Man, this week! If I could only tell you! It's been a roller-coaster.
First of all. . . so this week the Moving Elders (Weston 1) had to take in their truck to get it fixed. We had this great plan that we would take them to meet a less-active family I taught a year ago. So we were driving to pick them up from the Ford place. . . I was merging, coming off the freeway, so I slowed down. . . and the person behind me didn't.
Yup. This little Toyota Corolla rear-ended the SPACESHIP. :P :P At at least 30 mph, when we were almost stopped. We jolted hard, heard the bang, I screamed, and then we pulled right over! My first accident ever!!!! That got my adrenaline pumping. I was all woozy even jumping out of the van.
It didn't look pretty. The whole bumper was smashed up into the doors, which were smashed up into the frame. The trailer hitch and metal were all bent. . . the other guy got away less smashed-up. We were lucky the Moving Elders were right there. They helped us out a lot. And my back started hurting when the adrenaline started fading. It's hard to believe how jarring that hit was. Like bumper cars x100. I never liked bumper cars. . .
Sister Miller got in a crash that same day! And we had to go to Urgent Care and fill out reports and all sorts of lame things. *Sigh*. It's going to be a pricey repair. Firestone ripped off our bumper so we could open the back doors. But I'm okay, don't you worry!
Friday we had a wonderful Zone Meeting. :)
Anyway, Saturday was incredible. Guess where I went??? Central Falls. Because of the most incredible thing ever. I don't know if you remember this girl I love, named Alexandra. I taught her the lessons to prepare her for her baptism. She's ten, and we were the best of friends. Her mom was returning to full activity at the time, but Alexandra was too afraid to ask her dad for permission to get baptized, which is what prevented her from baptism when I was there. And then last week. . . his heart was softened, Sister Rhoderick asked him for permission, and he said yes.
So last second they planned a baptism, I got notified, and we raced over to Central Falls for a beautiful Saturday morning baptism! I love Alexandra so much!!! She tackled me as soon as I walked through the door and stayed by my side the whole time. She's crazy and hilarious and has a strong, wonderful personality. :) I've missed her. When I told them how soon I'm going home, Sister Rhoderick started crying and said it was just in time. The Lord has perfect timing. It was s tender mercy for me, too, to see something I worked and prayed for happen. It reminded me that I'm capable of being an instrument in the Lord's hands still--that big things can still happen before I go home, as a result of my efforts and the Lord working through me. It was a special day. Alexandra stood to sing "I Am a Child of God" during the service, then got scared and grabbed my hand. She pulled me to the front and whispered that she wanted me to sing with her. So I did. It was precious. This is what missionary work is all about.
We had a Brazilian/Cape Verdian party in Central Falls that night, too. Lots of non-members came, and we taught some people a powerful lesson using a display and videos upstairs. <3 It was neat. And their music and dancing is so cool!
Sunday the Brookline Sisters came on splits with us! Sister Cruz went to Hingham and West Bridgewater, and I went to 2 Haitian baptisms! Crazy, right??? One of them was for a family I know in Weston. Haha, I set the display up by myself in 5 minutes flat in front of everyone. . . No pressure! Haha, it was because we were running from the baptism in Boston. It was a success, though!
We got transfer news, too!!!! Guess what??? I'm staying. :) :) Hahaha. That's right. Half of my mission is in the PVC. I will finish everything here. <3 I intend to sprint.
I love you all so much! Thanks for news and emails and letters! I feel your love!
It's been an interesting week. The whole mission seems to be in a constant state of transition, with the change in of the Mission President and all. That on top of the fact that I got my flight plans and my "Book of Gold" to document the highlights of my mission are really making these weeks feel surreal. September is coming fast.Yikes!
