1-5-15

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It is so weird to think that for the whole year of 2014 I did not participate in society at all.  The whole year of 2014! I have no idea what happened in the world besides Robin Williams dying and Ebola.  Ha, so weird to think about.  

New years was great! It sounds like New Years was great for everyone else too! New Years we went over to a couples house in our ward with the Elders, the Hickmans, and got to play games. P.S.  Phase Ten is MY GAME! I smoked everyone like there was no tomorrow.  BOOM BABY! Watch out! It was so much fun.  We ate appetizers and laughed and played games.  It was the best.  We got permission to stay out until 10:30 and let me tell you, by 9:00 I was so done.  I have tuned into an old man.  The night time is no longer my friend. But we went home and went straight to bed.  We celebrated the new year at 10:00 which was really funny and strange, but it was fun.  I am so happy that you all went out and banged pots and pans.  That just makes my life.  I love it.  

Two very eventful things happened this week. HAHAHAHAH! So for Christmas we got a million Subway gift cards from members and on Tuesday we decided to go to lunch there...I don't even like Subway, but I took one for the team.  As missionaries whenever the car is in Reverse the passenger has to get out and back the car.  I was doing that for Sister Storrs and backing directly behind the car. I now know that if there if you are standing in between the car and a wall it is probably not the greatest place to be. She was getting pretty dang close to the wall and she didn't hear me yell at her to stop the car, so she kept backing until she pinned my right leg up against the wall! LET ME REPEAT! MY LEG GOT PINNED UP BY A CAR AGAINST A WALL.  Let that sink in for a moment.  I immediately started hitting the car and yelling at her to pull forward.  When she did I hobbled over and flopped  my body into the rolled down back window.  She pulled forward with half my body hanging out of the window.  Let me tell you we were quite the scene!  My leg hurt pretty  bad, but I could not stop laughing.  I just kept replaying in my mind that I had just gotten pinned by a car.  No big deal.  Luckily it just turned into a huge bruise.  I can finally walk without limping which is always a plus. hsahahaha.  

Eventful thing numba two! HAHAH remember Dana May the most wonderful man ever?  This eventful experience I didn't even get to experience first hand because I was on exchanges in Shelby. But We taught Dana and his friend Deon earlier this week the Plan of Salvation and the Word of Wisdom.  It went really well and they both agreed to start now in living the word of wisdom.  We encouraged them to write down some of their goals in the back of the Word of Wisdom pamphlet and we could go over them our next lesson.  Later in the week Sister Storrs saw Dana at the library and asked him how living the word of wisdom was going.  He said it was hard but that he was able to write down his goals in the pamphlet.  He handed her the pamphlet and started walking away. Sister Storrs told him to wait  and she would give it back to him.  He said she could just hold onto the pamphlet until our next lesson.  What happened next was not expected. AT ALL.  She opened it up and he had written down his goals.  #1 to stop smoking, #2 stop drinking #3 have a family #4 BE WITH SISTER STORRS! then he wrote out how he wanted to be with Sister Storrs and how tired he was of being lonely and all of this stuff.  NO DANA! NO! YOU LOVE THE SPIRIT! YOU DO NOT LOVE HER! The spirit is the love you feel!   It was so sad. Poor Sister Storrs was just beside herself. She had no idea what to do or say. Don't worry we role played it about a million times and at our next lesson Sister Storrs was able to talk to him about the Spirit and the church and our role as missionaries.  it went well. She is still freaking out about it and doesn't feel like she can even look at him anymore.  I thought it was hilarious.  But hopefully the love in the air will settle down and he will be able to be baptized on January 17th. 

MIRACLE! So Leanne and Charly were the girls we taught that are related to larry Albert and we had a super rockin lesson with them.  I swear this keeps happening.  We meet someone absolutely golden have a super spirit filled lesson, put them on date, then never see them again.  We have had lessons with them but they keep canceling over and over again.  Luckily we had  Sister Hickman at our lesson with them and she was able to talk with Charly last night and Charly said she was really struggling and having a hard time.  So Sister Hickman invited her over for dinner tomorrow with us and offered to pick her up.  WOOT! Even though we haven't had a lot of contact with them Sister Hickman was able to talk with her and help build her up. Members are the greatest.  

