus was on prayer & finding out if the Book of Mormon was true. We got off on a little tangent because she wondered why a loving Heavenly Father would let so much suffering happen. We explained that sometimes we don't have all the answers. Some suffering occurs because of the agency of others, but sometimes, such as in the case of cancer, things just happen. Heavenly Father can see the big picture. He knows what's best for us. She committed to read the BOM, which is a huge step. We're slowly softening her old, stubborn heart. :)
The Perdomos were later that night, too. Our main focus was prayer & scripture study. It was a great lesson! We read passages from the BOM out loud with the kids. They ar
e such special kids. They are very ready for the Gospel. We've tried to get the family to church ever since I've been here and it finally happened this week! Four investigators at church! I'm going to miss that family very much. They hold a very, very special place in my heart. Friday we had a "Sisters' Seminar" (right) at the mission home in West Hartford. It was great! The assistants did trainings on how to find investigators & how to improve our teaching skills. Its nice to get an outsiders opinion on those things because us Sisters have been trained by the same people and we are all stuck in the same "box" of thinking. I truly felt the Spirit there & it got me excited about the work.We got a tiny bit of that ice storm, but most of it was just rain. And I mean RAIN! The next few days were bitterly cold, but today is beautiful! I wish the whole winter was like this. If you come across any good object lessons/stories/etc. that I can apply to the missionary lessons, send them to me, please! I need to spice up my teaching a bit. Thanks to all of you who have sent me letters & packages. Thanks to grandma especially for the scarf & money. They help so much! Love you all and hope you have a great week!
Dec. 8, 2008, email: We got our first real Connecticut snowfall Saturday night. I looked out the window Sunday morning and just about cried. We have gone so long without snow and cold, why couldn't we go longer! It reminded me of my days in Rexburg when my roommate and I would whine and complain that there was new snow just about every morning. The cold here is unbelievable! You'll have to experience it yourself to really know.
This week has been great! Our numbers aren't so hot, but not every success is seen in numbers. Last night we met with our new ward mission leader, Bro. Patterson, who just moved in. He's going to be awesome at this calling. He has such a great attitude about missionary work and even said that he's here to serve us. Things will be picking up here in the Canton ward! Saturday & Sunday we had a mission-wide fast for the "faith to find." I guess the whole mission has been struggling, but I know that this fast will help. I know that the Lord has prepared so many people for the gospel. He will soften the icy hearts of the New Englanders. We just have to trust in Him that he will show us where they are.
Saturday was our ward Christmas devotional, which consisted of musical numbers & a reading of the Christmas story from Luke. It turned out great! Lillian, one of our investigators, came to it with her son and another friend. It was such a great missionary tool to expose non-members to what we believe. Sister Haueter's piano solo was so beautiful & our song was pretty
good. We hadn't practiced with the other sisters so it was good for the time spend on it. Earlier that day we got a call from Bro. Moore (right with wife, Freda) in Burlington to see if we could help him get his wood stacked before the snow came. Another service project involving splitting & stacking wood! And once again, I LOVED it! That's really funny to say, but once you go a long time without doing it, it feels so good to start again. We had to "wrestle" the wood splitter into his barn afterward which was quite the task! I picked up a few bruises on my legs & my whole body is sore! I'm sure the job was more suited for men, but Sister missionaries can do anything. Bro. Moore took us on a pick-up truck ride all over his property. They have 15 acres or so and even have a little campground area out back. So cool! It reminded me of Almo.
Friday night we went over to the Bayley's & made gingerbread houses with their kids. I haven't done that in years & I had a blast. Mine was supposed to be a temple, but it didn't turn out so well. I took some pictures so maybe someday you'll be able to see the fun we have.
Thursday was our last district meeting with our DL, Elder Bodily, because he's headed home next week. To celebrate, we had our meeting in Goshen & went to the infamous TSB [Torrington Super Buffet]. YUM! I think we have the best bunch of Elders in this district. So spiritual, yet they know how to have some fun. I'm gonna miss them if I get transferred next week.
Monday night we did exchanges with the Rocky Hill sisters so I finally got to experience a new area! That helped me get out of the little rut I was in. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't scared or timid about talking to people or tracting. I'm so thankful for the progress I've made so far. I know I've grown leaps & bounds, but I'm looking forward to more growth.
Well, that's a slightly brief summary of my week. I could spend hours writing every detail & every spiritual experience, but I don't have that kind of time. This week, I've really seen the many "tender mercies" that the Lord gives to his children. Hearts have been softened & testimonies strengthened. I'm so thankful to be out here in Connecticut at this time. It's a wonderful place with some awesome people!
This week has been great! Our numbers aren't so hot, but not every success is seen in numbers. Last night we met with our new ward mission leader, Bro. Patterson, who just moved in. He's going to be awesome at this calling. He has such a great attitude about missionary work and even said that he's here to serve us. Things will be picking up here in the Canton ward! Saturday & Sunday we had a mission-wide fast for the "faith to find." I guess the whole mission has been struggling, but I know that this fast will help. I know that the Lord has prepared so many people for the gospel. He will soften the icy hearts of the New Englanders. We just have to trust in Him that he will show us where they are.
Saturday was our ward Christmas devotional, which consisted of musical numbers & a reading of the Christmas story from Luke. It turned out great! Lillian, one of our investigators, came to it with her son and another friend. It was such a great missionary tool to expose non-members to what we believe. Sister Haueter's piano solo was so beautiful & our song was pretty
good. We hadn't practiced with the other sisters so it was good for the time spend on it. Earlier that day we got a call from Bro. Moore (right with wife, Freda) in Burlington to see if we could help him get his wood stacked before the snow came. Another service project involving splitting & stacking wood! And once again, I LOVED it! That's really funny to say, but once you go a long time without doing it, it feels so good to start again. We had to "wrestle" the wood splitter into his barn afterward which was quite the task! I picked up a few bruises on my legs & my whole body is sore! I'm sure the job was more suited for men, but Sister missionaries can do anything. Bro. Moore took us on a pick-up truck ride all over his property. They have 15 acres or so and even have a little campground area out back. So cool! It reminded me of Almo.
Friday night we went over to the Bayley's & made gingerbread houses with their kids. I haven't done that in years & I had a blast. Mine was supposed to be a temple, but it didn't turn out so well. I took some pictures so maybe someday you'll be able to see the fun we have.
Thursday was our last district meeting with our DL, Elder Bodily, because he's headed home next week. To celebrate, we had our meeting in Goshen & went to the infamous TSB [Torrington Super Buffet]. YUM! I think we have the best bunch of Elders in this district. So spiritual, yet they know how to have some fun. I'm gonna miss them if I get transferred next week.
Monday night we did exchanges with the Rocky Hill sisters so I finally got to experience a new area! That helped me get out of the little rut I was in. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't scared or timid about talking to people or tracting. I'm so thankful for the progress I've made so far. I know I've grown leaps & bounds, but I'm looking forward to more growth.
Well, that's a slightly brief summary of my week. I could spend hours writing every detail & every spiritual experience, but I don't have that kind of time. This week, I've really seen the many "tender mercies" that the Lord gives to his children. Hearts have been softened & testimonies strengthened. I'm so thankful to be out here in Connecticut at this time. It's a wonderful place with some awesome people!
From Dec. 1, 2008 email: We got our first snow yesterday, but it didn't stick. Yay! It's a VERY foggy day. . . I've never felt so claustrophobic!
This week was busy because of Zone Conference & Thanksgiving. Monday night we had an appointment with Lillian which went great! We took Sister Woodward, a new move in, with us & they clicked. Both were Home-Ec teachers & short & had a few other things in common. When Sister Woodward shared her testimony, it really touched Lillian. I know that she felt the Spirit. Now we just have to get her praying & reading the BoM.
We had Zone Conference on Wednesday instead of Thursday because of Thanksgiving. Such a super meeting! They talked a lot about faith, which I have been lacking a lot. The mission must be needing more faith as a whole, even though I felt like each training was directed towards me. The assistants gave the 3 stages of faith: 1-sounds good; 2-belief; 3-knowledge. For too many of us, our faith is in the belief stage. We don't make that extra stretch to make it a knowledge. We believe that there are people out there waiting for us to find them. We don't have that hope & faith to KNOW they are out there.