Last P-day we went to the Museum of Science again! It's my favorite place in Boston. I'll have to send you a picture--it's incredible! :)
Throughout the week we scheduled, edited videos, and worked on the digital mission. The digital mission. . . man. . . I can't believe I haven't really explained it to you. Hang tight; You'll love this! It's another pilot program we have in the MBM. Basically, we have 2 Elders assigned to full-time find people online to teach the restored gospel, through social media. They run everything and have trained the entire mission on how to find people, too! Different companionships are assigned to different social media sites, and when we make new friends, we Skype them! That's when we get to teach them the lessons. It's incredible how fast you can pick up investigators online. As a mission, we're Skyping with people all over the world! (Except a few no-fly zones, which the Church has a policy that we can't proselyte in.) We apply all the same things we would as a regular investigator, including members at every lesson (3-way Skypes), daily contact, commitments. . . The only difference is that as soon as they set a baptismal date (or earlier, depending on their progression) we call up the missionaries in their area to step in. It's so cool. So far we've had 8 baptisms from the digital mission. This just really got started 7 or 8 months ago. And it was because President Packard was inspired and knew what missionaries to call to make it happen. So yeah, I'll be doing some regular teaching again!
We also had interviews with President Miller this week. I really love him. :) It's so different, but he's incredible.
On Friday we went back to Providence for another Open House! For some reason it's gotten harder and harder to get people to tour that building and see the displays. I'm trying to figure out the difference. It's a high foot-traffic area there, too! But anyway, after we set everything up, Sister Jessup and I tried contacting people. We were getting rejection after rejection, and suddenly I had an idea. I had my guitar with me, because we had just sung a musical number for District Meeting. So we ran and grabbed my guitar and a chair, and Sister Jessup and I sang and played Primary songs on the street while the Spanish Sisters contacted everyone! We certainly got a lot more attention. :) And it was fun. I've always wanted to do that. The Elders joined us for awhile and we had 3-part harmony going on. We ended up having 2 solid conversations from that, and even got to show them a couple of videos. One guy was just back from Iraq and clearly suffering from PTSD. The other was a young guy who was smart and really on the right track for what the purpose of life is and such. I hope something comes from it! :)
We got home super late and woke up super early on Saturday! And we went on exchanges again, this time with the Marlborough Portuguese Sisters. I went with Sister Goncalves to Woodbridge, Connecticut so that our companions could go to the recent convert temple day with someone they both taught. It was really fun! It's a 2 1/2 hour drive to Woodbridge. Gah! But we talked the whole time. Sister Goncalves flew out to Boston with me nearly a year and a half ago. How crazy is that? Now she's going home in a week and a half. She chose to go home this transfer instead of the next, so she could make it to school. I really like her. Our event was an Asian Culture Fair. It was really fun!
Yesterday Sister Cruz and I went crazy to get to three different baptisms! One was in Framingham, one in Gardner, and one in Worcester. :) I know the names are kind of meaningless. But it was pretty crazy! We made it, though! I love being busy. The videos are as powerful to people now as they were when I started in the PVC 7 months ago. :) I love it. Then the Dowlings had us for dinner, which was nice.
That's my life! On Friday we get T-texts again. So I'll find out if President Miller sees fit to transfer me for my very last 6 weeks. That's insane. I wouldn't know what to do with myself! I've been on this special assignment for so long. . . and I love it!
Thanks again for everything! I love my mission with everything I have. This is insane how fast time flies.
Highlights of the week: we went back to Hartford for an Open House!!! I love love love going to Hartford. <3 Remember the success we’ve had there over the last few months? Well. . . this was the most successful Open House we’ve ever had! I love the outdoor display right in in front of people as they walk by, and the pure missionary work of street-contacting. There were so many miracles and so many different stories! I wish I could tell all of them and do it justice, but I’ll tell what I can. :)
It was slow-moving at first, but it got busier and busier! One woman Sister Cruz and I stopped on a bike couldn’t come it, but she knew we were from God. She was so sweet and committed to come to church on Sunday and bring her cousin. Elder McGurk is so bold, and throughout the course of the day, he committed 3 people to baptism!!! Can you believe it? President Miller stopped in to see it. We gave him a brief tour. He had to run, but he loved it. The Assistants came too, and after no success, they knelt in an empty classroom and prayed to be led to the one person they knew Heavenly Father had prepared. Right after that, they took an incredibly prepared man through the whole tour, and at the end, he had a baptismal date, too!!! (I have more details now.. . he actually showed up to church in a suit and tie and has read the Book of Mormon through Mosiah 12 now. Amazing.)
