March 28, 2016

So I got transferred! And I went super far. I went all the way to the Pioneer ward in Lincoln. We literally meet in the same church building. Their apartment is about 7 minutes away from the Holmes Lake apartment. So it's basically just like having a sleepover with a friend at their house that you've been to a million times. My new companion's name is Sister Morrin! Sister Munger and I literally hung out with her and her last companion at their apartment like every P-day the last 2 transfers, so this was the smallest change ever. But I love it! Sister Morrin is so awesome, we're already best friends, and I still get to see Sister Munger and everyone from my last ward on Sunday at church when our blocks overlap. This is seriously the best little change ever.

And at transfer point I got to see my MTC friends, Elder Lindgren and Elder Clark! I haven't seen either of them in forever, and now they're companions here in Lincoln! They're in the other zone, so I don't really get to see them ever, but they meet in the same church building too, so I can run into them and the Holmes Lake sisters at church! Too bad Sister Johnson is in Iowa now, otherwise our MTC group would be complete!

Here's our awkward picture together, since you can't not take an awkward picture with elders . . .

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Fun fact about the Pioneer ward: It's 60% children. (Our bishop likes to do math.)

Other fun fact: 18% of the ward is moving in the next 3-8 weeks, including both of the bishop's counselors. So that should be interesting. Our ward is already kind of small to begin with, so we're not sure what's going to happen. All the bishop would say is, "Don't worry, there are things in the works." I think they might change all the ward boundaries, so it'll be interesting.

Other fun fact: Our ward is half Spanish! We have Spanish elders in the ward and everything. All the Spanish-speaking members sit in the back of the chapel and have headphones to hear the translation, so maybe I'll finally get to use my 4 years of Spanish class when we talk to them!

I'm SO EXCITED for General Conference this weekend! I've never been so excited for anything! The women's session Saturday night was awesome, here's a link if you missed out.https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04?cid=HP_SA_3-26-2016_dPFD_fGC_xLIDyL1-B_&lang=eng

Quote of the Week: 

"we must be careful, as we seek to become more and more godlike, that we do not become discouraged and lose hope. Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth andchange that is slow, almost imperceptible...We must not lose hope. Hope is an anchor to the souls of men. Satan would have us cast away that anchor. In this way he can bring discouragement andsurrender. But we must not lose hope. The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones in which we strive to be more like Him. Though we may see that we have far to go on the roadto perfection, we must not give up hope." ~Ezra Taft Benson

​~Sister Temp

Just kidding, I'm not done yet. (I have a great memory, it's fine.) Here's my new address.

1331 G St #309

Lincoln, NE 68508

And here's a cool Easter-y picture. Because I feel bad for emailing again.

​And the sky, of course.

March 21, 2016

This has been a long week, especially since Nebraska decided it wasn't actually done with winter yet, so the temperature went back to the 20s and 30s and we had snow 2 days ago. But it should be getting warm again this week. (Everyone was saying, "This is what March weather should actually be like!" And I was by myself saying, "I thought 70s and 80s in March was normal . . . ") We're still struggling with finding investigators, but we found some awesome potentials and got some solid referrals from members so this week should be way better!

On Friday, we were showing the #hallelujah video to a member (we visited like literally half of the active members this week and showed them the video, it was great) and as we were leaving we asked if she knew anyone in the neighborhood that she thought could use this Easter message. (We ask this every time we leave a member's house, and usually they just tattle on the neighbors they aren't particularly fond of.) So she told us that the neighbors next door are hardcore Catholics and the other neighbors are cranky and she was like, "Sorry sisters, there's just nobody I know who -- wait . . . There is one person . . . don't mention my name, because I work with him, but he and his wife lost one of their children as a newborn and I think this might touch them. And they actually live just down the street around the corner." It was SO COOL to see the Spirit just stop her and remind her of her co-worker. We haven't been able to get in contact with them yet because they're never home when we try them, but we're really excited to meet them.