Thanksgiving was great! We started out our day at the Hartford Zone Turkey Bowl at Trinity College in Hartford. That was my 1st time in the city of Hartford. What an experience! Sister Haueter & I were the only Sisters there & she didn't want to play, so I didn't get in on any games. But I don't want to make the Elders look bad, do I? :) I got to toss the ball around a bit so that made me happy. I caught a somewhat difficult pass & one of the Elders said, "She's on my team." Hahaha. I have to thank my brothers that I'm making a good impression on the Elders with my sweet football skills. I made a pumpkin & a coconut cream pie & took them so the Elders could stuff their faces. Good reviews! And thanks Mom for that package [pie ingredients]! I loved it! Later that day we went to the Rasbands for dinner. They're such a great family. Dinner was amazing as usual. They do something each night called "thankfuls" where each person says what they are thankful for. I said I was most thankful to have a family out here that would take us in & treat us like our own would. I almost teared up after I said that. It was my 1st little bit of homesickness. But it didn't last too long. I thought the holidays would be a bit harder to get through, but I'm doing good so far. Although I miss being with the family this time of year, I'll survive. I know I'm doing a great work here.
From 24 Nov 2008 email:
I'm glad to hear that gas prices are going down there, too. The lowest I've seen is about $1.94 on Friday. Who knows what they'll be today! And yes, I've used my long coat. I've never been so cold in my life! The chill just bites you to the bone. It's time to layer up. Soon I'll look like a giant marshmallow under my coat, but who cares because I'll be warm.
The only investigator we met with this week was Lillian. We taught her the plan of salvation which she was very interested in. She had told us when we first met her that it would be quite a miracle if we ever got her to change. But I'm seeing the Spirit work it's magic with her. She had so many good questions about it & wanted to be sure that she had it down right. Two of her sons showed up & took part in the lesson. Maybe something will become of that, too. We're meeting with her later this afternoon because our P-day is cut short. We get Thursday off for Thanksgiving & we have to make it up today.
Yesterday we attended an inter-faith Thanksgiving musical event at the Collinsville Congregational Church. A youth choir from the ward was singing & we wanted to show our support for them. It was a great program. But it made me appreciate belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some other churches have some crazy ideas of how to run things. However, I respect their members because they have that religious base in their life. Hopefully we'll get some support from the community for our Christmas program/nativity we're having on Dec. 6.
Saturday we joined forces with some of the ward members & helped the Burwoods clean up their yard. Boy, it was good to get out & do some work! We raked leaves, whacked weeds & other yard jobs. It was bitterly cold, but we all braved the weather to do some service. The Burwoods were VERY appreciative because they are older & have a hard time keeping up with their couple of acres. Sister Burwood even baked us pumpkin pies to show how much she cared.
I'm glad to hear that gas prices are going down there, too. The lowest I've seen is about $1.94 on Friday. Who knows what they'll be today! And yes, I've used my long coat. I've never been so cold in my life! The chill just bites you to the bone. It's time to layer up. Soon I'll look like a giant marshmallow under my coat, but who cares because I'll be warm.
The only investigator we met with this week was Lillian. We taught her the plan of salvation which she was very interested in. She had told us when we first met her that it would be quite a miracle if we ever got her to change. But I'm seeing the Spirit work it's magic with her. She had so many good questions about it & wanted to be sure that she had it down right. Two of her sons showed up & took part in the lesson. Maybe something will become of that, too. We're meeting with her later this afternoon because our P-day is cut short. We get Thursday off for Thanksgiving & we have to make it up today.
Yesterday we attended an inter-faith Thanksgiving musical event at the Collinsville Congregational Church. A youth choir from the ward was singing & we wanted to show our support for them. It was a great program. But it made me appreciate belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some other churches have some crazy ideas of how to run things. However, I respect their members because they have that religious base in their life. Hopefully we'll get some support from the community for our Christmas program/nativity we're having on Dec. 6.
Saturday we joined forces with some of the ward members & helped the Burwoods clean up their yard. Boy, it was good to get out & do some work! We raked leaves, whacked weeds & other yard jobs. It was bitterly cold, but we all braved the weather to do some service. The Burwoods were VERY appreciative because they are older & have a hard time keeping up with their couple of acres. Sister Burwood even baked us pumpkin pies to show how much she cared.
We had another member move into the ward, making a grand total of 32 new members since I've been here. This ward is multiplying as fast as the mold in our bathroom. Sister Woodward (left), originally from Ohio, just got done serving in the missionary department at church headquarters. She provided counseling for missionaries who were going home because of emotional problems. I didn't know such a thing existed! She's always willing to help us missionaries & has opened up her home to us whenever we're in the area (Norfolk).
This week I've realized that I haven't been working as hard as I could be & that I'm not as obedient as I should be. But I'm changing . . . becoming more of what Heavenly Father wants me to be & less of what I want to be. I know that it's going to be a rough journey to
get there, but it will be worth it. The hardest thing for me is asking for help. When I first came out, I didn't want to turn into one of those cheesy missionaries, but now I know that they are the best ones. They know without a doubt that every effort they make to bring others to Christ is worth it. So watch out . . . I might be one of those weird missionaries who has a hard time adjusting to "real life" when I get home.
Thanks for all your love & support! You keep me going through the hard times. Love you!
This week I've realized that I haven't been working as hard as I could be & that I'm not as obedient as I should be. But I'm changing . . . becoming more of what Heavenly Father wants me to be & less of what I want to be. I know that it's going to be a rough journey to
get there, but it will be worth it. The hardest thing for me is asking for help. When I first came out, I didn't want to turn into one of those cheesy missionaries, but now I know that they are the best ones. They know without a doubt that every effort they make to bring others to Christ is worth it. So watch out . . . I might be one of those weird missionaries who has a hard time adjusting to "real life" when I get home.
Thanks for all your love & support! You keep me going through the hard times. Love you!
From Monday, 10 Nov 2008, email:
Sounds like more exciting things are happening back home. Did you get to learn a little bit about Connecticut from "Elder" Taylor's talk? I hear from people out here that he was a pretty awesome missionary. Elder Carr always tells me stories of him. Did he talk about the time he got to bale hay for a preacher of another church? Must have been right at home on the farm equipment!
There hasn't been anything too exciting going on this week. We met with the Perdomos on Thursday, but there were so many distractions. We used a cute object lesson about the gospel of Jesus Christ that the kids really liked. The family loves us to death, but are still a bit hesitant about being baptized. They aren't sure that it is true so this week we will be giving a lesson on prayer & fasting. Hopefully they will take it to heart & learn for themselves that this church is true & Joseph Smith was a prophet. They have so much potential!
Friday we went to Norfolk to help Ky Byrne (right) split wood.
Sounds like more exciting things are happening back home. Did you get to learn a little bit about Connecticut from "Elder" Taylor's talk? I hear from people out here that he was a pretty awesome missionary. Elder Carr always tells me stories of him. Did he talk about the time he got to bale hay for a preacher of another church? Must have been right at home on the farm equipment!
There hasn't been anything too exciting going on this week. We met with the Perdomos on Thursday, but there were so many distractions. We used a cute object lesson about the gospel of Jesus Christ that the kids really liked. The family loves us to death, but are still a bit hesitant about being baptized. They aren't sure that it is true so this week we will be giving a lesson on prayer & fasting. Hopefully they will take it to heart & learn for themselves that this church is true & Joseph Smith was a prophet. They have so much potential!
Friday we went to Norfolk to help Ky Byrne (right) split wood.
We work with her doing service at the soup kitchen in Winsted. She instantly took a liking to us & has been a bit curious about our beliefs. It's kind of funny to say, but I enjoyed splitting wood. The rewards were about 1/2 cord done & a sore body. It was nice to break away from the usual missionary work & do some actual manual labor. Ky has been working on her 1850-ish house so we chatted a bit about fixing up old houses. I thought of Almo & all the work that you have been doing there. Save some for me when I get home! :) Hopefully she'll be calling us back this week so we can help her out some more.
We had a great meeting with our new district on Thursday. We talked about how we can gain back our enthusiasm in doing missionary work. Most missionaries hit a wall where they lose their steam. But this is the perfect time to do a personal inventory. Why are you out on a mission? What has kept you going? How will you feel when you step onto that plane when you're flying home? These questions have helped me to keep going through this rut my companion & I are in. We've put ourselves in order & set new goals so we'll make it the best transfer ever!
Sister Haueter says she knows of Devery Greene & knows who her brothers are. What a small world! And I remembered that Paul Allred had emailed me before my mission saying that he grew up in Burley & knew some Darringtons. I thought about it for a while and it hit me that there was an Elder Allred in my zone. And it just so happens to be THE Elder Allred. He's a great missionary.