I street-contacted a lot, and was rejected and hit on and everything inbetween, but I gave a tour to some stellar kids and a pregnant woman. who FELT THE SPIRIT but was afraid to give contact info. :( And the Hartford Bishop came to see it for the first time. A bunch of member kids got really excited and handed out more pass-along cards than all of us combined (“Hey, sir, do you want to take a free picture of Jesus?”) One brilliant kid (9 or so) helped me contact this 15-year-old (like a BOSS) who went to get his friends for the tour. They came through the whole thing, and it was so neat! The picture I’m sending is me teaching this group of kids.
There were so many more miracles and stories I didn’t get details on. I hope you can tell how incredible it was, though! Christ knows His sheep, and they are numbered. :) At the end of the night, the final count was 61 people pulled off the streets on 35 tours, with 4 people committed to baptism and 2 dates. !!!!!!!! WOW. Never limit the Lord. It’s not about numbers, but it’s incredible to see how far we can reach, especially with tools like the PVC.
:) Saturday I went on exchanges with Sister Thompson again. But this time I went into her area! So I was back in Weston for a day, just like how I started my mission. Weird, right? It was really fun! I got to help teach an investigator and finally set up my digital mission account (I'll have to explain that one another time). We had dinner with the Mirandas. That was an adventure.
And yesterday we had 2 baptismal services to attend, nearly on top of each other! So first we ran to the Boston chapel and set up the Jesus Christ display in Portuguese, then we ran to Brockton and set up the Jesus Christ display in English. We attended sacrament meeting with them, then the baptism, then took down and ran back to Boston in time to catch the closing song of that baptismal service. :) The Elders had accidentally locked the iPad in the case without hooking everything up first, so they ended up using a different iPad and just playing Mormon Messages through our TV screen instead. Hahaha. I did warn them. Typical Elders. :) ;) Jk. They covered nicely.
Today we went to the Museum of Science and it was Sister Miller's birthday, so we went to the mission home for cake!!!! So it's been preeetty busy. :) I'll have to tell you more about the Museum next week. Just know that I appreciate everything you do for me--all the thoughts and prayers and love my way. The MBM is the greatest.
My internet shut down right before I could send this yesterday, so here it is! Talk to you next week! <3
Hello everyone!!!!!
This has to be really short--it's been a crazy P-day, let me tell you. :P
But first of all, we finished the world map! The longest part was outlining everything in black! It took forever and ever and ever. But hey. It's done now, and it looks awesome. :) :) :)
Thursday Sister Cruz and I went back out to Ashford for the monthly fair, if you remember that! Last time the whole zone was there. This time it was Elder Williams, Elder Warren, and us! I was a little skeptical at first, but we set up the Book of Mormon roundtable, stocked ourselves with supplies, and contacted like crazy. We were determined to give out our whole stash of Book of Mormons, and guess what??? We did! I love love love contacting people! I got to talk to a Harvard Professor who had a student leave on a mission, a couple who really wanted to meet with the missionaries, a local radio broadcaster who asked if the Elders could go on his station, and many others. The Lord is so mindful of all his people! We're so blessed. :)
Friday, after a fantastic district meeting, Sister Cruz and I prepped and took off for another road trip. I love road trips! Being busy as a missionary is the best. :) We drove the tree hours to Madison and stayed overnight with the sisters there, because the next day we had to be at the New Haven Stake Center for their Family Fun Day! Oh my goodness. They asked for the whole shebang, so we set up everything we could (dashing through the pouring rain) and were amazed at the event! They had all sorts of stations: Family Home Evening, New Hartford Temple, Activities, etc. And they roasted the biggest hunks of meat I've ever seen on a spit in my LIFE. Seriously. I couldn't believe the kind of food they came up with! Lots of people went through our displays, and we even showed Because of Him in Chinese to this sweet Chinese family that weren't members. :)
When we were taking down the displays, one of the prongs from the lights went up under my nail. Hurt reallybad.