I just can't get over how awesome the new Easter video is. I know I shared it last week, but here's a link if you haven't seen it, and if you have seen it you should just watch it again. followhim.mormon.org

Oh and TRANSFERS is this Wednesday. So we'll find out what's happening either tonight or tomorrow morning. I know that something is going to happen because Sister Munger and I know we won't stay together another transfer. We shall see.

District meeting on St. Patrick's Day.

"No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God . . . and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we came here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven." ~Spencer W. Kimball

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~Sister Temp

March 14, 2016

This week was ridiculously long. Out of the 16 appointments we had this week, 12 of them cancelled, so that was great. Even the stuff that never cancels on us got cancelled! Half of our dinner appointments even cancelled. It was just kind of funny. Hopefully we'll have like a billion appointments this next week to make up for all the cancelled ones.

This week it got up to 80 degrees, so that's pretty great. Wednesday night at about 9 pm, our district leader texted and asked me to do a training in district meeting on Thursday. I'm pretty sure that's not even the shortest notice I've gotten for a training, so it's fine.

We had a special sister meeting this week in Grand Island! It was awesome. It was basically like the general women's broadcast, where they just tell you what a great job you're doing, and make sure you remember you're a daughter of God and He loves you and don't be so hard on yourself or compare yourself to others and all that jazz. 

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Quote of the week! It's a cute little poem from the Friend.
There once was an oyster

Whose story I’ll tell,

Who found that some sand

Had worked under his shell.

Just one little grain

But it gave him a pain,

For oysters have feelings

That are very plain.

Now did he berate

This working of fate,

That left him in such a

Deplorable state?

Did he curse the government,

Call for an election,

And say that the sea

Should have some protection?

No! He said to himself

As he sat on the shelf,

“Since I cannot remove it,

I think I’ll improve it.”

Well, years passed by,

As years always do,

Till he came to his destiny,

Oyster stew!

But the small grain of sand

That bothered him so

Was a beautiful pearl

All richly aglow.

Now this tale has a moral,

For isn’t it grand,

What an oyster can do

With a small grain of sand?

And what couldn’t we do

If we’d only begin

With all of the things

That get under our skin?

Wait! The new Easter video just came out yesterday! I totally forgot about that, sorry, I'm super tired today. But here's a link for it! Go share it with all your friends! Facebook and Twitter and Pinterest and whatever other social media you have nowadays!

https://www.mormon.org/easter

And here's a virtual hallelujah choir! I don't actually know what that is, because I can't watch it with sound at the library, but everyone keeps talking about how good it is.

https://www.mormon.org/easter/virtual-hallelujah-choir

Happy Pie Day!

(This was the only kind of pie picture on lds.org, which is my only resource.)

~Sister Temp

March 7, 2016

We had zone training this week and it was awesome! We found out that a new Easter video is coming out next Sunday so we get new pass-along cards!! That's like candy for missionaries. We're so excited.

​(The elder sitting on another elder's shoulders is our district leader. We have very formal and professional leadership in this mission.)

I tried a runza for the first time! It was weird. Not my favorite Nebraskan food, I only ate one bite and then went back to my bacon ranch salad (because I'm super healthy).

We got to go on exchanges with Sister Johnson and Sister Yancey on Friday and it was so fun!  Except I found out that Sister Johnson is going home in June instead of July because she's a traitor and has to go home for school and soccer and whatnot.


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​The weather has been ridiculously nice the last couple three weeks, like in the 50s and 60s and 70s. People keep saying that winter's not over yet, but I'm pretty sure they're lying. It's way too nice to go back to winter.


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Quote(s) of the Week:

"One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final." ~President Thomas S. Monson

"Even if we've been a conscious, deliberate sinner or have repeatedly faced failure and disappointment, the moments we decide to try again, the Atonement of Christ can help us." ~Dale G. Renlund

~Sister Temp