FAMILY!!!!!!!!
So wow your emails were awesome!! So good to hear from you!!!!! ella reese and tate all look a lot older and different! haha so cute!!! I can't believe all that with dal and it is so weird tate is at the farm!
The theme for this week was miracles...wowsa I wish I could tell you EVERYTHING!! My testimony has grown so much about how this is really the Lord's work and I am just here, He is making everything happen. It is so amazing to see and be a part of...I LOVE it! Like we will be where we had planned but the people won't be home and then we end up meeting these other people that we never could've planned but the Lord knows what he is doing! So I had a tiny little hard moment because I don't understand anything haha I was feeling frustrated because I was thinking how can I help anyone if I don't know what is going on ever! I kind of was questioning why I was called spanish speaking...but the Lord answers prayers so I had a cool experience with Noe the investigator I told you about last week. It was our last lesson with him b/c he is moving and I was telling him he is such a good example to me and I have loved teaching him but he was really sincere and said no, he told me that I have been an example to him because he can tell I am trying really hard to learn spanish to teach him about this he knows he needs to change. It was a moment haha.
It was amazing this week how we would plan a lesson to share with members, inactives or investigators and we would go in and start sharing this message and then people bring up things on their own that we would've had no clue needed to be talked about. Like we went to visit this old couple and we were going to share the plan of salvation and while we were talking about one part they brought up how they want to go to the temple and something that was keeping them from it. I just thought it was so amazing how the spirit works, we were talking about what they needed at that time to come closer to Christ when that is not what we had planned to talk about.
Yesterday we had the coolest experiences all day! We got a referral so we were going to contact him, we were driving all up and down the street and it was packed! There was no where to park. So we drove up and down a few times and nothing haha so we prayed and just said we are here to visit him if we are supposed to visit him help us find a parking spot... then this mini van pulled out right in front of us haha. Then he lives in an apt complex that is gated so the door was locked we couldn't get in, so we said a little prayer again and we turned the knob and it was still locked but then a car drove up and opened the big gate on the side for cars to drive through, haha so we were able to get in! crazy huh, miracles like that happen all day and I am just blown away. Then we went to just visit this family the missionaries hadn't been able to see in a while, they were home, let us in, they had a friend show up while we were talking so we told them we'd hurry and share a message and leave, but then all of them were really interested in what we were saying so we were able to stay the whole time and their friend is interested...we could never have planned that!
Love you soo much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mucho mucho!!!!
Love,
Sha (hermana Mulliner)
Haha I have a little extra time so I thought I'd tell you some of the funny things that have happend too. awe man I wish you could meet some of the poeple here, it is so great:
So we were teaching this old man outside in a park (which first of all is so amazing! He was willing to walk a long ways to meet us there...such strong faith!) and he spoke kinda blury like I really couldn't understand what he said haha but to end the lesson he said he would pray and I didn't understand it but i thought I heard the word "buffalo" (but with a spanish accent) haha I guess he prayed for us hermanas to have the strength of a buffalo...haha we laughed about that all the way home! isn't that the best?!
Haha
Also people here love trying out english phrases with us haha it is THE BEST! And it is a surprise when they do it so it is even funnier. LIke we were setting an apt with someone and we asked if we could come in the morning and he said, "Oh no, trabajo en la manana girls" haha
At a members house for dinner they said some endearing phrase in spanish to each other and we asked them what it meant and then they were asking what husbands and wives woudl call each other in english haha so we told them pumpkin, sweetie etc haha and they loved saying them and then we said cupcake and she heard us wrong so later she called him pancake! haha!!
Also people love calling on me to pray since I am new and learning spanish! memebers or investigators anyone I had to give the prayer in ward council even. It is good practice but it is just a joke now because EVERY time they love having me do it.
Maybe these aren't even funny to you guys idk but they are things I think about while I'm falling asleep cause they are so funny.
Love you guys so much!!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Cali!
Family!!!
So I'll try to answer your questions...first of all those pictures were ADORABLE!!! Ella and Reese look so big!!! Ella looks like a little person and Reese looks like she is a lot taller. Alyssa your hair looked really cute. I having pictures when I check my email thanks mom. It was so good to talk to you all! I was freaking out b/c my calling card wasn't working so sorry for the tears, haha they were happy tears. Just send mail to the mission office for now is good since we are moving and I don't exactly know.
So my companion is Hermana Prince, she is from St. George! She is soo soo nice! So patient and explains everything to me and is so encouraging. I am in the area called North Hollywood. Mom I haven't seen Carson I don't know what area he is in. We live in an apt with another companionship but we just got a phone call last night and we are going to move into our own apt because more missionaries went home than came in this transfer so they combined our area with another one so the apt the missionaries were living in in the area that we got combined with is empty so the president wants us to move there...I just barely unpacked haha!
So basically....I...do...not...understand...ANYTHING!!! haha oh man sometimes I am just laughing inside because I honestly just have no idea what is going on! I decided I would write down words I heard that I didn't know while I was listening at church...whew I wrote a novel! And I was just going off of what I heard so when Hma prince was helping me define them some of them she was like..uh that is not a word! haha. So I kind of feel like I have regressed haha. LIke I don't even recognize words when people are talking...even when Hermana Prince is talking slow to me! After she repeats it about three times then I recognize like the main idea but I don't know exactly how she means it haha. Then she tells me and I am like wow! I learned that why is my brain not processing anything. But I decided I am not going to get discouraged because .... I don't really know why I just decided I am not going to haha. I think this week was just a lot! Just too much change. I wasn't retaining anything, I really feel so bad for my companion, but she is the sweetest about everything. I can't remember anyone's names or any spanish i've learned or where we are or what we did haha. We were having language study together and we were going through some verbs. We had like 20 I didn't know any of them. She would say it in English or Spanish then I would say the opposite. We went through them a couple times and I wasn't remembering any of them. So we decided to make the pool smaller, so we went through five at a time and by the time we went through all five and got back to the first one I couldn't remember what it was! Haha I am laughing so much because I don't want to freak out! I am trying to learn and want to but for some reason I cannot remember anything! So I am doing all these thigns and meeting al lthese people but I am kind of just there I don't feel like I have contributed to anything a whole lot. I am making it really hard on my companion because she has to do everything plus explain it to me. She is so cute though because she"ll translate what is happening so I can bear my testimony or something when it would be way easier for her to just do the whole thing on her own. So that night where I couldn't remember a word right after she told me what it was she just stopped and was said do yo uwant to go get a treat and go to bed early? haha so we went and ate some chocolate and went to bed a little bit early.So being honest...this is not the perfectionist in me, I honestly have no idea what is going on and I feel like I can't even remember things I felt like I knew, and I cannot remember anything! Its ok though I am still having good experiences, I just feel like everything is centered around helping me not me helpng anyone else so I feel more like a hinderment not a help right now.
