Intensity

Week 40  December 8, 2014  4:11 pm EST     Intensity

inˈtens/

adjective

of extreme force, degree, or strength.

highly concentrated.

having or showing strong feelings or opinions; extremely earnest or serious.

It has been an intense week.

Extreme highs and lows each day, such as:

- the longest day ever/super productive MLC/exchange

- culture shock on my exchange with Sister Brewster back in Tacoma (oh how I've missed the city - I know, it's only been a few weeks)

- Hundreds of nativities crowded into the Tacoma stake center

(including this gnome rendition - this one's for you, Dad!)

- The slowest drivers.

- A stressful intervention for one of our investigators who is struggling with addictions, depression and opposition trying to get baptized

- The most prepared woman, Elizabeth, finally making it to church and loving it

- Attempting to wrangle the most rambunctious two year old boy out from under a pew during sacrament meeting discretely

- Having some of the best sisters in the mission as good friends.

- The worst day ever.   I won't go there.

- Getting attacked by a pack of chihuahuas during a lesson

- All the serendipitous moments on both sides of the exchange

- A very bright happy-light during studies (ha.)

- Luke defending the Restoration to his mother and glowing from the light of the gospel

- The prettiest weather on the canal after a few days of mucky rain and fog

So all in all, it's been quite the week. And the next one is looking just as good.

Do good, be good.

Elizabeth

#ShareTheGift

Week 39  December 1, 2014  3:54 pm  EST     #ShareTheGift

Major Holiday Season:

one down, two to go, folks.

Transfers was bittersweet, seeing some of my best friends and hearing their final testimonies. It's a good thing there's life after death and all, because goodbyes aren't really my thing.

So life in Belfair is pretty awesome. We have the largest geographical area in the mission (other than Forks which includes the whole Olympic National Forest and is an Elders area anyways) and I never realized how much time/how many miles we would spend getting to and fro each day. The Belfair area comprises a lot of very small and remote towns in the mountains and near the water so it's really pretty up here. Way different from downtown Tacoma - but still good. The church is still true up here too.

Thanksgiving we spent with a few families in the ward, writing thank you notes, weekly planning and generally trying to recover from a lot of pie. Our first dinner (at 11am....dinner??) was with the Bautistas and their little girls:

Sister Diener and I have tons of people to teach here, five people came to church on Sunday (plus little ones) and it is going to be a really good transfer - it's also going to be Christmas, so naturally it's going to be a really good transfer (:

(in case you were wondering, it is hecka cold knocking doors. and yes, it really is that dark.)

Speaking of Christmas...we are sharing a super cool new video with every living thing we can possibly come in contact with. You can find it at christmas.mormon.org - does really helps draw the connection between the Savior's birth and his Atonement, and how everything draws back to God's love for us. 

Watch it, love it, share it, you know the drill.

Until next time,

Elizabeth

P.S. and yes, Sister Diener is indeed from Utah. Six for six comps. I'm starting to get a complex

Re: Thanks and Giving.

Week 38  November 25, 2014  3:38 pm  EST.   Re: Thanks and Giving 

Heya!

I'm so glad she is home. she looks so good and so happy in the pictures (:

So newsflash: I'm getting transferred - to Belfair in the Gig Harbor zone (!)

my new address is 653 Gladwin Rd. #4 Belfair, WA 98528

it's the boonies for sure haha.

I'll be an stl, so that will mean for lots of exchanges, though I don't know what areas I'm over yet. There are a lot of sisters areas closing/shifting because of the lack of sisters coming in and so many are going home today (Cassell is headed home - I told her to be becky's friend haha)

I kinda thought I'd stick around Lincoln for all the holidays, but I guess the other side of the bridge is where I need to be

I got your awesome package! and I am wearing the bracelet! I loved hearing from Boo (:

Peace Out, T-Town. Hello Boonies

Week 38  November 25, 2014  4:43 pm EST.   Peace Out, T-Town. Hello Boonies

Welp. I'm headed across the bridge folks!

It looks like I'll be spending the holidays on the peninsula in Belfair, WA.

