"Hola!!!!" - Letter, August 26, 2013

So. This week. I don't really know what to say. I can't believe that I have been here for just over a month, which means that I have been gone from home for a month and a half, which means that I only have 16 1/2 months left. I can't believe it. The time has just gone by so fast. But I have had a really good time. There have been ups and downs and sideways and backwards ways, and who know what else. But I think that I am doing pretty good.  

This week especially as been pretty good. So, yesterday, the stake president was released. He was the stake president for 10 years, and a councilor for 2 more before that. Long time to spend in the stake presidency. Anyway, guess who came to release him and call the next one! Elder Dallin H. Oaks!!!!! It was great. I can't believe how friendly he was. Before the meeting, he went out into the congregation and shook as many hands as he could, which I think was most of the stake. What! And then, after conference, we (the missionaries) had a special meeting with him. No one else was there except the Ohio Cincinnati Mission. It was great. So he has a great sense of humor. To me, he has always been a little, not humorless, but serious. Serious is the word I am looking for. But he was cracking jokes and making us laugh. I was a little surprised. But anyway, in conference, he called a little boy up onto the stage, and then took his jacket off and put it on him. He explained that the mantle of a calling is AWLAYS too big, but God will always help us to grow into it. It was really cool to see him be so involved with the audience. He then talked about a personal experience where, as a general authority, he learned a huge lesson from a lady in the congregation. I know that they are human, but it still just amazes me when they talk about their learning experiences. But anyway, conference was great. And then, earlier this week, Pres. Porter called me and asked if I was any good at singing, and if any of the other sisters that came out with me could sing. I gave him some names and then we hung up. Saturday, one of the Assistants to the President (AP) called me and asked if I could sing at the special fireside Elder Oaks was doing. Of course I said yes! I really felt privileged to be asked to sing for and Apostle of God. Anyway, we went straight from conference to another building and we practiced. We sang I Know that My Redeemer Lives. There were about 20 of us in the choir. We were all specifically chosen. I am so honored to have been able to do that. The arrangement was absolutely beautiful. And it felt sooooo good to sing in a choir again. I really miss that here. I missed it at SUU. But anyway, it was a really cool experience.

As far as the actual work in my area goes, we have a couple of investigators. I have told you about most of them. But I don't remember if I told you about Judy. Or maybe I did. I am going to pretend I did. Anyway, we have had two lessons with her this week, and they were both really powerful. If we can get her to keep her commitments, we are planning on her being baptized on September 21! And check this out. So my companion and I have prayed, and we feel like there will be six people baptized by October 17! That is between now and the next transfer meeting. We have transfers on the 5th of September. So, pray for me and my companion. We really feel like it's possible, but we need all the help we can get.  

Oh, this is really funny. I taught my first drunk this week. hahahahahah Her name is Dorothy Shannon. She is really nice, but also addicted to beer and cigarettes. She doesn't have a couch, and so she has cot in her living room. We sat on either side of her and we talked about God and church. She sounds like she has had some really cool experiences. She also said God told her to Do Right! Which she recognizes as giving up those poisons. But she just keeps them up. We are going back tonight, and hoping that she is sober, so that we can teach her about the Word of Wisdom and how to feel the Holy Ghost. She kissed us both on the cheek twice. It was really funny.

As far as the Tobias Family goes, we are going to try and get the kids on date sometime this week. Their mom is totally OK with us getting them baptized. She recognizes that they are old enough to choose for themselves. We really like the Tobias. They are great people.  

Well, I have run out of things to say. I love you, and I know that the Gospel is true. Peace be with you. Talk soon.

Sister Worthen

Photos, August 19, 2013

 I found this little guy on the side of the road. Kinda cute, huh?

This was on the way home from the baptism. It takes forever to get dark here. People say that sunsets in the West aren't that great because of the mountains. I say that's wrong. Because of the mountains, they just don't last as long. You have to pay attention to them if you want to see the glory. But anyway, I hope you enjoy the view.

"Howdy, folks!" - Letter, August 19, 2013

So this week has been a roller coaster. It's been really good, but we've had a lot of ups and downs. We have had a lot of things to do, and we have really been working well with each other. But we have had to work through some problems. Thankfully, I have learned how to deal with stress. My companion has been having a lot of problems with it. it makes me sad, and I don't really know how to help. We have such different attitudes that it's been a challenge. But I don't want to complain about her. That's not it. I am just telling you about what we have been doing this week. So anyway, I told her that we need to find her something that relieves stress, even if it's five minutes of Sudoku before bed. Speaking of stress relief before bed, I did some yoga last night and it felt soooo good. I am going to keep doing that.

