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Monday, April 7, 2014
Hey y'all! I hope you all enjoyed conference as much as I did! I also hope that you all got something out of conference--specifically, M. Russell Ballard's talk on following up and being a missionary because missionaries need the help of members to find people and to keep people active!
Something Sister Ketring and I realized this week is that we won't be in this area forever, so less actives should not have to rely on the missionaries to be fellow-shipped. What happens when we're their only friends and we get transferred? They go right back to being less active. SO. Do your visiting teaching and home teaching. Don't just throw names to the missionaries and do nothing to help. Semi-rant OVER :)
First thing's first: Word of the Week! Trunky Smile: The grin that is displayed on a departing missionary's face as he day dreams of movies, girls, swimming, video games, and swimming with girls. So this definition doesn't exactly pertain to me, considering I'm: a) 16 months away from home & b) a sister missionary. BUT, our zone leader, Elder Van Cleve is going home next transfer and his trunky smile is on his face ALL the time. It's eerie.....and quite funny considering he didn't smile at all last transfer. Clue #1.
This week has been filled with ups and downs and twists and turns. Satan is working hard to disrupt the work, but we've been pressing forward with full faith and increased effort. Two of our investigators dropped us: Chris and Priscilla, and Jenna as well. Chris and Priscilla are living together and they shouldn't be. We discussed the Plan of Salvation, and that somehow got brought up, however, neither of us said anything about it. We figured we'd wait until the next lesson to discuss it further. They texted us on Wednesday and told us they didn't feel comfortable with us and they want to discontinue the discussions. Fine. Jenna, the 15 year old girl who approached us at church last Sunday, got into a fight with her mom and no longer has her approval to be baptized. Jenna is, however, still reading her copy of PMG and her scriptures and she knows the church is true. The opposition rests with her mom. Dakota, also, erased his baptism date from the white board and we were confused. He wants to wait until he can come to church before setting a date. He can't come to church until after his senior project is done. He's doing it through a church, and if the pastor finds out he's been in with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he would drop him and he'd fail the project. If he fails, he doesn't graduate SO. We're playing it safe. Rescheduling isn't the end of the world....
Good came from this week though. I extended my very first baptismal invitation to Naomi after reading 2 Nephi 31 with her for the third lesson. She accepted the commitment and we've set a goal for her to be baptized on May 3rd! I am so excited! Not to mention General conference was this weekend and that's ALWAYS good! Our district kept joking about the prophet making THE big announcement: "Pack your bags. We're going to Missouri." Hey, it'll happen sooner or later!
So, I'm sure you're wondering about the April Fool's prank on the Elders, or maybe not, but I'm going to tell you anyways. On Tuesday, Elder Short (refer to car czar) called each companionship in our district and told them they'd be getting a car and to meet him at the Linden building. E. Hatefi called us IMMEDIATELY after and screamed into the phone. That was the start of a war.
The elders got to the church and Ketring and I popped out and yelled "April Fool's!"
They. Were. Livid. And they biked away in the cold, frigid rain....to make it worse.
It's safe to say we woke up the next day to a saran-wrapped car. No big deal.
We stole their ties.....all of them. Hatefi wore the same one for three days.
Then they came into our house and Sister Neal allowed them to hide all of our food and send us on a scavenger hunt. Clever.
It's all over. For now. We haven't decided if we want to retaliate or just leave it alone....I think we should just quit....or else we'll end up in the white handbook....or worse.....the INM Dictionary. Dun Dun Dun.....
So, it's been a bittersweet week. I'm grateful that I can have fun every so often to keep me sane. What was your favorite part about conference? I loved President Uchtdorf's talk about having an attitude of gratitude. "Put down the bottle of bitterness and drink from the goblet of gratitude." You can try to count your blessings, but as you do so, you will find they are uncountable. ALWAYS have gratitude! I love you all! Have a fabulous week, y'all! Be an example! Be helpful to the missionaries! Love, Sister Tyler
Something Sister Ketring and I realized this week is that we won't be in this area forever, so less actives should not have to rely on the missionaries to be fellow-shipped. What happens when we're their only friends and we get transferred? They go right back to being less active. SO. Do your visiting teaching and home teaching. Don't just throw names to the missionaries and do nothing to help. Semi-rant OVER :)
First thing's first: Word of the Week! Trunky Smile: The grin that is displayed on a departing missionary's face as he day dreams of movies, girls, swimming, video games, and swimming with girls. So this definition doesn't exactly pertain to me, considering I'm: a) 16 months away from home & b) a sister missionary. BUT, our zone leader, Elder Van Cleve is going home next transfer and his trunky smile is on his face ALL the time. It's eerie.....and quite funny considering he didn't smile at all last transfer. Clue #1.
