Week 71

     Well its officially fall. It has been getting cold in the mornings in Durango. We have a good supply of hand warmers and blankets and a working heating system in our home. So we are ready for fall and winter! The mountains are turning all sorts of beautiful colors now. Fall is my favorite time of the year.

     We have been doing service for members this week by helping them pick their apple trees. I love harvesting. Its just like we were going to Carvers Farm in Washington. :D We even got to keep some to eat. 

      Sister Porter and I are having a lot of fun working together. The other day she sneezed and hit her head on the steering wheel and made the horn go off. XD don't worry we were in a parking lot.We make sure to record all our funny moments to look back on for a good laugh.

The stake had a devotional activity for just the women." to be called woman" It was supper organized and the spirit was so strong. There were lady's who were asked to represent women in the scriptures and some woman leaders of our day like Sister Hinkley. The part were a pioneer woman told of her story really touched my heart.

We are working on building a bond and a trust with the members of the ward. One of the families are from Moscow Idaho. we talked about the story of Elijah and It was brought up in sacrament meeting this Sunday. The father was sitting in the front row and made a point to turn around and point at us sister missionaries sitting all the way in the back of the chapel. XD it made us laugh pretty good. 

um there was a few other things that have happened but my time on the computer is limited so maybe next time. I love you all and thank you for taking the time to read this. Have a great week!!! 

I went on exchanges with Faith & Hope Christensens cousin. Small World!

Our District went on a hike

Sister Porter my flower child Companion.

Week 69

My Birthday Dinner

Our District

Exchanges with the Farmington Sisters

We ran through a monsoon it felt like we walked through a shower.

Week 68

This week has been full of great things. To start off because my past comp was ill I was not able to go on exchanges yet with all the sisters in my stewardship. so now we have been doing all six (each 24 hours) exchanges these last few weeks. I have been running around like crazy! but I can handle it. Im not overwhelmed by it all though. My poor new comp, Sister Anderson has only been able to work in Durango for 5 days the rest of the time she is in Cortez wotking woth the comp of the sister that is with me in Durango. She is a trooper. 

 We have been kocking alot. We mostly have been working in the local trailer parks beacuse they are fantastic for finding people to teach there. Most people there dont have alot and are humble and willing to listen to our message of hope and peace. Almsot all the people we talk to or teach are Lateino. I have grown to really love the spanish people! 

Sister Millard (one of my sisters I took on exchanges with) Knows spanish well enusf to hold a conversation and teach the gosple. I dont know any spanish and alot of people there speek only spanish or they somewhat know english. So the language barer is a fun cahllange. Whenever we have that problem we jsut give them a spaish Restoration panphlet so it can do the teaching. Just trying to think outside of the box. Anyways back to sister Millard. She was able to knocking with me and talk to all the people there in spanish. It was so funny to see the supprise on their face when they would hear this tall blond girl speak spanish. Before we would leave we liked to sing them a hymn. It brought the spirit is so strong when we sing. There was a family we sang to on there porch after sharing with them the reatoraion. the Children loved it so much that they begged us to sing another and anthoer. We endred up singing three songs. I know that they love it so much becuse they lilked the feelings the spirit brought. We then had a herd of children following us on the streets helping us with our spanish as we knock on their neeboors doors. then they would go quiet and sit still when they herd us start to sing again. We had a great time. We found several new investrigaots that day. We only need to find a few members that know spanish to be our translator. 

Week 65

     Well the sad news is that my companion Sister Prichard had to go home due to medical problems. So the pattern continues with all my companions being sent home or I'm training them. She is niw the 5th Sister I have sent home. Let me tell you it's not fun. I love that Sister so much! She is going to do a lot of good back home in Georgia. She will forever be an amazing missionary. 

     Because of all that I had an emergency transfer. As I waved goodbye to Sister Prichard in the airport I met up with my new companion Sister Anderson. Who knows what the upcoming transfer will hold for us. Sister Anderson is from Manasa Colorado we were both surprised that she was sent up to the northern part of the mission being that it is close to her home. Church for her this Sunday was just a little too weird for her.

     Sister Anderson is amazing! Together we have been tearing Durango apart. It makes me so happy after being cooped up in the house for over a week. Work, work, work and work is what we have been doing. Sister Anderson taught me a saying " till you die plus one" which means keep going until you drop dead tired then go the extra mile (or door). We have decided to cut our lunch breaks to have more time to work. I take naps in the car for my lunch breaks. We feel good but exhausted. In two days we had 5 lessons with non-members, all by knocking on doors we now have 3 new investigators!