I hope all continues to go well at home. Let the branch know that I'm thinking of them & that I miss them. And tell them good luck in all that they do! Love you all! Keep praying for the missionaries. And I'm extending a commitment to you all to read & study Preach My Gospel. It's not just for missionaries!
We had a great meeting with our new district on Thursday. We talked about how we can gain back our enthusiasm in doing missionary work. Most missionaries hit a wall where they lose their steam. But this is the perfect time to do a personal inventory. Why are you out on a mission? What has kept you going? How will you feel when you step onto that plane when you're flying home? These questions have helped me to keep going through this rut my companion & I are in. We've put ourselves in order & set new goals so we'll make it the best transfer ever!
Sister Haueter says she knows of Devery Greene & knows who her brothers are. What a small world! And I remembered that Paul Allred had emailed me before my mission saying that he grew up in Burley & knew some Darringtons. I thought about it for a while and it hit me that there was an Elder Allred in my zone. And it just so happens to be THE Elder Allred. He's a great missionary.
I hope all continues to go well at home. Let the branch know that I'm thinking of them & that I miss them. And tell them good luck in all that they do! Love you all! Keep praying for the missionaries. And I'm extending a commitment to you all to read & study Preach My Gospel. It's not just for missionaries!
From email of Nov. 3, 2008: There were tiny snow flakes on Wednesday. Nothing too bad . . . yet! It feels like it is wanting to snow today. Ugh. Time to start layering up! We had to be in at 6 pm Halloween night so we turned on the Christmas music & relaxed. Sister Haueter & I LOVE the Mo-Tab Christmas concert with Sissel. I'm very much excited for Thanksgiving. We already have Thanksgiving dinner & Christmas Eve planned with members. Apparently there's a rivalry between a couple of members to see who can get the missionaries over for Christmas. But I might not still be here then. All the Connecticut Sisters
I am staying here in Canton with Sister Haueter another transfer. YAY! We are going to really dig into the work these next few weeks now that we've cleaned up the area a bit & have a game plan down. I was worried they would ship me out after we got things going here. None of the Sisters are moving this transfer. They are making big changes regarding the zones & districts. There are only 3 stakes in the mission so they are making just 3 zones to coordinate with those stakes.
We finally met with the Perdormo family Thursday night. We haven't been able to sit down with them t
his whole transfer. They are such a golden family. They had a baptismal date a few years ago but got pressured too much by one Elder so they backed
out. They know it's true so we'll be working with them to strengthen their testimonies & get a baptism date. The gospel will bless their lives tremendously especially knowing that they can be together as a family forever. Their kids are the most important thing to them & they are such a close family. I hope that we can get them baptized so they will have the fullness of the gospel in their lives. I have pictures of them which I'll send home sometime soon, hopefully!
We had dinner with the Walburger family last night. They are seriously one of the coolest families in the area. They would do anything for us & their kids love us to death. Those kids are sooo smart. We were carrying on a conversation with them about the history of America & the Revolutionary War & such, & they are only 9 (twins) & 4! They are smarter than me! Haha! I'm going to ask [the mom] what she did with those kids. The family recently moved in from New Jersey & had previously lived in New York City. Brother Walburger worked for a bank on Wall Street when Sept. 11 happened & they lived only 4 blocks from the towers. Soon after, they moved to New Jersey & he had to commute to work. But he decided to change jobs & move to Connecticut & is very glad he did because of the financial crisis I hear so much about.
Elder Udy [in her mission] is from Washington State somewhere. I'm not sure exactly where. I wonder if there is any relation to the Idaho Udys. Speaking of relations, there is a family in the Bloomfield Ward that traces its roots back to the early days of Connecticut who we might be related to. The name is on the list [Mom] sent me, but I can't remember which one it is! They own the original house & farm that their (& our) ancestors had. Sister Rail from the office knows them & is going to introduce them to me when we get the chance. How exciting is that?!
Holly sent me pictures of the little Durfs in their Halloween costumes. I don't think they could get any cuter! I'm sad I'm missing time with them & the rest of the family, but there will be time after the mission. Maybe everyone needs a friendly reminder that they have a poor, tired sister on a mission who doesn't get much mail from family! I want to know what's going on in everyones lives. Even if you haven't written me yet, I still love you . . . for now! Just kidding! Thanks for being so wonderful!
I am staying here in Canton with Sister Haueter another transfer. YAY! We are going to really dig into the work these next few weeks now that we've cleaned up the area a bit & have a game plan down. I was worried they would ship me out after we got things going here. None of the Sisters are moving this transfer. They are making big changes regarding the zones & districts. There are only 3 stakes in the mission so they are making just 3 zones to coordinate with those stakes.
We finally met with the Perdormo family Thursday night. We haven't been able to sit down with them t
his whole transfer. They are such a golden family. They had a baptismal date a few years ago but got pressured too much by one Elder so they backed
out. They know it's true so we'll be working with them to strengthen their testimonies & get a baptism date. The gospel will bless their lives tremendously especially knowing that they can be together as a family forever. Their kids are the most important thing to them & they are such a close family. I hope that we can get them baptized so they will have the fullness of the gospel in their lives. I have pictures of them which I'll send home sometime soon, hopefully!We had dinner with the Walburger family last night. They are seriously one of the coolest families in the area. They would do anything for us & their kids love us to death. Those kids are sooo smart. We were carrying on a conversation with them about the history of America & the Revolutionary War & such, & they are only 9 (twins) & 4! They are smarter than me! Haha! I'm going to ask [the mom] what she did with those kids. The family recently moved in from New Jersey & had previously lived in New York City. Brother Walburger worked for a bank on Wall Street when Sept. 11 happened & they lived only 4 blocks from the towers. Soon after, they moved to New Jersey & he had to commute to work. But he decided to change jobs & move to Connecticut & is very glad he did because of the financial crisis I hear so much about.
Elder Udy [in her mission] is from Washington State somewhere. I'm not sure exactly where. I wonder if there is any relation to the Idaho Udys. Speaking of relations, there is a family in the Bloomfield Ward that traces its roots back to the early days of Connecticut who we might be related to. The name is on the list [Mom] sent me, but I can't remember which one it is! They own the original house & farm that their (& our) ancestors had. Sister Rail from the office knows them & is going to introduce them to me when we get the chance. How exciting is that?!
Holly sent me pictures of the little Durfs in their Halloween costumes. I don't think they could get any cuter! I'm sad I'm missing time with them & the rest of the family, but there will be time after the mission. Maybe everyone needs a friendly reminder that they have a poor, tired sister on a mission who doesn't get much mail from family! I want to know what's going on in everyones lives. Even if you haven't written me yet, I still love you . . . for now! Just kidding! Thanks for being so wonderful!
From Oct 27, 2008, email: There was a pretty good wind/rain storm this weekend. Today has been pretty warm, but maybe that's the calm before the storm.
In regard to our investigator, "King Arthur," he decided that he liked his beer, tobacco & women too much to be baptized right now. He knows that HE needs to have the desire to change. I'm glad that he didn't just jump into being baptized & then not live up to his commitments he would make. There have been so many new members fall away & I don't want that to happen with him. But he did come to church yesterday & seemed to enjoy it. I was a bit anxious about it because that was my first investigator at church & I wondered how he would behave.
Saturday night we were doing some former-investigator stop-bys to see if they were interested in seeing the missionaries again. We stopped by one in Collinsville & were very surprised that she welcomed us right in. It just so happens that she was already a member & the Elders that were there previously didn't figure that out. She was baptized when she was about 12 & had lived next to the Sisters in Goshen back in the day. But she has had a horrible life these past few years & to top it off, she has terminal cancer. She just wants to die & wonders why she is still here. I couldn't hold back my tears as she described the pain she has gone through physically, mentally & emotionally. We shared a little thought with her & also our testimonies, which brightened her up a bit. She even agreed to come to church next week. Hopefully that goes through! She's such a special woman.
Friday night Elder & Sister Carr took some of us missionaries to the infamous TSB--Torrington Super Buffet. YUMMY! It's the best Chinese Buffet I've been to. Sister Haueter, along with AP Elder Udy & Office Elder Sheffet, downed a little octopus. YUCK! I could never do that. This evening out was our payment for helping Elder Carr with some office work. The other AP & OE are leaving this transfer so this was their first & last hurrah at TSB. Their companions just HAD to come along.
Well, that's about the excitingness of the week. We just keep plugging along at the work. No matter how many times we get told that people are "all set"--Catholic--we still keep going. There are people out there who have been prepared to hear the message of the Restoration. We
have to find that needle in a haystack. But we will do it . . . with God, anything is possible!