This week has been filled with ups and downs and twists and turns. Satan is working hard to disrupt the work, but we've been pressing forward with full faith and increased effort. Two of our investigators dropped us: Chris and Priscilla, and Jenna as well. Chris and Priscilla are living together and they shouldn't be. We discussed the Plan of Salvation, and that somehow got brought up, however, neither of us said anything about it. We figured we'd wait until the next lesson to discuss it further. They texted us on Wednesday and told us they didn't feel comfortable with us and they want to discontinue the discussions. Fine. Jenna, the 15 year old girl who approached us at church last Sunday, got into a fight with her mom and no longer has her approval to be baptized. Jenna is, however, still reading her copy of PMG and her scriptures and she knows the church is true. The opposition rests with her mom. Dakota, also, erased his baptism date from the white board and we were confused. He wants to wait until he can come to church before setting a date. He can't come to church until after his senior project is done. He's doing it through a church, and if the pastor finds out he's been in with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he would drop him and he'd fail the project. If he fails, he doesn't graduate SO. We're playing it safe. Rescheduling isn't the end of the world....
Good came from this week though. I extended my very first baptismal invitation to Naomi after reading 2 Nephi 31 with her for the third lesson. She accepted the commitment and we've set a goal for her to be baptized on May 3rd! I am so excited! Not to mention General conference was this weekend and that's ALWAYS good! Our district kept joking about the prophet making THE big announcement: "Pack your bags. We're going to Missouri." Hey, it'll happen sooner or later!
So, it's been a bittersweet week. I'm grateful that I can have fun every so often to keep me sane. What was your favorite part about conference? I loved President Uchtdorf's talk about having an attitude of gratitude. "Put down the bottle of bitterness and drink from the goblet of gratitude." You can try to count your blessings, but as you do so, you will find they are uncountable. ALWAYS have gratitude! I love you all! Have a fabulous week, y'all! Be an example! Be helpful to the missionaries! Love, Sister Tyler
Hello all! This week has been filled with blessings and so
many lessons!
Before I delve into this past week's adventures, let's start
off with the word, or in this case, phrase of the week!
Pray About It: When you ask
President Cannon for permission to do something that you really know is wrong
in the first place, this will be what he'll say. It means NO.
Too accurate.
So last P-day was marvelous! We drove up to Jump Creek to go
"hiking." It ended up being more of a walk down to the waterfall, but
we climbed up the hills so it was more of a "halk." It's beautiful up
there, nonetheless. The scenery from the parking lot reminded me of the Irish
countryside. Very hilly and green. Y'all. I love seeing green everywhere. It's
gorgeous. Not to mention, the weather was perfect. I got to wear short sleeves!
YES! After the "halk", we went to Wingers (are you really that
surprised?) with Elder Hatefi and Elder Reischman. So, E. Hatefi ordered a coke
and they brought him a Pepsi. He was MAD.
He reminded me of Mom when she goes to McD's and orders a Diet Dr. Pepper and
they give her regular....not okay! But it was fine. Sister Ketring's mom
actually sent her a Wingers gift card. YES!
We went service tracting on Tuesday with Abby. She's a ward
missionary now! First, we did spring cleaning at the Neals. That was an
experience. Two words. Dusting. Sucks. We went over to the Siddoways, who were
getting ready for their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday. All we did was
move a box, and then Sister Ketring played As Sisters in Zion
on the piano. So, since we shared a spiritual message of a sort, that can count
towards our weekly numbers, right? ;) Afterwards, we went over to the Dougals
and pulled some weeds. We headed over to Grandma's, but she wasn't home so we
looked across the street and beheld the house where the G’s live....Sister
Ketring and I looked at each other and decided that we needed to serve those
kids and their mom. We did their dishes. They were stacked. Their house smelled
like a gerbil's cage that hasn't been cleaned out. The kids were dirty. Trash
was EVERYWHERE. But we did it with smiles on our faces. Those kids deserve
better but we don't know how to help them. I walked out of there with an
attitude of gratitude for the home my parents built where Christ is the
foundation, where love resides, where service is rendered. So, thank you Mom
and Dad for loving me the way you do and for everything you've done for
me!
