Monday, January 13, 2014

Monday, January 13, 2014

Hello!

Wow!  Super tons to report.  I really am doing well!  There is always lots to do and I feel like as I get further into my mission there is just more and more to get done.  Just recently Sister Hodgson told me I need to slow down and just take breathers sometimes. Haha!

Okay.  I’m going to go by day to remember the week...

Monday, January 06, 2014 P-day. NOTHING different. Exercise, study, laundry, eat, groceries, sleep, dinner, elliptical activity, ward FHE.  FHE was fun.  We celebrated a little 8 year old girls birthday.

For our elliptical activity we knocked apartment buildings... it was kinda cool.  We had a really prepared apartment building.  No one rejected us that day.  The elders know how to find the pure in heart when picking apartment buildings I suppose...

Tuesday, January 07, 2014  We had district meeting. It went super.  I really just love district meeting.  It may be one of my favorite meetings.  Sister Hodgson was asked to do a workshop on the Christ like attributes, and did a great job!

Oh, 2 weeks ago we had such a special experience with our 2 districts, Spanish and English. Our two District Leader’s are so inspired.  They did a workshop on the importance of finding.  It was really good.  They started off by illustrating the preexistence, and likened coming to earth like receiving a mission call.  They had us recall our feelings when we opened our calls to come to New York.  Then they went around the room and started describing the experience of what may have been going through each of our heads when we opened our call to go to Salt Lake City, UT to come to earth. And that in my call letter it might have said that I would be born in the covenant.  They went on to describe how I may have looked over at a single mom who was crying when she received her "call" that she would not be as blessed as I was to have to the gospel while she was raising her family.  They said that I may have promised her that I would do anything that I could to find her in New York when I was on my mission as a full time missionary.  It was just well done, and a really spiritual experience to be on the receiving end. I often recall that experience the days I don’t want to talk to people.  It usually keeps the big picture in mind. I can honestly say- I feel like a real missionary now that I make an effort to talk to people.

Also Tuesday, it was NEGATIVE THIRTEEN DEGREES with the wind-chill! Um. Are you for real? California girl wasn't having it. The two best fearless starters. "I’m a missionary..... and yes, my name really is Sister Freeze… and no, I didn’t bring the cold weather."  It usually makes people laugh, and laugh harder when I tell them I’m from California, and laugh even harder when I tell them what Craig told me in his email last week. "It was really cold today 50 DEGREES.   I can't imagine u right now. U staying cold?  If it is cold I bet u brought it with u" --direct quote, I might add. Hahaha, hope you enjoy your balmy 50 degrees. Be sure to go tanning in your swimming suit on the beach this weekend ;)

Wednesday, January 08, 2014   SISSSSSSTERS CONFERENCE!  This is a tradition that happens 2 times a year. So this is my second one on my mission!  I felt far more spiritually fed the first time to be honest, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that this time around I don’t need as much as I did when it happened the first time. We had a salad bar for lunch, and just felt like queens for the day. The theme seems like it is always along the lines of why Heavenly Father loves sisters and why we are doing a great job. It was eluded to in both conferences that sisters emotionally are less stable than elders. Haha!  I guess we all just need pick me ups more. The sister training leaders put together the whole thing.  It was all centered on the importance of not gossiping.  The funniest thing by far was the way they presented it. They had recorded elders, and the title of it was called "Elders will be Sisters" and they chose the best actors in the mission, by far. I just laughed and laughed.  It was amazing to see how true it was, and a little embarrassing too, to realize the things that we do without even seeing the effects it has on others.

They also had a clothing exchange, and I got some great things!

Speaking of clothes, my boots are the only thing keeping me alive! ;) and all the long socks I wear!

I had a testimony builder of the importance of bringing questions to all of our study times, and meetings. I kind of put God to the test, and told Him that if I receive answers to the questions I bring to my meeting that I would do it for all my meetings. So; in personal study I created the questions to take to the meeting and guess what?! Heavenly Father thought He would be funny. HE ANSWERED 2 OF MY QUESTIONS BEFORE COMP STUDY WAS OVER! Haha! Soooo blessed. 

