Monday, August 27, 2012

"Don't Cry for Me Argentina."

Hello All!

Last Monday was really fun!! We played volleyball indoors and then we went bowling! It was exciting. 

On Tuesday Sister Chadderton was not feeling well so we asked a member to go out to our appointments with me and Sister Chadderton stayed home with the lady we live with. It was sad because she just slept all day and she said it was really boring. She has a doctor's appointment this week to find out what is wrong because she feels nauseous all the time. Prayers would be appreciated!

But that day we went to see one of our recent converts who is 11. She reenacted the whole first lesson we teach about Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ with stuffed animals! Joseph Smith was a pig stuffed animal and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ were bears and the Bible was a little book of post-its. bahahaha. It was really funny and awesome that she could pretty much teach the whole lesson to us. 

On Wednesday night we visited one of our investigators who has not been progressing very much and asked him a lot of questions about how he feels about everything. We asked his girlfriend how she felt about the temple. She said it has always been a goal of hers to get there but it's always been unreachable. So our investigator is now praying more sincerely about if the LDS church is Christ's restored church on the earth. It's exciting. 

Thursday we spent the whole morning planning for this coming week. We planned with the Boise sisters because this week we are in a trio with Sister Anderson from Atlanta, GA! Her companion, Sister Hutch, is now on her way to Argentina, because she finally got her Visa to go to the mission she was originally assigned to. She got reassigned to Boise and she's been her for 6 months. So she was freaking out about going -excited but nervous and sad to leave. So that's why the title of this e-mail is "Don't Cry for me Argentina" because we kept singing that to her. Good times. And Sister Anderson is with us this week and we are covering 2 areas - Boise North and Meridian South. So this week will be CRAZY! But Sister A is really cool :). We're also going on exchanges tonight so I will be going to Nyssa, Oregon for a day! New experiences are fun! 

On Friday we took the kids of a less-active to go get snow cones. Their family is struggling financially so we could tell they just needed to get out and do something fun. I love being on a mission because even if we're not teaching people we can lift people up and remind them that God loves them. 

That night at dinner we shared a message (Video - http://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages?lang=eng&query=lessons+learned+boy#lessons-i-learned-as-a-boy) and the dad told us what I think is a really genius idea. He said "When someone knows we did something for them, who do they thank? Us. When they don't know it was us, who do they thank? God." Anonymous service is the coolest thing! Because you don't get the credit, God who has really given us everything gets it, which is how it should be. 

We had a cool "in the right place at the right time" experience on Saturday. We tried some people in an apartment complex but they weren't there so Sister Chadderton said we should just take a walk around the complex (inspired!) and so we did and we ran into our friend Missy who has been working like crazy because she lost a lot of money and she told us she got an interview for a job she really wants and that will allow her to work less hours. It was perfect because Sister Chadderton studied human resources in college so she gave her all these tips for how to do well in an interview. Missy is also struggling with forgiving people that have hurt her and letting things go, which Sister Chadderton just recently has realized she needs to do as well. So we were totally meant to be there that night. God loves all of His children individually!

And Sunday was the 7 year anniversary of my baptism! :) 

So it was a good week! Thanks for all the support you all give me! I love you all! 

Transfers are next Monday so we'll see if I stay in Meridian or go somewhere else! So if you are sending me a letter on Thursday or later please send it to the mission office address.

Much Love from Meridian!
Sister B 

Shout Out!
-SCITUATE WARD! I love you all! Thanks for all your support! 
-Happy Birthday to anyone who had a birthday last week! 

Monday, August 20, 2012

"Why is it wrong to chew bubble gum?", "Listen to your parents better!", and "Kefir!"

Hello Family and Friends!

So last Monday was pretty great. We has FHE with a member and we talked about Elder Wirthlin's talk "Come What May and Love it." You can check it out on LDS.org. I love that talk. We also watched this video that was a talk by Elder Busche to music and pictures. Here are some quotes I wrote down from it: 

"You are a spirit child of God. If you neglect to feed your spirit you will reap unhappiness." 

"Cut out all criticizing thoughts. If you don't they will harm you."

"The pain of sacrifice lasts only one moment. It is the fear of the pain of sacrifice that makes you hesitate to do it." 

Also on Monday we saw Lindsay, one of our investigators. She moved back to Colorado this week to go to school, but we were able to answer some more of her questions about missions and the church before she left. She also asked us for a Book of Mormon! It was amazing because before that she thought she wasn't ready to read it in the right mind frame. But sister Chadderton  read from it during the lesson and the spirit was so strong. I know that the Book of Mormon really is a sacred book. It brings God's spirit into our lives. 

On Tuesday we knocked on the doors of an entire street for 2 solid hours! That like never happens usually. We were determined to knock every door no matter how painful it might be. We met 2 Catholics, a Methodist, a Jehovah's Witness, and 2 inactive LDS people. One lady told us she used to be LDS, but she hasn't been to church in forever. We were about to ask why and she said "You can go visit someone else now." So we did. We also met an atheist who said he was baptized LDS when he was young but he never went to church. He is a scientist so it was very interesting talking to him. He believes in a higher power but he doesn't call it God. So that was interesting. Another guy told us he knows things about our church that we don't know. Apparently the Prophet is keeping secrets from all of us about what we actually believe. Another interesting idea.

