Temple Tuesday, the Giggle Squad, and Rain!

Hello All You Lovely People! 

So, yesterday was my 4 month mark! It feels like it's flown by, but at the same time I can't remember ever not being a missionary. Like I can't even remember being 20 years old! weird! 

I bet you didn't know this but last Tuesday was actually "Temple Tuesday!" Unless I talked about it before it happened...which I feel like I might have done. Anyway, it was really fun! We visited lots of members and invited them to invite their friends to the Temple Open House! And then we invited everyone else that we could! 

On Wednesday we visited a lady who lives in an assisted living place and she told us that she found the gospel through her son. When he was little his neighbor would take him to church and then when the neighbor moved, his mom started dropping him off at church and he would go all by himself! Eventually he wanted to be baptized and the missionaries came over, taught the whole family, and they all were baptized!

Also on Wed, we visited our friend Julie and we went in our service clothes in case she needed any help with anything and she said she was actually just thinking that she needed to clean out her flower bed and trim her bushes. So we were able to help her with that and she felt a lot better having it done. 

That night we taught Tara the 3rd lesson and she told us that she wants to be baptized! She's awesome. She told us that she wants to be accountable for her actions. We're excited for her!

Thursday was zone conference! We got to see lots of our missionary friends and get some spiritual upliftment! Then that night we tried to see people but no one wanted to talk to us because it was the BYU vs. BSU game! So we went home and did some effective planning. 

Friday I got to see what Emmett, Idaho looks like! We went back for a baptism of someone that Sister Hamilton taught. It was cool to go to the country! 

Saturday Anthony was baptized! It was a beautiful baptism and Sister Chadderton got to come back for it!  Saturday night we had dinner with 2 girls in our young single adult ward. It was super fun and we laughed a lot (the giggle squad..bahaha).

On Sunday we went to 6 hours of church! I am embarrassed to say that I started falling asleep through some of it. I totally had a super stressful dream and didn't get much sleep! But Sunday night we got a call from a member in the Elders' area and he asked us to come teach a girl named Zelda. She's 21 and she's been reading the Book of Mormon and coming to church with her boyfriend! We taught the first lesson and it was awesome because we were all able to relate to her really well. We think it was inspired that we were the only missionaries available at that time! 

I miss and love you all! Have a great week! Thanks for everything! 

Love, Sister B 

Shout Outs!

-Happy Birthday tomorrow to Justin Arnold! (PS. Do you still live where you did a few months ago??)
-Welcome to the world Ethan Franklyn Wild! Congrats Amber and Andrew! Miss you guys!

Me and My beautiful companion! 

Freaks....bahahaha

Us with Sister Lee from Taiwan in Emmett!

Sister Martinez! Cheezin'!

Anthony got baptized!! woo! :) 

"Hey, Do You Wanna Come to Our Party?"

Hello All!!

I saw a lot of miracles this week! The first was on Friday when President Cannon called us and told us that Anthony's baptism has been approved by the first Presidency! He'll be getting baptized this coming Saturday! After President called us we ran over to Anthony's and told him and he was SO happy that he ran down the street to tell Brother Hunt! I know that everything happens in the Lord's time, because God knows when we're ready better than we do. 

On Friday Dan was baptized and it was a wonderful experience! Sister Chadderton came back to Meridian for it and so did Sister Howard so there were 8 sisters there because they are both in trios. It was awesome to see Dan make the step of baptism that will eventually lead him to the temple. He is so committed to do anything Heavenly Father asks him to. He's a great example. 

On Sunday we spoke in a single adult ward in Boise that the Elders actually cover, but the people we live with asked us to speak there to fill in for someone who was out of town. We spoke about missionary work. I talked about why I decided to go on a mission and my conversion story. It was a miracle because our talks worked together really well and I don't remember a lot of what I said, but people came up to us after and said it was exactly what they needed to hear. One lady even started crying when she came up to me. And one guy said he was coming back to church after being excommunicated and we said what he needed to hear as well. And the crying lady pointed out a girl in the ward who is not a member and when I saw her I realized that I had been making eye contact with her during my talk and she kept nodding in agreement with what I said. So I know it truly wasn't me, it was the spirit and because I prayed that my talk would help those it was meant to, it did. 

Also on Sunday, we had dinner with a family in which the mom is recently divorced. She has 4 children and we planned to come over for dinner to give them all a little encouragement because both Sister Hamilton and I have divorced parents. It was such a good experience. We talked about having faith through our trials and the spirit was really strong. The kids were a lot happier when we left than when we got there so that was awesome. The Lord truly loves all of his children and it's cool that he can bless them through us and his spirit. 

We also had sisters conference on Thursday! All 21 sisters were together! It was a really spiritual experience and just awesome to see all the sisters. We're so spread out that we don't get to see each other that often. We were also given more information about the temple open house! We will be hosts. So we are in the church building next to the temple and when people come out they can ask us questions and fill out a comment card. We also got the official invites to hand out to people so most of our week was spent inviting everyone to the temple open house! It's super fun. It's almost like saying "Hey, do you wanna come to our party?" haha. 