On Wednesday, I went on exchanged with Sister Wright! We
went to her area in Homedale. We were BUSY.
But I didn't feel like I had fun. The work was great...but I feel like I didn't
get to express my personality with her. Hm. Oh well. We met some interesting
people. One of their investigators has two sons, and they were running around
blowing snot bubbles. Big ones. Gross....another investigator, Rocky, lives
more out in the country, even though you can't really get more country than
Homedale anyways. He's so obsessed with guns and hunting, you'd think he was
from Texas. So, not knowing that
holding guns was against the mission rules (sorry Mom!) I held a sniper
rifle....yikes! He has at least 60 guns of all sorts. He also shoots cats. I
like him. Sister Ketring and I were playing phone tag all night....I hated
that. What did she want?!
So, when we exchanged back on Thursday, I was SO excited to
have my companion back! Sister Ketring told me that Dakota has accepted the
gospel and wants to be baptized. She and Sister Ammodt taught Dakota
and Wednesday and asked him if he'd been praying about Joseph Smith and the BOM
& he said he knows it's true because of Alma
33:14. SO Sister Ketring took that opportunity to extend the baptismal
invitation and he accepted! He'll be baptized April 26th--Dad's birthday! SO
exciting!
On Friday, we had appointments set, but our appointment with
our previously "new" investigator was a no-go. Jamie didn't answer.
Hmmm. But we taught Kenny and restarted the lessons with him and he is now
gaining a better understanding of prophets!
Saturday was a LONG day! Mostly because of the anxious and
long wait for transfer calls. We had breakfast with our district at the stake
center and amid the chaos, we all received a voicemail from P-Can. We're
staying right where we are! Woohoo! We headed over to the Montana
building for a combined district meeting with Elder Fuller's district. E.
Hatefi and Fuller gave an excellent training. We read through John 11, the
story of Lazarus being raised from the dead by the Savior. The Elders asked us
to think of ourselves as Lazarus. The point of the training was, we may feel
dead, and we may feel like it's over and there's no hope and there's no where
to turn. We may be "dead" for four days, four months, or four years,
but we are not the only one who is suffering. Jesus wept because he had to wait
to raise Lazarus. The Lord has to wait to relieve us of our afflictions because
if He does it right away, we will not learn and we will not grow. It kills Him
to have to wait. Our Father in Heaven is so willing to bless us, but we need to
have faith and we need that growth. After those four days or four years, how
great will be the day when Christ says, "Arise, and come forth."
Always remember why we have trials and always remember how great that day will
be when we are relieved from them and rise triumphant out of adversity.
Sunday was INcredible! After fast and testimony meeting, we
were approached by a young girl, around 16 or 17, named Jena,
and her friend Kelsey who is a laurel. Jena
asked us how long it takes for her to be a member. SHE WANTS TO BE BAPTIZED! We
set a date for April
26th, same day as Dakota, so we can ensure we get all the lessons
in! AH! Blessings. We also taught the youth in 5th ward the importance of
Preach My Gospel and why they should study it now. Ian Brickey, a youth, came
up to us and told us that was the best combined YM/YW lesson he'd been in.
Tender mercies. That night, we had a zone activity. Some members from another
area put together a sensory presentation and it. Was. So. Incredible. We were
blindfolded and walked through the life of the Savior--his birth, earthly
ministry, atonement, crucifixion, and resurrection. They would put things in
our hands such as hay to represent his birth, a nail to represent the
crucifixion. We were helped onto our feet and walked around the room
blindfolded, and helped carry a beam. I only felt a fraction of what the Savior
felt. I was in tears. It was beautiful. At the very end, we were back in our
chairs, and as they talked about the Savior coming to the America's,
I felt someone take my hand---he represented the Savior. More tears. It was
beautiful.
This week has been magnificent. I'm so grateful to be here.
I'm grateful for the gospel and I know this is the gospel of Jesus Christ and
this is the same church He established. The gospel is for everyone! Share it! I
love you all!
Love,
Sister Tyler
It's that time again. Word of the Week. HBH: Home But Hiding. people that are home but won't answer their door. It's usually painfully obvious they're home. May shout "We're not home!" or send their 2 year old to the door to tell you the same thing. They are too cowardly to tell us to our face that they aren't interested in Exaltation. I can one-hundred percent testify that this definition is true. We once knocked on someone's door--a member--and the dog started barking. We could hear them inside shushing their dog. No answer. So, my loyal readers, when the missionaries knock on your door, either answer it or make sure we can't hear you inside or else we will laugh at you and write home to our families about you. That is all.