Anyway, we found another investigator. Her name is Judy and she is a mother of two. We asked her if she would want an eternal family, and she was really excited about that. We also told her how church is for the whole family. She told us she has been looking for a church to take her kids to. She told us that at one church the pastor asked her to take her son out of the meeting because he was too rowdy. He is nine months old. How ridiculous is that? Anyway, we are going to teach her tonight, and we are taking a member with us.

Oh, speaking of that, you should all, non-missionaries, volunteer your services to the missionaries. Feed them every week. Go with them to appointments. Allow them to use your homes as places to meet investigators. And if they offer to help you with anything, take them up on it. I have found that as a missionary, I want to do service, but no one will allow me to do so. Part of our job here is to serve the people around us. That entails more than just teaching. If you need help cleaning your yard, call them. Don't turn them down. You may be trying to be nice, but we want to help! Anyway, that's my soap box for the week.

Anyway, I met this guy this week. His wife and one or two daughters are all members. But he was really awesome. We were out in front of his house (we can't go into the home of a man without another adult woman present) and he smoked half a pack and we talked about church things. Things like the spirituality of music and church activities. We also talked about guns and roller coasters, but still. Anyway, Sister Savage feels like after our transfer on the 5th, she will be leaving and I will be staying. She keeps telling me that I am meant for this area. I can really connect with the people here. And I doubt this man, his name is Russell, really connects with a whole lot of missionaries. So maybe S. Savage is right. I try not to think about whether I am staying or going. That's not the point. I love the people here. It's great.

Last night, we went to a less-active's house. We met his dad and grandma and mom, all of whom are different religions, not LDS. Anyway, they didn't know he'd been baptized, and we didn't tell them. But anyway, they let me use their bathroom. Random strange girl pulls up to your driveway, talks a little about their mission, and uses their toilet? But the people here are so gracious about that kind of thing. It's awesome. Weird. But awesome.

Anyway, I also got to go to a baptism this week. The girl who got baptized is amazing. She was going to a Christian college to be a minister. She had an internship with a ministering after school program that kicked her out of the housing she was getting from them, and fired her. All her friends left her. And the only thing she had left was her car that she totaled on the way home from the last lesson she had before her baptism. Can you believe the faith of this girl? It's inspiring! She really has been converted to the Lord.

So anyway, despite all the downers, I have had a really good week. Things are really starting to pick up here. The college kids are coming back, and by the end of next week, this place is going to be crazy insane.

I love you all. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is so true. I have my doubts about everything, but the Light that the Gospel sheds on those shadows of my mind overpowers them for sure. I know that Jesus is the Christ and that He wants us to be happy. Those doubts are nothing compared to the Glory of God and the Plan of Happiness.

Photos, August 12, 2013

 Both are pictures of the lunar moth mentioned in today's letter.

Letter, August 12, 2013

So this week has gone a lot better. I have had some really awesome experiences, and I know that things are going to get better for us. So earlier this week, I got to go tracting, like door to door, for the first time. My trainer had a meeting, and so I went on exchanges with two other sisters that I came out of the MTC with. It was awesome. I got to recite the First Vision twice, and invited someone to church. It was great, and it was also awesome to spend a little time with my friends. So then, we brought another sister home from the meeting. She spent Tuesday with us. We went street contacting, which we had no idea how to do before, and she just helped us out so much. Now we are excited about doing it. But we found a guy who seemed really open to what we had to teach. We need to set up a return appointment with him, but we are excited to get together with him. Also, we met two bikers who love Jesus. Not joking, there isn't a patch on their stuff that didn't have to do with Jesus. But anyway, we prayed with them in the street. It was a really cool experience.

Then, on Wednesday, I got to go to another meeting. A lot of meetings this week. But the Zone Leaders taught us about peeling the scriptures apart. You pick a verse or two, and then get a dictionary and define everything. It brings a whole new meaning to the scriptures. And don't just define the hard words. The little words make a huge difference. So try it. It will really bless your life. My comp and I love doing this.