We had to run to Southington to drop off the displays for the next day, then book it and leave for a baptism in Scituate, Rhode Island. I'd never been there before!!!! I was so glad we were invited. 2 of our exits were shut down and there was crazy traffic, and then we realized we didn't have a tool, but somehow the Lord provided and everything worked out just fine. :) :) The baptism was incredible--it was this grown man covered in tattoos who had clearly turned his life completely around. His dad had died just a week before, and instead of making him sink, it catapulted his testimony of the Atonement. We shared our videos and bore our testimony, and he bore a powerful witness of the Savior after his baptism. The best part was that a member's friend was there. She was an incredible, sweet woman on the search for truth and had never stepped foot in a Mormon chapel before. She wants more than anything to learn more.
So after that incredible experience, we drove back to Glastonbury to spend the night. It was Sister Mireles and Sister Lind! They are so sweet, and their apartment is gorgeous. They seriously have a river, a waterfall, and a gazebo out their back door. Sheesh! We crashed there, then woke up early and went to the Southington Chapel. I'd never been there either! And they certainly utilized us, all day long.
So first we trained Ward Council with our brand new, beautiful presentation. That was great! They booked more events with us right there! Then we scrambled to set everything up before sacrament meeting. We finished perfectly 10 minutes before, then we spoke in Sacrament meeting. It was really really neat to give a talk again. I loved it, and we were followed by the homecoming talk of a return missionary. :) After that, we trained the youth with Elders Pay and Wescott. . . and the displays, of course. Missionary work! Youth are hard to teach. . . andlastly, we were there for the linger longer. Food is great, isn't it? :) The best part was the kids. We set up the world map so they could understand what we're doing with the Primary PVC, and the kids ran all over it!!! They loved it, and it was so cute!!!!
We took down and packed up for about an hour and a half. We have a ton of equipment! And then, we drove to Central Falls to pick up a display we left with them for their baptism. They said it was such a hit. :) I was able to swing by Faith's house again, since we were there. I love her. I have so much family out here.
So that was my incredible, crazy, successful week! Thanks for all the support. I've got so much more to do out here!!!!
Hope things are going great at home! :) I love life here. Summer is great--everything is hot and busy and glorious. Plus, being a missionary couldn't be better.
Ahh! So last Monday, right after I emailed you, we went to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert. Oh my goodness. I knew it would be good, but it was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! They are so talented, the orchestra was phenomenal, the music selection perfect, and. . . ALEX BOYE was there! He did some incredible solos! It was all amazing. We had good company, too. Last second, a bunch of missionaries got tickets to go, so they were all bringing less-actives and investigators. There were even missionaries from the New Hampshire Mission! Crazy!
That was a fun day. :) And for this whole last week, we worked on a project. Remember the Primary PVC I've been working on? The big, interlocking foam map we projected and drew a map of the world on? Well this week, we painted it. Neat, right??? We had to do it piece by piece, starting with primer, then two layers of the color! On that huge map. . . man. It took hours and hours. Most of the week, frankly. The moving Elders and Spanish Waltham Elders helped out a lot, though. I'll send pictures! Let me tell you, oil-based paint doesn't come off very easily...
One night we had a solid correlation with President Miller about the PVC, and then on Saturday, we went on splits to cover events! Sister Cruz and Sister Asay went to Marlborough for a big Brazilian party. Apparently it was super solid!!! 20 non-members, and Sister Cruz got to see her people!
Sister Thompson and I went to Providence for a pizza-making girls' camp fundraiser! Haha, Sister Thompson is a 4'11" riot! :D We had so much fun. We set up a display outside, where the pizzas were cooking. It's in a foot-traffic area, so random people came and bought pizzas and watched the videos. That pizza is to die for. One of the members is famous for it. :) The Elders were having fun tossing the dough, everyone was contacting, and Sister Thompson and I folded pizza boxes and stacked them as tall as her. Haha!
Yesterday we attended a baptism in Brockton. Those are great. It was half Portuguese, half English. I love going to baptisms! Sister Miller surprised us and showed up with Bella, which was awesome, because she got to see a display for the first time and loved it!
So life is good. :) :) Keep in touch! I love you all so much.
