Final August Post

Why hello there...

     I can never remember what happened each week so pretty much, I have to pull out my planner and my journal so I can let you know what is happening in my life! So you should feel pretty special that I put so much effort into writing you.
     Sister Fellman and I have decided that we are going to do our best and work our hardest to be missionaries that are worthy to be on The District videos that the church created. They are these movies that we watch as missionaries for training. In the videos, a camera basically just follows different sets of missionaries in the area they are serving. You see them plan for the day/week, in district meetings, and teaching investigators. They are actually pretty awesome movies and we do learn a lot from them.
     We found a new investigator this week! HOORAY!! She is so sweet and is married with 2 little girls. She sees the need for religion in her and her kids lives. I know that God put her in our path. This gospel will bless her life and because the family is so central to God's plan for us (his children) I think that she will be really receptive to our message.
     This week, we had exchanges. So pretty much exchanges are when you switch companions for a day with a companionship that is in a leadership position. For the sisters, we have a companion that is a Sister Training Leader. I went out with Sister Gifford and she is pretty awesome!! She heads home in December so she is full of lots of wisdom and has obviously been a missionary for a while so she is really good at teaching people. We were in her area which was lots of because I got to meet new people! It was a pretty busy day!

     There was a ward BBQ this past Friday and it was tons of fun!!! It was a good time because a lot of people came and a lot of the less actives we have been teaching were there!! It was awesome plus free food!
     And on top of an already great weekend. We had a few investigators at church!!! They came for sacrament meeting at least which is a good step in the right direction. So hopefully they will come to all of church next week especially since it is fast and testimony meeting. Getting investigators to church is a major step towards baptism/conversion. If they go to church, they are surrounded by other normal people who lead lives full of struggles and joys plus the spirit is even stronger at church and you learn so much from what others say/teach.
     So my week was pretty good!!!! I hope to hear from you guys soon and love you all as much as I love cake (which is a lot).

Love,

Sister Fish

Obedience

Obedience brings blessings, at least that's what I've heard. Haha just kidding, it really does. Sister Fellman and I this week had an experience with that, We had stayed up late talking about some things and then because of that, we slept in like way longer than 5 minutes. So the day was pretty crummy and like no one was home. We weren't able to visit like any of the people we wanted. When finally we are like "Ok, we get it, we need to strive to be more obedient." And then Sister Fellman had the idea that we should pray. We prayed to Heavenly Father to tell us what we should do and seriously like 2 minutes after that, we knocked on a door and met a family that hopefully will let us teach them the lessons. They told us to come back and that we were welcome anytime, but that they did have their own faith. So we will just keep going back and see what happens! But yeah, moral of the story, exact obedience brings miracles!!

We get our transfer calls in like 2 weeks!! Ridiculous, so who knows where I will be serving/living in september. I have a feeling I am not leaving Elko this next transfer, but it is wherever the Lord wants and needs me to be.

Serving a mission really is the best thing for individuals. It forces you out of your comfort zone like all the time, but you learn so much. We have been told that the greatest conversion to happen on a mission is within ourselves, but we cannot focus on ourselves. By converting others, and seeing the blessings the gospel brings to them, we then in turn convert ourselves. I hope Preston was listening to because even though it is kind of scary, he just needs to do it. It is really the hardest, but the best time of my life. I would never have the chance to meet any of the people I have, if I wouldn't have decided to serve. You learn how to live/be on your own and also with a companion (good marriage prep). And also you learn to rely on the Lord and the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Spider Killer

Elko is great but full of lots of gross spiders! On Monday night last week there was the biggest spider I have ever seen (in a house) and it was on our wall!! Sister Fellman and I were yelling and trying to get close enough to swat it. Pretty much, we are both terrified of those creepy crawlers! Eventually Sister Simon's (the member whose basement we live in) knocked on our door and asked us if we were okay. We told her we weren't and seriously she took one look at the spider and it was dead!!! Later in the week there was a pretty big one in the shower and I killed him! Me, the girl who runs away yelling or jumps on the bed screaming for dear life. He was gross by the way!!! So upsetting! It took me like 10 minutes to gain the courage to end its life, plus I was in my towel cause I was just going to step in and shower, but he ruined my plans!! After I said a short prayer though, he started moving closer to the door of the shower, I got mad, and hit him a million or so times, with a fly swatter. Yeah, he was real dead. The whole time I was trying to kill him, I was singing the song that goes Psycho Killer, bababababa... obviously I changed the lyrics to spider killer. 

We got some new investigators this week, which was good. It's sad though because a lot of people we teach are just struggling a ton with life and things. They live in low income housing, have kids to feed/take care of, and hospital/doctor bills to pay for. It has made me so grateful for parents who know how to manage money and who went to college so they could support a family.

Finding people to teach here is hard though. Elko is full of miners and their schedules are ridiculous. The shifts are like crazy. Some have 7 days on and then 7 days off. Others work nights for a week or a month and then switch to a month or week of day shifts. So it is hard to know when to try a certain house since you never know what the husband's schedule will be like.

So way back in the history of the church, the early saints used to do these things called cottage meetings. They would meet at a home and then have discussions/conversations on different gospel topics. Well not only did the early saints do it, but now we have one each week. It is really such an inspired idea. We have our recent converts and less active members come to a members' home and then teach them more about something. Like last week, we talked more in depth about the first vision and about how the Lord answers our prayers if we ask him and really believe that he will help us. It is nice because it is in a relaxed setting so the people there, can feel free to ask any question they want and not feel uncomfortable. So hopefully those keep going well and helping everyone to learn more about the gospel. I know I have already learned a lot from only 2 meetings.

Yesterday (sunday), I had the lovely privilege to speak in church. I was luckily considered a youth speaker though so I only had to talk for like 5 minutes. I kind of felt like I was rambling or talking in circles but everyone said it was good!!

I can't believe that I have been a missionary for a month!! Time has flown by and everyone keeps telling me it that it just goes by faster.

Sister Fish