In regard to our investigator, "King Arthur," he decided that he liked his beer, tobacco & women too much to be baptized right now. He knows that HE needs to have the desire to change. I'm glad that he didn't just jump into being baptized & then not live up to his commitments he would make. There have been so many new members fall away & I don't want that to happen with him. But he did come to church yesterday & seemed to enjoy it. I was a bit anxious about it because that was my first investigator at church & I wondered how he would behave.
Saturday night we were doing some former-investigator stop-bys to see if they were interested in seeing the missionaries again. We stopped by one in Collinsville & were very surprised that she welcomed us right in. It just so happens that she was already a member & the Elders that were there previously didn't figure that out. She was baptized when she was about 12 & had lived next to the Sisters in Goshen back in the day. But she has had a horrible life these past few years & to top it off, she has terminal cancer. She just wants to die & wonders why she is still here. I couldn't hold back my tears as she described the pain she has gone through physically, mentally & emotionally. We shared a little thought with her & also our testimonies, which brightened her up a bit. She even agreed to come to church next week. Hopefully that goes through! She's such a special woman.
Friday night Elder & Sister Carr took some of us missionaries to the infamous TSB--Torrington Super Buffet. YUMMY! It's the best Chinese Buffet I've been to. Sister Haueter, along with AP Elder Udy & Office Elder Sheffet, downed a little octopus. YUCK! I could never do that. This evening out was our payment for helping Elder Carr with some office work. The other AP & OE are leaving this transfer so this was their first & last hurrah at TSB. Their companions just HAD to come along.
Well, that's about the excitingness of the week. We just keep plugging along at the work. No matter how many times we get told that people are "all set"--Catholic--we still keep going. There are people out there who have been prepared to hear the message of the Restoration. We
have to find that needle in a haystack. But we will do it . . . with God, anything is possible!Canton District: back row, Kanaga, Christensen, Kirkham, Aplanalp. Front, Darrington, Haueter.
From email of Oct. 20, 2008: Each week I'm surprised by more good things happening in the [Marsh Creek] branch at home! How many baptisms & weddings & such have there been since I left? Tell them all "Hi" for me & congratulations!
Thanks so much for fixing my shirts & sending out all that I've needed. I like to brag to the other missionaries that I have a personal seamstress [Mom]. I've gotten so many compliments on my clothes. Maybe I should learn how to do a bit of sewing when I get back . . . maybe :)
We had the 1st frost of the season today. These past few days have been bitterly cold, even though it's only been in the 40's. I'm not excited for the snow to come, but hopefully it won't be for a while. The leaves are falling quickly so everything is covered in the colorful crunchiness. And the cheapest gas here is about $2.89.
Thursday we had a very spiritually uplifting zone conference. Pres. Pehrson started out with a training on "Teaching By the Spirit". He said the reason we are not teaching by the spirit as well is because we are not exactly obedient to the rules. We have much improvement we can make to our lives to make us better missionaries. This really made me think about my commitment to being a missionary. I know that there were things that I was holding onto from home that took my focus off of the work, but I recommitted myself to the work. The zone leaders presented a training on reaching our highest potential as a missionary. There are things in our lives that take up room in our "circle of potential" that prevent us from being the best we can be. Again, this was kind of a kick in the behind to get rid of things that don't pertain to the work. I know that I have so much more that I can become which can only happen when I "forget myself & go to work" as Pres. Hinckley's father told him. Overall, it was such a great conference. It's funny how all of these meetings seemed to be tailored to what I needed to hear. This conference was held in Southington which is a bit further south than Bloomfield. The sad thing is that I was excited to be on a freeway! It was the first time that I was on one since I've been out here. I really felt like I was flying along at 55 mph. And Connecticut drivers are a million times worse than Utah drivers. I never thought Utards could ever be outdone. We were up to 75 mph just so we didn't get run over by all the crazy drivers.
So "King Arthur" has decided he wants to be baptized for sure, but we have not set a date yet. We teach the Word of Wisdom, Law of Chastity, and obedience tonight so we'll see how that goes. He's got a big smoking & drinking problem, but I know that he will be so much happier & healthier if he follows the Word of Wisdom. It looks like all 3 companionships in our district will have baptisms in November. Yay! The Torrington elders are teaching a guy that we Canton sisters ran into while contacting in Winsted. They say that he is really soaking up the lessons & committed to be baptized when he found out the church is true. That makes me happy because he was one of the first people I talked to on my second day in the mission. I was scared to death to talk to him, but I was definitely kicked in the shins by the Spirit to say something to him.
I got a call from Sister Rail, the mission office secretary, who asked if I knew any Rossers from Las Vegas. She saw that I had gotten a letter from my MTC companion, Sister Rosser. It just so happens that Sister Rail went to school with her mom! It's a small world. And Sister Rail served her mission over here in Connecticut many years ago.
Things are great here! I'm finally getting comfortable with everything & now I can focus all of my attention to sharing the message of the Restoration with the inhabitants of Connecticut! I know that the Lord is behind this great work that I am participating in. I'm so grateful that He has found me worthy & capable of bringing souls unto him.
From 13 Oct 2008 email:
I'm writing from the mission office today because we are doing some service for Elder Carr, the housing/vehicle coordinator. Isn't it some holiday today? Maybe the library isn't even open.
Sounds like exciting stuff going on back home! I'm VERY glad that I'm not there for the
snow [Friday night/Saturday we had from abt 5" h
ere in Malta to 18 inches or so in Declo/Burley!]. Ick . . . I don't even want to think about snow. We've had some beautiful Fall days the past week. And the leaves are almost at peak! It's breathtaking to see all of these colors. I'll get some pictures for y'all to see, but I know it won't do it justice. You'll just have to come out here and see them sometime!
We have made progress with "King Arthur". We were so close to setting a baptismal date last night, but he said he had to think about it just a little bit longer. He is right on the edge of baptism; he just needs that little push. He's such a funny, little old man. He's coming to church the week after next because this weekend is the Renaissance Fair that he's been looking forward to for months. We have an appointment with a new investigator on Wednesday that we met tracting in Winsted. She's from the Dominican Republic & is always open to talking about God. Hopefully we'll spark her interest & give her a little taste of the spirit. Other than that our week has been pretty uneventful. We hiked up a driveway in New Hartford that was 0.7 miles long one way & practically straight up. (We had to drive up it afterward to see how far it was.) The house was nestled up in a little canyon in the hills. Sadly enough, there wasn't anyone home. We saw 2 deer on the way up & that reminded me of Almo. Crazy!
We have Zone Conference Thursday. I can't believe I've been out for almost 2 transfers. I looked up my release date which will be either January 30 or February 8, 2010, depending on when I want to come home. My actual release date is January 23, 2010, but that's in the middle of a transfer & leaving then is just retarded because it would throw all of the sisters off with getting a new companion & such.
I'm still loving my new companion & I hope we stay together another transfer. We're doing our best here in Canton & hopefully things will start to pick up from now on. Please pray for all of the missionaries! We need every single prayer that we can get. I'm so glad that I decided to serve a mission! It's the best thing that I've done so far. We had interviews with Pres. Pehrson last week & he told me that I was a totally different person than when I first got out here. So be expecting a better daughter/sister/aunt/granddaughter when I get back! Love you all!
I'm writing from the mission office today because we are doing some service for Elder Carr, the housing/vehicle coordinator. Isn't it some holiday today? Maybe the library isn't even open.
Sounds like exciting stuff going on back home! I'm VERY glad that I'm not there for the
snow [Friday night/Saturday we had from abt 5" h
ere in Malta to 18 inches or so in Declo/Burley!]. Ick . . . I don't even want to think about snow. We've had some beautiful Fall days the past week. And the leaves are almost at peak! It's breathtaking to see all of these colors. I'll get some pictures for y'all to see, but I know it won't do it justice. You'll just have to come out here and see them sometime!We have made progress with "King Arthur". We were so close to setting a baptismal date last night, but he said he had to think about it just a little bit longer. He is right on the edge of baptism; he just needs that little push. He's such a funny, little old man. He's coming to church the week after next because this weekend is the Renaissance Fair that he's been looking forward to for months. We have an appointment with a new investigator on Wednesday that we met tracting in Winsted. She's from the Dominican Republic & is always open to talking about God. Hopefully we'll spark her interest & give her a little taste of the spirit. Other than that our week has been pretty uneventful. We hiked up a driveway in New Hartford that was 0.7 miles long one way & practically straight up. (We had to drive up it afterward to see how far it was.) The house was nestled up in a little canyon in the hills. Sadly enough, there wasn't anyone home. We saw 2 deer on the way up & that reminded me of Almo. Crazy!