Sister Ketring and I are going hiking up in Jump Creek today with our zone--on a real hike--with hills--real inclines--on actual mountains. Hopefully the weather will be good to us. It's pretty sunny right now. Exquisite. It's been in the 50s and 60s here in the afternoons which has been absolute bliss! Before we venture out of Babylon into the wilderness, I'll tell you a little bit about my week. The Lord has blessed me in so many ways. As I look back and ponder on this past week, I can truly see the Lord's hand in every situation I've come across. Blessings have been presented in so many different forms whether it be by receiving a prompting and acting on it thus leading us to an investigator, a box of letters and goodies from the Beehives back home, a golden referral, a compliment, and more. This week has been filled with blessings! Let me share my week with you! Monday-For P-day, we hung out as a district and attempted to go bowling...no luck. Bowling tournaments were going on...I though people just joked about bowling leagues...whoops. While we were walking back to the car, something caught all of our eyes--not literally though so don't worry! We saw a man riding down the street on his bike in booty shorts and a long black wig. I quickly came to a realization that there are many people in the Caldwell/Nampa area who are in desperate need of the gospel....and maybe some additional therapy.
Tuesday-A GOLDEN REFERRAL! They exist! The APS, while teaching an older lady, came across her daughter, Priscilla and her husband, Christ. They are a part-member family--Priscilla is a less-active and Chris isn't a member. We stopped by their house in Pamela's Loop the day we got the referral. Christ answered the door and their dog, Lucky, ran out into the yard. Sidenote: If you think Dakota and Annie are hyper, you should meet Lucky. Although, he is super obedient unlike the beasts that reside in the Tyler home. But anyway, Christ is SUPERB! He even told us he and Pricilla and the girls would be at church on Sunday before we even invited him. Hence the "Golden Referral." We had another lesson with Dakota and this time, practically his whole family joined us and we got to know them all a little better and became more comfortable. Dakota's parents, Dale and Lisa, are now taking the discussions with their son!
Wednesday-The four week follow-up AKA the new missionary meeting was today. It was grand. Much counsel was given that opened my eyes to the importance of the work and my purpose. I also got to see the sisters from my MTC zone! AH! I've missed my sweet Sister Gubler. She's doing pretty well and is currently serving in Cuna! Her companion, Sister "Happy Happy" doesn't speak a lot of English so that's been a struggle for her--but hey! Sister Gubler is learning Tongan...in Idaho. Who ever said Idaho wasn't or couldn't be exotic?! We met with Kenny tonight to work on overcoming his weakness--vodka. We established that his testimony will not progress until he puts the bottle down. Any advice?
Thursday-Today could have been busier and more productive, but it was fun nonetheless. We went to district meeting--that's always....interesting. Then we went to McDonald's. Really y'all. My district has a problem. I can constrain myself from the poison, but Elder Ngatuvai (Nag-too-vie) downs like five McRatchets every time we go. Then we went to Sister Saben's with Elder Hatefi and Elder Reischman to make enchiladas. So basically we ate...just to eat more #firstworldproblems.
Saturday-DeAnne and Tiffany invited us into their home this afternoon. We discussed DeAnna's concerns about Joseph Smith and the first vision. We gave her scriptures in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon that validate and support each other so she can study and come to know of the truthfulness of the gospel for herself as we guide her through the lessons. We committed her to read the BOM and to pray about it. Hopefully she will be receptive to the spirit when He testifies of its truthfulness--that same spirit that led her to Sister Ketring and I in McDonald's just the other week.