Exchanges were really good.  Shelby is not the place for me though. I swear. every time I go on exchanges it just solidifies my love for my area and my companion.  Small towns are not my thing. But we had a really funny experience there.  We went up to a less active mans house and while we are on the porch Sister Wing leans over and says, it will look like he is not wearing pants....but he is, don't worry.  WHAT IN THE WORLD!? HA and sure enough.  He answers the door and it looks like the man is wearing no pants.  He is wearing a normal T-shirt but he was wearing women's athletic shorts. Like Nike shorts or something.  It was so interesting.  All there was to see were some long hairy man legs.  And a lot of it.  Hahaha we had a good lesson with him and committed him to renew his covenants at church and he was really touched and agreed to come.  

Because of exchanges and New Years we didn't get to teach as much as normal, but pray for me the weather is insane and snowing like the cray and I am the one to drive.....pray for the safety of all others on the roads....

I love you all and hope you have a great first week of classes and everything! You are all in my prayers! 

Sure love ya! Moline's Rock! Missionaries Rule!

 Gingerbread house making with Sister Black!

 Goodbye Sister Black

 MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!  From Sister Storrs and Sister Moline

Missoula sisters I saw at transfers.

December 29, 2014

CHRISTMAS WAS JUST SO DANG WONDERFUL! 

Talking to all of you was definitely the highlight of my day! I had a companion that when she talked to her family just hated it. She felt like it was so awkward.  NOT WITH US! I just feel like everything resumes back to normal when I get to talk with you. I love being able to tell my companions that my siblings are some of my greatest friends. Dad sent tons of pictures and it looked like you all had a blast.  

Christmas was great! We had breakfast with the family we live with that morning and then I got to skype all of your beautiful faces.  And then we got to go from house to house and play games and eat food with ward members.  We played Apples to Apples and Taboo (which I owned at p.s.)  and Clue.  It snowed on Christmas Eve and Christmas and basically everyday since then.  It is lame stuff.  We tried drive to our dinner from our house yesterday and it took us 30 minutes for this Texas girl and my Californian companion to get us out. We definitely have extra angels doing something for us because we have had so many near death experiences driving in this.  Example A:  We were at a fairly large intersection at a stop light.  The rode I was on was a giant hill and I had to stop at the tip of this hill and wait for the light to turn green.  The moment we got up that hill I knew we were going to have a problem.  The light turned green and I went to go, but instead of moving forward we started slipping backward!!!!! AND THERE WAS A CAR BEHIND US! I just screamed at Sister Storrs to pray.  PRAY SISTER STORRS! PRAY!!! HAHAHAHA We both were screaming.  Luckily the poor car behind us escaped and we were able to burn some rubber and make it up the hill.  Angels...let me tell you. Angels.  

Christmas day we had dinner at a part members house and they had a friend over and we were able to talk to her for a little bit and she said she would like to have her own copy of the Book of Mormon and meet with missionaries.  BOOOM!  

Do you remember me talking to you about Dana May?  He is the homeless guy that walked 30 minutes to church?  So I guess technically he is not homeless.  He lives at The Mission which is a place for people to live until they can get a job or find a place to live permanently.  But we met with him on Saturday and he brought a friend of his.  We taught the Restoration and invited both him and his friend, Deon to be baptized.  Dana was all about it! He said he wants to be baptized and that he loves church.  Deon was a little more skepticle and said he wanted to learn more before committing but wanted to come to church with Dana.  They both came to church and Dana even wore a tie! It was wonderful!  AND! THey both participated in Gospel Principles. I am in love. They are wonderful. 

So super sketch moment.  There is this man I see at the library ALL the time.  He lives at the mission too.  Dana told us he is really strange. I didn't think anything of it, but he approached us the other day and asked if could have a Book of Mormon.  We had just handed out all our copies but told him we would get him one.  He said he would catch us later, but then came up to us again asking for the address for our church.  Totally normal except he wouldn't look at me in the eye and kept walking around not paying attention to what I was saying and when I handed him the card he held my hand....SUPER AWKO TACO.   I just saw him here and gave him a Book of Mormon.  He was at a computer and I approached him and said hello and he completely ignored me so I just set the Book of Mormon next to him. Kind of akward?  YES more like supremely awkward.  But it gets better.  Moments later he gets up and comes up behind me and gives me a hug.  IT SCARED THE PANTS OFF OF ME.  It was uncomfortably long.  And then he walked away....strangest encounter I have ever had...by far. 