We have Zone Conference Thursday. I can't believe I've been out for almost 2 transfers. I looked up my release date which will be either January 30 or February 8, 2010, depending on when I want to come home. My actual release date is January 23, 2010, but that's in the middle of a transfer & leaving then is just retarded because it would throw all of the sisters off with getting a new companion & such.
I'm still loving my new companion & I hope we stay together another transfer. We're doing our best here in Canton & hopefully things will start to pick up from now on. Please pray for all of the missionaries! We need every single prayer that we can get. I'm so glad that I decided to serve a mission! It's the best thing that I've done so far. We had interviews with Pres. Pehrson last week & he told me that I was a totally different person than when I first got out here. So be expecting a better daughter/sister/aunt/granddaughter when I get back! Love you all!
From October 6, 2008 email: I'm jealous you got to see the little
Durfs [sister Holly Durfee & family in Colorado]! Holly sent pictures
of them & they are the cutest things ever!
Makenna looks even more red-headed than when I last saw her. I hope you
gave them all some squeezes &
moochies for me.
Conference was the most exciting thing to happen this week. I think back to the times when I was younger & conference dragged on for hours. This time it flew by & I was yearning for more. The talks seemed to be a refresher for all we should be doing but obviously aren't. We have to master the basics before moving on to deeper things. I like how Sister Allred called on EVERYONE to do missionary work, not just the full-time missionaries with the name badge. As we take on the name of Christ at baptism, we also take upon ourselves the responsibility to share what we know with all we come in contact with. I never realized how important members were in missionary work until now. Sometimes they have a greater influence on people than we do. So do as much missionary work as you can right now! We got to watch conference at the stake center in Bloomfield with about 12 other missionaries. A few people came on Saturday, but it was a full house on Sunday. I'm spiritually filled up now & ready to get to the work again.
We're having a tough time finding new people to teach, so we're trying to expand our horizons & think of new ways. I found it interesting that in Preach My Gospel, it tells of other ways besides tracting & contacting. I always thought that missionaries just did those 2 things all day to find people. But it suggests service, firesides, teaching classes & much more. Hopefully we'll think of some good ideas & be able to implement them.
Tonight we have an appointment with Arthur King, an investigator in Winsted. He's a very interesting but fun character. He likes to call himself "King Arthur" which very much fits his personality. We'll be teaching a 3rd lesson which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, & hopefully we'll be committing him to baptism. I've never taught a 3rd lesson so I'm a bit nervous, but I know it will go well. There have been so many times that there have been words come out of my mouth that I know weren't mine! The Spirit definitely directs us in every aspect of the work, especially in teaching.
Friday we had a mission-wide apartment cleaning day. We were excited for this because our apartment was a disaster. It hasn't been taken care of very well so we had lots of work ahead of us. We worked from about 1 pm until bedtime & it still wasn't done! We had some nasty mold growing in the bathroom so I spent a few hours scrubbing that off the walls & ceiling. Ewwww. But now it's clean so I'm happy.
Sister Haueter (Howter) is a hoot. I remember when I was set apart, Pres. Turner told me to have fun on my mission. Missionary work doesn't have to be boring. So she helps me live up to that. We have many laughing moments & we can be a bit crazy at times. But she has an amazing testimony & I've learned so much from her. I love her! :)
The conference talk that really hit me was by Elder Carlos A. Godoy. He talked about gaining his testimony, that it didn't come in some big miraculous way. A testimony comes as a collection of experiences. That made me think about my testimony. It didn't come all at once in a big-bang theory way. Little experiences all through my life have shaped it to what it is now. And it's still growing as I'm out here on a mission. I thought I had a strong testimony before I left, but now I realize that it still has so much room to grow. I welcome those experiences that will try my faith & help my testimony to strengthen.
Thank you for being such a great family. I know that I say it just about every week, but I truly mean it. You have helped my to become the person I cam. I've looked up to all of you & have learned so much from your examples. I love you all!
From email of Monday, Sept 29, 2008: Did another tropical storm hit Connecticut? I really wish I had some news source. It's been raining hard the past few days & I might just float away!
I've been almost a week with my new companion . . . & I absolutely love her! :) Sister Holly Haueter (right with Brenda) from Smithfield, UT. She's very personable & funny so we are always laughing. She loves music & theater stuff & has an amazing voice. Plus she's sooo sweet. Our numbers are much higher this week since she's been here & we didn't tract near as much as usual. Oh . . . & she thinks she knows Joel [Brenda's brother] maybe from The Old Barn performances. And she knows a member of the bishopric's wife's brother. Crazy world. The church makes the world so much smaller.
Sister Wilson was shipped off to Rhode Island with Sisters Jones & Lambertson. They got to open up a new area in East Providence. I'm a bit jealous because their apartment is right on the bay & they can wake up to a sunrise gleaming on the water. Grrr. Maybe I'll get my turn there! We got a new sister Tuesday, Sister Timothy from Bear Lake, UT. She's about 5'11" & skinny as a stick. She was a runner so that explains things. Her trainer, Sister Baird, is only on her 3rd transfer!
It's been a slow week as far as appointments go. We had one yesterday with Arthur. We're not sure if he's really interested in joining the church right now, but we'll see how things go this week. Our other investigator appointments cancelled on us. We met with our usual less-actives so that is going good. We spent a good part of this week going through our area book & chucking things we don't need. Plus we're setting up a "game plan" for the area. Our ward has a mission plan for 2008, but I saw it for the 1st time yesterday. Hopefully we will be sparking a fire in the ward to get the members more excited about missionary work.
Saturday night we went to the mission home to watch the Relief Society Broadcast on the BYU channel. Sister Pehrson made us a very yummy dinner & it was just like being home! I love her to death. Pres. & Sister Pehrson are definitely my parents away from home. The broadcast was VERY good! I loved Pres. Uchtdorf's talk. It was exactly what I needed to hear. As women, we have some built in mechanism that makes us compare ourselves to others. We focus more on what we cannot do than the good things we have to offer. He hit two points in his talk: creating & being compassionate. I realize that I need to stop worrying about myself & get out there serving the people in my area.
I'm loving the work now, more so since Sister Haueter came. She's always happy & puts me in such a good mood. I never have to worry about not measuring up or doing things wrong. We're both learning & growing together, but I like to be selfish & say I'm learning the most from her!
I've gained such a strong testimony that Heavenly Father does love me. There are times when I feel like crap & don't know what to do. But I just have to go to my knees in prayer & I'm encircled in His arms of love. I'm never alone. And he has given me weaknesses so that I can learn to overcome them & become the person that He wants me to be. I just have to be humble & submit myself to the will & the timetable of the Lord. I know that He is directing this work. It will "go forth boldly, nobly, & independent 'til it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, & sounded in every ear, 'til the purposes of God shall be accomplished & the Great Jehovah shall say, 'The work is done' " (Standard of Truth). Thank you so much for all of the prayers. Continue to pray for the missionaries because we need all the help we can get. Love to you all!
I've been almost a week with my new companion . . . & I absolutely love her! :) Sister Holly Haueter (right with Brenda) from Smithfield, UT. She's very personable & funny so we are always laughing. She loves music & theater stuff & has an amazing voice. Plus she's sooo sweet. Our numbers are much higher this week since she's been here & we didn't tract near as much as usual. Oh . . . & she thinks she knows Joel [Brenda's brother] maybe from The Old Barn performances. And she knows a member of the bishopric's wife's brother. Crazy world. The church makes the world so much smaller.
Sister Wilson was shipped off to Rhode Island with Sisters Jones & Lambertson. They got to open up a new area in East Providence. I'm a bit jealous because their apartment is right on the bay & they can wake up to a sunrise gleaming on the water. Grrr. Maybe I'll get my turn there! We got a new sister Tuesday, Sister Timothy from Bear Lake, UT. She's about 5'11" & skinny as a stick. She was a runner so that explains things. Her trainer, Sister Baird, is only on her 3rd transfer!
It's been a slow week as far as appointments go. We had one yesterday with Arthur. We're not sure if he's really interested in joining the church right now, but we'll see how things go this week. Our other investigator appointments cancelled on us. We met with our usual less-actives so that is going good. We spent a good part of this week going through our area book & chucking things we don't need. Plus we're setting up a "game plan" for the area. Our ward has a mission plan for 2008, but I saw it for the 1st time yesterday. Hopefully we will be sparking a fire in the ward to get the members more excited about missionary work.
