June 6, 2016

This is so weird. I can't believe this is my last full week as a missionary! I feel like I was just at the MTC a month or two ago! This was the shortest longest thing of my life. Or the longest shortest. 

So, I left my planner and my journal at home today. So I have no idea what happened this week but I'll see if I can remember anything.

We had our LAST district meeting on Wednesday! If you'll notice from the picture, I'm in a sistrict. (Sistrict = a district full of all sisters except the district leader and his companion.) So Tuesday evening we got a call from the district leader asking us to give a training on Wednesday. We weren't too fond of the idea, but the topic was diligence and we learned SO MUCH. 

So listen: we were trying to figure out the difference between diligent and hardworking, so we looked up hardworking, which led us to industrious, which led us to busy, which led us to busywork, which said something along the lines of "Being occupied but not necessarily being productive," which blew our minds. So basically the difference between working hard and being diligent is the difference between sacrifice and consecration. Sacrifice is giving something up, but consecration is giving something to the Lord. It was just awesome to study. I would recommend it.

Well, that's really all I remember. Here are some random tidbits from the week: 

- Fireflies have started to come out! 

- We weren't at the trail center for 3 days straight and it was really sad.

- The trail center is ridiculously busy now that it's summer. I never get to sit down anymore.

- Sister Munger came to the trail center on Saturday with 2 of my favorite members from Lincoln and I didn't know they would be there but it made my life.

- I'm going to cry if there are no tornadoes in Omaha in the next 10 days. So that's something to keep in your prayers. Hahaha just kidding. (Kind of...)

- Our investigator James came to church yesterday for 2 hours!!! I love when that happens.

- A group of BYU-Idaho students came to the trail center yesterday and it was really weird to give them a tour. 

- One of the senior couples in the trail center gave me a packet of their favorite quotes! How did they know that's the best gift ever? (Fun fact: the senior couple actually came out at the same time as me and they were in my first district when I was in York! I'm so glad I get to serve with them again.)

This is what happens when you accidentally leave your camera at the front desk.

​

Quote of the Week (from my new packet of quotes):​ 

"Faith can move mountains but don't be surprised when God hands you a shovel."

Bonus quote!

"When you find people who not only tolerate your quirks but celebrate them with cries of 'me too!' be sure to cherish them. Because those weirdos are your tribe."

​~Sister Temp

May 30, 2016

This week was so busy! We had zone conference on Tuesday and afterwards we had zone olympics!! I was so excited to try again since I didn't win anything last year. I tried for pushups (and failed) and for arm curls (and failed) and for stick pull and I actually won the stick pull! I finally got an official NOMlympics medal!

This is me and Sister Pinhey after zone olympics with our medals! She's awesome. Everyone says we look like twins.

On Saturday we got to take a field trip to a bunch of different historic sites in the area! We talk about these places all the time when we give tours, so they thought it would be good for us to go and learn a bit more about them and actually experience it. We went to some different spots on the Mormon trail, and Mosquito Creek (accurately named. I've never seen a bigger swarm of mosquitoes in my life.) and Hyde Park and other places like that.

​

Working at the trail center has been crazy busy this week because school just got out, so you basically never sit down for your entire 6 hour shift. But it's fun! I've given a bunch of solo tours and I feel like I really mostly know what I'm talking about now, so that's good. I'm working on making a time line because all the different dates kill me.

​

On Monday we had a huge storm, but Sister Borla is crazy and called it perfect exercise weather so we went out and ran in the rain.​

Quote of the Week! (It's a pioneer quote too!)
"We came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities. I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I said, I can go only that far and there I must give up for I cannot pull my load through it. I have gone on to that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the angels of God were there. Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No. Neither then nor one moment of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay and I am thankful that I was privileged to come to Zion in the Martin Handcart Company” ~Francis Webster

~Sister Temp

May 23, 2016

Sorry I'm terrible at taking pictures lately. Working at the trail center is crazy. You have almost no time for anything, you're always running around everywhere. It reminds me of being in the MTC. We've spent 4 of the 7 nights this past week at other sisters' apartments because we live about 20 minutes from the trail center so it's easier to stay with closer sisters so we can get there faster.

I gave a solo tour for the first time this week! It wasn't even that bad! The trail center gets crazy busy during the summer so usually everyone has to take tours by themselves.

On Friday we met this guy named James and we started talking to him and asking what he believed and he's so cool. He said he already has a Book of Mormon and we told him about 3 Nephi 11 when Christ comes to visit the Nephites and he was like, "Hey that's cool! I never actually started reading it yet, but I'm gonna read that chapter first thing when I wake up tomorrow." It was sweet.

Sorry this is short, I forgot my journal at home so I don't remember anything that happened this week.

Here's an awesome quote we shared with an investigator this week and it really touched her:

"True conversion is more than merely having a knowledge of gospel principles and implies even more than just having a testimony of those principles. It is possible to have a testimony of the gospel without living it. Being truly converted means we are acting upon what we believe and allowing it to create "a mighty change in us, or in our hearts. "In the booklet True to the Faith, we learn that "conversion is a process, not an event. You become converted as a result ofrighteous efforts to follow the Savior." It takes time, effort, and work...

The prophet Moroni in the Book of Mormon taught, "I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute notbecause ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." In our world, where instant gratification is the expectation, we are often guilty of expecting the reward without having to work for it. I believe Moroni is telling usthat we must do the work first and exercise faith by living the gospel; then we receive the witness that it is true. True conversion occurs as you continue to act upon the doctrines you know are true and keep the commandments day afterday, month after month." ~Bonnie L. Oscarson

~Sister Temp