So a really cool experience happened on my very first night here! After I met Hma Prince we went straight from the mission home to dinner with some members where she made me give the spiritual thought and then we went to a lesson with an investigator. As we got out of the car I told hma prince, I am way scared and freaking out inside I jsut want you to know that. haha. This mans name is Noe...my FAVORITE person in San Fernando!!! He is from Mexico, his wife and two kids are still there and he is here working he lives with his sister. So we got there and we sat around the kitchen table. First we sang a hymn and then hma prince asked him to pray. He said no, he is super funny, like laughing a lot and just so so nice, but he was really embarrassed to pray. He did not want to at all. I was not planning on saying anything really...plus I had no idea what he was saying, I couldjust tell by the body language and how they were talking back and forth that he was not wanting to pray. I could just feel my heart pound when I should say something. So after he explained for like the fifth time he didn't want to pray I tried to say I can understand how he is nervous to pray because I am so nervous about speaking spanish...so if he would pray then I would say the other prayer. Haha then we folded our arms and bowed our head without saying anything else and waited for a minute and he prayed!!! Then at the end of the lesson when she asked him who he wanted to pray he really did make me pray haha. But the other cool thing that happened was we watched the restoration video and afterwards I felt my heart pound again...they were having a conversation but I had no clue what was being said haha. I assumed it was about the video. ...But I felt like I should invite him to be baptized....then hma prince wrote something in her planner and nudged me, I was so nervous I didn't recognize any of the words the first time i looked, but then I looked again and it was the baptismal invitation. Haha so I invited him to be baptized and he said yes! ...well when we were walking to the car I asked hma prince to make sure that is what he said haha. We have been back to teach him once since then and he prayed without us begging him to! But he told us he is moving to find work in San Francisco...so Im not sure what will happen with him, but we get to teach him tonihgt and I am really excited because I don't know he is just my favorite person we've met so far.
So it is definately a different culture here. Some way funny things have happened! We were visiting people hms prince has met before but hasn't taught and this lady spoke english and she asked us if missionaries live in temples! haha. Also we went to this cute little restaurant that has food from El salvador. It is really small, and everyone was staring at us, I think because we were white and dressed different. But really they just stared at us while we ate. Haha everyone is always so surprised when hma prince starts talking spanish with them and they really like it. This random guy with super long hair goes up to this microphone in the corner and starts playing the guitar and singing...haha it was so funny! I think it was planned, like he was a performer or something. When we clapped and hma prince said something to him in spanish he was surprised and I think thought it was cool haha so he sang us a song in english... I couldn't understand that either. Our ward is soo friendly and loves missionaries. It is different because all the latino women hug you and kiss you on the cheek even when they just meet you! That is a little uncomfortable for me because I am not a touchy person but they are just so welcoming and friendly right off the bat. They all say I am going to learn spanish so fast here! I don't understand them when they say that but thats what hma prince tells me they are saying. They are also from everywhere! Mexico, peru, el salvador, guatemala. Our zone leaders are latino so they play soccer in the mornings we have gone to play with them, they are so good it is really fun. The cutest thing EVER is when the little kids speak spanish! Oh my gosh I don't know why it is so cute but it is the most adorable thing, haha I don't understand them either, but the kids here speak english too. My name is the so hard for spanish speakers to say! haha. So making phone calls is so scary for me to do because I don't understand them in person...but I have to call in the car b/c she is driving...I am proud of myself for being willing to try these things and not getting discouraged when I totally fail because I have been making phone calls and it scares me a lot! But we write down posible thigns I could say first then call them...usually ends up with hma prince talking on speaker though b/c I just can't understand it! A lady gave us this huge grapfruits from the tree in her front yard that was pretty cool.i am trying to figure out how to not gain 5 hundred pounds we get fed a lot. haha!
My favorite quote I have been trying to remember is "humility is not thinking less of yourself it is thinking less about yourself." I have been trying to do that. Not thinking I can't do things when we are out but trying not to think about my spanish or my worries when we are talking with people and try to think about them. California is awesome!! And I love being a missionary even though I'm not really sure what is happening yet! haha!!! Love you!!!!!!!
Love,
Hma Mulliner
So I'll try to answer your questions...first of all those pictures were ADORABLE!!! Ella and Reese look so big!!! Ella looks like a little person and Reese looks like she is a lot taller. Alyssa your hair looked really cute. I having pictures when I check my email thanks mom. It was so good to talk to you all! I was freaking out b/c my calling card wasn't working so sorry for the tears, haha they were happy tears. Just send mail to the mission office for now is good since we are moving and I don't exactly know.
So my companion is Hermana Prince, she is from St. George! She is soo soo nice! So patient and explains everything to me and is so encouraging. I am in the area called North Hollywood. Mom I haven't seen Carson I don't know what area he is in. We live in an apt with another companionship but we just got a phone call last night and we are going to move into our own apt because more missionaries went home than came in this transfer so they combined our area with another one so the apt the missionaries were living in in the area that we got combined with is empty so the president wants us to move there...I just barely unpacked haha!