Saturday night we went to the mission home to watch the Relief Society Broadcast on the BYU channel. Sister Pehrson made us a very yummy dinner & it was just like being home! I love her to death. Pres. & Sister Pehrson are definitely my parents away from home. The broadcast was VERY good! I loved Pres. Uchtdorf's talk. It was exactly what I needed to hear. As women, we have some built in mechanism that makes us compare ourselves to others. We focus more on what we cannot do than the good things we have to offer. He hit two points in his talk: creating & being compassionate. I realize that I need to stop worrying about myself & get out there serving the people in my area.
I'm loving the work now, more so since Sister Haueter came. She's always happy & puts me in such a good mood. I never have to worry about not measuring up or doing things wrong. We're both learning & growing together, but I like to be selfish & say I'm learning the most from her!
I've gained such a strong testimony that Heavenly Father does love me. There are times when I feel like crap & don't know what to do. But I just have to go to my knees in prayer & I'm encircled in His arms of love. I'm never alone. And he has given me weaknesses so that I can learn to overcome them & become the person that He wants me to be. I just have to be humble & submit myself to the will & the timetable of the Lord. I know that He is directing this work. It will "go forth boldly, nobly, & independent 'til it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, & sounded in every ear, 'til the purposes of God shall be accomplished & the Great Jehovah shall say, 'The work is done' " (Standard of Truth). Thank you so much for all of the prayers. Continue to pray for the missionaries because we need all the help we can get. Love to you all!
. . . and I will be staying in Canton! But Sister Wilson got the dreaded call last night that she was getting transferred. It really hit her hard because she's been in this area so long & has done wonders here. She opened up this area to sisters about 4 months ago. The elders here before didn't do too much. You can see the love that she has for the people here. I hope that I can have that same kind of love. We've had so many less-actives & investigators growing & changing, & they were sad to hear that she was leaving. But now I have to step up & make the best of my time here even though I'm scared to carry this area myself. We have a new sister coming in today so we're all excited. But we don't have anyone leaving till February so there will be a trio somewhere till then. Pres. Pehrson has a new style of training--he likes the younger ones to do the training! The sister who is just one transfer older than me is training the greenie! I guess the longer you're out in the mission, the lazier you get. I've heard good things about using younger trainers.
It is starting to get cold. The natives say it isn't supposed to get so cold so quickly which means a brutal winter. Ugh . . . I'm not excited for that! But the leaves are on the verge of turning so I'm happy I'll be here in the boonies to see it.
Our greatest work right now is with the less-actives. We had a great appointment on Saturday night with a less-active family & the husband's nephew. The husband joined as a young man & fell away because he felt that he was pressured into getting baptized before he really knew it was
true. But there has been such amazing progress. He used to be very bitter & sarcastic, yet now he has such great things to say. Hopefully they'll have the desire to come back to church soon. We helped another less-active in Burlington Saturday. We finally got a chance to see Leila last week. Her schedule was so crazy that it took this long to meet with her. We helped her get the things needed to put up a closet & put trim in a bedroom. All those hours in Home Depot [and helping Mom on the house] in Almo have been put to good use! We didn't get around to actually putting up the closet so we set up another time to do that. She's such a sweet girl & recognizes the good things that the gospel can bring back into her life.
The spirit has been so strong this week in our companionship. Each lesson we taught & every service activity was powerful. I'm starting to become a real missionary instead of just being on a mission. I love the people here. Even though the people are stubborn, I love them. We were at a farmer's market in New Hartford to do contacting, & and if looks could kill, we would be coming back home in a body bag! People were not happy that we were there. One lady said, "I feel like I'm in Utah with all these missionaries here." I'm surprised they didn't whip out their pitchforks & burn us at the stake. But . . . I still love them. Jesus Christ was rejected by many, but he gave his life for EVERYONE. He didn't pick & choose whose sins he would forgive.
From Sept. 15 email:
Transfers are next week! I'll find out Sunday whether I stay in Canton or move. We have another sister coming in next Tuesday so there will be a threesome somewhere. This past week was pretty good; slow, but good. Tuesday we got to meet one of our investigators for the 1st time. Penny is a high school drama teacher & her daughter plays Christine on the Broadway version of "Phantom of the Opera." She offered to take us to see it . . . sadly it's out of the mission boundries. She's a very sweet lady & is understanding the doctrine well. She had been taught by the Elders a few years back, but they said some really off-track things that weirded her out. We got those things cleared up & are moving forward. She really likes how the church empasizes families & she has searched everywhere for that. We also had our weekly visit with a ward less-active. He's been trying to quit smoking & finally got some really good medication. As of yesterday, he hadn't smoked in 3 days. Yay! It's so exciting to see such a change in people. He has a very strong desire to go back to church & make it to the temple. He's made such improvement in the short time I've been here so he has great potential!
Wednesday we taught another less-active, Barbara Lettley (below). She's a single black wom
an with 5 kids. She grew up in Harlem & found the church about 8 years ago. She is SOOO spiritual & you can just feel the Holy Ghost radiating from her. She also has a very interesting personality, b
ut I love her :). I selected a lesson on temples & family history & she confessed that it was exactly what she needed. She said that her ancestors have been harassing her to do their temple work, which I can very much believe. She loves the temple & that was one of the things she was looking for in a church in her many years of searching.
Thursday we had our "district
unity" after district meeting at the Goshen ward building & had the infamous TSB--Torrington Super Buffet (only $5)! It's a big hit with the Elders. There was sooo much good Chinese food. My companion, Sister Wilson, has a degree in psychology & she has this amazing ability to "read" people. She just asks a few questions & can pretty much figure out what is really deep down inside a person. She did Elders Kirkam & Harmon (Avon area) & totally called them out on a few things. They were a bit scared that she knew so much about them!
Transfers are next week! I'll find out Sunday whether I stay in Canton or move. We have another sister coming in next Tuesday so there will be a threesome somewhere. This past week was pretty good; slow, but good. Tuesday we got to meet one of our investigators for the 1st time. Penny is a high school drama teacher & her daughter plays Christine on the Broadway version of "Phantom of the Opera." She offered to take us to see it . . . sadly it's out of the mission boundries. She's a very sweet lady & is understanding the doctrine well. She had been taught by the Elders a few years back, but they said some really off-track things that weirded her out. We got those things cleared up & are moving forward. She really likes how the church empasizes families & she has searched everywhere for that. We also had our weekly visit with a ward less-active. He's been trying to quit smoking & finally got some really good medication. As of yesterday, he hadn't smoked in 3 days. Yay! It's so exciting to see such a change in people. He has a very strong desire to go back to church & make it to the temple. He's made such improvement in the short time I've been here so he has great potential!
Wednesday we taught another less-active, Barbara Lettley (below). She's a single black wom
an with 5 kids. She grew up in Harlem & found the church about 8 years ago. She is SOOO spiritual & you can just feel the Holy Ghost radiating from her. She also has a very interesting personality, b
ut I love her :). I selected a lesson on temples & family history & she confessed that it was exactly what she needed. She said that her ancestors have been harassing her to do their temple work, which I can very much believe. She loves the temple & that was one of the things she was looking for in a church in her many years of searching.Thursday we had our "district
unity" after district meeting at the Goshen ward building & had the infamous TSB--Torrington Super Buffet (only $5)! It's a big hit with the Elders. There was sooo much good Chinese food. My companion, Sister Wilson, has a degree in psychology & she has this amazing ability to "read" people. She just asks a few questions & can pretty much figure out what is really deep down inside a person. She did Elders Kirkam & Harmon (Avon area) & totally called them out on a few things. They were a bit scared that she knew so much about them! (Above, Torrington District: Wilson, Darrington, Christensen, Kruger, Harmon, Kirkham)
Friday we had an appointment in Norfolk, but Daniel, our investigator, wasn't there. Disappointed, we went back to Winsted to do a few stop bys. We ran across a referral the Torrington Elders gave us & set an appointment with her. It's always exciting to get a new investigator. We had planned to do more contacting at the farmer's market in New Harford, but it hadn't started yet so we headed back to the Canton area where we tracted in the pouring rain. I quite enjoy tracting in the rain. We ran across a very strange old guy that talked a million miles an hour & it was pretty hard to get away. We had dinner with the Comen family who just moved here from Odgen, UT. Very sweet family with 3 little kids.