But something that is so interesting that has happened for the past two weeks is that we have found so many new investigators but not at all by our doing.  Literally they have just come to us by our less actives.  We would go to teach a less active and they would have a friend there.  Crazy, crazy.  So even though we had Christmas this week we were still able to teach 20 lessons and find two new investigators.  God is good, good, good. 

Larry is doing wonderful.  I love him.  He is back to happy go lucky self.  LOVE THAT MAN

I just wish I could have you meet and love these people like I do.  They are so wonderful.  

By the way! I loved the package from the ward and the primary from the Plano 8th ward. As well as all the wonderful lotions and PAJAMAS! Thank you madre and padre.  Also for the money :) Get ready to see the new hair do next week. :)  Big shout out to Grandma Warr and Grandma Shirley for the wonderful heart felt packages full of goodies! You are wonderful! Love you all.  

I love you all so much and love this gospel.  It is the source of happiness in this life.  I love Great Falls, I love my companion and I love my life! 

Love you and miss you!
Sure love ya! Moline's Rock Missionaries Rule!

Sister Molinsky

December 22, 1014

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 

I literally am almost in tears I am so excited to talk to you on Christmas! AH! I just can't stand it! I am so stoked. So here is the deal.  Our Bishop had members sign up to see us every hour on Christmas Eve and Christmas day starting at 1:00 pm.  So if we could figure out the Skype thing that would be superb.  So basically anytime before 1:00 I can Skype. And it will probably have to be skype on my ipad and not a google chat because I don't have a computer I can use.  So let's figure out who I will be skyping and stuff.  If you happen to be on now, go ahead and email me and we can figure it out now, or I will just have to get on later this week and see what you say. But President encouraged us to have you write back as soon as possible so we could get it all figured out.  I AM SO EXCITED! Also, did my package come?  :)

So! I got my new companion, Sister Storrs! I told you a little last week about her, but I served with her for 6 months in Missoula as her Sister Training Leader.  She is now STL with me and I honestly could not think of anyone better.  She is awesome.  She is from Palmdale California and went to BYU and was studying Psychology but wants to go to a dental hygiene school when she goes home. Let's see....she has 3 older brothers that all served missions and are married....hmmm and she just rocks! I am excited to get things going here. But real talk.  We had a BOMB week! So many amazing miracles.  

Usually transfer week it is pretty slow because there is a lot of traveling and meetings and figuring things out with the new comp in the area.  BUT NOT US! WOOT! WE had over 30 lessons this week. Found 6 new investigators and put 3 of them on date to be baptized.  And these people literally just fell into our laps.  UNREAL.  

One day this week we went over to Larry Albert's house to cancel a lesson we had set with him.  A woman answered the door and let us in and as we were talking to Larry I just had this thought to invite her to come to our next lesson.  I told her she was always welcome to come and that we were meeting with Larry at 4:00.  She didn't say much but appreciated the invitation.  The next day we were at the library with Larry and I saw her walking by us! So I yelled her name and she came over and studied with us.  It just so happened that we were reading the talk "Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer" By Richard G. Scott from the April 2007 general conference.  And she ATE it up.  She kept relating the talk back to herself and how she felt about prayer and God.  We testified and she was SO there.   We gave her a Book of Mormon and asked if she wanted to meet again. She said yes and that she wanted her daughter Charlie to be apart of it.  WOOT! WOOT! Later that week we met with them and they were super late and we had another appointment so we showed them He is the Gift and gave Charlie a copy of the Book of Mormon and testified our faces off.  And then bold SIster Storrs asked them right then and there if they wanted to be baptized.  BOOM! Spirit was high and they said yes! Immediately.  Right on Sister Storrs! We had a member there with us and we set up another appointment for last night to teach the Restoration and our member picked them up and brought them to their house.  Seriously. Most incredible lesson I think I have ever taught in my life. You know the expression when people say the spirit was so thick you could have cut right through it?  Yeah. This lesson.  There were so many times when I opened my mouth and was speaking and literally had no idea where that even came from.  Leanne began crying when we invited her to baptism again and set a date.  She said she just felt so warm and tingly and so peaceful.  Charlie,  her daughter is a lot more quiet but she said at the end of the lesson she felt so loved.  The members we had there were so inspired. They said the right things at just the right time. Leanne is temporarily living with Larry and I have been over at that house a million times to talk with Larry or try and find him and never have been let in or spoken to anyone there. That house is so sketchy though.  A lot of drugs and a lot of sketchy stuff happening there.  Leanne told me that there would be such a dark spirit in that home when she would visit and she would pray for God to help them and then two Sister missionaries would knock on her door and she looked at me and said, " you are my hero."  I could have just broken down in that moment. I know that we were meant to find and teach these two women.  They are so prepared.  Missions are so hard at times, but this makes it all so worth it.  I have such a good feeling for Leanne and Charlie.  WOOT! GO SPIRIT! 