This time, I'm emailing from the mall in Cambridge. We're prepping for an awesome day in Boston, and then. . . guess what?? We get to go to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert!!!! They're only here for one day, and I'm so excited. We might even be able to set up the PVC, but I don't know yet. We find out if we have permission soon. Wouldn't that be the greatest?
We're right in the middle of the big mission president transition here. The Assistants gave us a call and asked us to house 3 of the brand-new sisters for a night. That was fun! These new missionaries are solid! And in the process, we were able to meet the new Mission President and his wife. President and Sister Miller. I like them. :) President Miller is really sharp. I don't know if I can describe him any other way. Sister Miller seems tired. I don't blame her. They have a 7-year-old, adopted girl named Bella. She's adorable.
Friday we had the welcome conference for the Millers. They told us about themselves and their vision for the MBM. I was so grateful when they said, "We don't intend to fill the Packards' shoes, but we can stand on their shoulders and build on what they've done." I know they'll be good for this mission.
We spent Friday night in Foxboro with Sister Cannel and Sister Harrington. They're awesome! We've never done an event in Foxboro, so it was particularly fun. The ward had us at the chapel bright and early Saturday morning, for a pancake breakfast to celebrate Independence Day! Wahoo! Happy 4th of July, everyone! I'm so blessed to be in Boston for the 4th. This is a sacred place. :) The pancake breakfast was fun. Mostly members took a look at the PVC, but that's good, because they really hadn't seen much of it before.
President Miller gave us permission to celebrate with each other for the 4th, so that night, the whole Zone came over to our apartment complex to play games and have a Barbecue. That was pretty awesome. Haha, we played girls camp games, which was actually super fun! Elder Wright, the new (returning, actually) moving Elder, knew them as well as I did. :D We have a great group. Missionaries are the greatest! I hope I can always hang out with missionaries. They have awesome, wholesome fun.
This is a shorter email because we didn't have as many events this week. But that's okay! Sister Cruz and I deep deep deep cleaned our house, which was wonderful! We live in a little piece of heaven, as she says. :) We're organizing and prepping to start going again, non-stop!
Goodbyes don't get any easier. Or maybe they do, but this is one of the hardest goodbyes I've ever had to face. This week, I not only had to say goodbye to Sister Moss (who is now one of my closest friends) and 30 other amazing missionaries I came to love, but I had to say goodbye to the Packards. President and Sister Packard, Angela and Michael. Brutal. I can't even describe how it feels to you.
Just to hit the big events, on Friday we went to Worcester bright and early for our Farewell Conference with President Packard. Bru-tal. I already said that, didn't I? Gah. Okay, so first, President gave a beautiful training/testimony on the Sabbath Day. It was really incredible. But I was sooo nervous throughout the whole thing, because right after that, it was Sister Bybee, Sister Moss and I performing the musical number. I wanted President to feel my testimony and thanks though song! I was so scared until I stood at the pulpit, then I was okay. We sang our hearts out! It was Alive, by Natalie Grant. Poor Sister Bybee squeaked at one point, but other than that, we were happy with our performance. Sister Packard hugged us, in tears, before she spoke.
Sister and President Packard both spoke to us (missionaries) for the last time there. Sister Packard was an emotional wreck, which didn't help any of us. :( We're excited for the Millers, we really are! It's just a crazy hard transition. President Packard shared his powerful testimony, counseled us, and blessed us. We sang "God Be With You Till We Meet Again". There was hardly a dry eye in the room, and then they took the time to hug each and every one of us at the end. We made a quick dash to the car so I wouldn't have to face anyone, and I cried most of the way to Central Falls.
