Hello again,
I’m happy to hear that my letters and pictures found all of you. Dad when you get a chance please copy them so the grandparents can see too. Thank you for your letters and e-mails as well. Everyone sounds great.
We have Zone Conference this Tuesday and that’s where we take a few hours (3-4) out of our day to get in more training from our Mission President. It’s an exciting time because we all wash our cars and whoever has the cleanest car gets more miles added on for the month. There’s first second and third place. Last transfer we didn’t win but maybe this time. It’s been raining a lot lately and it’s also been cold, I got here just in time.
Our service that we have every Friday from 1-3 is for a local church called Hill Country Bible Church. (When we knock doors this is where most people say they go) It’s a little organization of volunteers, caseworkers, and others who help provide food and clothes for people in need. We go and help give people groceries when an order comes in or we stock the pantries, fold and sort through clothes, clean out sheds, etc. It’s nice to be out there helping other people in that way. We don’t always wear our shirts but we did that day so we could take pictures otherwise we’re in shirts and pants.
Things here are still going well. My companion and I have been blessed with a couple new investigators to share the gospel with. We’ve been trying to improve our approaches so we can teach more. I’m looking forward to our training tomorrow from our Mission President. We also have someone from the 70 (not sure what his name is) coming to speak to us too and he’ll also be doing random apartment checks to see how clean we are. I know my companion and I don’t have to worry about that one though. I’m still me.
Sorry this e-mails so short. I was glad that I had time to write to individually though and hopefully as I continue to manage my time I’ll be able to get in more handwritten ones. This P-day is really busy because we have a lot we need to do to prepare for tomorrow. Thanks again for your support. I love our family!
Love,
Sister Green
Monday, October 26, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Hello all,
This past week started a bit rough and I struggled a little bit. Or as my Mission President would say “You’re not struggling, you’re learning”. So I guess this past week I’ve “learned” a lot. I now have a new companion Sister John. She’s from Kaipato Arizona, close to Lake Powell. She’s Native American so she speaks Navaho and also Spanish. She’s not as good as she would like to be but the member that we live with is a native Spanish speaker and she’s promised to speak to both of us only in Spanish so we can learn faster. She’s really nice and we’ve gotten to know each other better these past few days. I had gotten really used to Sister Larrosa as my companion but I’ve learned that Heavenly Father doesn’t like us to get comfortable. He likes us to stretch outside of ourselves because that is when we are truly learning and growing. Six to twelve weeks from now I’m sure I’ll be going through the same thing. My companion Sister John told me yesterday that the only things consistent in life are the gospel and change.
We’ve been teaching a couple of new investigators that have shown lots of interest in the gospel. Yesterday while we were walking we saw this man who was working on his car with his son and we told him we were the missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ… and that we were in his neighborhood sharing a message about our Savior Jesus Christ and his restored gospel. He looked at us and said “Restored? Wow, okay. We taught him a brief restoration and he asked if we had a pamphlet we could leave him and he’s allowed us to come back this next week to teach him and his family more.
Every week we get updates from our AP’s (Assistants to the President) and this past week they were teaching a lady in her home about the restored gospel and also about the prophet and twelve apostles. They said when they told her that we had a living prophet and also twelve apostles just like when Christ was on the earth she was really excited and wanted to share it with everyone so they could know too. She went next door to her neighbor’s house and walked in without knocking while they were eating dinner. She asked them if they knew that there was a prophet and twelve apostles on this earth today and they looked at her like okay, we’re kind of eating dinner right now. The family agreed to hear more another time but our AP’s were telling us how excited this lady was to share the gospel and likened it unto us as missionaries and may I add also as members. It really made me think about my excitement and willingness to share the gospel. This lady was so happy that there was one true church and she had been seeking for it for a long time.