Thursday, January 09, 2014 Weekly planning.  Well, you have to understand that weekly planning is quite the stressful event for me weekly. I don’t really feel like I know how to do it that well, to be honest. But Elder Lee had a workshop for us a few weeks ago on how to weekly plan and that helped us a little bit. 

We had a cool experience that night. We were able to teach a Russian Jewish woman who is also Christian. We were able to meet her by the church and talk to her. She wasn't interested, but the more we talked to her she opened up and said that she has an ex-boyfriend that is Mormon. So we offered to bring her a Book of Mormon in Russian. Randomly, we have several in our apt (funny enough, we have more Russian ones than we do English at the moment, haha) and we took it over. She was busy when we arrived and told us to come in while she finished her Skype call! WHAT?! That never happens!  So we did, and started talking to her. The more we talked the more she listened. We ended up teaching the whole restoration. It was a great opportunity for us. She said we can come back in the next few weeks :) Kinda cool!

Bad news of the day. I went temporarily deaf in one hear. I lost about 40% of my hearing due to, ready? Its gross, ear wax. I ran out of Q-tips and was a cheap-o and didn't want to buy more, so after not cleaning my ears for a few week I asked Sister Hodgson if I could borrow some of hers. So when I stuck the Q-tip in, it just pushed all the wax to the back instead of cleaning it out.  So after studies, I called Elder Johnson and asked him what to do. He said I could go to a walk in clinic or get what he called an ear candle. You light the end of it and it is like a vacuum to get it all out.  I opted for the latter, and went upstairs to ask the Mckell’s where a health foods store was. We figured they are mainly in Manhattan. (Out of our mission) and so I just ordered some online on their computer from GNC. So here it is Monday, and I still can't hear much. But Heavenly Father has made me thankful for my hearing.  I hope I don’t have to sign for it or anything because I am never home when the mail comes.

I have been thinking about Grandpa Porter. How is his health?

We were also able to visit with a woman who hadn’t been to church in some time. She really wants to make church a priority. :) …And we are here to help her!

Friday, January 10, 2014 We had our investigator call us and tell us that she wasn't interested in learning more or being baptized anymore. It was really heart wrenching.  I just felt horrible.   She really is ready and I can just see how it really will change her life for the better, but her family doesn't support her and the lies they told her were hard for her to not believe.  I just feel sad. But there isn't much you can do, but pray.

Saturday, January 11, 2014. Um.... we spent a lot of the day inside the church and pounded out clerical work. Lots of just organizing the area book, calling referrals and making sure the potentials we have been meeting get called.

Sunday, January 12, 2014 We had church WHICH is at 12:30 now! Not 9:00 a.m.!  So we can study. We went to pick up a family that ended up not being able to come. We met the coolest potential along the way! And then we got to church to find our new investigator from last week came to church TWO weeks in a row! :) She had a great experience I think, and we plan to teach her again. 

Then we ate our PBJ sandwiches before the Less Active Blitz. This is the second Less Active blitz we have done. What happens is...the stake president authorized the stake of missionaries [35-ish missionaries’ maybe...] and members get together and go out and find the Less Active's of the ward I am serving in. Before we started we were to a solid 1000 LA’s alone, and after the first blitz we confirmed 200 of them, and this one we think will be near 100... So it won’t be long before we have the whole list down to the people that are truly still in our ward, and alive, and things like that. :) This time I was asked to be a group leader. It went well, and was a breeze.

I am finally learning the area, and feeling far more comfortable to use less of a map. It’s great!

This upcoming week is week six of the transfer.

An awesome lady from the Caribbean is visiting her sister until April and offered to come out with us AND did!  Then at church, she gave us a referral! WHAT?! I have a feeling that when April comes, (because, we all know I’m never getting transferred *I can hope right?!) I will be sad to see her go!

I’m sure I forgot valuable info, but I love it here. I am so excited for all the great things that are happening.

:)Love you all!

--Sister Freeze