Sunday!-I made it through yet another week! Chris and Priscilla and the girls were at church today! They loved it! Everyone was so warm and welcoming to their little family. Chris looked radiant. You could just tell that he could feel the spirit. It was awesome. Priscilla asked me during Relief Society if her girls could serve missions when they're older and I did and internal fist pump! She's thinking long term...yes! I've felt so loved by the members today. Grandma pulled me aside before sacrament and said, "Sister Tyler, I was looking at you the other night and you just glow. You are so radiant and just downright gorgeous." The compliment may have been rendered by an 83 year old, skydiving granny, but it really meant a lot to me as I've struggled with self worth. That compliment was a tender mercy of the Lord. He knew that I needed that today. Mariah Funk, one of the laurels, gave a talk today and quoted me. To be quite honest, I don't even remember what I said exactly, but apparently it was profound and it stuck with her since the night of the youth fireside Sister Ketring and I taught. I wanted to burst into tears having been given the affirmation that I have already touched the life of someone here in Caldwell. Me. Sister Tyler. That was yet another tender mercy. Mariah announced from the pulpit that because of what I said and because of the example Sister Ketring and I set for her and the youth, she is now preparing to serve a mission. How can anyone deny the hand of the Lord when they can see Him working continuously in their lives? After this week, especially, I can never doubt the tender mercies the Lord has granted me. Kenny said something really funny during sacrament. Grandma's phone started ringing after the blessing on the bread, and Kenny goes, "It better be God." GOLDEN. We walked out of 5th ward this afternoon to find our car covered in Mormon.org cards. THOSE ELDERS.
All is well in Caldwell. I am working as hard as I can as a representative of Jesus Christ to bring other unto Him whether they be of another faith, less active, or active. I love being a missionary. I love having the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and to feel of His power and influence in a way I've never experienced. My mind has been opened more than I thought possible and I am learning so much. I know with the entirety of my being that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ! Have a fantastic week everyone! Remember who you are and whose you are! My favorite little bit of wisdom from my favorite and only of course, Mom! See what I did there? I love you all to PIECES! I miss you BUNCHES!
Love, Sister Tyler
PS. If you're wondering what this so-called "McRatchet" is, it's a McDouble and a McChicken stacked on top of each other. It looks so gross....
Happy Saint Patrick's Day, y'all!
The wind is FIERCE today. My hair is not
agreeing with me, but it's fine<--definite sarcasm. How was spring break?
Only two and a half months until summer, right?!
First thing's first, word of the week! Backer: The
missionary who stands behind the car while the driver reverses to "guide
them out of parking spaces." They often get hit because no one cares or
pays actual attention.
No worries y'all. I may be the one
backing, but my companion actually pays attention...sometimes.
This week has been QUITE a roller
coaster, but it's been very spiritually uplifting.
My companion and I have made a goal to put forth nothing but
our best effort starting tomorrow. Playing has become dominant over work and
it's caused us much grief and embarrassment when we reflect on our week and
find that we've only taught...I don't even want to tell you how many lessons.
I've prayed so much for a change to occur in our
companionship that would allow the desire to work to increase. Let me tell you,
I've been praying for the same thing since the first week. It got worse and
worse. But then Zone Conference happened and P-Can (President Cannon) passed
out a talk by Jeffrey R. Holland
entitled, "Teach the Atonement" and he laid down the law---as always.
Elder Holland emphasized the
importance of the white handbook and work. He said, "When we send you
home, we'll say, 'If you want to play, play." That really struck me. I am
not here to play. I'm here to work. In addition, one of the missionary
recitations came to mine. "Teaching of Ezra Taft Benson." President
Benson says, "I have often said one of the greatest secrets of missionary
work is work. If a missionary works, [she] will get the spirit. If she gets the
spirit, she will teach by the spirit, and if she teaches by the spirit, she
will touch the hearts of the people, and she will be happy..." Sister
Ketring and I have both been struggling to feel the spirit and I know it's
because we haven't been giving our best efforts to the Lord and to our wards.
Following Zone Conference, we had a really great talk with each other, and my
companion realized that she needs to work. That was such a blessing.
So, given my intro to this email, this
week hasn't been very productive. We tried to visit less actives and got
through to some. In fact, we were sitting at McDonald's one day, and this lady
comes up to us and starts talking to us about how she left the church and wants
to come back and her daughter was walking her dog and found two sister
missionaries.....come to find, it was her daughter Tiffany who we had met two
weeks ago, and we tried to visit but no one was home and we didn't have a phone
number. So we made an appointment for Sunday to go to her home and talk to her
about the gospel. Well, during our 4th hour of church (2 wards, remember?), we
get a voicemail from Diana. She had changed her mind about wanting to come to
church and called to cancel. Nope. We still went over. She opened the door and
talked to us despite the voicemail. She told us her concerns. She used to be a
Jehovah's Witness so she has heard MANY things about our church. Her main
concern was that if Satan can disguise himself as an angel, that Joseph Smith
might now have actually seen God, the Father, and Jesus Christ and that the
Book of Mormon is really of the devil. However, I bore witness that the Book of
Mormon is good and there is nothing good save it come from God. The Book of
Mormon talks about Christ as does the Bible. The Book of Mormon teaches all to
come unto Christ. Then, Sister Ketring asked Diana, "What drew you to us
in McDonald's the other day?" That question caused Diana to think---to
really think. She responded, "I don't know. Something did." And
that's when my awesome companion testified that it was the spirit that had lead
her to talk to us on Wednesday. Diana realized that she is, and I quote,
"in the midst of a spiritual war." It's so true. We are ALL
in the midst of a spiritual war. The adversary will NOT claim a ceasefire. He
wants to win more than anything, and he will not quit until he does. We always
have to be on our guard. We always need to remain close to the Lord. I was so
grateful that she acknowledged that. She also agreed to meet with us on
Wednesday and to come to church with us next Sunday! Never give up!
Also, on Saturday, we met a man outside
some Elders' house (we were giving them a ride to lunch with the district)
smoking, who turned out to be a less active. While we were waiting for the
Elders, we approached the man and talked to him a little bit and then invited
him to attend church. All it took was an invitation. Elder Fuller and Riley
texted us and told us he was at church with them on Sunday. He may not have
been a less active in our area and it may not have counted as anything for our
companionship, but we still fulfilled our purpose by bringing SOMEONE unto
Christ.
It's amazing what can happen when we are
in tune with the spirit. SO many blessings.
I miss you all! Have a fantastic week!
Love,
Sister Tyler
PS. I'm sorry Texas
doesn't have a Winger's Bar & Grill. It's heaven on Earth. That's all.
First off, I must make mention of the exquisite sunsets that
take place here in Caldwell. I've
been missing the big ol' Texas skies that I love so dearly & being able to
witness such beauty is very comforting to me because God knows exactly what I
needed this week. A good sunset always calms me down. But really, Idaho
is absolutely beautiful. I see the mountains in the distance everywhere I go.
There are trees EVERYWHERE. Guys....the grass is actually green and not
artificial....whoa! Idaho is
stunning.
Well, I just passed one month as a mission five days ago!
I'm starting to get into the swing of things. I'm getting more and more
comfortable talking to people and teaching. I still have learning and growing
to do seeing as I am still a greenie, but hey everyone says they can't tell
I've been out for only a month. Now, I can't seem to discern if they're just
saying that to be nice. It may be the same as, "She has such a sweet
spirit," with an underlying meaning of "She ain't pretty." Take
it how you want it? But anyways, I'm halfway through my first transfer in the
field!
How is Tejas? Mom told me about the ice storm...yikes!
That's Texas for ya. If there's
one thing I DON'T miss about the Lonestar state,
it's its bipolarness/bipolarity/
I absolutely LOVE my district. Elders Hatefi, Reischman,
Ngatuvai, and Stradling are just awesome and downright hilarious. I guess
Sister Ketring is cool too...just kidding, she's UH-MAY-ZING.
We are all really close. Sister Ketring and I are constantly giving these
Elders rides and doing things for them because we just love them. They're like
the brothers I never had....oh wait....KIDDING!
We have named our district #District6. It is in no way
related to that of The Hunger Games trilogy. Speaking of which, I saw Catching
Fire on the shelves at Walmart and about died. I had to turn around and walk
away before I went crazy. But hey, it's quite alright! It'll be way, WAY
discounted when I get home. Now back to my district and missionary life and
what we do for fun. We have decided that we will allow pranks. Oh yes. Sister
Ketring and I were sitting at McD's (I hate it even more now because we are
there ALL the TIME #
Basically, this week has been such a struggle. It's been a
struggle because mission brain has become dominant over my own brain. It's like
someone parked the Strug Bus (short for struggle bus), I got on and now we're
traveling down an ENDLESS road called U B STRUGGLIN. I rest my case.
However, many good things have come out of this week. For
example: our companionship got a hold of The Idaho Boise Mission Dictionary
& The Idaho Nampa Mission Dictionary. Yes, these exist and they have been
revised over the years. They are HIGH-larious. I'll share one a week. The word
this week is Car Czar: The office Elder who coordinates all things
having to do with the INM vehicles. On occasion, will relate going over miles
to the Atonement unless you are a bike Elder in which he will remind you that
you have unlimited mileage.
Now, on a serious note, we taught lessons to our two
investigators and Kenny G, the less active man we've been teaching. On Friday,
we met with Naomi. I think I forgot to mention her in my last email--sorry!
