The Best Two Weeks (?!)

Week 64   May 27, 2015  6:07 pm EDT     The Best Two Weeks (?!)

First and foremost, the Lacey 3rd boat has been rocked in the past 48 hours.

The band is breaking up and the Elders were ETed this morning - Elder Sheehan is going to the blessed land of Silverdale and Elder Leber is going to be a Zone Leader in Bremerton. Another missionary needed to go home for medical and Lacey 3rd got the receiving end of it all. The ward  is so bummed to have elders taken out, so it looks like Sister Harris and I are in for another ride taking over the investigators the elders were working with - the fun never stops. It's been a very good two weeks indeed.

Our Memorial Day we spent in Olympia with the sisters walking around downtown, taking pictures and eating at a tiny asian restaurant. It was difficult finding things that were still open for the holiday that would also not give us food poisoning.

We also stalked the local graffiti and found some great ones.

"Righteous women have changed the course of history and will continue to do so." - Julie B. Beck

(Just like superheroes.)

A quote that I thought I'd forward on to the world that I liked this week:

"Latter-day Saints whose eyes are single to God’s glory see life from a vastly different perspective than those whose attention is directed elsewhere. Such members, for instance, care little about receiving credit or recognition for their good deeds. They are more interested in feeding the Lord’s sheep than in counting them."  --- Marlin K. Jensen

Remember that the Lord is far more interested in the one, the individual, and personally bringing them back to the fold than we tend to be. God just isn't a numbers man. Each and every soul is precious. (see D&C 18:10-15)

love

- elizabeth

Lost In Lacy

Week 63  May 18, 2015   2:56 pm EDT         Lost In Lacy

The weekly update:

My last days on the Island were spent at a ward bonfire at Fay Bainbridge Park with some of my favorite families. It was bittersweet, and a the temperature dipped enough to warrant a good FHE with a fire (:

Sister Madsen and I also walked the beach gathering sand dollars and making little friends for our last morning (it counts as exercise, right?)

Now that I'm officially in Lacey 3rd, here are my compadres: Sister Harris and Elders Leber and Sheehan. We're less than a week in, but we are all great friends and are seeing #miracles all over the area and the zone (the hastags just won't die.)

Being doubled in is by and large crazy, since you literally have no idea who people are, where things are located or how to get home to your apartment the first night....

but doubling in after Sister Diener is as much of a cake walk as it could be - she is thorough - I would know, since I've doubled out with her before (Hello Belfair)

Harris and I have found some miracle new investigators, had an awesome church tour with a guy named Christian that us and the Elders found within days of each other and almost started teaching simultaneously, and I can get to the church, the stake center and to our apartment from anywhere in the area without a gps - which is great (just don't ask me to be able to get to anywhere else yet)

Sister Harris is from Albuquerque (and if this computer didn't have spellcheck, I wouldn't have spelled that correctly.) and was roommates with Cathy from Belmont Ridge. What a very, very small world it is.

She's a gem.

Life is hectic and wonderful and short.

So remember Jacob 6:12, and you'll be fine.

From Lacey with love,

Elizabeth

I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go

Week 62 May 11, 2015. 4:47 pm EDT  I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go

Mother's Day is a happy day.

And I'm pretty sure there are no happier moms than missionary moms on Mother's Day.

Don't they look great?

The problem with transfers coming around Mother's Day is that it also makes it a sad day - to say goodbye and leave people you love. Transfers shocked Sister Madsen and I and the dream team is coming to an close

I'm headed down to Lacey to double in with Sister Harris, and Sister Heaton is taking my spot on the blessed Bainbridge Island.

We're a good lookin' bunch.

The other highlight of the week was being able to have a last minute exchange with the one and only Brewst. It was a glorious way to end the transfer (:

I'm trying to remember that I agreed to go where the Lord wants me to go, because He always has something better there prepared for us than we can even comprehend.

Well, I'm off to knock it out in Lacey.

Because we are in the business of changing eternities.

Buh Bye, Seattle. I never could get a quality picture of you.

- Elizabeth

P.S.

 "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."

- Abraham Lincoln

Pictures from our phone call on Mother's Day

D&C 58:4...After Much Tribulation

Week 61  May 4, 2015    5:55 EDT    D&C 58:4  After  Much Tribulation

Friends, family, etc.

This week has been slower than most (in a very literal sense) since our beloved car was in the autobody shop for half of it. Lots of biking, walking, and hitching rides. Made us feel on par with this lil' guy

The sisters in our zone, Muti and Taylor, helped us out and met us at the shop post-exchange and dropped us off. Tender mercies come in companionships.

Bainbridge Island is such an anomaly. Sister Madsen and I talk about how this place is such a paradox all the time. It's full of people who are earthy but not down to earth. It's boondocks-y but full of high tech Seattlites. People in the fast lane, but run on "island time". It makes our brains hurt trying to understand it all - but really, the island-time thing here is a struggle - there isn't any sense of urgency with anyone here, especially those we teach.

Exhibit A: active non-members that have been coming to church for 23 years and hold multiple callings and attend seminary...

Exhibit B: our investigator Craig decided that for his baptism date, he would like November 99th...yep.

But in all reality, it is also an amazing place. During Fast Sunday, everyone who bore their testimony was either a convert (the ward has more converts to the church than those raised in the church, Bishop included), a youth or a returned mission president. Talk about a powerhouse ward. And a quote from one of the kids who spoke, named Fox: " Jesus wants us to love every each one another."

Well said.

This week has also been a week of tiny little miracles, because we figure extra park days equal extra miracles -

After a few months of trying to find a potential we met my second week on the Island, named Ben, after a little nudge by the Spirit we were able to talk with him right as he got home from school and then had the best lesson with him a few days after. Ben is 14, comes from an atheist home, recently became a Christian, loves to learn all he can about the Savior and wants to be baptized as soon as possible. 

Three different members of our ward referring us to this woman Clara, who we tried and tried to contact, but couldn't get a hold of. So when Sister Madsen and I walked in to teach our gospel principles class, and Clara happened to be sitting there with a Sister who had brought her, we were stoked.

And other random little lessons that remind us that this is the Lord's work and He is very much aware of it, and us.

Our challenge is to unselfishly sacrifice all that we have been given, including our will. Giving up what we want to be given something greater. 

“The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we ‘give’ … are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.”  - Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Sacrifice is ultimately a matter of the heart. “Behold, the Lord requires a willing mind, a contrite spirit and all our heart (3 Nephi 9:20)

Our sacrifices can and will bring forth the blessings of heaven.

And in the end we realize that it was no sacrifice at all. 

Until next time,

elizabeth

P.S. 

this one's for Gus (:​

Up And Doing

Week 60  April 27, 2015   4:26 pm EDT  Up And Doing

Meet my new nemesis:

the "tiwi"

In short, it is a little black box that monitors all sorts of things in our car/driving habits/etc that were recently installed for the whole mission. Apparently we are the 16th mission to get them and by the end of the year all the missions in the US/Canada will have them. Anxiety runs high in the mission now that we have a robot tracking our moves, but at least it's better to have a car with a black box than no car at all.

I tend to side with the counsel of the prophet Joseph Smith when it comes to these sorts of things - to teach correct principles and let them govern themselves - but apparently missionaries in cars are the church's greatest liability...so tiwi it is. 

Besides having almost going into cardiac arrest a few times because a robotic voice blares "CHECK YOUR SPEED" when the speed limit changes, life has been peachy keen. 

We started the week with the Silverdale Croquet Crew decked out in our Bay Hay & Feed shirts; it's a Bainbridge thing to take family pictures in the Bay Hay shirt/sweatshirt of your choice...so we naturally convinced (most) of the zone to participate haha.

Other highlights of the week included being able to participate in a Family History Expo where we helped teach a class about indexing records and getting started with finding family names, working with the Young Women for a Personal Progress activity and finding an awesome non-member who we can teach already participating, and a mini exchange with Sister Liao and Jones in Kitsap Lake

We've had more interesting things happen to us this week while knocking, like meeting someone who professed to be "Elijah reincarnated" and another family who opened the door, told us they weren't interested, gave us a plate of chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven and closed the door. Madsen and I were bummed they didn't want to listen, pleased to have delicious cookies, but mostly just confused by the whole business.

People on Bainbridge certainly have an interesting way of rejecting us. 

We are really focusing on member missionary work here, which is gradual but vital progress. Changing the way the culture of the church works in regards to missionary work is like changing the direction of a very, VERY large ship. It takes time and patience and fortitude and outside forces work against it, but it can be done. 

James 3:4 "Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm" 

See also: D&C 123:16

See also also: last week's email

It feels like Sister Madsen and I are a very small helm, but we know that though we are but little, we are fierce.

See also: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Keep the faith.

Go and "be up and doing" (Alma 60:24)

- elizabeth

Hello Spring!

Week 59 April 20, 2015  4:42 EDT   Hello Spring!


Greetings from the PNW, folks

Sister Madsen and I had a good, good week; Zone Conference with the whole peninsula, an exchange in Port Angeles, beautiful weather and our investigator Paul putting himself on date - not too shabby.

Sister Bigley and I had a blast in Port Angeles, and the day was full of silly things and sacred moments. Miracles are real, everyone. And they happen in PA.

​Me, Barry (an awesome RC who likes the Redskins) and Bigs in PA

And since Port Angeles is forever away from the island, our exchange ended almost halfway at the small town legend Fat Smitty's.

Americana + military conservatism + giant food = Fat Smitty's

The inside is literally covered with decades of dollar bills from diners past,

Thus...
we added ourselves (and some passalong cards, of course) to a little blank spot on the wall by a Utah license plate - because, well Utah...this is the place.

Remember how I mentioned Port Angeles is forever away? yeah...well we tend to use up all of our miles getting to and from exchanges and such, so we've been getting creative this week.

Bring out the bikes!

A sweet family in the ward is letting us borrow them (luckily these ones don't have plastic flower baskets on them) and the helmets (luckily these ones aren't pink).

There's nothing like biking to church in your Sunday best - and then proceeding to bike all over a very hilly and forested island.

We might have found some short cuts through a park (:

All in all, it was a long week, but we had many people at church and were able to see lots of little tokens of God's love for us throughout our travels. By Sunday night, we were exhausted but that's kind of the point, isn't it? To use this life fully, completely and wholly is the requirement for great things - so we hold nothing back and give all we have and all we are.

D&C 123-12-17

"Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—

These should then be attended to with great earnestness.

Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things.

You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.

Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

- elizabeth

It's A Monday

Week 58  April 13, 2015  4:27 pm EDT    It's A Monday

It's A Monday, and if you didn't know that that's a Olan Rogers quote, I'll give you time to educate yourself and think my emails are sometimes funny at a later time. 

(courtesy of Becca.)

So Sister Madsen and I came out together, and now that we are both old ladies, everything seems to be falling apart a bit - shoes, brains, etc.  Rest assured that this is normal.

But other than that, life is grand. Have I mentioned that Bainbridge Island is a beautiful place to be? Every five minutes either Sister Madsen or I are just taken aback by how stunning things can be here. President Weaver said that Washington is the closest thing to the garden of Eden - and at times, I'd have to agree with him.

Our week was great though it passed at breakneck speed. We were extra blessed to go down to a baptism in Lakewood for Gerald, a man that Sister Madsen taught, on Sunday. It was a sweet end to the week. Sweet above all that is sweet.

A thought that I've had lately is that I am a child of God. No more. No less.

And consequently, I am a daughter of God. No more and no less. No more or less than anyone else.

The world continues to tell me that to be equal means to be the same. But I know that because God is perfectly just and fair, fair means that we each get what we need, not that we all get the same. Perceived inequalities are just that, merely what is perceived, not what is truth and is more of a reflection of our limited perspective. 

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend"  -  Mosiah 4:11

You better believe it.

- Elizabeth Bishop

P.S. and for your viewing pleasure, a llama, a sheep and a tipi

#BainbridgeBackyards