OKay I am repenting from my pagan ways and so this email will be short and
sweet, which is unfortunate because this week was AMAZING!
Seriously, this
week was full of wonderful things. I don't have a lot of time so there will be
a lot of typos and it will make even less sense than normal, but I shall list
why this week was great.
1. Saturday my district did a 24 hour English fast
and it was Awesome! Seriously, it was not as hard or as bad as I thought it was
going to be and my tongue felt so much looser by the end of the day. We decided
to do them every Saturday as a district, even though most people hated it.
2. Music and the Spoken work was so, so good on Sunday. If you didn't get
to see it, try and find it online because it was incredible. Alfie Boe sang and
they showed an amazing story about Hal Halverson.
3. Relief Society is great
because not only do we get to do MandtheSW, but we get to hear a convert story
every week and they are so inspiring. The girl this week was so cute and said
"I had never heard a testimony before and it cut me to my soul." I wish I had
my notes because it always just testifies so much that MEMBERS are AMAZING! and
people are ready! They just need an invitation!
4. We sing "Called to Serve"
as the opening hymn every Tuesday night for devotional. It's funny because the
first week you're here it's like "YES!!!" and you think it's like a special
occasion, but then 3 weeks later you realize that we always sing it. It's fun
though.
5. Our teacher Hno. Bell suggested my companion and I to demonstrate
"How to Begin Teaching" to the new missionaries. Another companionship from our
district was too, along with like 10 other companionships in our building. It
was scary but really great. So interesting to be the first experience most of
the missionaries have with teaching an investigator. We didn't do a great job
our first investigator, but the second one was so fun! They cut us off as soon
as they think we're about to teach doctrine so that the new missionaries can do
it, but it was a cool experience. And the people from the District 2 were the
ones that trained us so that was cool. I always feel like i'm meeting a
celebrity. Haha.
6. We got to be Hosts on Wednesday and that was great. I
got to host two new sisters and one was 19! And so it begins...
7. I saw
Sister Lauaki!! She is just as crazy and hilarious as ever. Apparently she was
a riot during the How to Begin Teaching experience with one of the other
companionships. And her brother never found out that she was coming.
Apparently he just cried when he saw her, but I'm not entirely sure. I know he
was as surprised as anything though! If anyone else has the full story, send me
it on Dearelder because I just told so many people about her and her brother and
so everyone was excited for her to come.
8. I am the most pro at
photobombing pictures. Coming in 2014: some sweet pictures of me that I do not
currently have. In fact, the new district in our zone thought it was so funny
that they asked me to photobomb their pictures. Hilarious to me.
9. This is
a personal message to a person who wrote me last week and did not give me their
new address! How dare you write me the funniest dearelder and then not give me
a way to write you back! You know who you are. I told some of the other
sisters about that facebook group and they just did not think it was as crazy as
i did. Feminists...
10. Our zone did the cereal challenge and got in big
trouble for it. We know it's just our district though because we have seen at
least 4 other zones do it and we were the only ones that got the 5 minute
"you're not allowed to do this it's against the word of wisdom" talk. Why do
you feed it to us then? :)
11. I just got to go on a SLC temple trip. It
was great and we went on a bunch of tours. I think i was the only one who
appreciated the church history stories (pictures to come). It lasted all day
though. I would explain it more but I want to make sure I talk about the BEST
part of the week. However, I won't have time to write any letters this week.
That stinks because it's Christmas week, but thank you SO MUCH for all of the
letters and Christmas card. Especially Kara who sent pictures. I'd Love some
family pictures!
12. Now this is the most important part. This week was
amazing because it was fun and I learned a lot, but BY FAR the best part of the
week was teaching Pedro on Wednesday night. We've been super struggling with
finding out his need because it seems like he just wants to talk about Jesus and
not actually apply this to himself, but Wednesday morning Hna. Chung and I had
an incredible planning session filled with the spirit and we were SO helped
during the lesson. I don't have time to explain the details and probably most
of you don't even care (especially since Pedro is Hno. Bell is disguise) but we
figured out his need, he knows the Church is true and that he needs to be
baptized. He's just afraid because he thinks he'll lose his family and friends.
It was heartbreaking, but the spirit was so strong and it felt so good. This
is why I am here. This is why being a missionary is the best thing in the
entire world. I love this work. The days are hard but the work is true- this
is what the spirit testified to me during a rough patch on monday and i can tell
it's going to become a mantra. Heavenly Father has sustained me and
strengthened me and I love being here.
LOVE you all!
Hna. Catron
sweet, which is unfortunate because this week was AMAZING!
Seriously, this
week was full of wonderful things. I don't have a lot of time so there will be
a lot of typos and it will make even less sense than normal, but I shall list
why this week was great.
1. Saturday my district did a 24 hour English fast
and it was Awesome! Seriously, it was not as hard or as bad as I thought it was
going to be and my tongue felt so much looser by the end of the day. We decided
to do them every Saturday as a district, even though most people hated it.
2. Music and the Spoken work was so, so good on Sunday. If you didn't get
to see it, try and find it online because it was incredible. Alfie Boe sang and
they showed an amazing story about Hal Halverson.
3. Relief Society is great
because not only do we get to do MandtheSW, but we get to hear a convert story
every week and they are so inspiring. The girl this week was so cute and said
"I had never heard a testimony before and it cut me to my soul." I wish I had
my notes because it always just testifies so much that MEMBERS are AMAZING! and
people are ready! They just need an invitation!
4. We sing "Called to Serve"
as the opening hymn every Tuesday night for devotional. It's funny because the
first week you're here it's like "YES!!!" and you think it's like a special
occasion, but then 3 weeks later you realize that we always sing it. It's fun
though.
5. Our teacher Hno. Bell suggested my companion and I to demonstrate
"How to Begin Teaching" to the new missionaries. Another companionship from our
district was too, along with like 10 other companionships in our building. It
was scary but really great. So interesting to be the first experience most of
the missionaries have with teaching an investigator. We didn't do a great job
our first investigator, but the second one was so fun! They cut us off as soon
as they think we're about to teach doctrine so that the new missionaries can do
it, but it was a cool experience. And the people from the District 2 were the
ones that trained us so that was cool. I always feel like i'm meeting a
celebrity. Haha.
6. We got to be Hosts on Wednesday and that was great. I
got to host two new sisters and one was 19! And so it begins...
7. I saw
Sister Lauaki!! She is just as crazy and hilarious as ever. Apparently she was
a riot during the How to Begin Teaching experience with one of the other
companionships. And her brother never found out that she was coming.
Apparently he just cried when he saw her, but I'm not entirely sure. I know he
was as surprised as anything though! If anyone else has the full story, send me
it on Dearelder because I just told so many people about her and her brother and
so everyone was excited for her to come.
8. I am the most pro at
photobombing pictures. Coming in 2014: some sweet pictures of me that I do not
currently have. In fact, the new district in our zone thought it was so funny
that they asked me to photobomb their pictures. Hilarious to me.
9. This is
a personal message to a person who wrote me last week and did not give me their
new address! How dare you write me the funniest dearelder and then not give me
a way to write you back! You know who you are. I told some of the other
sisters about that facebook group and they just did not think it was as crazy as
i did. Feminists...
10. Our zone did the cereal challenge and got in big
trouble for it. We know it's just our district though because we have seen at
least 4 other zones do it and we were the only ones that got the 5 minute
"you're not allowed to do this it's against the word of wisdom" talk. Why do
you feed it to us then? :)
11. I just got to go on a SLC temple trip. It
was great and we went on a bunch of tours. I think i was the only one who
appreciated the church history stories (pictures to come). It lasted all day
though. I would explain it more but I want to make sure I talk about the BEST
part of the week. However, I won't have time to write any letters this week.
That stinks because it's Christmas week, but thank you SO MUCH for all of the
letters and Christmas card. Especially Kara who sent pictures. I'd Love some
family pictures!
12. Now this is the most important part. This week was
amazing because it was fun and I learned a lot, but BY FAR the best part of the
week was teaching Pedro on Wednesday night. We've been super struggling with
finding out his need because it seems like he just wants to talk about Jesus and
not actually apply this to himself, but Wednesday morning Hna. Chung and I had
an incredible planning session filled with the spirit and we were SO helped
during the lesson. I don't have time to explain the details and probably most
of you don't even care (especially since Pedro is Hno. Bell is disguise) but we
figured out his need, he knows the Church is true and that he needs to be
baptized. He's just afraid because he thinks he'll lose his family and friends.
It was heartbreaking, but the spirit was so strong and it felt so good. This
is why I am here. This is why being a missionary is the best thing in the
entire world. I love this work. The days are hard but the work is true- this
is what the spirit testified to me during a rough patch on monday and i can tell
it's going to become a mantra. Heavenly Father has sustained me and
strengthened me and I love being here.
LOVE you all!
Hna. Catron