We hit Central Falls for a quick African meal from my dear friend Faith on the way to our Open House in Providence! :) Her mom made us Fufu. Sister Moss was soon excited, since her boyfriend is serving his mission in Ghana. :D I love her! It was a bunch of fun, and a perfect distraction before an Open House! We drove the10 minutes to Providence and set up. We went on exchanges so that Sister Moss could go contacting/giving tours on her last night as a missionary, and I could finish the surprise goodbye video for President and Sister Packard. So here's the thing--we secretly asked every missionary to film themselves saying thank you/goodbye to the Packards for 10 seconds and send it to us, so we could piece it together into a beautiful video. Took awhile, but I worked hard on that thing! Meanwhile, we had discussed with the Digital Mission Sisters another gift idea. I mentioned a muriel of all the missionaries they served with, pieced together to make the Boston temple. Sister Thompson and Sister Webber loved that idea, so they ran with it! So we were simultaneously making the perfectgoodbye gifts for the Packards. <3
We ended up crashing in Central Falls again (after a successful night!), then getting up early to play Ultimate Frisbee! Crazy, that tradition started in Central Falls when I was there; every Saturday morning, frisbee with Brother Frandsen and Bishop and every missionary we could find! Since then, they've gotten more missionaries to come and found a better field. It was the best! :) I love seeing these people again. We had to head out in order to make it to transfer meeting on time. I know, on a Saturday! The schedule is so different this time. It's all because the Packards and 32 missionaries are leaving at the same time! That's a ton! Every one of them, plus the Presidency, took 2-3 minutes to bear their final testimonies. And we had two musical numbers. That's a long, heartbreaking meeting. The muriel was also presented to them. I'll never forget Sister Packard clapping her hand to her heart, and President's face tightening as he fought not to cry. What a meeting. The Spirit and the unity was so strong, and it was insane to see Sister Moss up on the stand. She's a wonderful, powerful missionary. She used the 18 months she had well. I hope I can do the same--the time is flying waaaaay too fast. :P
Two hours, another round of "God Be With You Til We Meet Again", more tears, more hugs later, I was with my new companion, Sister Cruz. Man, I'm so glad I love her already! She's the greatest! We had two events that night, and she was such a trooper, going from a Culture night in Cambridge to a Baptism in Belmont. Guess who's baptism we went to??? Chris DeHart. Susan's husband. Oh my goodness, it was soon special! I can't believe how far they've come, and now they have a precious baby girl named Lucy! She's darling. :) Susan said she couldn't be happier. Well, that's what the gospel does for you, right? :)
Sunday, we actually had a chance to go to our home ward. Which was a first, and a blessing, because of course the Packards were there, speaking for the last time. Both of their testimonies were again, stunning. President shared 5 ways to guarantee that you will never stop progressing in the gospel, so we don't have to be afraid of slipping back into who we were. I'll cherish that forever! Then, at the end, the Bishopric made a last minute decision to switch the closing hymn to "God Be With You TIl We Meet Again." Of course.
After that, we helped out at the mission home all day! The departing missionaries were having a feast, so we helped prepare it! We hung a banner and rolled out a red carpet, and when all the departing missionaries came back, we clapped and cheered as they entered the house. :) The best part was when the Packards pulled up last! We all stood on either side of the red carpet and put our hands up for them to walk under! Sister Cruz caught the best picture of them ever! :) :) I'll send it.
At the end of the night, all of us who were remaining sat down and watched the video I put together. We had it projected up on the wall. I knew the Packards would love it, but I didn't know how much. They laughed and cried through the whole thing, and when the movie was over, we just sat in silence while Sister Packard wept. I will never forget the feeling in the room, nor the following conversation. President read Alma 26 with us, we prayed together, then we took off for the night.
The last time I saw them was Monday. We spent the whole day helping clean their house to be ready for the Millers. The other departing missionaries had already left, so it was just our Zone helping out. There was lots to do, but somehow we got it all done before they had to go to the airport to pick up the Millers and leave. I got to give them one last hug--my parents in the MBM--and then they got in the car. President called out to us to tell us he loved us, and then his face crumpled as he drove away. :'( It was so hard! I'm sorry if I sound dramatic about all of this. I'm trying to somehow capture how much they meant to me and how much of an impact they've had on our lives for eternity. I can hardly think about not having them here. But I love and trust the Lord. I know His timing is perfect. I wouldn't have it any other way, and I'm so grateful for even having a minute with Dan and Alison Packard.
The Packards helped me develop a very real, very personal relationship with my Savior. I want to commit to you now, that no matter what happens, I will never fall away from the truths I have learned. The gospel will be my life for the rest of my life. Nothing exists that comes within a universe of the same significance. I know that to be true with every fiber of my being, and I will live in a way that reflects that truth.