So basically....I...do...not...understand...ANYTHING!!! haha oh man sometimes I am just laughing inside because I honestly just have no idea what is going on! I decided I would write down words I heard that I didn't know while I was listening at church...whew I wrote a novel! And I was just going off of what I heard so when Hma prince was helping me define them some of them she was like..uh that is not a word! haha. So I kind of feel like I have regressed haha. LIke I don't even recognize words when people are talking...even when Hermana Prince is talking slow to me! After she repeats it about three times then I recognize like the main idea but I don't know exactly how she means it haha. Then she tells me and I am like wow! I learned that why is my brain not processing anything. But I decided I am not going to get discouraged because .... I don't really know why I just decided I am not going to haha. I think this week was just a lot! Just too much change. I wasn't retaining anything, I really feel so bad for my companion, but she is the sweetest about everything. I can't remember anyone's names or any spanish i've learned or where we are or what we did haha. We were having language study together and we were going through some verbs. We had like 20 I didn't know any of them. She would say it in English or Spanish then I would say the opposite. We went through them a couple times and I wasn't remembering any of them. So we decided to make the pool smaller, so we went through five at a time and by the time we went through all five and got back to the first one I couldn't remember what it was! Haha I am laughing so much because I don't want to freak out! I am trying to learn and want to but for some reason I cannot remember anything! So I am doing all these thigns and meeting al lthese people but I am kind of just there I don't feel like I have contributed to anything a whole lot. I am making it really hard on my companion because she has to do everything plus explain it to me. She is so cute though because she"ll translate what is happening so I can bear my testimony or something when it would be way easier for her to just do the whole thing on her own. So that night where I couldn't remember a word right after she told me what it was she just stopped and was said do yo uwant to go get a treat and go to bed early? haha so we went and ate some chocolate and went to bed a little bit early.So being honest...this is not the perfectionist in me, I honestly have no idea what is going on and I feel like I can't even remember things I felt like I knew, and I cannot remember anything! Its ok though I am still having good experiences, I just feel like everything is centered around helping me not me helpng anyone else so I feel more like a hinderment not a help right now.
So a really cool experience happened on my very first night here! After I met Hma Prince we went straight from the mission home to dinner with some members where she made me give the spiritual thought and then we went to a lesson with an investigator. As we got out of the car I told hma prince, I am way scared and freaking out inside I jsut want you to know that. haha. This mans name is Noe...my FAVORITE person in San Fernando!!! He is from Mexico, his wife and two kids are still there and he is here working he lives with his sister. So we got there and we sat around the kitchen table. First we sang a hymn and then hma prince asked him to pray. He said no, he is super funny, like laughing a lot and just so so nice, but he was really embarrassed to pray. He did not want to at all. I was not planning on saying anything really...plus I had no idea what he was saying, I couldjust tell by the body language and how they were talking back and forth that he was not wanting to pray. I could just feel my heart pound when I should say something. So after he explained for like the fifth time he didn't want to pray I tried to say I can understand how he is nervous to pray because I am so nervous about speaking spanish...so if he would pray then I would say the other prayer. Haha then we folded our arms and bowed our head without saying anything else and waited for a minute and he prayed!!! Then at the end of the lesson when she asked him who he wanted to pray he really did make me pray haha. But the other cool thing that happened was we watched the restoration video and afterwards I felt my heart pound again...they were having a conversation but I had no clue what was being said haha. I assumed it was about the video. ...But I felt like I should invite him to be baptized....then hma prince wrote something in her planner and nudged me, I was so nervous I didn't recognize any of the words the first time i looked, but then I looked again and it was the baptismal invitation. Haha so I invited him to be baptized and he said yes! ...well when we were walking to the car I asked hma prince to make sure that is what he said haha. We have been back to teach him once since then and he prayed without us begging him to! But he told us he is moving to find work in San Francisco...so Im not sure what will happen with him, but we get to teach him tonihgt and I am really excited because I don't know he is just my favorite person we've met so far.
So it is definately a different culture here. Some way funny things have happened! We were visiting people hms prince has met before but hasn't taught and this lady spoke english and she asked us if missionaries live in temples! haha. Also we went to this cute little restaurant that has food from El salvador. It is really small, and everyone was staring at us, I think because we were white and dressed different. But really they just stared at us while we ate. Haha everyone is always so surprised when hma prince starts talking spanish with them and they really like it. This random guy with super long hair goes up to this microphone in the corner and starts playing the guitar and singing...haha it was so funny! I think it was planned, like he was a performer or something. When we clapped and hma prince said something to him in spanish he was surprised and I think thought it was cool haha so he sang us a song in english... I couldn't understand that either. Our ward is soo friendly and loves missionaries. It is different because all the latino women hug you and kiss you on the cheek even when they just meet you! That is a little uncomfortable for me because I am not a touchy person but they are just so welcoming and friendly right off the bat. They all say I am going to learn spanish so fast here! I don't understand them when they say that but thats what hma prince tells me they are saying. They are also from everywhere! Mexico, peru, el salvador, guatemala. Our zone leaders are latino so they play soccer in the mornings we have gone to play with them, they are so good it is really fun. The cutest thing EVER is when the little kids speak spanish! Oh my gosh I don't know why it is so cute but it is the most adorable thing, haha I don't understand them either, but the kids here speak english too. My name is the so hard for spanish speakers to say! haha. So making phone calls is so scary for me to do because I don't understand them in person...but I have to call in the car b/c she is driving...I am proud of myself for being willing to try these things and not getting discouraged when I totally fail because I have been making phone calls and it scares me a lot! But we write down posible thigns I could say first then call them...usually ends up with hma prince talking on speaker though b/c I just can't understand it! A lady gave us this huge grapfruits from the tree in her front yard that was pretty cool.i am trying to figure out how to not gain 5 hundred pounds we get fed a lot. haha!