And here a some nice population statistics regarding my areas thus far (just for fun):

Parkland - 35,803

Tacoma - 198,397

Belfair - 6,221

Sister Lomu will keep rockin' it in this ward with Goldstrohm and Andersen.

And since I'm leaving the land of Lincoln after a mere six weeks, this picture seems fitting:

In case you've been living under a rock, it's almost Thanksgiving and the gratitude in the air is almost tangible. I won't burden you with long soapbox on being grateful, but a scripture will do (:

Alma 26:35-27

Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name.

Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land.

Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.

Us missionaries are indeed wanderers in the strange land of Tacoma, but we certainly have every reason to rejoice in the goodness of God.

Love, Elizabeth

P.S. Welcome Home Boo! Here's your official shout out (:

P.P.S.

Baby It's Cold Outside

Week 37   November 18, 2014  5:57 pm EST.    Baby Its Cold Outside

Most nights when Sister Lomu and I come in we have to spend a little while defrosting. And on occasion I find her in front of the heater in our little room cocooned up. 

As a reminder to all: skirts are drafty.

But I'll take all this cold over the rain any day. We have been super blessed to have had some really clear skies this past week and more than an expected amount of sun (:

Our week has been fairly low key, just working away here in Lincoln. We met a man on the street on Wednesday who would only speak to us in animal sounds...so that was fun.

Knocking near the Tacoma Dome

And a memorable dinner with an investigator and one of the most interesting families in the ward

We had our ward's Primary Program on Sunday and our tiny little investigator Amaura participated (and did an awesome job, even if she didn't know all the words to the songs yet). Her and Makai and his little sister Sakaia just loved church/primary. Now if only we could get the rest of their families to feel the same way...

We also had an awesome little miracle with a woman we have been working with for months now, Sue. We have dinner with her and Sister Whitney each Friday; she comes prepared with gospel questions for us to answer and we come with a little lesson to share. Sue has slowly progressed from reluctant participant to looking for questions to stump us to genuinely wanting to know more and feel what we feel. On Friday she was the happiest we have ever seen her and she told us this story about how she has come to know that the principle of paying tithing is true and that it brings blessings. As our conversation wore on, she told us that she will get baptized exactly one week after she quits smoking (neither of which things we have committed her to do yet).

She knows this is true. She knows she wants to be baptized. She knows God will help her get there.

So all in all, life is good. Crazy and strange and oh so good.

In light of facing hard things, we here in the WaTac hold on to Hebrews 11:40 (JST)

"God having provided some better things for them through their sufferings, for without sufferings they could not be made perfect."

​

Ofa lahi atu (did I mention Lomu's teaching me Tongan? haha)

- Elizabeth

Sister Sister! Talk about a two way twister

Week 36  November 12, 2014 5:20 EST    Sister Sister!  Talk about a two way twister


Okay, so here's a rundown of the past week:

- "Clay date" with Patricia (who works with a whole lotta clay and who we are working with) and our creations

​(and yes...Sister Lomu bleeds red. We've managed to settle our differences somehow haha)

- Our investigator Emily rocking it at Young Women in Excellence

- Quotable quote from Goldy: "with the Holy Ghost with you, you never have to roll up solo."

- Miraculously having seven people at church on Sunday (plus all of Smitty and Kelly's little tykes)

- "He is There: A Convert's Story" - a musical fireside by Orson Scott Card that we were able to take Emily and Amaura to (which they loved, despite a very unfortunate sound system)

 Meeting with Laundromat Jim (who lets us wash our clothes for freeeee)

- various P Day shenanigans

- Hunting down Cub Scout apparel for an investigator

- Mission Tour with Elder Snow of the Seventy - which was a great learning experience despite the power outages (clear and sunny skies make for very windy days up here. And windy days make for downed power lines)

- Having the Silverdale and Tacoma zones together at last

- The Tacoma and Lakewood Recent Convert Fireside

- Lessons on lessons on lessons

- The best weather we've seen in weeks

- and a short 7 days until Sister Bishop (that Philippino one) gets home (!)

Missionaries are busy people; and this week was no exception to the rule.

We are stoked for Emily, Makai and Amaura to get baptized in the coming weeks and have been going nonstop to get them (read: their parents) ready.