There isn’t a greater gift that we can give to someone than sharing the message of the restored gospel. This past week during my personal study, my testimony about the importance of bringing the gospel to all people has really been strengthened. I read in D&C where Hyrum Smith’s son (I think it’s Joseph Fielding) had a vision about the spirit world. I’ve learned the righteous followers of Christ who were once on this earth are at peace because they know they’ve lived worthy of Heavenly Father’s choice blessings but they are still teaching and sharing the gospel with others, even after death, because of the importance of the message. We’ve been asked by our AP’s to study the atonement this next week and I extend and invitation to all of you to do the same. Each day I understand more and more about the love our Heavenly Father and Savior have for us and how much they want us to return back to their presence. We still have things we each need to experience but nothing is impossible if we have faith in Jesus Christ.
I love you all and thank you for your support. Hope everyone has a good week.
Love,
Sister Green
This past week started a bit rough and I struggled a little bit. Or as my Mission President would say “You’re not struggling, you’re learning”. So I guess this past week I’ve “learned” a lot. I now have a new companion Sister John. She’s from Kaipato Arizona, close to Lake Powell. She’s Native American so she speaks Navaho and also Spanish. She’s not as good as she would like to be but the member that we live with is a native Spanish speaker and she’s promised to speak to both of us only in Spanish so we can learn faster. She’s really nice and we’ve gotten to know each other better these past few days. I had gotten really used to Sister Larrosa as my companion but I’ve learned that Heavenly Father doesn’t like us to get comfortable. He likes us to stretch outside of ourselves because that is when we are truly learning and growing. Six to twelve weeks from now I’m sure I’ll be going through the same thing. My companion Sister John told me yesterday that the only things consistent in life are the gospel and change.
We’ve been teaching a couple of new investigators that have shown lots of interest in the gospel. Yesterday while we were walking we saw this man who was working on his car with his son and we told him we were the missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ… and that we were in his neighborhood sharing a message about our Savior Jesus Christ and his restored gospel. He looked at us and said “Restored? Wow, okay. We taught him a brief restoration and he asked if we had a pamphlet we could leave him and he’s allowed us to come back this next week to teach him and his family more.
Every week we get updates from our AP’s (Assistants to the President) and this past week they were teaching a lady in her home about the restored gospel and also about the prophet and twelve apostles. They said when they told her that we had a living prophet and also twelve apostles just like when Christ was on the earth she was really excited and wanted to share it with everyone so they could know too. She went next door to her neighbor’s house and walked in without knocking while they were eating dinner. She asked them if they knew that there was a prophet and twelve apostles on this earth today and they looked at her like okay, we’re kind of eating dinner right now. The family agreed to hear more another time but our AP’s were telling us how excited this lady was to share the gospel and likened it unto us as missionaries and may I add also as members. It really made me think about my excitement and willingness to share the gospel. This lady was so happy that there was one true church and she had been seeking for it for a long time.
There isn’t a greater gift that we can give to someone than sharing the message of the restored gospel. This past week during my personal study, my testimony about the importance of bringing the gospel to all people has really been strengthened. I read in D&C where Hyrum Smith’s son (I think it’s Joseph Fielding) had a vision about the spirit world. I’ve learned the righteous followers of Christ who were once on this earth are at peace because they know they’ve lived worthy of Heavenly Father’s choice blessings but they are still teaching and sharing the gospel with others, even after death, because of the importance of the message. We’ve been asked by our AP’s to study the atonement this next week and I extend and invitation to all of you to do the same. Each day I understand more and more about the love our Heavenly Father and Savior have for us and how much they want us to return back to their presence. We still have things we each need to experience but nothing is impossible if we have faith in Jesus Christ.
I love you all and thank you for your support. Hope everyone has a good week.
Love,
Sister Green
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Hola mi Familia,
(Pretty good right?!) I'm still working on it. I'm not even sure if I've learned that on my mission or if it was from watching Dora the Explorer with little kids. Shhhh, don't tell anyone.
This past week has been great to say the least. Thank you all for the letters, e-mails, prayers, etc. Sorry I wasn't able to write to you yesterday. Every 6 weeks we have transfers and our p-days are on Tuesdays instead of Mondays. My companion forgot to mention that to me last week so I wasn’t able to warn you in my e-mail. She apologizes. My dear companion unfortunately is leaving me. I’m staying here in Leander and she is going to the most coveted area in the entire mission…...THE BORDER!! I was so happy and excited for her, as are the other missionaries but she’s not as excited. No English, all Spanish… I hope to go there someday as do most of the (English speaking) missionaries. She and I were talking last night and she said “Look at me, do I look like I need to improve my Spanish”? It was kind of funny and also comforting in a weird way to see her like that because she is such a good missionary and I’ve learned so much from her. Her testimony is amazingly powerful and it’s interesting how we are our worst critics. She knows that our calls are inspired and our mission President prays long and hard over us always but especially when transfers come.
Wow, 6 weeks has gone by so quickly. All of my firsts on the mission are just about up, except this is still my first area. Every night we get calls from our District Leader asking us how our day went and the other night he said “Well Sister Green, the longer you stay out here, the less green you look” Surprisingly I get that a lot. For the past 6 weeks I've been Sister Green The Greenie.
I don’t know who my new companion will be and I won’t find out until Thursday afternoon. Sister Larrosa my companion, is leaving early Wednesday morning and I’m going to be with a Sister who’s companion has finished her 18 months successfully and is going back home to Mexico on Friday.
We were able to have another baptism this past Saturday. One more before Sister Larrosa leaves. I’ll try to send a couple of pictures if I get the chance. Lyndsy Taquard is a sweet thirteen year old girl who has been receiving the missionaries since she was eight years old. She always felt that she should be older so she waited to be baptized until now. Her mom is a member and is really active and her dad doesn’t believe in God but was so supportive of her decision. Lyndsy was really embarrassed to come out in her baptismal clothes and we all were reassuring her that she looked fine and that this was her special day. After we took pictures in the foyer we were walking back to where her baptism was going to be and I heard her tell her dad she looked ugly. He put his arms around her, gave her a kiss and told her he thought she was beautiful, and that he was really proud of her. It was another great day.
I love you all and wish I could spend hours writing more. Things are very well and though I’m a little nervous to be getting a new companion, I know it’ll be good. My mind continues to be opened to so many different things. (Where has my mission been all my life!?) I love you all and hope you have a great week.
Love you,
Sister Green
(Pretty good right?!) I'm still working on it. I'm not even sure if I've learned that on my mission or if it was from watching Dora the Explorer with little kids. Shhhh, don't tell anyone.
This past week has been great to say the least. Thank you all for the letters, e-mails, prayers, etc. Sorry I wasn't able to write to you yesterday. Every 6 weeks we have transfers and our p-days are on Tuesdays instead of Mondays. My companion forgot to mention that to me last week so I wasn’t able to warn you in my e-mail. She apologizes. My dear companion unfortunately is leaving me. I’m staying here in Leander and she is going to the most coveted area in the entire mission…...THE BORDER!! I was so happy and excited for her, as are the other missionaries but she’s not as excited. No English, all Spanish… I hope to go there someday as do most of the (English speaking) missionaries. She and I were talking last night and she said “Look at me, do I look like I need to improve my Spanish”? It was kind of funny and also comforting in a weird way to see her like that because she is such a good missionary and I’ve learned so much from her. Her testimony is amazingly powerful and it’s interesting how we are our worst critics. She knows that our calls are inspired and our mission President prays long and hard over us always but especially when transfers come.
Wow, 6 weeks has gone by so quickly. All of my firsts on the mission are just about up, except this is still my first area. Every night we get calls from our District Leader asking us how our day went and the other night he said “Well Sister Green, the longer you stay out here, the less green you look” Surprisingly I get that a lot. For the past 6 weeks I've been Sister Green The Greenie.
I don’t know who my new companion will be and I won’t find out until Thursday afternoon. Sister Larrosa my companion, is leaving early Wednesday morning and I’m going to be with a Sister who’s companion has finished her 18 months successfully and is going back home to Mexico on Friday.