Naomi is an older woman who lives with her son, Bruce (oh hey!). Brice is less
active, but about 9 months ago, he gave his mom a Book of Mormon but no one
followed up with her! She was a bit hesitant to let us in the first time we
knocked on her door but she did and we got to know her a little bit and she is
one awesome lady. We saw her again and taught her about the Restoration. We
invited her to read the scriptures because she didn't follow through with her
commitment to do so the first time we met. She responded to the invitation
with, "Well...I've been thinking," and immediately my mind goes 'oh
crap.' But she continued by saying she wants to and will read the Book of
Mormon every morning when she wakes up!
Following the lesson with Naomi, we went over to Dakota's to
teach him about the Plan of Salvation. Sister Ketring asked him what his
thoughts were about our first parents leaving the Garden of Eden. His initial
response was, "Adam really screwed up." Following that remark, we
discussed why it was good for Adam and Eve to leave and how it was, in fact, a
part of Heavenly Father's plan for us. We read with him in 2 Nephi 2 about the
fall and why it was essential. We talked about how Satan was really just played
at his own game when he got Eve to partake of the fruit and then Adam. Every
time we would read and stop to see if Dakota has any questions, he would say,
"I did but this just answered it." It was just an awesome lesson! The
scriptures answer all questions.
Now, Kenny G wants to receive the priesthood. He wants to go
to the temple. He wants his patriarchal blessing. He's been trying to get his
life in closer harmony with Christ's teachings. On Saturday when we met, he
asked us to talk about the commandments. So we did and we invited him to live
all of them included the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity. He said,
"I'll try." Normally I would be completely fine with that phrase
because it's good. However, he needs to DO it. He needs to tell himself that he
WILL keep the commandments. That way, he will have a greater motivation to do
so. Next time we meet, I will bring up 1 Nephi 3:7. "I will go and DO the
things which the Lord hath commanded....."
We all need to be like Nephi. We need to go and do what we
need to do. We need to endure. Enduring to the End is a HUGE principle of the
gospel. It doesn't stop at faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentence,
baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. What good are those things
if we won't ENDURE?
Be obedient. Choose the right. You will be blessed for it.
The Lord is BOUND when we do what He says! We have his PROMISE as long as we
keep our lives in harmony with His gospel.
I love you all! Have a FAN-tastic week! Don't be afraid to
open your mouths!
Until next week,
Sister Tyler
Monday, March 24, 2014
Hey y'all!
This week has been BUSY, yet SO awesome! So on P-days,
we e-mail for two hours and then go shopping and then go to one of the
church buildings to hang out with all the other missionaries! There are a
LOT! We are so close to hitting our limit for missionaries in this
mission! We're at 170 out of 200! WOW! Last Monday night, the Neals put
together an FHE activity for the members of Caldwell 5th Ward to come
and meet us. It was an awesome way to get to know some of the members.
It was a pretty relaxed day. Today, we're going grocery shopping.
There's an Ulta, Target, and Old Navy in Nampa and we just got
"paid"...:)
On Tuesday, my emotions were so very scattered. We went contacting.
We rode our bikes over to the Angels because they were the
fellowshippers of Brian and Carol across the street, who were former
investigators. Sadly, they weren't interested. So, we headed over to
Grandma's and we saw a member driving by and we went over to her house
to say hello. I cannot begin to tell you how sad their situation is. All
of the kids are "homeschooled". I use quotations because they aren't
being taught anything. All of the kids who are old enough to
read....can't. The mom takes great care of herself and you would never
guess her kids were hers because all of their clothes are dirty, and
they've got unkept hair, and they aren't bathed. It's really sad. The
house is dirty. When I say dirty, I mean there's dirt everywhere. The
couches are torn. It's just so sad. Nine kids, one mom, no nurturing.
When we left, I wanted to cry. We discussed their situation in ward
council, and everyone expressed the same concern--especially the young
women's leader, Sister Jackson.
Later on Tuesday, we went to visit a referral from another set of
Elders. His name is Dakota, 18, wants to be a preacher, but has no
specific denomination in mind. PERFECT! He agreed to take the lessons!
We had dinner at the Anderson's and I sat by one of their sons, Isaiah
who is SUPER talkative. If I didn't say something in response to him
because I was eating my food, he would tap me on the shoulder and say,
"Sister Tyler....Sister Tyler...." It reminded me of Sheldon Cooper when
he knocks on Penny's door and says her name three times....THEN he
asked how we felt about, and I quote, "Out-dated Winco." It was so
funny!
