September 23, 2013

HELLO HELLO HELLO!!!!

Man it is crazy how long I feel it has been, and it has only been a few days! I hope you got my letter! They had us send one out on Tuesday.

So 30 of us flew to Montana on Tuesday and man was it crazy.  We met our Mission President and his wife.  Both are sweet, sweet people.  President Mecham is a go getter and expects a lot from us but he seems to be a very understanding man.  I look forward to getting to know him better.  Sister Mecham is so unbelievably sweet.  I really like her.  Tuesday we had the opportunity to go to the temple which was sooooo nice.  It just keeps your mind on what is truly important.  Wednesday we had training from some of the zone leaders as well as the assistants.  I weirdly know one of the assistants.  A girl in my major dated him before his mission, so when I got my call she told him about me coming to Montana.  Wednesday's training is all a blur.  hhaha No one really cared because we were all so anxious to hear where we were assigned.  Get ready.....drumroll please......My first area is BOZEMAN!!! I am serving in Bozeman 3rd ward with Sister Greenfield.  It is absolutely gorgeous out here.  I can't even tell you.  I was kinda disappointed in Billings. Ha, we were driving around and I was like, people must not understand beauty if they say Montana is pretty.  But now I understand! We had dinner at a member’s home the other night and not only was their house the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen but the view was breathtaking.  Wow. Wow. Wow.  Sister Greenfield and I have both a car and bikes.  The weather has been sooooo nice lately that we have been biking, but we are still trying to figure out our way around Bozeman so sometimes the car is a better option.

My companion is Sister Greenfield. She is from Wisconsin and says the word bag really weird...the Elders always make fun of her for it.  Ha, she is like the size of my pinky and has the brain the size of....something really big. Haha She is so smart.  She went to BYU for 2 years and was studying genetics and all this sciency stuff. I have really grown to love her. She has been so much help to me. She has been out for 4ish-5ish months. She originally got her call to Brazil, but is waiting for her visa. When the Mission President told me that I wanted to cry.  He said with visa waiters you never know when it will come.  It could come tomorrow, next week, next month, or 3 months from now. So he said I need to learn fast.  And the one thing I have been so nervous about is having to either train right off the bat or be totally new to an area without any help. So that's awesome. Haha but she really is great. She is a super hard worker and obeys everything to perfection. Sister Greenfield doesn't really know the area all that well, she has only been here a transfer and was the junior companion, so we have been trying to learn the area together which at times can be stressful when we want to be using our time wisely, but we waste so much of it getting lost. But we are getting better. Sister Greenfield does such a good job of making me feel like I have a lot to contribute and give to the area so that pumps me up. We will get out of a lesson and she will say, yep, and that's why you were called here. Ha she is much more analitical than me and has a hard time connecting with people so I guess we help each other out. I think we will make a good team.  This week has been hard because I just want to know everyone and know the area and I want to see progress. It sucks cause we will work hard and be out all day but when we come home our numbers don't show that we put any effort in at all. For all they know we could have been sleeping all day and the numbers would have been the same. I have begun to feel a huge sense of responsibility and expectations from not just my companion, but the ward, my district, zone and Mission Pres. And it can be very overwhelming at times. They have been focusing a lot on Less Active members, so a majority of our work is Less Actives and a few investigators. I know that it will come with time and I need to be patient. Sister Greenfield will sometimes just get so excited and started yelling about how much she loves being a missionary so I am excited to be serving with her and get excited right along side her. I can't say that I am having fun yet. It's hard work and I feel a lot of stress but it will come.  I just need to be patient with myself and with the Lord.  I mean, it's only been a few freaking days! So I need to calm down. Yesterday was especially rough. The ward was so welcoming and nice to me. But I kept thinking, man, I still have a year and a half of this. Not just a year but a year and a half and I would just want to cry. As we were waiting for sacrament to start I started to think like that and it just kept going and going and then I saw a picture of the Savior and I thought, dang Kenz you are such a brat. What if the Savior were to walk in right now, how would you explain yourself to him? He has given you absolutely everything in your life and you can't even buck up and return just 18 months of your life? That got me to shut up ha. And I KNOW that I just need to be patient with myself and with the work. I know it will pull through.

A Less Active we are working with is a 25 year old girl named Cara.  She is super fun and outgoing and really the sweetest thing.  She went inactive while dating a non-member but is now seeing the importance of church and God in her life.  We went over and made sushi with her the other day and got to meet one of her roommates that we are going to start teaching!

I still am getting to know all of the investigators and less actives, but we have a lot and a handful are progressing.  I hope that Sister Greenfield and I can work hand in hand with the Lord to bring up the work.

I am serving right in the middle of the college part of town.  So there are  alot of college students and everyone rides bikes everywhere! It's awesome.  People go hiking all the time and ride everywhere.

We are meeting with the zone today and are going to play dodgeball....hahahahaha yep, just picture me playing dodgeball and that should give you a good laugh.

DAD- Thanks for the email and the pump up talk on the phone at the airport! :) I love you!

Also I got cookies from Allison Warr at the MTC! Could I get her address?  I want to write a thank you note.

And a thank you to the Jensens! For the delicious cookies! Oh man! They just hit the spot! Thank you so much!

It sounds like life is busy busy busy at home! Saryn, I will be praying for you! Don't worry! You will do great.  Aural skills is a butt, but! You will do great! And I feel for you with noon recital....not my cup of tea.

How is the new calling going mom?

I better run, I will try and send some photos in another email.  I love you all so very much! And I know that this feeling of scaredness will go away soon.  I just need to keep praying and trust that everything will work out.  AND IT WILL! I love this gospel and I LOVE my Heavenly Father so much.  I feel so privileged to be one of his many representatives.  What. an. honor.  That I am trusted to bring back God's children to Him.  Wow. This gospel is so true and I love it! I know that it can bring us true and everlasting happiness.  Thank you for all your love and support.  I love you all!

Sister Moline!

aka Sister Moose according to some kids at church.