Another miracle of the week! I was at the library earlier this week and saw a man sitting on a couch in the library.  I saw him when we walked in and thought I should give him a He is the Gift card, but we were in a hurry so I didn't.  As we were leaving he was still sitting in the same place and although we were running out of there I promised myself I would not let a prompting go by not acted upon.  So I gave him the card, our number and teh address for the church.  Later in the week I saw him again at the library and said hi.  He said he stopped by our church during the week and two men showed him around.  He said he wanted to come to church on Sunday.  AND HE TOTES MAGOTES DID! He walked! HE WALKED TO CHURCH IN THE DANG COLD! We gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and set up an appointment.  I just saw him and he came up to me and said, " I haven't forgotten about our appointment! I will see you Friday." My heart! He has stolen my heart! He is a rough looking guy, living at the Mission.  But let me just tell you, this gospel is for everyone and everyone can feel the Spirit and have it testify of truth. I know that!  I did not expect honestly anything to happen by handing him a card, but God knows who is ready, it is just up to me whether I am going to pay attention to God when he is telling me. 

Baby Llama Drama Mamma! Larry broke up with us and then took us back this week.  It is kind of anti climactic now that I tell you because we worked things out and now we are back to teaching him. We had a lesson with him and the moment I saw him I knew something was up.  He was not himself at all.  We had a lesson with a member, and at the end of the lesson I asked him a question and he pointed at me and said, "I know you. I have met with you and trusted you.  I am not going to tell random strangers my life. You get that?"  Whoa Nelly....where did that come from? and immediately after he bolted for the door. The whole lesson he was so off and not engaged or there at all.  I ran after him and asked him what was going on and he said things were going on at home and he needed to leave and just left.  The next day we go to meet up with him and right when we approached him he just told us. no.  Not today.  And was really upset.  He said if he wanted to be enlightened he would call us.  He told us not to come by anymore.  Apparently he was offended by something the member said that just set him off.  It literally felt like I was getting broken up with.  I have met with Larry EVERYDAY for the past 4 months.  He trusts me and knows me very well.  I can read him like a book.  I know exactly when to let him ponder and think and when I need to probe the conversation with a question.  I just get him.  And Larry is a very slow to warm person. It has taken so long to get where we are and then BOOM! He drops us.   I am not going to lie, my eyes filled with tears.  I am so invested into Larry and getting him to progress and renew covenants.  But I trusted that he would feel a difference from meeting with us everyday to not meeting with us at all. And sure enough.  We get a call THE NEXT DAY and he basically could have sung "BABY COME BACK!"  He apologized and asked for our forgiveness and said he knew that he needed to meet with us in order to get out of the hole is has been in.   We met with him yesterday and he said, " I come in peace and repentance"  Haha i love that man! Larry honestly is someone that I know God has placed me here for.  He has changed me so much and my goal is have him receive the priesthood by the time I leave.  That is happening.  

Also, fun fact, I totally stepped in dog poop and almost threw up.  Literally I was gagging over the sink as Sister Storrs, this angel sent from God, got it off my shoe.  My poor children...I will never be able to change their diapers either they are being shipped off until they are potty trained or the hubby will have to do.  Too much gagging. 

Also something that I just adore about Great Falls is definitely the people.  I don't know what is in the water or what, but people here instantly treat you like they have known you your whole life. You immediately become family.  I feel so at home here with the people.