My favorite quote I have been trying to remember is "humility is not thinking less of yourself it is thinking less about yourself." I have been trying to do that. Not thinking I can't do things when we are out but trying not to think about my spanish or my worries when we are talking with people and try to think about them. California is awesome!! And I love being a missionary even though I'm not really sure what is happening yet! haha!!! Love you!!!!!!!
Love,
Hma Mulliner
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Ultima Dia (Last Day)
AHHHH where to start....?!?!?!?!!? I wish I was able to tell you EVERYTHING!!! But I'll just start by saying the Lord is in charge and knows us personally and knows what we need.
So the trio was actually so awesome, it was great to have some change for a week...hma bambrough finally got her visa on thursday....from that second on it has been CRAZY!!! we then had to go all over to get her ready to go! Which was kind of bad because I really needed class but, I'm not going to lie, was also kind of the best to be out of class. So through this my mtc dream has been fulfilled....I got to leave campus!!!!!!!! we got in a car...so weird!! got driven to the bank so she could get the green she needed to make it to Peru! It was so fun!! So weird to see everything and so weird ot be in a car and to talk to normal people haha. The lady at the bank gave us suckers! lol i think the van driver was annoyed with us because we were so amazed by everything! and so excited about the littlest things haha. Then Hma walker left yesterday....hardest thing yet. It was just me and her in the room when hma bambrough left which was really fun. we decided a long time ago on our last night here we would buy a ton of ice cream from the vending machine outside of our room and eat whatever we wanted. She was up kind of late packing which your not supposed to do but with Hma Bambrough as the focus before that we hadn't had time to do anything else, so after she was done packing we went out to the vending machine and did what we wanted to do everyday here! We bought ice cream and chips haha and we put it all on the bottom bunk and sat across from each other and enjoyed it and realized how is the mtc over?! and freaked out about leaving!! And recited all the things we had memorized and laughed really hard because we didn't want to cry! It was good...we had to be up at 4:40 the next morning to get her to the travel office and she was SO nervous she made me stay with her til she was loading the bus which totally annoyed the elders that had to escort me back but we just ignored them haha. We hugged and cried and it was happy yet sad haha. But the weirdest thing was going backto my room...being the only one left. It was really sad. I couldn't sleep for the next hour that I was supposed to because my mind was going everywhere, in a good way. For the rest of yesterday the Lord really took care of me. We got four new sisters in our zone this week and I was put in a trio with two of them but all four of them stick together so I was with all of them. which was sooo interesting because thy haven't even been here a week yet...so they were asking me all kinds of questions and I felt like they think I know everything haha but I don't! But it was actually really fun to share with them some things I wish people woul've shared with me or that i wis I would've know or what I would do differently, and I helped them with a lesson and study and stuff...and get this...i even helped them with spanish a tiny. So it was good for me to see how much i've grown here without realizing it. I've learned tons about the doctrine, teaching, what missionary work is and the purpose of it, the scheduel, spanish...just I hadn't noticed in a well rounded way I have grown so much.
So When class started it was just me and two elders left in my district haha so our opening hymn was the lamest. One elder had a dentist apt so...do the math...that left me...with the teacher haha. That was the best thing that coudln'tve happended! It was hma forsyth so I just got to pick her brain apart about spanish, mission life, worries, the doctrine, we had companion study together, and we just talked. She told me mission stories and I seriously asked her anything I have ever worried about or wondered about a mission. She was probably the best missionary there ever was so I was so inspired after. she was such a creative missionary that I am so pumped to go out there and have fun while serving! I realized we can put and use our personalities and creative ideas into missionary work. She gave me lots of good ideas and just motivated me to be my best. After going all over the place with hma bambrough and hma walker and saying goodbye that was exactly what I needed instead of spanish instruction or something. and it was actually ehr very last day teaching at the MTC and my last day there so it was just something we both got to enjoy together and something we both love so it was just a class totally devoted to my needs haha. It was just me and the elders at dinner which was really funny cause elder alvarados mouth was numb from the dentist so we had fun making him try everything. When we went backto classmy teacher was at a training for half so I was put with the district closost behind us and my elders ditched me to go pack! So agian I am just stuck somewhere randomly haha...but it was fun it was a district of all elders and they were not used to having a sister so it was really fun and sooo good. For companion study I got to study with their teacher whihc again was like a little lesson just for me. My teacher finally came back and our elders weren't back so I wen't and had companion study just with him. Haha again a little lesson tailored just for me! I also got to pick his brain apart. It was such an interesting experience yesterday I just felt the spirit very close by me all day teaching me litttle things....things I've learned in the MTC up to that point were connecting and I was adding to them and relearning and realizing idk just a lot of stuff fit together and I felt so excited to go to California. I also realized how close i've gotten to people here. It was cool to just be with my teachers. And the sweetest thing Elder alvarado aka ninja elder! kinda told me thanks for being there for him here and stuff in a guy way said thanks and was kinda having a sensitive moment. haha! and then pulled something out of his pocket...his dad had sent him a set of military scriptures the little red ones and someone had stolen my little bom I always carry around....he wanted to give me the set of scriptures. Idk maybe that sounds dumb but it was just a very thoughtful thing for him to thinkto do all on his own and i knew it meant something to him. He also told me and hma walker to send him a letter if anyone in cali is crazy and he'll come "bust out some MMA on them!" lol.
Fam i love you so much!! I just know this gospel is true and that the church, the actual church is the church that God restored to the Earth through Joseph smith and it is true. The Book of MOrmon is true. If you don't have a sure testimony of it I know you can if you ask and you should! It will bless your life so much!!! I am so excited to get to talk to you!!! I love you!!!! thank you so much for your support and prayers. I can feel them and wouldn't vve have as great of an experience here without them. I am so sad to be leaving the MTC. Dal and tate you will love it here! I can't wait for you!!!
