April 18, 2016

Sister Morrin and I both got sick this week. I got over it after a couple days but she didn't. We're on day 4 now of her having no voice. So I've been doing a lot of talking the last couple-three days. Hopefully she can start talking sometime this week.

On Wednesday we got to go to Papillion for exchanges! It was sweet. And then after we all came back to the house at the end of the day we were all wiped out. So 3 of us passed out on the couch.

We really didn't get much done this week because we were both sick, plus Sister Morrin had a bad flair-up with her endometriosis so we had to stay in and rest a lot. But with all that rest I made a sweet scripture case! Rhonda gave me all the materials for it. (Oh and PS, Wes's surgery was a miracle and totally went great. They weren't able to come to church yesterday but they should be coming next week!) So here is my amazing scripture case.


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Quote of the Week: 
"Peace of mind, peace of conscience, and peace of heart are not determined by our ability toavoid trials, sorrow, or heartache. Despite our sincere pleas, not every storm will change course,not every infirmity will be healed, and we may not fully understand every doctrine, principle, orpractice taught by prophets, seers, and revelators. the Savior taught that despite the tribulations oflife, we can be of good cheer, we can be of good hope, and we need not fear, because Hedeclared, 'In me ye might have peace.' Faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice is, andforever will be, the first principle of the gospel and the foundation upon which our hope for 'peacein this world, and eternal life in the world to come' is built.
However far we may wander from the path, the Savior invites us to return and walk with Him. Thisinvitation to walk with Jesus Christ is an invitation to accompany Him to Gethsemane and fromGethsemane to Calvary and from Calvary to the Garden Tomb. It is an invitation to observe andapply His great atoning sacrifice, whose reach is as individual as it is infinite. It is an invitation torepent, to draw upon His cleansing power, and to grasp His loving, outstretched arms. It is aninvitation to be at peace."   ~W. Christopher Waddell

~Sister Temp

April 11, 2016

We had a miracle lesson this week! So there's this less active lady named Rhonda and her husband (Wes) isn't a member and hasn't come to church in ever. But on Tuesday we went to see them and they're super stressed out because Wes has this medical issue pop up and it's pretty serious and he's getting surgery for it today so hopefully it goes well. But on Tuesday we went and whenever we go to their house we just talk to Rhonda and then Wes leaves the room when we get there. So we were talking and I felt like I should share a scripture with her (D&C 121:7-8) so I did and she LOVED it. And then she asked us if we wanted to say a prayer (which is great because people don't usually ask to pray, we normally beg people to pray with us.) And THEN she said we should go in the other room and pray with Wes. Which was a miracle. And so we said the prayer and right after we said amen, she asked us if we had time to share that scripture with Wes too because she loved it so much, so we read it again and he loved it too and then out of the blue he's like, "What time does church start on Sunday?" AND THEY BOTH TOTALLY CAME TO CHURCH YESTERDAY. It was so sweet. After church he got a priesthood blessing for his surgery and he said that he felt so welcomed and comfortable and that he feels like he should come more often. So that's amazing.

On Wednesday we got to do zone training! And after zone training we had our zone olympic tryouts! I love zone olympics. I'm so glad I get to have 2 on my mission. Apparently I'm not nearly as buff as I used to be and so I failed at the stick-pull. And push-ups. BUT I'll be competing in the arm curls, so hopefully that goes well. Zone olympics aren't until next transfer in the second week of May. Here's a picture of our awkward zone.

Random highlights of the week:
--We had dinner with a family that lives on a farm kind of like the Byers in York and it made me homesick.
--Another time we had dinner and the kids were crazy and then I looked out the window and there was a donkey meandering around and I felt like I was in a movie. (But I didn't get to ride the donkey because apparently that's against mission rules. The sister before me figured that one out.)
--I tried Cafe Rio for the first time and found my new addiction.
--I learned how to plant a garden this week. It's not as hard as I thought. So I'm totally going to have a garden someday unless I live in Arizona then I'm not sure how that will work out. I'll just grow cacti and citrus. 

--I learned what goulash is. I don't like goulash.

--My companion likes to pretend that she's pregnant after big dinners and this little girl totally thought there was a baby in her stomach.

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--And here's a baby in a backpack. She's so cuuuuuuuuute. 

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Quote of the week:
"Every family has moments of awkwardness. Like when your parents ask you to take a 'selfie' ofthem, or when your great-aunt insists that you are still single because you are just too picky, orwhen your opinionated brother-in-law thinks his political view is the gospel view, or when your dadarranges a family portrait with everyone dressed like characters in his favorite movie. And you getthe Chewbacca costume. Families are like that." ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf literally said this in General Conference last week. If you didn't watch conference, you are seriously missing out.

Actual Quote of the Week:
"In real life, we face actual, not imagined, hardships. There is pain—physical, emotional, and spiritual. There are heartbreaks when circumstances are very different from what we had anticipated. There is injustice when we do not seem to deserve our situation. There are disappointments when someone we trusted failed us. There are health and financial setbacks that can be disorienting. There may be times of question when a matter of doctrine or history is beyond our current understanding.

When difficult things occur in our lives, what is our immediate response? Is it confusion or doubt or spiritual withdrawal? Is it a blow to our faith? Do we blame God or others for our circumstances? Or is our first response to remember who we are—that we are children of a loving God? Is that coupled with an absolute trust that He allows some earthly suffering because He knows it will bless us, like a refiner’s fire, to become like Him and to gain our eternal inheritance?" ~Donald L. Hallstrom

~Sister Temp

April 4, 2016

Are you ever just ridiculously happy for no apparent reason? Because that's how my week has been. (Even though I've had a cold this week. But it's mostly over now.) Basically I just love being a missionary in Nebraska in the Pioneer ward with Sister Morrin. We might even get to move in with the Leavitts, this awesome older couple in the ward! They have a sweet basement, so hopefully that works out. And they have like 7 birds! And the birds and I are friends now! I really hope we get to move in. The stake approved the housing last night so the mission just needs to approve it and then we get a new house! 

So there's this investigator we have named Kelly and the sisters have been teaching her for a while and she refuses to call us by our title. I've never met someone so adamant about using our first names. She kind of scares me. She asked me what my name was (after I told her it was Sister Temp she told me she wants my "real" name) and I just sat there for a second because I'm awkward and I can't say my name anymore and then she said she would guess and she guessed Rachel and I immediately said, "Yep! That's it. My name is Rachel." And she said, "I knew it, you really look like a Rachel." So now she calls me Rachel. And I'm a lying liar lie-face and now I don't know how to tell her that I awkwardly lied about my name so I guess I will forever be Rachel.

​Conference party! We had crepes that morning, and they were delicious.

General Conference was SOOOOO GOOOOOOD. I've never felt so excited for conference before. I can't believe it's already over. I just wish there were like 5 more sessions. I just loved it. Especially Hollands! It was a perfect conclusion.

Quote of the Week:
"Please remember tomorrow, and all the days after that, that the Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them. If you stumble in that pursuit, so does everyone; the Savior is there to help you keep going. Brothers and sisters, the first great commandment of all eternity is to love God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. That’s the first great commandment. But the first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind, and strength." ~Jeffrey R. Holland

 Here's a link for the talk summaries! Go read all of them.
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/talk-summaries?lang=eng

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These clouds are ridiculous. I just want a tornado.

~Sister (Rachel?) Temp

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