We were able to have another baptism this past Saturday. One more before Sister Larrosa leaves. I’ll try to send a couple of pictures if I get the chance. Lyndsy Taquard is a sweet thirteen year old girl who has been receiving the missionaries since she was eight years old. She always felt that she should be older so she waited to be baptized until now. Her mom is a member and is really active and her dad doesn’t believe in God but was so supportive of her decision. Lyndsy was really embarrassed to come out in her baptismal clothes and we all were reassuring her that she looked fine and that this was her special day. After we took pictures in the foyer we were walking back to where her baptism was going to be and I heard her tell her dad she looked ugly. He put his arms around her, gave her a kiss and told her he thought she was beautiful, and that he was really proud of her. It was another great day.
I love you all and wish I could spend hours writing more. Things are very well and though I’m a little nervous to be getting a new companion, I know it’ll be good. My mind continues to be opened to so many different things. (Where has my mission been all my life!?) I love you all and hope you have a great week.
Love you,
Sister Green
Dear Family,
The past three days in the field have been life changing. This past Saturday through an old case worker who was involved in my life before, during, and after our adoptions, I was able to see three of my biological brothers from Houston and the Beaumont area who drove hear to Leander to find me. I made contact with this case worker two years ago and she has since kept all of my information. Last week she ran into two of my brothers Trenton and Aaron and they both asked about us. Virginia Hill (the caseworker) called my house and was able to get my information and give it to my brothers.
Saturday afternoon the member that my companion and I live with came inside and told me there were three men outside and they said they were my brothers. When I went outside I saw Aaron (Aaron’s fiancé), Trenton, and Kevin. Aaron was the first to say hello and as he walked towards me he said “I’m your brother” and gave me a big hug and began to cry. I was able to visit with them for a little over and hour and afterwards they went back to Houston where Aaron his fiancé, and Kevin live, and Beaumont where Trenton lives.
I want you all to know of my love for you. Heavenly Father has given me strength and maturity beyond my own abilities to accept and process this experience. I don’t have much to say except I know that Heavenly Father knows all things. This truth has helped strengthen my faith in him and in myself. Know that life continues to go well for me and there couldn’t have been a better time for this to occur than now, while I’m within the safety of my mission. Aaron, Trenton, and Kevin have been very understanding and respectful of my responsibilities and we will continue to communicate through letters and e-mails until I return to Utah.
Thank you all again for your love and support. I know we each have feelings and thoughts that we may have difficulties expressing but we need to remember once again that Heavenly Father knows all things and like family; he can give us strength and bring comfort.
I love you all and hope you have a good week
Sister Green
The past three days in the field have been life changing. This past Saturday through an old case worker who was involved in my life before, during, and after our adoptions, I was able to see three of my biological brothers from Houston and the Beaumont area who drove hear to Leander to find me. I made contact with this case worker two years ago and she has since kept all of my information. Last week she ran into two of my brothers Trenton and Aaron and they both asked about us. Virginia Hill (the caseworker) called my house and was able to get my information and give it to my brothers.
Saturday afternoon the member that my companion and I live with came inside and told me there were three men outside and they said they were my brothers. When I went outside I saw Aaron (Aaron’s fiancé), Trenton, and Kevin. Aaron was the first to say hello and as he walked towards me he said “I’m your brother” and gave me a big hug and began to cry. I was able to visit with them for a little over and hour and afterwards they went back to Houston where Aaron his fiancé, and Kevin live, and Beaumont where Trenton lives.
I want you all to know of my love for you. Heavenly Father has given me strength and maturity beyond my own abilities to accept and process this experience. I don’t have much to say except I know that Heavenly Father knows all things. This truth has helped strengthen my faith in him and in myself. Know that life continues to go well for me and there couldn’t have been a better time for this to occur than now, while I’m within the safety of my mission. Aaron, Trenton, and Kevin have been very understanding and respectful of my responsibilities and we will continue to communicate through letters and e-mails until I return to Utah.
Thank you all again for your love and support. I know we each have feelings and thoughts that we may have difficulties expressing but we need to remember once again that Heavenly Father knows all things and like family; he can give us strength and bring comfort.
I love you all and hope you have a good week
Sister Green
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