It was so weird to not be with hma walker today, we had pday down to a science to get everything done we wanted to! So I probly won't write too many letters today packing and errands to run and I am with a bunch of new people a lot. not sure if everything will fit in my bags haha but we'll try!!!
My fav quote this week "When everthing around you says you can't, believe in the part of you that says you can"
"its not who you aren't its who you are and being yourself is being great!"
"Its often the small moments in life that bring th most joy, don't let them pass you by"
the prez said I don't want to call you greenies but i do want to tell you this "green things grow and ripe things rot" haha
LOVE!!!!!
Hma Mulliner!!
So the trio was actually so awesome, it was great to have some change for a week...hma bambrough finally got her visa on thursday....from that second on it has been CRAZY!!! we then had to go all over to get her ready to go! Which was kind of bad because I really needed class but, I'm not going to lie, was also kind of the best to be out of class. So through this my mtc dream has been fulfilled....I got to leave campus!!!!!!!! we got in a car...so weird!! got driven to the bank so she could get the green she needed to make it to Peru! It was so fun!! So weird to see everything and so weird ot be in a car and to talk to normal people haha. The lady at the bank gave us suckers! lol i think the van driver was annoyed with us because we were so amazed by everything! and so excited about the littlest things haha. Then Hma walker left yesterday....hardest thing yet. It was just me and her in the room when hma bambrough left which was really fun. we decided a long time ago on our last night here we would buy a ton of ice cream from the vending machine outside of our room and eat whatever we wanted. She was up kind of late packing which your not supposed to do but with Hma Bambrough as the focus before that we hadn't had time to do anything else, so after she was done packing we went out to the vending machine and did what we wanted to do everyday here! We bought ice cream and chips haha and we put it all on the bottom bunk and sat across from each other and enjoyed it and realized how is the mtc over?! and freaked out about leaving!! And recited all the things we had memorized and laughed really hard because we didn't want to cry! It was good...we had to be up at 4:40 the next morning to get her to the travel office and she was SO nervous she made me stay with her til she was loading the bus which totally annoyed the elders that had to escort me back but we just ignored them haha. We hugged and cried and it was happy yet sad haha. But the weirdest thing was going backto my room...being the only one left. It was really sad. I couldn't sleep for the next hour that I was supposed to because my mind was going everywhere, in a good way. For the rest of yesterday the Lord really took care of me. We got four new sisters in our zone this week and I was put in a trio with two of them but all four of them stick together so I was with all of them. which was sooo interesting because thy haven't even been here a week yet...so they were asking me all kinds of questions and I felt like they think I know everything haha but I don't! But it was actually really fun to share with them some things I wish people woul've shared with me or that i wis I would've know or what I would do differently, and I helped them with a lesson and study and stuff...and get this...i even helped them with spanish a tiny. So it was good for me to see how much i've grown here without realizing it. I've learned tons about the doctrine, teaching, what missionary work is and the purpose of it, the scheduel, spanish...just I hadn't noticed in a well rounded way I have grown so much.
So When class started it was just me and two elders left in my district haha so our opening hymn was the lamest. One elder had a dentist apt so...do the math...that left me...with the teacher haha. That was the best thing that coudln'tve happended! It was hma forsyth so I just got to pick her brain apart about spanish, mission life, worries, the doctrine, we had companion study together, and we just talked. She told me mission stories and I seriously asked her anything I have ever worried about or wondered about a mission. She was probably the best missionary there ever was so I was so inspired after. she was such a creative missionary that I am so pumped to go out there and have fun while serving! I realized we can put and use our personalities and creative ideas into missionary work. She gave me lots of good ideas and just motivated me to be my best. After going all over the place with hma bambrough and hma walker and saying goodbye that was exactly what I needed instead of spanish instruction or something. and it was actually ehr very last day teaching at the MTC and my last day there so it was just something we both got to enjoy together and something we both love so it was just a class totally devoted to my needs haha. It was just me and the elders at dinner which was really funny cause elder alvarados mouth was numb from the dentist so we had fun making him try everything. When we went backto classmy teacher was at a training for half so I was put with the district closost behind us and my elders ditched me to go pack! So agian I am just stuck somewhere randomly haha...but it was fun it was a district of all elders and they were not used to having a sister so it was really fun and sooo good. For companion study I got to study with their teacher whihc again was like a little lesson just for me. My teacher finally came back and our elders weren't back so I wen't and had companion study just with him. Haha again a little lesson tailored just for me! I also got to pick his brain apart. It was such an interesting experience yesterday I just felt the spirit very close by me all day teaching me litttle things....things I've learned in the MTC up to that point were connecting and I was adding to them and relearning and realizing idk just a lot of stuff fit together and I felt so excited to go to California. I also realized how close i've gotten to people here. It was cool to just be with my teachers. And the sweetest thing Elder alvarado aka ninja elder! kinda told me thanks for being there for him here and stuff in a guy way said thanks and was kinda having a sensitive moment. haha! and then pulled something out of his pocket...his dad had sent him a set of military scriptures the little red ones and someone had stolen my little bom I always carry around....he wanted to give me the set of scriptures. Idk maybe that sounds dumb but it was just a very thoughtful thing for him to thinkto do all on his own and i knew it meant something to him. He also told me and hma walker to send him a letter if anyone in cali is crazy and he'll come "bust out some MMA on them!" lol.
Fam i love you so much!! I just know this gospel is true and that the church, the actual church is the church that God restored to the Earth through Joseph smith and it is true. The Book of MOrmon is true. If you don't have a sure testimony of it I know you can if you ask and you should! It will bless your life so much!!! I am so excited to get to talk to you!!! I love you!!!! thank you so much for your support and prayers. I can feel them and wouldn't vve have as great of an experience here without them. I am so sad to be leaving the MTC. Dal and tate you will love it here! I can't wait for you!!!