That night we went on exchanges and I got to go to Boise! I was with Sister Anderson and she was in the MTC with sister chadderton. Sister Anderson is so funny and awesome. They only cover 2 wards in Boise so that was different! We helped water plants at a community garden that night. It was cool because people volunteer there and then the food goes to the refugees in the area. 

On Wednesday we visited a lot of cool people in Boise and then we exchanged back at 5. That night we saw a recent convert who is struggling financially and spiritually. Her ex-husband is making things difficult for her and it's really sad. She also needed wrist surgery and she's a hair dresser so she couldn't work this week. We challenged her to pay her tithing and see if the Lord blesses her. We know that the Lord will bless us more than we can imagine as we sacrifice things for him. She said she had nothing to lose because either way she can't pay her bills. I pray for her a lot. 

On Thursday we met an Essential Oils lady who is a member and she taught us all this cool stuff we can do to be healthier. We've been feeling tired all the time and like sick from the unhealthy food we've been eating. She did a energy muscle test and showed us how these oils can make us stronger. It was pretty awesome. She also gave us Kefir which is these grains that you put in milk and you pretty much grow your own yogurt. It's like super healthy for you I guess. It's hard to judge about these things though because people have so many differing opinions. We've been trying to see if it makes us feel better though. Also on Thursday we had dinner with the Dengsoths who are from Laos. He told us to "listen to our parents better." It was sad because their kids pulled the "American freedom card" on them a ton when they were growing up so their kids made all these bad decisions and didn't listen to their parents. I have definitely learned that it is important to listen to your parents even when you don't understand because they know better than you and are more experienced. It's just like following the Lord's commandments when you don't know why you're doing it exactly. 

We went to Five Guys for district lunch on Friday and as we were ordering this random guy dropped a hundred dollar bill and the counter and said he was paying for all 8 of the missionaries lunches! There are some really NICE people out here! Friday was a good day because that night we went to see a part member family and the dad committed to be baptized on September 14th! He wants to be sealed in the temple to his family forever. It's so awesome to see his great desire to follow God and he told us that he quit all his addictions because he wants to be around as long as possible so he can be there to help his family if they need anything. Amazing! Oh and right before he left he was texting his friend in the ward and I guess his friend was messing with him and said he had to quit chewing bubble gum so he asked us "Wait, why is it wrong to chew bubble gum??" We said, "uhh you can chew as much Bubble gum as you want!" haha

On Saturday we met another health food lady! She showed us what she eats every day and she eats like zero unnatural sugar! She has steel cut oats and all these seeds and nuts for breakfast and she eats Kefir too and grows her own sprouts and all this other really health\y stuff! She gave us a whole class on it. It was cool. She also showed us some yoga we can do to give us more energy. I know I will feel so much better when I start eating healthier! Although I can't be too extreme on my mission obviously. 

Yesterday we saw the man who committed to baptism again because we had dinner with his family and by the end of the night he committed his 17 year old who also is not baptized to come to church 1 hour a week until he moves out of his house! Great things are happening in that family!

A sad story on Sunday though was that we had an appointment with an investigator fall through because her mom said she didn't do her chores so she couldn't go out. This girl is 13 and she was planning on being baptized this weekend but it seems like her mom is going to keep pushing it off. We're going to keep praying and doing everything we can though because this girl really wants this and she knows how much the gospel will bless her life. 

2 weeks left til my second transfer is over! It's going by so fast. Also, the 7 year anniversary of my baptism is this coming Sunday! 

Love you all! And thanks to those who write me! You can e-mail too if that's easier. I'll just write a paper letter back :) 

Sister B 

Shout Outs:
-Happy Birthday to my cousin Hannah on the 24th!
-Happy Belated Birthday to my dear friend Carissa! It was in July right? haha love you! 

1. hahaha



2. Picture that was on our zone vision this month. It said "Just Do it" on the top. 



3. Exchanges!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Life is Good

Hello Everyone!

So, last Monday we went to Goodwill and Deseret Industries to find cheap but awesome clothing. I ended up getting a BSU T-shirt (My 1st one ever- I'm pretty much a local now ;)) and a dress with butterflies on it! (See Pictures). It was really exciting. Again, you might have had to be there. :) 

We had District Meeting on Tuesday this week because there was Leadership training on Friday. We went to a place called Souper Salad. All 8 of us missionaries walked in and this lady came up to us and gave us a coupon so we could all get the Buffet for like 5 dollars. She said that she's not even LDS but she thinks we do great work. People are so nice! 

One of our investigators turned 19 on Tuesday so we had cake and ice cream with him! And that night we went on splits with 2 young single adult sisters and went to find the people who are supposed to be in the YSA ward but don't come to church. That was fun. 