     We helped with a couple of activities this week as well as helped set up and participated in a musical that taught the plan of salvation. The Pagosa springs Sister missionaries put it together with the help of their ward. The stage was the flatbed of a semi truck in the church parking lot. A lot of people came even less active and non-members.

     The next day we went to MTC camp in Bayfield. We taught the priests and laurels how to tech the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ to an investigator. It was a lot of fun roll-playing as people we have known and taught in real life. The future looks bright for future missionary work.

     To sum up this week, it was amazing and eventful. You know you gave the Lord all you've got when you get home so exhausted that you can barley see anything. I love being a missionary! I wouldn't trade this time for anything else. I love working side by side with my savior and readeemer, Jesus Christ.

     

Week 64

     Missionary leadership council was this week. It's when all of the zone leaders and Sister training leaders meet with President Adams and Sister Adams to council on the needs and concerns of the mission. I love going. I learn so much while we share ideas and opinions. The Spirit was very strong in that little upstairs room. I know that Heavenly Father was guiding us to the conclusions that were best.

     We have been busy helping people move this week. We helped two families move and offered to help a third while walking the streets. We even had a lady move into town who had been taking the lessons from the sisters in the past. At one point the Sister missionaries were moved out of Durango. This Sister didn't feel comfortable with talking to the Elders.  But now we are back! I'm so grateful Heavenly Father helps us. She just came out of nowhere.  The second family we helped move was spontaneous. Bishop Blake gave us a call asking us to come help. On Sunday bishop mentioned the missionaries being able to help. Hopefully the ward knows they can call on us anytime.

     We got a text from a tourist from Utah who wanted some copies of the Book of Mormon. He had met a man and his girlfriend in Durango that might be interested in taking the discussions. Now that's what i call a member missionary. He was magnifying his calling even while on vacation.

     While tracting we met a family who were southern harpist. They were super friendly they are familiar with the L.D.S. Church and really like our values. They had us sit in there porch and talk a bit. They offered us bug spray and water. We learned that before they moved here they were in Keyenta. They said that no one talked to their neighbors which was strange to them because in the south everybody talks to and knows everyone. They said the only people who showed up on their porch to introduce themselves in that time was the missionaries. They liked that. We didn't even ask for there phone number they just gave it to us and said we should call if we need anything. They want to have us over for dinner sometime too. WOW!!! Our ward mission leader was super excited. He lives just down the street from them so he and his wife would go by bring cookies and introduce themselves. 

    

     There was a lady visiting the ward last Sunday. She is a ward missionary in her home ward and has a special place in her heart for Sister missionaries. She called us over across the room to tell that if we didn't have a dinner appointment this week she will feed us. She was super excited. To talk to us and even is going to invite one of her non member friends to the dinner as well.

   Life is good. Things are working out. I am grateful to be working  side by side with my Savior Jesus Christ. To say and do what he would say and do to the very people whom he has chosen me to. I know that Heavenly Father is mindful of me and my needs. Thank you for reading have a great week.

Week 61

     Well I hope everyone had a great independence day. We missionaries forget there are these things called holidays. (except Christmas as Mothers day ;). We were driving back from exchanges when we saw the firework show in Durango. My favorite part of it all was to see all the city come out and be a standstill. As we drove home we saw people pull over to stop and watch the show. crowds of people were all standing on side of the roads threw whole town looking up in aw. We joked that this is what the second coming might look like. ;) My companion was staying the night in Blanding for exchanges that night so I got to give advise were the bst place in there is house is to watch the show. Its crazy to think I was there a year ago watching that very show. 

      The Elders forgot to plan a District hike so this week we will go YAY! We stayed busy and went to the fish hatchery and wildlife museum instead. 

     We are working on building our teaching pool so we are starting to get serious abut trackting. Though most missionaries say that its not the most effective but if you have the faith you will have the miracles. And we did!!! We got three new potential investigators. You get the funniest stories when you go knock peoples doors. We had a young woman answer the door with "oh hey!" We were a little taken back by how friendly she was. Normally they panic when they see us. So we guessed she might be a member but kept talking about who we are expecting that she was going to stop us and say "oh sisters i'm a member" But no. We found out shes not but has had a LDS family pick her up off the streets and take care of her for a while. She loves the church. She then randomly blurted out "do you want some blueberries!" My comp and I just looked at each other and replied sure. so she got out a big basket of them we we all just stood there eating. She was so funny. We were even able to give her a Book of Mormon and invited her to pray about it. 

My Zone

Week 56

Sister Power on a P-day hike 

It's so hot I am sticking my head near the air conditioner while my lovely companion takes a photo. 

I will catch one of these someday but they are so fast.

I HAVE BEEN TRANSFERED TO 

DURANGO COLORADO!!!!!!!!

it's so green here.