It was so weird to not be with hma walker today, we had pday down to a science to get everything done we wanted to! So I probly won't write too many letters today packing and errands to run and I am with a bunch of new people a lot. not sure if everything will fit in my bags haha but we'll try!!!
My fav quote this week "When everthing around you says you can't, believe in the part of you that says you can"
"its not who you aren't its who you are and being yourself is being great!"
"Its often the small moments in life that bring th most joy, don't let them pass you by"
the prez said I don't want to call you greenies but i do want to tell you this "green things grow and ripe things rot" haha
LOVE!!!!!
Hma Mulliner!!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
WEEK NIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!
FAMILY!!!!
AH I am freaking out that we can count down how many classes are left how many gym periods are left etc....its so sad the other sisters in our room left today. Its funny it stinks to get close with people here because they just leave! Its also funny because we have been here before so many people and they always leave before us, it has felt like we are gong to be here forever, like this is what a mission is haha. And it is so weird that none of the people in my district will be in my mission, we really have become a little family and it feels like we are going to be serving together the whole time. It will be very sad to say goodbye to everyone.
So my companionship is a trio these days! Hma Stull got her visa so she left america! Her companion hma bambrough didn't...so she was put with us (which is probably just as exciting as leaving the country!)...our companionships did things really differently so I was worried but it has actually been really fun. Its is harder to get places on time, and Our lessons are hilarious because it is really hard to work out teaching with three people so it usually ends up not making sense haha! the hard thing is our whole district got our travel plans this week except Hma bambrough because she has no clue when her visa will come. So it has been hard because there are things we have to do to get ready or other missionaries ask us about it and ask if we are excited but it stinks to talk about it in front of her.
So I had a brave moment and bore my testimony on fast sunday...in espanol! Lol I don't know if anyone understood it but I was proud of myself because it is embarrassing and scary to speak spanish in front of peole because the elders in the new districts in our zone already speak better spanish than me haha. But I figure I am probably making other people feel pretty good about their spanish when I speak!
So I leave next wednesday the 13th. So I will have one more Pday here. Most of my district leaves monday so I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing next week...probably have a few parties and stuff...but like other than that Im not sure...my flight is at 11:16 and I'm supposed to arrive there at 12:15.I'm not even in the air for an hour! I need more time to freak out before I get there haha. I have to be at the travel office at 8...which is really lucky a ton of people have to get up really early like 3 or 5 or something! I;m not really sure what time that means i'll be able to call home inbetween 9 and 11 ish i guess.
So its really funny...in one day I will have a really discouraging experience and then a really encouraging experience! Our teacher decided to do this activity, i totally disagree with this activity btw, where he gave us each a sencerio and we had to practice following the spirit and applying the gospel specifically to them. So He told us real quick what our scenierio was then went around the room pretending to be that person and we had to do this indeividualy infront of the whole class!...I was not liking this idea from the get go. This is the info I had on my person..."teenager". So there was not obvious doctrine the person needed like the other scenerios where a family member just died, about to have a new baby etc. anyways we start doing the activity and it gets to me...I struggle...A LOT! He stops me and makes me start over twice...remember this is in front of everyone. The third time I start again and I am really trying my hardest, digging deep haha and again I fail! so he stops and asks the whole class what I'm doing wrong haha nad what I hsoud do..etc and then says try again...i am really trying not to cry, i start over AGAIN! and still can't figure it out and so what do I do? Yes, I start crying! ah I did not like that day! He didn't know what to do with me i think hah he just said do you want to keep trying and I said not really...haha so he moved on to the next missionary. It just made me feel like how am i going to be a misisonary if I cant even apply the gospel to someone in a fake situation. If i struggle so much applying the gospel that is like what missionary work is about! so I was feeling very discouraged ...o btw that exercise was in english so I was feeling like its not just the spanish that i need to worry about haha.
But then later that day at lunch we got a notice that our companionship had been recommended to do this thing in front of the new misisonaries coming in on wednesday. So that made me feel like hmm not sure why but i guess the teachers don't think I am compeltely hopeless haha. But we got to go to a little training for it (which we got to miss class for which I really needed alittle time away so that was nice) I thought it was going to be an informational meeting...but why would i think it would be somethign easy! it was like a workshop...we had to on our own go approach someone and practice this skill of how to begin teachign that they wanted us to be demonstrating to the new missionaries. They really wanted us to focus on loveing and understanding the person not just getting straight into a lesson. I was not feeling adequate or able to do this becuase of the other experience. but because of that I think i was the most humble i've been so i was a lot more sensitive to the spirit. I wasn't relying on my companion or on my own abilities bc i didn't feel like I had any haha. I did it, Ij ust started talking to the person and the spirit was there. the feedback the elder gave me was positive. It just made me realize. I really don't know a lot about the gospel, I really don't know a lot about how the gospel applies to every situation and I am not the most bold out going person. So really im not realy missionary material! haha! But I can get to know people and care about htem and when I am sincere about doing that the spirit can be there and do the other part. so i am still nervous about doing that infront of the new missionaries but I am realizing experiences I am scared of or uncomfortable with are the ones I learn a lot from. Which really stinks haha.
Something kinda cool I heard this week is ya know how anytime we recieve blessings it is becuase we are obedient to something ... dyc 130:20-21....missionaries have the opportunity get the most blessings than any other people ...because they have the most commandments in their life! haha cool eh? Our devotional last week was Elder Craig Zwick and he talked about the Book of Mormon! Man it was so good, this was my fav thing he said, " Missionary success is directly related to personal testimony and conversion to the Book of Mormon."
ok got to go!!!!! Love you sooo much!!! please keep writing me!!!!
Love love love
Hermana Mulliner!