Thanks for all the support guys! All I need is letters and prayers!

Love you all!!

Sister B 

(See Facebook for recent photos.)

New Comp, New Investigators, and Newlyweds

Hey Guys!

All is well here. This week was busy but awesome. Sister Hamilton is all about the work so we were pretty much running this week! We spent most of the week inviting people to the Boise Temple Open House and that was really fun. It's almost like knocking on someone's door and saying "Hey Come to our party!". We made these cheap-o flyers with all the information on them and gave them to former investigators and their neighbors! A lot of people don't know about the open house so we have to start getting the word out now even though it's a month away. 

On Wednesday we had to switch cars with some Elders because they were making the miles go up too fast. So now we have a Toyota Corolla instead of the Malibu. It took a little getting used to because all the buttons are different in the corolla, but the corolla is less of a boat so that is awesome. 

Also on Wednesday we got to see a girl who was going to be baptized a few weeks ago but her mom told her she needs to wait. We encourages her to keep going and she told us she's never going to give up. It's a cool experience to see people who are so committed to do what their Father in Heaven asks of them. 

On Thursday we met a "Golden investigator." She's a young single adult and she has an LDS friend who gave her our number. She went to her friend's brother's wedding in Salt Lake and had a really good feeling being on the temple grounds. We asked her what she expected to come of meeting with us and she said "hopefully I can get baptized." She amazing and came to all 3 hours of church on Sunday and went to a CES devotional. She has really been prepared by the Lord. 

Friday was the wedding! The ward put together the most beautiful reception in just 5 days and the wedding ceremony was beautiful. I got to see my trainer so that was fun! And Dan is all ready for his baptism on Friday now!

On Saturday we knocked on a door to invite them to the temple and the lady who answered the door said she goes to Calvary Chapel, but she has a lot of questions about life and she wishes there was just one church. She invited us to come back and discuss her questions with her. We also know an LDS lady who is in the same family situation as her and so we're going to introduce them so they can be friends. It was awesome!

This week has been a tough because of all the change, but I know it's good for me and I'm learning a lot. 

Thanks for all the support! I always appreciate letters and even a short e-mail if you don't have time for a paper letter!

Love you all!

Sister B 

Nerf Wards, Farm Fresh Eggs, and a New Comp!

Hello Everyone! 

So here's the transfer news....dun dun dun...I am staying in Meridian! So mail can be sent to that address still. Sister Chadderton has been tranfered to Middleton. So my trainer has left me. :( I am with sister Hamilton now. She is from Salt Lake and she is Tongan and Samoan. So I still have a Polynesian companion! :) She's awesome and we're already having fun :) 

Last Monday our P-day activity was playing nerd wars! It was exciting. The Elder have a bunch of PVC pipes that are spray-painted with names on them like "the Hulk" and "the Bronkinator." It was pretty funny. 

That night I went to Nyssa, Oregon! Crossing state lines! We did exchanges with those sisters. I drove an hour and a half to Nyssa - lucky I didn't fall asleep! lol. It is way more country in Nyssa. The car windowshield get COVERED in dead bugs and we got farm fresh eggs for free and lots of vegetables. It was great. My favorite part was when we visited this man named Art who has been going to church and studying everything he can and he knows it's right and even though his family has been rude to him since he started going to the lds church, he knows he is following God so he keeps going. He has a strong testimony of the truth that can't be shaken. It was awesome to see that. 

We had 2 district meetings and 2 zone meetings this week because we were covering Boise and Meridian. It was crazy but awesome! We were going back and forth from Boise to Meridian all week. Sister Anderson is awesome and we all had WAY too much fun being in a trio. We also realized that our initials spell A, B, C - Anderson, Bishaw, Chadderton. So we tried to always stand and sit in that order. haha

Friday was the BSU vs. Michigan state game and somehow we ended up on the road when everyone was trying to get home for it so it was crazy. People are hardcore fans out here. I wish I could have worn my BSU shirt! :) 

Once we found out Sister Chadderton was leaving the weekend was full of goodbyes and errands (there aren't many stores where she is going). 

We saw Dan again this week who has a baptism date for the 14th of September. Everything is pretty much all set for it except we have a few more things to discuss with him. We also found out that he is not legally married to his wife. They need to be married before he gets baptized so the Bishop is going to marry them this Friday! So we get to go to a wedding and a baptism! We're excited!

Those are pretty much all the highlights. Thanks to everyone who wrote me this week! I love hearing about how everyone is doing! Thanks for all your love and support! 

Love you all!

-Sister B 

I painted my nails crazy colors. haha

The District...3 ;) 

Zone Picture!

The Trio! A, B, C...easy as 1, 2, 3

Yes.

Yes, again. 

"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! 

"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!

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. :)