May 5, 2015
All of your emails
today just uplifted me so much! Thank you for taking the time to write me and
help me out while I am out here! So first things first! SKYPE! WOOOT WOOOOT! So
we have church from 1-4 as well. Morning would probably be best. Would
9 or 10 work in the morning? Also if we have Skype premium back home we
can 3 way skype so I can skype with mom and with Dad and Saryn.
Thoughts? Hopefully one of you are on today and can let me know right
away. If all else fails I can call Sunday morning and we can
figure it out.
This week I went on
yet another exchange! WOOOOOOT! Its the best! I went with two Sisters serving
in Ronan. It is about an hour from Missoula. I LOVE IT! It is your
typical small country Montana town where everyone knows everyone and all the stores
are family owned. A member owns a flower shop that we would go do service
at and another member owns a Mexican restaurant while another member owns a
small diner. I was obsessed. I hope I get to serve in some small
Montana town. It is so cute and so fun. Ronan is actually a reservation
for the Salish and Kootnenai tribes. Most Sisters are not allowed to
serve on the reservations but Ronan is pretty easy going.
One hilarious story
from the exchange happened in the nursing home. We were singing for some
of the old folk and we went up to shake hands with this one old man and he held
my hand and told me how beautiful I was and then he looked at the Sisters I was
with and said, " well they are too, but they are a little off
color." Yeah both Sisters are black. Totes awkward. Another
time while these two Sisters were walking around a woman came out and told them
that this was not a safe place for their kind and that they needed to gather
their people and leave. Daaaaannnngg cool your jets woman! Hahaha it didn't
help the fact that one of the Sisters hates white people and has some serious
issues. She is actually from Arlington and I was freaking out when i found out.
And then she hated me because I was white. Cool. Cool. Just trying to be
friends. She is 26 and already has her Masters degree. Once she
found out she was called to Montana she tried getting reassigned.
President told her she could either stay here, or go home. So she is staying,
but she really doesn't want to be here. I think I was able to get on her
good side while on exchanges with her and she opened up to me. I just
told her straight up that this is where the Lord called her and she can either
endure through it and hate it or become what the Lord has planned for her to
become and enjoy it.
While in Ronan we
taught and taught and taught. I miss being that busy with lessons. While
I was there they put two people on date! I got to feed a goat hold a chicken,
pet a horse and play with new born puppies. I LOVE MY LIFE. It was so much
fun. Sister Montjoy (the one I love) is super musical and we always have
these wicked awesome jam sessions together! I LOVE IT! We had dinner at a
members house and it was in straight up back woods Montana. The middle of the
wilderness. And the 15 and 18 year old kids played their recital pieces
for us. I MISS THAT SO MUCH. I miss playing REAL music on the piano. He played
Chopin Nocturne op.49 no.1 I died. I loved it. And i want to learn it. That is
something I am looking forward to when I get home. REALLY PLAYING AND LEARNING
MUSIC.
An incredible
experience we did have while in Ronan was teaching a girl named Courtney.
We were initially trying to contact her brother but he wasn't home so we asked
if we could meet with her. She had been in prison for 5 years and got out
that Monday. She said that she had all the intentions in the world to get
off drugs and cutting and all of that when she got out, but being out has been
hard and her same old friends are exactly where they were when she left.
She was at the end of her rope. We testified of God's love for her and
the of the Savior's atonement that allows us each a new beginning. She
cried and cried and cried. We bore our testimonies of baptism and I
shared Rhenon's story of change. She accepted baptism and said that she
needed this if she wanted to become someone new. She needed Christ in her
life to help her change. She could not do it on her own. The spirit was
so strong in that lesson. I wanted to cry. I just felt so much love for
her. GAH! I wish I could serve in Ronan!
I came home Friday night
and Saturday morning guess what we got to do.....COLOR ME RAD! That's
right! You read it right! We got to volunteer at Color Me
Rad. The Elders all wore white shirts and ties and alll the
Sisters wore our volunteer shirts and skirts. We were in charge of
throwing Orange powder at all of the runners. By the end we were NASTY! We all looked
like Oompa Loompas or like we got bad spray tans. Ha. I am still finding
orange on my body. But it was fun. We helped with the set up and take down of
it all and got to talk to a lot of people and be seen. GUESS WHAT! OHMYGOSH! I
ALMOST FORGOT!!!!!! So there was a girl in Bozeman that I started teaching with
Sister Bonn that got baptized pretty soon after I left and I totally saw her at
Color Me Rad! She was running it and once she saw all the missionaries she was
asking where I was! Totally crazy that I got to see her! Tender Mercy.
But by the end of it all I was so dead tired. It was fun though. I want
to run it one day.
Yesterday our ward put
on a Musical Fireside. James didn't come to church but he came to the
Musical Fireside with his friend Robert. We met Robert last week and he
told us he isn't very religious but goes to Christian Life Center church for
the music and leaves. So naturally we invited him to come to our musical
fireside. hahahaha a little bit different music. But it was fun to have
him there. I shook James's hand and he smelled of alcohol and smoke. :(
sad. But! i am glad he still came. He said he loved it. He also
said that he told Gracie he was going fishing so he could get away to come. He
even said he was planning on going to buy a fish at the store to bring
back.hahahahahahahaha oh James. We need to figure this out so you aren't lying
to her.
played the piano and sang Greater Miracles by Hilary
Weeks. I think it went alright. Performances never go as well as you
practice, but I'll take it. I have been taking any opportunity I have to
play or sing because I want to be able to share my talents and maybe one day
not be so nervous to perform! My heart was pounding so fast but I got through
it. I am glad I played for myself because then I don't have to look at
anyone and I can be in my own little world. Hahaha. But Robert said he
wanted to come back! SCORE!
This week we are not
going on exchanges and will hopefully be able to build up our own area a little
more. I am keeping the faith. Sister Session and I have sat down and
talked about what we needed to do ourselves to build up the area. First
of all we need to trust in the timing of the Lord and do our part, use the time
we have been given wisely and always testify! Follow the Spirit and OPEN UP OUR
MOUTHS. Pray for us. We are going out on a limb this week with creative
finding ideas.
Also, Dad! I bore my
testimony in church yesterday. You best be proud of me. I started crying
and got all embarrassed. I shared an experience I had right before my
mission with Mom. Mom, Maurie and Saryn and I went to Music and the Spoken Word
in SLC. I remember the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing How Firm a
Foundation and they sang the very last verse. The very last line of the
last verse says, " Never, no never, I will never forsake" I remember
the Spirit just filling my heart and looking over at Mom with tears streaming
down her face singing along, "Never, no never, I'll never
forsake" I remember sitting there and thinking how does she know
that? How can she with confidence say that? But now, I along with mom can
sing too, I will never, no never, I will never forsake the gospel of Jesus
Christ. I love this gospel with all of my heart. And I am so thankful for a
loving Father and Mother that have helped me to this point in my life where I
can say that with confidence.
P.S. I have a package
I am sending home for Mother's Day, Dad's Birthday and Saryn's Birthday, but I
am waiting on one last thing before I mail it. So it might be late.
LOVE YOU!
LOVE YOU!
Tallk to you ON SUNDAYYYYYYYYY
Sisterrrrrrrrr Drama Mamma
Sisterrrrrrrrr Drama Mamma