AH I am freaking out that we can count down how many classes are left how many gym periods are left etc....its so sad the other sisters in our room left today. Its funny it stinks to get close with people here because they just leave! Its also funny because we have been here before so many people and they always leave before us, it has felt like we are gong to be here forever, like this is what a mission is haha. And it is so weird that none of the people in my district will be in my mission, we really have become a little family and it feels like we are going to be serving together the whole time. It will be very sad to say goodbye to everyone.
So my companionship is a trio these days! Hma Stull got her visa so she left america! Her companion hma bambrough didn't...so she was put with us (which is probably just as exciting as leaving the country!)...our companionships did things really differently so I was worried but it has actually been really fun. Its is harder to get places on time, and Our lessons are hilarious because it is really hard to work out teaching with three people so it usually ends up not making sense haha! the hard thing is our whole district got our travel plans this week except Hma bambrough because she has no clue when her visa will come. So it has been hard because there are things we have to do to get ready or other missionaries ask us about it and ask if we are excited but it stinks to talk about it in front of her.
So I had a brave moment and bore my testimony on fast sunday...in espanol! Lol I don't know if anyone understood it but I was proud of myself because it is embarrassing and scary to speak spanish in front of peole because the elders in the new districts in our zone already speak better spanish than me haha. But I figure I am probably making other people feel pretty good about their spanish when I speak!
So I leave next wednesday the 13th. So I will have one more Pday here. Most of my district leaves monday so I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing next week...probably have a few parties and stuff...but like other than that Im not sure...my flight is at 11:16 and I'm supposed to arrive there at 12:15.I'm not even in the air for an hour! I need more time to freak out before I get there haha. I have to be at the travel office at 8...which is really lucky a ton of people have to get up really early like 3 or 5 or something! I;m not really sure what time that means i'll be able to call home inbetween 9 and 11 ish i guess.
So its really funny...in one day I will have a really discouraging experience and then a really encouraging experience! Our teacher decided to do this activity, i totally disagree with this activity btw, where he gave us each a sencerio and we had to practice following the spirit and applying the gospel specifically to them. So He told us real quick what our scenierio was then went around the room pretending to be that person and we had to do this indeividualy infront of the whole class!...I was not liking this idea from the get go. This is the info I had on my person..."teenager". So there was not obvious doctrine the person needed like the other scenerios where a family member just died, about to have a new baby etc. anyways we start doing the activity and it gets to me...I struggle...A LOT! He stops me and makes me start over twice...remember this is in front of everyone. The third time I start again and I am really trying my hardest, digging deep haha and again I fail! so he stops and asks the whole class what I'm doing wrong haha nad what I hsoud do..etc and then says try again...i am really trying not to cry, i start over AGAIN! and still can't figure it out and so what do I do? Yes, I start crying! ah I did not like that day! He didn't know what to do with me i think hah he just said do you want to keep trying and I said not really...haha so he moved on to the next missionary. It just made me feel like how am i going to be a misisonary if I cant even apply the gospel to someone in a fake situation. If i struggle so much applying the gospel that is like what missionary work is about! so I was feeling very discouraged ...o btw that exercise was in english so I was feeling like its not just the spanish that i need to worry about haha.
But then later that day at lunch we got a notice that our companionship had been recommended to do this thing in front of the new misisonaries coming in on wednesday. So that made me feel like hmm not sure why but i guess the teachers don't think I am compeltely hopeless haha. But we got to go to a little training for it (which we got to miss class for which I really needed alittle time away so that was nice) I thought it was going to be an informational meeting...but why would i think it would be somethign easy! it was like a workshop...we had to on our own go approach someone and practice this skill of how to begin teachign that they wanted us to be demonstrating to the new missionaries. They really wanted us to focus on loveing and understanding the person not just getting straight into a lesson. I was not feeling adequate or able to do this becuase of the other experience. but because of that I think i was the most humble i've been so i was a lot more sensitive to the spirit. I wasn't relying on my companion or on my own abilities bc i didn't feel like I had any haha. I did it, Ij ust started talking to the person and the spirit was there. the feedback the elder gave me was positive. It just made me realize. I really don't know a lot about the gospel, I really don't know a lot about how the gospel applies to every situation and I am not the most bold out going person. So really im not realy missionary material! haha! But I can get to know people and care about htem and when I am sincere about doing that the spirit can be there and do the other part. so i am still nervous about doing that infront of the new missionaries but I am realizing experiences I am scared of or uncomfortable with are the ones I learn a lot from. Which really stinks haha.
Something kinda cool I heard this week is ya know how anytime we recieve blessings it is becuase we are obedient to something ... dyc 130:20-21....missionaries have the opportunity get the most blessings than any other people ...because they have the most commandments in their life! haha cool eh? Our devotional last week was Elder Craig Zwick and he talked about the Book of Mormon! Man it was so good, this was my fav thing he said, " Missionary success is directly related to personal testimony and conversion to the Book of Mormon."
ok got to go!!!!! Love you sooo much!!! please keep writing me!!!!
Love love love
Hermana Mulliner!
Pictures!!!
Sha's Companionship and the girls in her dorm
The Sisters and Elders
Learning Spanish!
California (headed there soon!)
Temple Trip!
This is the package mom sent for Cinco De Mayo. The box was HUGE! They had a ton of fun with the Lightening McQueen pinata!
Another Temple Trip
P-Day!
Sha writing letters :) She loves getting mail!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
HELLO!!!
Family!!!!!
In our planners it is the start of week 8!!!! It is really hard to know how to start these emails...so much to say...so little time! So right now Dal is graduating!! What the heck!!!! Wish I could be there! And tate is going to the farm? What?! lucky!!! How are ella and reesey? On sunday a lot of branch presidencies have their families come to the MTC, it is so fun to see little kids! but makes me miss ella and reese.