Fun fact: Unicorns are mentioned in Deuteronomy 33 #compstudy
Wednesday,
we got out car! YES! It was like a dream. 2014 Toyota Corolla. Brand.
Spankin. New. It rocks. We spent our day contacting new converts in 5th
and 12th ward. They are all so awesome and their testimonies are so
strong. One in particular, Katie Smith, grew up Anti and her parents and
husband's parents are still Anti, yet her testimony in the gospel and
the Savior is unwavering. It's so incredible. Her husband is in jail.
Just listen. So, when he walked into his cell, the only thing sitting on
his bed was a Book of Mormon. WHAT. So he's been reading and studying
and he's gaining a testimony. Everyone can change.
Not much happened on Thursday. We had district meeting and just
continued to build our relationships with the elders in the district.
Don't worry, not that kind of relationship! Our District leader, Elder
Hatefi dropped a jolly rancher on the floor and did the bend and snap
when picking it up....we judged him so hardcore but laughed our tails
off.
Okay, so FRIDAY, we literally knocked on 50 doors. We were just
contacting members, and we started off in Pamela's Loop, and literally
all but TWO families moved and one was freaked out by us for some
reason. We knocked on Dennis McCarter's door and a woman answered and
her eyes got super wide, and she asked us what we wanted and we just
asked her if Dennis was home, and she started ranting and telling us to
never come back again and shut the door. Her windows were covered up
with lined paper and it was just really eerie. After Pamela's Loop, we
headed to Crestwood for "Operation: Conquer Blueberry." So many members
live on Blueberry Street. Come to find, all of them are inactive. At
least 85% of our work will be reactivating members, which is great! We
met David Bradshaw, who has been inactive for 15 years, but is so open
to us coming back. He's married to a Colombian woman and his daughter
hangs out with Bishop Barclay's daughter! PERFECT! We knocked on Tyler
Jensen's door and his roommate, Sonny, answered and told us he wasn't
there but wasn't opposed to having the missionaries standing at his
door. What young man in the right mind would turn away pretty girls
anyway?!
While walking back to our car, we were stopped by a woman, Tiffany,
who happens to be a less active. She just moved from California and she
hasn't been to church since she was 10 so she knows nothing about it.
She wants to meet with us! So it's safe to say that Friday was a
success!
Saturday was honestly my favorite. We taught Dakota the lesson on
the Restoration. We walked into his house, the tv was blaring because
his sister, Courtney, was watching it. His little sister was on the
floor watching something on the iPad without headphones. His brother was
in the kitchen doing something and his parents were in their room. We
started talking to Dakota, and answered his questions, which are REALLY
good. He asked us about Nephi and why he had to leave room on the plates
to be abridged and all these other profound questions. Halfway through
the lesson, Courtney muted the tv. Then, I started to teach the first
vision, and just after I recited James 1:5 that leads into JSH 1:16-17,
Courtney turned off the tv and listened. As I repeated the account of
Joseph Smith seeing God and Jesus Christ, the spirit filled the room and
the smile on Courtney's face was evidence of that. She felt that
spirit. I know Dakota felt the spirit. Sister Ketring and I both felt
the spirit and it was incredible. Sister Ketring asked Courtney if she
would be interested in taking the lessons with her brother, and she said
"no" this time, but we will keep inviting her to learn and to feel the
spirit testify. I almost cried because the spirit was so powerful. We
invited Dakota to read and to pray about the things and ask of God
whether these things are not true (Moroni 10:3-5). We set up a return
appointment with Dakota next Saturday and we are SO excited! These
people are being prepared by the Lord and I can see it.
This week has been so incredible and I couldn't be more grateful to
be a part of this work. I am working alongside the Lord in His
vineyard, bringing souls unto Him. This gospel is true. This is the
church of Jesus Christ. We are in the last dispensation. We will never
fall into another apostasy. The time of the coming of the Savior is
imminent and I couldn't be more grateful to be a part of the hastening
of the work of salvation. Be missionaries this week. At all times. Do
not be afraid to share the gospel. This is why we're here! NOW is the
time for men to prepare to meet God! I love you all, and I'm grateful
for all of your support! Have a fantastic week! Remember who you are,
and who you stand for!
With love,
Sister Tyler
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