Saturday we had a LONG day of tracting. Saturdays are always slow! On our way to Norfolk, we stopped by some of the antique stores in Winsted. I didn't see anything too exciting that was in my price range, but there's lots of good stuff there. A lady working in one of the stores saw that we were missionaries & relayed all the bad things that had happened in her life. So we shared our message & gave her a pamphlet. Just at that moment, the investigator we were supposed to have seen on Friday walked in. I know that Heavenly Father has perfect timing. When you're being obedient he will bless you. We set up another appointment with him & he was so sorry that he missed us that he gave us gas money. We tried to explain that we couldn't accept it, but he wouldn't budge. So after he left, we gave the money to the lady in the store. She needs it much more than we do.
Sacrament meeting talks are very interesting out here . . . & not in a good way. There isn't much doctrine or spirituality to these talks. But I guess they don't know any better bec
ause most are 1st generation members. That supports the fact that we all need to strengthen the stakes of Zion around the world instead of conglomerating in Utah & Idaho. Later that day we had dinner with the Walburger family (right). They just moved here from New Jersey. I was a bit apprehensive because they seemed like the stuck up, rich type. Boy, was I ever wrong! This just goes to say that we shouldn't judge people. Sure they have a lot of money, but they are the nicest people I have ever met. They have 3 little kids who took a liking to me pretty quickly. The 4-yr-old is my buddy now :).
Well, that's the "excitingness" of my week. Thanks to my brothers for serving missions & being such great examples for me! You don't know how much you've made me a better person!
Friday we had an appointment in Norfolk, but Daniel, our investigator, wasn't there. Disappointed, we went back to Winsted to do a few stop bys. We ran across a referral the Torrington Elders gave us & set an appointment with her. It's always exciting to get a new investigator. We had planned to do more contacting at the farmer's market in New Harford, but it hadn't started yet so we headed back to the Canton area where we tracted in the pouring rain. I quite enjoy tracting in the rain. We ran across a very strange old guy that talked a million miles an hour & it was pretty hard to get away. We had dinner with the Comen family who just moved here from Odgen, UT. Very sweet family with 3 little kids.
Saturday we had a LONG day of tracting. Saturdays are always slow! On our way to Norfolk, we stopped by some of the antique stores in Winsted. I didn't see anything too exciting that was in my price range, but there's lots of good stuff there. A lady working in one of the stores saw that we were missionaries & relayed all the bad things that had happened in her life. So we shared our message & gave her a pamphlet. Just at that moment, the investigator we were supposed to have seen on Friday walked in. I know that Heavenly Father has perfect timing. When you're being obedient he will bless you. We set up another appointment with him & he was so sorry that he missed us that he gave us gas money. We tried to explain that we couldn't accept it, but he wouldn't budge. So after he left, we gave the money to the lady in the store. She needs it much more than we do.
Sacrament meeting talks are very interesting out here . . . & not in a good way. There isn't much doctrine or spirituality to these talks. But I guess they don't know any better bec
ause most are 1st generation members. That supports the fact that we all need to strengthen the stakes of Zion around the world instead of conglomerating in Utah & Idaho. Later that day we had dinner with the Walburger family (right). They just moved here from New Jersey. I was a bit apprehensive because they seemed like the stuck up, rich type. Boy, was I ever wrong! This just goes to say that we shouldn't judge people. Sure they have a lot of money, but they are the nicest people I have ever met. They have 3 little kids who took a liking to me pretty quickly. The 4-yr-old is my buddy now :).Well, that's the "excitingness" of my week. Thanks to my brothers for serving missions & being such great examples for me! You don't know how much you've made me a better person!
The newly arrived Sister Darrington meeting Elder Shey Taylor from Declo, Idaho, just before he leaves for home after completing his service in the Connecticut Hartford Mission.
Brenda's companion, Sister Wilson, who is from a military family.
Elder Park trying to convert all of Connecticut.
One of the many old churches in the area.
Winsted, the scariest town in the area! The picture doesn't do it justice!
Sister Wilson, Sister Lindsay, Sister Rosser, Sister Darrington.
We're really here!
Girls just want to have fun--even at the MTC!
Elder Cooke was in her basketball class fall semester at BYU-Idaho.
Brenda pointing to Connecticut & her companion, Sister Rosser, to Baltimore, Maryland.
Connecticut boonies
From Sept. 8th email:
So we survived the hurricane/tropical storm that blew through Connecticut on Saturday! That was an exciting experience. I had no idea that it was coming until it came. It first started raining about 5 p.m. and it POURED! I've never seen rain come down so hard in my life. We were out there tracting in it & I actually enjoyed it. People were a bit nicer but told us to stay dry . . . How it that possible?! My shoes are still soaking from that. President even called us in about 1/2 hour early because of a tornado warning. It rained all through the night & the wind blew pretty hard. Our power went out sometime in the night but things were back to normal in the morning. The weather has been a bit cooler now so I'm happy about that.
The work is still slow. Tom Obrien, our investigator with a baptismal date in October, decided he didn't want to get baptized then. He hasn't been to church in 5 weeks & is losing his faith. We're encouraging him to keep reading the Book of Mormon & praying. Hopefully as we meet with him more, he will get back the fire he had earlier. Yesterday, one of our most promising investigators showed up drunk to the appointment . . . which ironically was supposed to be on the Word of Wisdom. He had never done anything like that before so it was a bit of a shocker. Plus he didn't read his assignment, and he always reads! Something must be going on in his life. We didn't want to dive too far into that in his current condition. But we did pick up a new investigator on Sunday. A less active who lives in another town came to church with her boyfriend & he lives in Canton. Yay! That's an answer to so many prayers. We haven't been able to pick up anyone new since I've been here.
My 1st zone conference was Thursday & it was pretty much amazing. We had some training on "the white bible", obedience, a few Preach My Gospel chapters, & a few other things. It was so spiritually uplifting! Just what I needed. Pres. Pehrson talked to us about getting over the mindset that Connecticut is not a "baptizing mission". Any place is able to baptize as long as the missionaries are out working all of the time, are being obedient, & have the right attitude. That really hit me because I had kind of settled into thinking we can't baptize much here because the people are so stubborn. But now I've changed my attitude. We can do it. Heavenly Father will put those he has prepared into our path. We will have to sift through all those who are not interested to find them. Elder Perry came here in January & told the missionaries that they only send the best to Connecticut. I know that's true! Not just because I'm here . . .hahaha. I also enjoyed being around other missionaries who are going through the same things I am. People in the "real world" are really hard to relate to now. Pres. & Sister Pehrson are great! They are getting adjusted to their calling & have made some great changes here. So the work will be picking up soon! :)
Well, I'd better get going now. I can't believe how fast the time goes by. The seconds, minutes, hours, & days fly by! Keep all the missionaries in your prayers because we need all the help we can get. I know that each & every prayer gives us the strength & courage to continue this work because it's not easy. But I'll be a better person because of it. And I'll encourage all of you to get a Preach My Gospel & study it! It is amazing!
From Sept. 2, 2008 email:
Things are good here in Canton. It's been a bit of a slow week & a lot of our investigators rescheduled our appointments. But that's the life of a missionary. We had a good experience on Friday with the Andersons. We taught about our life here on earth, the atonement, & a little about the resurrection. Jon's nephew was there & he is very interested in learning about the church. Saturday was another LONG day of tracting out in the boonies. Now I have a million mosquito bites. I don't know why they love me so much. Maybe it's because I'm so sweet :). Sunday Pres. & Sister Pearson talked in sacrament meeting about missionary work. Hopefully that will inspire the ward to help us out a little bit. Oh, funny thing, Pres. Pearson & Pres. Johnson (the old mission pres.) have known each other for like 25 years or so & were in the same type of health care business.
Yesterday we had to give up part of our preparation day to go to the office & get a new phone. All the companionships are getting a phone so that will make contacting everyone easier. The other missionaries got the news today in Zone Conference so I bet they're pretty happy. We don't have Zone Conference until Thursday. I don't know what goes on there so that will be a new experience! I've heard there's lots of changes going on, but that really doesn't affect me much because I don't know any different.
Some days it's hard to keep going because of all the rejection. I got my first real bad one the other day. But I just kind of laughed it off. I like to say that the New Englanders are harder than the winters here. But there are people out there that have been prepared by the Lord to hear our message. And we will find those people even though we have to sift through everyone else to get to them. I'm getting better & better at teaching each day. I'm definitely a more confident person & I'm not so scared to talk to people. But I still have to learn that I can't be perfect & that I will make mistakes. I will get over that soon! I can't say that I absolutely love being a missionary right now, yet I'm sure that will change. As I get used to the schedule & the work, I'll enjoy it more. But I know I'm doing what Heavenly Father wants me to do right now. He's putting me in situations that help me grow & prepare me for the future. Can you believe I've been out over a month? Time flies! Keep all the missionaries in your prayers!