This week has had ups and downs! I honestly cannot tell that my spanish is progressing but my teachers tell me I'm doing ok. I am not completely clueless when they give directions in class....but still mostly clueless haha. So today was the saddest day so far...the sisters that came into our zone three weeks ago left to the gautemala mtc. We became really good friends with them because they also struggled more with spanish. They were really nervous about going so they wanted us to come wait with them til they got into the vans this morning, it was really sad to say goodbye. We are all going to climb to the top of the y mountain in a year and half though...because that is what we coudl see out of the window where our zones classrooms are. We would stand there and look at the mountain and freak out after our lessons haha and laugh about all the dumb things we said!! haha
Hermana Walker and I have been signing up to work one on one with some teachers a lot lately. It is really good, it is funny though because I am exhausted afterwards, it is an hour of only speaking learning and doing spanish really intensely and it wears me out! haha its hard to imagine I will speak it without thinking so hard someday. But I heard this poem this week and loved it:
Fear knocked on my door,
In our planners it is the start of week 8!!!! It is really hard to know how to start these emails...so much to say...so little time! So right now Dal is graduating!! What the heck!!!! Wish I could be there! And tate is going to the farm? What?! lucky!!! How are ella and reesey? On sunday a lot of branch presidencies have their families come to the MTC, it is so fun to see little kids! but makes me miss ella and reese.
This week has had ups and downs! I honestly cannot tell that my spanish is progressing but my teachers tell me I'm doing ok. I am not completely clueless when they give directions in class....but still mostly clueless haha. So today was the saddest day so far...the sisters that came into our zone three weeks ago left to the gautemala mtc. We became really good friends with them because they also struggled more with spanish. They were really nervous about going so they wanted us to come wait with them til they got into the vans this morning, it was really sad to say goodbye. We are all going to climb to the top of the y mountain in a year and half though...because that is what we coudl see out of the window where our zones classrooms are. We would stand there and look at the mountain and freak out after our lessons haha and laugh about all the dumb things we said!! haha
Hermana Walker and I have been signing up to work one on one with some teachers a lot lately. It is really good, it is funny though because I am exhausted afterwards, it is an hour of only speaking learning and doing spanish really intensely and it wears me out! haha its hard to imagine I will speak it without thinking so hard someday. But I heard this poem this week and loved it:
Fear knocked on my door,
Faith answered,
No one was there
I have been working on learning the numbers so I can say and understand what chapter and verses and what song we are singing etc. So I feel like I know them pretty well now..but for some reason whenever I am in a lesson or giving a spiritual thought infront of people I am talking in spanish and I say chapter and think of the number in spanish and then... it just comes out in english! lol its like this little tick I can't control haha it just comes out!
This new workout class is really fun but I am so exhausted at the end of the day. We go back to the residency at 9:30 and I could fall asleep on the way there haha.
This week I had a new perspective on missionary work...that we can help the other missionaries as well. A sister in the zone came into my residency room at 9:45...I am kind of a werido about my personal time. A lot of sisters socialize or eat or i don't even know but I am antisocial, I need that time to write in my journal and have my own time and it goes by so fast. So at first I was a little hesitant to talk to her because I've learned that if you kinda don't respond sisters won't get offended they just move onto someone else haha. But I talked to her for a minute and she just started crying! She just expressed how she doesn't feel like she really fits in with the other missionaries and she is having a hard time here. My heart just broke cuz I couldn;t imagine doing this feeling that way. I just realized even though most missionaries put on a tough face everyone struggles with something. I was so glad I listened to her.
Haha Hermana Walker and I get to take the new districts in our zone on a tour of the mtc the second day they are here and it was so funny...we were showing them where gym is and we were up on the track. We looked down and there was a ton! And I mean a ton! like 20 asian girls bouncing around and laughing .... this is how they were playing basketball!! haha it really was hilarious. Wish i had that on film. Could have won big bucks on AFV.
Memorial day was kind of hard because we didn't get any mail and all of our teachers came in with sun burned faces from doing fun things with theirfamilies that day! haha. So you should all get onto lds.org and watch the new mormon message its called words with friends or something! So good! you will love it! Watch all of em actually! haha they are all so good!
I am supposed to leave the mtc on the 13...hermana walker is supposed to leave on the 11...it is going to be very hard to say goodbye, she is my family here. I am really scared to leave and really excited haha! I remember feeling this way about student teaching...we do three semesters of school to prep up to the big event...so you are so pumped to go do it but so scared to actually do it! We shoudl get our actually travel plans this week though on weds or thurs. So ill know my flight and everything next week. I think ican get calling cards here! This week I have learned so much. Elder holland in a talk said somethign to the effect of we are Gods investigators. Everything we want for our investigators and everything we want them to do God wants for us. That just kind of hit me. I realized how much of a blessing it is to come to the MTC first before going out into the field. it is cool to just have the purpose of converting myself more everyday and having a lot of time to do it. Pres. Hinckley said you can't lift someone if you aren't on higher ground...or osmething like that haha. But I have been realizing how little time I have left here at the MTC and I just don't want to waste it. I will miss a lot about being here. What I have loved most about it is how my testimony of the scriptures has grown! My eyes have been opened to how the Bible and book of mormon really do work together. Elder Scott said, "Scripture can calm an agitated soul, giving peace, hope, and a restoration of confidence in one's ability to overcome the challenges of life." Isn't that amazing? I just think its cool that the book of mormon has such cool stories!! LIke if it was just a book it would be a good book! But it also has the gospel principles and doctrines all over it, I don't know...it is just a special book. My favorite scripture this week was 1 Ne 21: 15-16. I love little kids so much, and I am not even a parent. He loves us and never forgets us more than that! Just really, the scriptures have answers and comfort for everything. I wish I would have studied the scriptures with as much meaning as I have been here my whole life.
I love you and appreciate the letterso much!!! I know you are all busy so thanks for letters! They seriously...just really make me be able to do it! I lvoe you and wish I coudl write more!! Have a good week!!!
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