On Wednesday we went to visit a less-active member who is struggling with some things right now. We just asked her why she stopped coming to church and she said "I don't know, I could give you some excused but they aren't very good." It was also another one of those times where all our appointments for the night fell through and we prayed about where to go and both of us thought of this sister. We went to see her and she was like "How did you know I needed you to come by?" The Spirit! :) 

On Thursday we went on exchanges because Sister Chadderton had to go to leadership training. I was with Sister Lee who is from Korea. She can teach the gospel in English is the simplest way. It's amazing! So we had a good time together. 

Saturday we went to 2 baptisms to support missionaries in our district. It's a beautiful thing to see someone make that covenant to follow Jesus Christ. And on Sunday we went to 6 solid hours of church and it was awesome. Then we had dinner with our parents away from our parents - Mama and Papa Webb. :) 

Life is good and I can feel all of your prayers! Thank you so much!

Love you all!!

-Sister B

Shout Outs! 
-HAPPY BIRTHDAY ON FRIDAY TO ALENA AND LUKE! 
-TOMMY!! My parents told me they saw you! We're still friends even though you haven't written me ;) 
-Thanks for the Letter and Postcard Elder T! 

Pictures: 
1. Butterfly dress!

2. Me and my beautiful comp!

3. A donkey that looks like the one from Shrek! It was the best picture I could get because it was so far away! 

P.S. I don't know if I have already written this or not, but there is a girl in the YSA ward who is from Rhode Island! She has an awesome accent and she is a legit Red Sox fan, like she watches all the games and knows all the players. She's like a little piece of home in ID! It's so cool. :) 

Monday, August 6, 2012

Do You Have A Baby In Your Belly?


Hello Family and Friends!
 
Okay so here's a funny story from our dinner on Monday. We were trying to teach the kids about the armor of God (Ephesians 6) and one kid was totally not into it and he laid down on the couch and said "this is soooo boring!" hahah His mom was so mad!
Also, another funny dinner story happened last night. This story will explain the title of this post. This 5 or 6 year old kid was like "Do you have a baby in your belly?" I died laughing. He didn't think that girls could be missionaries and he thought all girls were moms. So I learned that I need to teach my kids some day that not all women are pregnant and mothers.

This week we found 4 new people to teach and 1 potential person to teach. Two of the new investigators are sisters whose mom is LDS, but there dad is a convert who left the church and became a Jehovah's Witness. They are in a ward we don't coverst but the dad's conditions for letting the oldest daughter who is 12 to be taught were that Sister Missionaries had to teach her. Linda is the oldest daughter and her younger sister Veronica also wants to get baptized so she came to the lesson even though her dad probably won't let her get baptized yet. They both love going to church and they already know so much. There are also two brothers who are 12 and 9 and they have taken the lessons multiple times, but their mom and grandparents are less-active and so they are pretty much waiting for them to come back to church in order to be baptized. But the mom really wants them to be baptized and the boys definitely want to be baptized and go back to church. We just have some lessons to review and then we're hoping the mom will let them set a date! We also found a potential person to teach while tracking. She's Christian but she was willing to talk to us and she loves LDS values and LDS people.
 
We had a really spiritual experience with a lady whose husband is not a member. Her husband quoted the scripture that says that no man can see God and live and said that that means that Joseph Smith could not have had the first vision. We found lots of references in the Bible of men seeing God and Jesus Christ. When we shared them with her the Spirit was there testifying that what we found was true. We were worried that it was turn into some kind of debate, but the Lord knows us and he made it an amazing experience.
 
We tracted a street in one of our wards this week. We had a cool experience where we met a member family. The mom's brother and his wife were visiting and so we talked to them about the gospel. The mom told us to visit her sister Cari who is in another one of our wards and so that night we visited Cari right before going home. We get there and the same Brother and his wife are now at Cari's house! It was pretty funny. So we shared a message with them and then Cari told us that her friend who is not LDS would be coming to church the next day. We know some amazing member missionaries. Her friend did come to church on Sunday and her name is Brandy. Brandy bore her testimony in Relief Society and said that she knew that the Holy Ghost was telling her to come to our church.
 
On Sunday we had a really intense lesson with our friend who was studying to be Catholic Priest. He is very rooted in his Catholic beliefs so he is not very open to anything else. He doesn't think he needs to read the Book of Mormon to find out if it is from God, because he already knows that it is not because Catholics say it is not. It's difficult because it just doesn't make much sense to me that God would force us to rely on what other people say. We should be able to know for ourselves what is true and what isn't by the Spirit and through asking God if it is true or not. It makes sense to me that God would allow us to gain that witness for ourselves. But he said that he would read the entire Book of Mormon (531 pages) by next Sunday! That'd be really awesome if he did.
 
There are the highlights of the week!
Thanks to everyone who sends me letters! I really appreciate them.
And if you haven't written me, I'd love to hear from you!
 
Much Love from the City of Trees!
-Sister B
 
Pictures:
1. A huge smoke ring that we saw in the sky!


2. Suprise! Sad day :(


3. Just Kidding!

Family and Friends! Thanks for all the support!