(Note: pictures added to previous posts)
From Aug. 25th email:
Two weeks already! It's gone by so quickly! I got to play my 1st game of basketball in Connecticut. Sadly it wasn't competitive, but it made me happy.
My area covers Burlington, Canton, New Hartford, Winsted, Colebrook, Collinsville, Norfolk (pronounced "Nurforlk") & a few other little towns I can't remember the names of. It's a very big area & there aren't a whole lot of people. The people are great here, just a bit stubborn. I guess that's a New England trait. Smoking is a real big hang-up for a lot of investigators. We've been doing a lot of tracting because our numbers are low & we don't have many appointments. We need something to get the ball rolling here, but Sis. Wilson said they've tried about everything. But we are working hard & being obedient so something will happen.
Thursday we went to the mission office to do service because we missed out on some hours on Wednesday. I strongly believe they should call some office sisters. I bet they would get more done. Elder & Sister Carr were on vacation so they were a bit short-handed. We put together the departing & incoming missionary binders & got to see who the new missionaries are & got to know the dirt on everyone. It's a lovely job. :)
Friday we had 3 dinner appointments scheduled (I don't know how that happened) but one fell through so we only had to stuff ourselves with 2 meals. The 1st appt. was with the Tibidous. They are a very Christian family but aren't interested in joining the Church. They have the missionaries over to set a good example for their kids. They tell us how much they admire us for giving up 1 1/2 yrs. for the Lord. The last appt. was a less-active family from Utah. The wife wants to get active again so that's what our job is.
Saturday was a LONG day of tracting. We had no appointments so we headed to the Massachusetts border (picture above) & worked our way down. Sis. Wilson & I had a good time getting to know each other & getting some exercise. We pretty much climbed the 3 biggest "hills" Connecticut has & now I'm a bit sore. But I really enjoyed it. No one really wanted to listen to us. One lady let us in for cookies & a glass of water because her mother had let the Elders in before. She was way nice & had been to Idaho white-water rafting. Things like that make your day so much better!
Sunday we had an appt. with Arthur King who had been investigating the Church earlier but had lost contact. We talked about the Fall & I could tell that it really hit him. Not many people know that the Fall was actually a good thing. He always does his reading & loves the Book of Mormon.
I keep noticing a huge change in myself. I'm much more confident in speaking & my teaching is getting so much better. In my personal study I ran across a few scriptures in Alma 17 which answered my prayers & helped me to learn to teach by the spirit. It was exactly what I needed & helped to build my testimony. I'd encourage all of you to read that chapter. Keep praying for me & all the missionaries. We're doing a great work in bringing the lost sheep into the fold of Christ!
From letter of Aug. 18, 2008:
We were met at the Connecticut airport about 3:45 p.m. [Aug. 11] by the mission pres. & his wife. They're great! As soon as we walked outside it was pouring rain! My umbrella has become my best friend! Sisters Baird & Jones picked me up & we did a bit of street contacting before heading to the mission home. There we had a very yummy dinner & a brief testimony meeting. I got a nice big room to myself & the bed was so comfy, especially since I'd been up since 1:15 a.m. & hadn't slept a bit on the plane.
Tuesday we had breakfast & lunch at the mission home with orientation smashed in between. Elder Carr (Sr. Missionary) made sure Elder Taylor [Shey Taylor of Declo just completing mission there] & I got a picture together. Then we met our trainers. Mine is Sister Wilson. She's a military child so she's not from any particular place. I like her work ethic--it really pushes me to be doing missionary work all of the time. I was terrified to knock on doors & wait those few, agonizing seconds before they would answer. But I'm over that now. I'm used to their rejection & them saying, "I'm all set" because they're Catholic. Tracting here doesn't yield much. We've given away only 1 Book of Mormon all week.
Wednesday all of our appointments fell through so we did some street contacting in Winsted, the most "city" part of our area, yet it is the poorest & kind of scary. We met a Catholic guy who really questions whether that religion is true. He had a definite interest in the BofM, but he lives out of our area in Torrington. Hopefully the Elders there will pick him up soon. That experience really lifted my spirits after such a sucky day.
Thursday was district meeting. There are 4 Elders in our district. I can't remember their names but 2 are from Canada. We had a couple of appointments, but the investigators don't seem to be progressing much. They like the company more than they have the desire to change. But Thursdays are amazing because of Hal & Jan, a part-member family. He joined 2 yrs. ago after investigating for 20 years. She still hasn't joined. But they always have the Sisters over on Thursdays for dinner. I get to practice the lessons on them. It's like a home away from home.
Friday we tracted in the rain. Once again, people don't wanna hear about Mormons. But we did give away a Bof M at the last house we stopped at. Elder & Sister Carr took us out to a really good Chinese restaurant. I got to hear her conversion story & how they met.
Saturday we did service for about 7 hours: painting the living room of a lady in the ward. It worked out to our advantage because we have to have another female with us to teach single men & she agreed to come with us that night. It was really good because she could give insights that hit home with the investigator.
Sunday we didn't have meetings with the bishop so we had a yummy breakfast with a member couple who are from Italy. Church was a bit different because it was so small. There are more people at the singles' branch [at home]. It's hard to remember everyone's names because I've never heard them before! Lots of people are converts who have come from other countries. The ward is great, but they have no desire to do missionary work. Any ideas how to motivate them? There hasn't been a baptism here in years. I guess that comes with being in a wealthy ward. We have lots of investigators but they aren't progressing. This used to be an Elders' area, but they moved Sisters in & they have worked super hard to get it where it is. Hopefully I can help in some way. This is definitely hard work, but I've never grown so much! I'm very happy to be here in Connecticut. It's a whole new world, but I'm slowly getting used to it.
Monday, August 11, 2008:
*Up at 1:30 a.m.
*Leave MTC at 3:00 a.m. (picture below)
*Flight leaves Salt Lake City 6:00 a.m.
Will be traveling with 7 Elders going to
same mission.
*Layover in Atlanta, Georgia at 11:40 a.m.
(with a 25 minute call home).
*Arrive at Bradley Airport in Hartford,
Connecticut about 4:00 p.m.
Email of Saturday, August 9, 2008:
We got an extra day to do laundry because we're all leaving Monday. I can't believe there are only 2 more days until I head out to CT. Crazy, isn't it!
We had a "Priesthood Appreciation Day" on Thursday to show how much we appreciate the Elders in our district. We gave them lots of candy & each a blue oil thingy so they had something to remember us by. We even gave out Starbursts to the other Elders that opened the doors for us & took our trays for meals. I haven't had to take my tray to the nasty smelling place because the Elders are so nice about taking it for us. They're pretty much awesome!
We got an extra day to do laundry because we're all leaving Monday. I can't believe there are only 2 more days until I head out to CT. Crazy, isn't it!
We had a "Priesthood Appreciation Day" on Thursday to show how much we appreciate the Elders in our district. We gave them lots of candy & each a blue oil thingy so they had something to remember us by. We even gave out Starbursts to the other Elders that opened the doors for us & took our trays for meals. I haven't had to take my tray to the nasty smelling place because the Elders are so nice about taking it for us. They're pretty much awesome!
From email of Wednesday, August 6, 2008:
We've had a few great firesides each Sunday & Tuesday. One was by Sister Kathryn Madsen, wife of former Seventy, David W. Madsen. She talked about finding the talents within ourselves & developing them. She stressed the fact that everyone has different talents & they all come together & compliment each other. That really made me think because I tend to compare myself with others. But I'm ME! No one has been nor ever will be just like me. Elder Madsen talked about "The Good Shepherd" & how shepherds lead instead of push. We are all shepherds as missionaries. "Your voice will become His voice & your hands will become his Hands." Aaah! I love all this spiritual-ness! I've never felt the Spirit so strong.
We had a teaching appointment (where we teach a pretend investigator) & my companion & I were soooo confident about it. We have a certain scenario & we plan for that certain person. But the guy we had didn't stick to the scenario & started spouting off scriptures & answering his own questions & throwing in Mormon humor. He even answered his phone TWICE during the appointment. How do you teach someone like that?! We were a bit disappointed with it, but oh well. It's another learning experience. My companion & I finally figured out a teaching method which works perfectly for us. I'm finally becoming a confident teacher! I'm so grateful for this missionary experience. I can't wait to get out there to Connecticut!
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