With Becky finishing up her service, a quote from Marjorie Hinkley concerning missionary work has been on my mind: "It is a wonderful thing you are doing, but it is the least you could do."

The opportunity to serve is short. And given the blessings we've been granted, it isn't much of a sacrifice. We talk about giving up things to go on a mission, but it's more of trading up. The blessings are innumerable and unequivocal. 

All my lovin'

- Elizabeth

T Minus 2 Weeks to 1 Sister Bishop

Week 35  Nov. 4  4:05 pm  EDT.    T Minus 2 Weeks to 1 Sister Bishop

Soon the missionary one-two punch of having two Sisters Bishop out and about will come to an end. It's a bummer to not be there for Becky's homecoming, but I trust my mom and dad will do a pretttttty good job of making her feel loved and well-adjusted.

The field is white in Lincoln - some of the youth we are working with include Amaura, Emily, Makai and Andrew. All of them want to be baptized, so we are doing our best to get them fully integrated into the Lincoln Ward and helping each of their parents want to learn more about the gospel too. These kids are like sponges - they just want to to everything and love everyone and have no reservations. They just want to be like Jesus. They are direct, honest and simple. They also have a five-second attention span, but I digress.

For Halloween, we had our Zone meeting (which required a pit stop to pick up dinner to go from the nicest Vietnamese family ever)

And if anyone was worried about missionaries not getting candy because we don't Trick or Treat...don't be. The Tacoma East Zone was abundantly blessed with goodies from family, friends and ward members.

After we had some training and prepped for our upcoming Mission Tour with Elder Snow next week, we ate/talked/goofed off and watched a thrilling movie..."The Best Two Years" (which made all of us grateful to not have to speak Dutch.)

Since we can't proselyte in costume, we saved some simple ones for our meeting - hence the Cambodians came as asian women, Allenmore and Lincoln elders were some low-key ninja turtles and I was a Hogwarts student.

(Don't mind the 'staches.)

All in all, it was a memorable Halloween for us Lincoln missionaries

Pop Quiz!

Daylight Savings Time:

a) makes Washington darker even earlier

b) makes knocking doors in the rain even more fun

c) is the only way missionaries get an extra hour of sleep

d) all of the above.

(if you were still wondering, the correct answer is d)

It's getting darker/wetter/colder which isn't super fun, but makes having lessons indoors even nicer.

Sister Lomu and I even found a "Little Library" in our area - so we're experimenting with how long our Book of Mormon will stay inside.

Other silliness involved going bowling with the zone on p-day. 

Elder Kearns being Elder Kearns:

  (he even knocked down 9 pins)

Sister Lomu and I have had a great time here in Lincoln. We are teaching some awesome people and have way too many weird things happen each day. Some of the more quotable quotes from three of our investigators lately include:

"I wanna take a break. Maybe for a week...for a month...maybe forever?"

"So, my court date is the day before my baptism. Can I get baptized in jail?"

"Hold up, the word of wizards says I can't do meth?"

Missionary work: it's a joy in Tacoma.

With all of these fun things happening lately, us missionaries have been asked to really focus on faith as a mission; to prepare for the Mission Tour and for life. 

I have been thinking about faith, and how faith alone is not enough. Usually this is meant to imply faith without action, but sometimes our faith alone isn't adequate. Some miracles require collective faith. 

In Alma 19, the Lord restates his promise to a dedicated and faithful father: "Now we see that Ammon could not be slain, for the Lord had said unto Mosiah, his father: I will spare him, and it shall be unto him according to thy faith—therefore, Mosiah trusted him unto the Lord."

Ammon's safety and success depended on Mosiah's faith too.

Elder Wong addressed this in General Conference with Christ healing the man with palsy - "when Jesus saw their faith" (Mark 2:5) the man was able to be healed physically and spiritually.

The faith of others, be it parents, friends, ward members or companions is the key to miracles. Our mission has been praying daily together for increased faith and for each other - which has only opened the door for greater miracles to be wrought in our areas and our individual lives.

Ain't this the best thing ever?

Signing off,

Elizabeth

P.S. Lincoln just got a new greenie - welcome Elder Goldstrohm (: