March 28, 2016

Another monday!  Wow this has been a crazy week for me in all forms...

So starting out with Dresden.  That is crazy!  I actually found out on Friday i think.  So we were in a lesson and the ZLs sent me a text asking if i knew an Elder Empy from Santa Clara.  I responded and said yes and then they sent another text that said to call them right away.  So i called them and told me everything that they had heard.  I was kinda in shock.  My mind just went racing back to 1st grade when we were best friends.  Riding bikes to school, his Spiderman birthday party, being at Ray and Dorthys house almost everyday after school.  I was super gald to hear that he was okay though.  Hes a champ and can make it through anything though :)

And about Hna. Langs nephew...  This is the first i have heard about it.  I honestly started crying when I read that.  She loved that little boy sooo much.  She would talk about him all the time.  It honestly breaks my heart...  I am sure she is  having a really hard time.  I just wish she wasnt so far away!  I will try to get in contact with her as soon as possible.  

This week work wise was just alright.  Nothing too spectacular.  Alan came to church again and is reading his Book of Mormon!  He also accepted a baptismal date!  We are now just working on him getting married...

So Sunday the bishop put us in charge of doing an activity for Easter.  So we had to hurry and get everything done before Thursday.  We decided just to play soccer and volleyball and see how that turned out.  It actually was super fun haha.  All the Elders from our district showed up to help also.  They brought an american football and tried to teach people how to throw it.  We all played soccer and there were a ton of people that showed up!  I was super impressed :)  It was probably the best activity i have had in my whole mission haha :)

Womans Conference was great also!  I loved it!  A ton about service :)  I loved all of the talks and really i just love General Conferece.  I am super excited for next week! :)

Sorry my thoughts are super scrambled this week haha.  But thats about all that happened this last week.  I am hoping for a more exciting week next week! :)  Love you all soo much! Have a great week!! :)

Love,

Hermana Lauren Jane Mitchell :)

March 21, 2016

Buenas Tardes familia!

Whats up???  How is everyone doing???  It sounds like it was another good week in the USA :)

It was a pretty good week here too :)  I mean not the best week I have ever had but it was way better than last week haha.  Sometimes it takes a little bit after transfers to ajust and everything but things are definitly looking up :)

So this week we had another lesson with Alan!  Actually we had 2 :)  He really is so awesome haha.  He likes to make fun of me a lot but I am pretty use to that by now :)  But he is SO prepared!  The only problem with him is that.... hes not married.  That is ALWAYS a problem and its SO HARD to talk them into getting married sometimes but we are hoping that itll work.  So on Saturday we taught him about the Book of Mormon.  What it was, where it came from, why we need it, and really focused on him gaining a testimony of it and how he could do that.  He had lots of questions but by the end of the lesson he understood and was really anxious to start reading it.  We also invited him to church and he went!!!  He could only go for sacrament meeting because he works in a mototaxi and had to go pick something up or something but he really enjoyed it and he actually knows a lot more people in the ward than he thought he did.  Everyone was super nice to him and he wants to come back next week and bring his family! :)  Yesterday we were able to teach him again after church and we taught the Plan of Salvation.  He was SUPER interested and learned a ton.  At the end he told us how greatful he was to have us there.  The bishop came to that lesson with us and so they were able to meet and talk so it was good :)  We will see how things go with him this week :)

This week we also had an assignment from the bishop to go visit a sister that hadnt gone to church in awhile.  Her name is Grace.  She is honestly the greatest.  But she is having sooo many problems with her husband and its soo sad.  He really just is kinda a bad guy.  They have 3 kids and were sealed in the temple but he is just kinda living his life like he wants to.  We had a FHE with her and her 2 boys and it was sooo good.  Her kids are ADORABLE!  We watched the new Easter video from the church and we asked her 8 year old what his favorite part was and he started to cry!  He just talked about how beautiful it was and how sad it was that Jesus had to die for us.  I think it was one of the cutest things i have ever seen.  And Sunday they went to church!  So i think i was a success :)  We have another FHE with her today :)

We also saw a TON of blessings at church yesterday.  So we have been having A TON of problems these last few weeks in finding new investigators.  We honestly tried everything but had no results.  But yesterday at church there were like 5 people that came with friends of family members and we were able to meet them and schedule lessons with them.  It really was an answer to our prayers.  We now have a bunch of new potentials set up for this week so i am super excited about that :)  We will see how it goes! :)

Me and my compaion are doing good :)  Sometimes its just kinda hard adjusting to a new companion.  Espesically going from one from the US to a Latina.  Everything is just sooo different.  But everything is going a lot better now :)  She really is great.  She comes from a little town in the south of Peru.  But really she is super nice.  She just gets sick sometimes haha but thats okay :)  I am trying my hardest to be patient but I am learning a lot from her :)

Well, that is it for my week!  Please share the new easter video!! PLEASE!!  #ALELUYA :)

Love you all so much! See you in 4 WEEKS! :)

Love,
Hermana Lauren Jane Mitchell :)

March 14, 2016

Happy Monday!!! :)

ONLY 5 MORE WEEKS!  Oh my gosh i am sooooo stressed out haha you dont even know! 

Anyways....  This week was rough haha. First off my companion.  Actually she is really great :)  She is super nice and patient and we have been getting along really well.  She is pretty shy in group settings so its hard to talk to other missionaries haha but shes fun :) The only thing is, is she is kind of lazy, which is kinda frusturating.  I am always having to drag her out the door... But other than that everythings good.  She is not why it has been a rough week.  For some reason this week NO ONE HAS BEEN HOME!  It was kinda ridiculous!  We went around to everyone we had appointments with, all our investigators, less actives, converts, and NO ONE WAS HOME!  It was actully super weird.  It was kind of discouraging but thats okay.  We did do a lot of walking :)

We did find a new investigator yesterday and he is awesome!  His name is Alan.  He lives pretty close to us and drive a mototaxi.  Thats how we got to know him.  We were able to teach him about the restoration yesterday and we could really see that it got him thinking.  It was awesome :)  He is super anxious to read the Book of Mormon and really wants to know the truth.  We have very high hopes for him.

I was also SUPER frustrated at our ward this week.  So once a transfer we do an ´´invasion´´ where all the missionaries from one stake go to one ward and we all go out looking for references and less actives.  Finally it was our ward's turn.  So usually there are a bunch of ward members to come help out because the other missionaries dont know the area.  Butttttt, NO ONE FROM OUR WARD SHOWED UP!  Only the bishop was there and about 24 missionaries that had no idea where to go.  So pretty much they went out on their own and we got nothing done.  Invasions are such good oppertunities to find new people but we wasted ours!  I was soooooo frustruated.  Yesterday in Sacrament meeting the bishop pretty much burned everyone but it doesnt help.  Without members, missionary work is sooo hard.  I wish they would understand that!  But i guess we just have to have patience right?

Also the new Easter iniative came out!  #ALELUYA  Go on lds.org and share it with EVERYONE!  It is such a good oppertunity to have missionary experiences so do it! Please :)  

In my studies this week i was reading in Mosiah and I came across some things that really inspired me.  I was reading in King Benjamins speech and he tells us what we need to do to have real happiness.  And the thing is, its all soooo simple!  We just have to help others and be obedient.  I especially liked Mosiah 4: 11-12.  If you get some time go read it :)

Well, that is about it for my week.  I am hoping that this week will go a lot better.  I only have 5 more of them so i got to make the best of it right?  :)  Also mother, here are some things you could start getting to bring here!  

Nerf footballs (american footballs dont exist here)

BYU stuff (shirts, a couple ties)

Candy (for some reason they really liked the pixi stix haha, and tooties rolls)

-Utah stuff (magnets, key chains, tshirts, some other cheesy gas station stuff haha)

Also some things Hermana Rasmussen has asked for are

Vanilla

Baking Soda

Guacamole seasoning in packets

Love you all tons!  Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Mitchell :)

March 6, 2016

Hello!

First off, mother that video of Kaden is hilarious haha!  I will take what i can get :)

Well first things first...  I HAD TRANSFERS!  Well kind of.  I am staying in my area in Los Ficus but i got a new companion!  Hna. Sandison went to Angamos (my old area!) and I am now with Hermana Nicho!  She is from Mokewa Peru!  I have only been with her for a few hours today but she seems awesome!!!  It is nice to have another Latina companion too!  But that means I will struggle with a few English words again at the end of this transfer haha but thats okay :)  Today has been a pretty chill day of just getting to know eachother!  I can not believe that this is my last transfer!  I have a good feeling about it though :)  She actually started her mission out in Argentina but had to go home because of medical reasons then got reassigned here.  She is the oldest of 4 siblings and they are all members as well.  She only has about 4 weeks in this mission. We are still sister leaders so I am excited to finish my mission that way! 

This last week with Hermana Sandison was fun though.  We had a few meetings and mostly she just went around saying goodbye to people.  So i do not have tons to report for this week haha.  She was pretty sad to leave but it was time i think.  I love her to death and know we are going to be friends forever!  I am now super excited to learn new stuff from Hermana Nicho! 

Okay this week it rained SUPER HARD!  We were in a lesson and it started raining and by the time we left there were rivers in the roads!  I have pictures but i forgot my camera!  I will send them next week!  So we had to take off our shoes and walk through the water.  Then we went out and tried to teach people but they were all trying to get water out of their houses or save their houses so we tried to help out for a little then we were advised to just go wait it out for a little in our room....  so after that it was kinda boring haha but the rain was CRAZY!  They say that until April it will be pretty rainy here so i am pretty excited.  I LOVE THE RAIN! :)

This week we have our Leadership Counsel and Zone Meeting.  It is my last of the two... which makes me super sad.  I CANT BELIEVE ITS ALMOST OVER!  

I am going to be honest mother... i have not been the best journal writer... but i have tried!  Haha i always put it as a goal.....  But i havent been horrible either :)

Also Hermana Rasmussen has some things she would like you to bring too if thats okay.  So far all she has told is:  Good vanilla and baking soda (for baking obviously haha)  the ingredients here are not the best for making cookies i guess haha :)

Alright well thats about it for my week.  Next week I will have a lot more to report!  I am glad everyone is doing good at home!  Tell me how grandmas party goes!  Love you all tons! :)

Love,

Hermana Lauren Jane Mitchell :)