It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord is able to comfort me and bring me back to reality.  There are times where I wonder where my efforts are going and what I am doing but I was reading in 2 Nephi 4 and I forget what verse, but where Nephi says, "For I know in whom I have trusted." Why do I freak out when I know that God is in control? HE IS THE KNOW ALL BE ALL.  I have no need to wonder or fear, because I trust Him.  And He is God. I know He will take care of me and my companion and my investigators and less actives.  I know that He is aware of our greatest concerns as well as the smallest concerns we have.  I am so grateful to have come to know him like I have.  He is my everything.  I have watched the He Is the Gift video 700 times and what I cannot get over is the fact that God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten to us.  We are often told that Jesus Christ is the reason for the season. But I also think it is appropriate to say that we are the reason as well.  We are the reason He came.  He came because He loves us all infinitely. Which at times is difficult for me to comprehend. But I believe that.  I know that as we trust in Him and act we will know the peace we all are wanting to find.  I don't even know how to express my thoughts correctly.  But just know that I know He lives. I have felt his power and his enabling and redeeming power DAILY.  How I lived before knowing Him like I do...I have no idea.  He lives and I love Him.  

I love you all and cannot wait to talk to you! Peace and Love! 

Sister Holy Moly

December 15, 2014

Sister Black is officially home! SO WEIRD! We were able to say goodbye to a lot of people in the ward.  But I never want to do that again.  Sister Black was awesome and I love her to pieces. But being with her 24/7 made me feel like I was going home too! I am glad I wasn't. I still have so much to do.  But it's weird to think that this actually comes to an end.  Really sad to think about.  

But we did get transfer calls and I am staying here in Great Falls and am getting Sister Storrs! I actually was her STL in Missoula and absolutely love her.  I am so stoked to be able to work with her here.  I was so stinken nervous for transfers and who I was getting. I have no idea why. And I even had this cray cray dream that I got some insane psycho companion that tried to kill me.  SO glad that is not happening! Hahaha, But I am really excited.  

Sister Hixon was a missionary in this mission that went home last transfer. She actually knew Maurie from BYU. But she served in teh same ward that I am in now.  She came back up here with her parents to visit the mission and I got to talk with her about people she worked with and that I am currently working with.  It was really fun to be able to catch another perspective from someone that has been here before.  

 Larry Albert, aka the most wonderful man on earth, is making some sweet progress. It is my goal to have him receive the priesthood before I go.  That man is the best.  We had a lesson on the Holy Ghost this week and he talked about the ways that he has felt the influence of the Holy Ghost.  He talked about the Book of Mormon and meeting with us as well as prayer, but he mentioned something I wasn't expecting.  He said the members of the church.  He said, " I don't know many people in the ward, but every time I go, complete strangers approach me and welcome me to church.  And it isn't fake.  I can just feel that these are good, genuine people.  I feel a power and Spirit about these people that I don't even know." ROCK ON OVERLOOK WARD! A mission has really helped me know what kind of member I want to be.  Larry is not a super social guy.  Very private and reserved, so when people talk to him, he doesn't give much of a response. But it makes an impact.  A mission has just really given me the behind the scenes kind of outlook on a lot of things.  I have come to know that I want to be the kind of member that goes out of their way to say hello to an unfamiliar face regardless of the reaction that is given to me in response.  It makes a huge impact on those that go out of their way to come to church.  He also said that it is coming to a point where he knows he is going to have to make a choice about church and his old life.  I asked him what he was feeling and he just held up his gospel principles book. I just got a huge smile on my face.  LARRY ROCKS! I just want you all to meet him.   We talked a lot about the Priesthood and the Temple.  He wants to be able to go to the Temple and receive the temple one day and when I told him that he could get it now.  He just looked at me and said, "I can?"  I told him that if this was something he wanted, it could happen. Rock on larry! He feels the weight of the responsibility and knows of it's importance. But he said he is willing to work towards that and become worthy.   


P.S. Rhenon emailed me and said she is going to the temple in February! WADDDDUUPPPP! I am so there.  I can't even explain how insanely happy that made me.  Rhenon! That woman! I just love her to pieces.  

We went to Gaby's house this week for a Christmas party. HAHAHA Gaby is a convert to the church from Germany.  She lives with her bed ridden sister and care giver.  She is in her 70's and is THE FUNNIEST PERSON I HAVE EVER MET.  She always calls us honey and darling and literally pinches our cheeks. I have never had someone legitimately pinch my cheek before.  But it happened. And I never want to experience that again.  Hahaha she is totally not active and has no desire to come back but she loves the social aspect of it.  We went to her party because we knew there were going to be non members there. She swooned over my past zone leaders.  Always calling them and telling them how cute they were.  But ended up using them like there was no tomorrow.     Haha We went with our zone leaders now and let me tell you. Gaby has a FAT crush on Elder Holland.  He came in and it was like no one else existed.  We got talking with some of the women that work there and got to share He Is The Gift.  But not Elder Holland.  hahahah Gaby had him under her little thumb.  She asked us all where we were from but no one else existed but Mr. Elder Holland.  And when we left She gave him a kiss! hahahahahahahahahahahahahah I DIEDDD! Literally died.  And she kept telling him that he was so darling and just a cute little man. Hahahaha I guess you may have had to be there to experience the supreme awkward spirit there. But it was so funny.  

While Sister Black has been gone, I have been able to be companions with Sister Major.  She actually knew Maurie too from school.  SHE ROCKS. She is an older missionary, 32 years old to be exact. But she is killing it. She is so ready to work.  That is such an awesome benefit to having an older missionary.  She definitely had to make the decision to come out and is willing to make this worth her time. We have been covering both areas for the past little while and it has been crazy hectic covering both wards.  But I have loved teaching with her.  She is so in tune with the Spirit.  There will be times in some of our lessons that something will come into my mind to say and the next thing that comes out of her mouth is the exact same thought I had.  

We had an experience teaching an investigator in her ward this week. Her name is Carissa and she had a baptismal date for January 13th. We got there and you could just feel the stress.  She has 3 kids. A 14 year old, 2 year old and a 3 month old.  The 3 month old was teething and crying and crying the two year old kept nagging at her trying to get her to do things.  She is a single mom, her husband is in jail and she just recently got out of jail.  And you could just see the exhaustion in her face.  She brought out her BOM and pamphlets and said she wasn't sure about baptism.  She said she barely had time to breath. It was already 8:30 and she hadn't even had time to make dinner for her kids let alone read the BOM and think about the things we have been teaching.  And she began to cry.  My heart just sank. Can we just talk about how much Satan is just the biggest butt muncher! I got so mad sitting there with her. Just leave the dang woman alone! She is trying to make these incredible changes in her life and he has to get in the way! We sat there for about an hour and let her just vent to us and we were able to testify of the enabling power of Jesus Christ and his atonement.  She brought her BOM to work with hopes to read it and wasn't able to. But I stopped her right there when she said she didn't read and couldn't and didn't have time and said, BUT YOU BROUGHT IT! You had all intentions of doing it and God knows that! God does not nor will he ever ask us to be perfect, but he asks us to give it our best shot. I looked at her through tears in my own eyes, this woman I just barely met, and told her not to give up on God because He was never going to give up on her. My heart just ached for her knowing the pain she was going through and the stress she was feeling.  And I feel like I got a small taste a very small glimpse at how our Heavenly Father feels for each of us when we are in pain and suffering.  HE CARES.  HE KNOWS! And dumb dumb satan just tries to ruin the progress we are making towards knowing our Savior more.  What a chump.  But the Spirit was incredibly strong as we spoke to her.  

I am sorry this email is wicked short and really random.  This emailing session has been kind of nuts. I have gotten a lot of calls and had to take care of some things.  But all is good!

I love you all so  much! I want you to know that I LOVE MY MISSION. This is the best thing I have ever been lead to do. I have never felt so much love for people that I don't know ever in my life.  I know my Savior lives and that He knows us! I know that! This gospel is the source of joy and peace in this life amidst the chaos and confusion this life brings. I cherish this gospel and everything it entails.  I have never been so full of joy before in my life.  The Book of Mormon is true and I know without a doubt in my heart and mind that it is God's word and that as we read it we will come to know our Savior Jesus Christ more fully.  

I love you all so much! Talk to you soon!