Oh, and we also are going to start teaching a little girl. She is 9 and a half and is sooo beautiful. Her name is Sally, her family is from Ghana, and she truly has the light of Christ in her eyes. Her parents are members, but they have been a less-active for while, so we are excited to get them all to church.

Oh, the other morning, we came back from our walk, and there was a lunar moth on the bricks by our door. I showed it to a lady in the branch (a picture) and she told me that she has lived in this area most of her life and only seen them a few times. They are kind of rare. So I am so excited to have gotten a picture of it.

We are getting ready for the college students to come back. There are going to be a lot of them. The population of the school is bigger than 4 Ferrons. That's a lot of students. So when term starts, it's going to go crazy here. But I am excited. I am pretty sure that this area is going to catch on fire! I am going to baptize the whole campus...not really. But that would be awesome. Anyway, it's going to be great.

I found a man in my ward that kind of reminds me of Uncle Carl. He's an electrician, and a horse famer. But he's really nice and very country.

You know, when I put my papers in, the only thing that I asked God was for him to put me in a place with small town people. People like the ones I know in Emery County. He truly blessed me for my prayer. I think if I had gone to Cincy first, I would have been sooo lost. But this, I can do no problem. The Lord really does answer our sincere prayers. They may seem small to us, but they are soo important to Him. I know that to be true, and I am so grateful for it.

Well, talk next week. Love ya.

"God Is Great" - Letter, August 5, 2013

This has been a really long week for me and my companion. We have had a lot of trials. I have been slightly sick since I got to Ohio, and my companion got sick as well. So, we have been trying to get better while working. On Wednesday, my companion got so bad that we ended up staying in the apartment all day. But we are feeling much better now.

 

I have been dealing with a lot of personal things as well. Things that I can look back on now and know that they are just trivial in the whole scheme of things.

 

But I digress. My companion's name is Sister Savage. We live in an apartment in Oxford. There are only us in this area and our area is HUGE!!!! We can drive about 30 miles out from Oxford in one direction and then turn around and have to come back. But our area is extremely big. Mostly because the outlying areas are farmers, so there is a lot of space in between houses. The area is green, sooooo green. There are tons of rolling hills here that one day I will ride my motorcycle over. I can't believe how beautiful this area is. I need to take some pictures of it. The branch we meet with is pretty small. There are about 60 people that meet each week, at the most. A lot of the work that we do is with the part-member families and the less-actives. We really don't have an actual investigator right now. But we did meet with a family that has a 9 year old daughter that hasn't been baptized. Sister Savage and I are both in love with those girls in that family. The 9-year-old's name is Sally, and her 4 year old sister is Betty. Their family is from Ghana. I cannot express the beauty of them. They are so innocent and they have such a Christ-like purity and wonder about them. When scriptures talk about being like Children, these are the kind of children they refer to.

 

Oxford is a college town. Miami University is here. We have been told that when the students come back, the whole town just goes crazy. There are probably at least 10000 students attending. There are 30 resident halls and 7000 students there alone. And most of them are freshmen and sophomores. Any way, they drink and party like no one's business. So we aren't allowed on the main drag, called High Street, after 5:00 on weekends. But they say that the students are good to teach. We are allowed on campus.

 

One of the other things that we get to do is volunteer at the local food pantry. We both loved it there. The people are great, and there is a really nice atmosphere there. We have been wondering if the Elders ever tried to teach the people what it is we do. They know we serve, but they don't quite know what else it is we do. They had a lot of questions for us, mostly about the logistics of a mission. But we are excited to go back there.

 

Ya know the phrase, "Good night, sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite,"? Well, here that is a genuine concern. Bedbugs are a problem in Cincinnati. Not as much here, but a real problem. Don't stay in a cheap hotel in Cinci. But the first night, Sister Porter told us about bedbugs, and I was freaking out a little. I hate bugs.

 

On the topic of things I hate, I hate onions and peppers. I have eaten a whole lot, for me, of both here. Ga-ross! But I lived and am here to talk about it now.

 

Well, that's about all there is to say so far. But I love it here. I know that I am doing the Lord's work. The hardest part about this week has been pretty big. My cousin, who was on a mission in Rapid City, passed away on Saturday randomly. But I have had some really good feelings that I am still supposed to be here and what I am doing is the right thing. I know that God has a plan for all of us and that when we trust him, we are able to do all things. It's hard for me here, but I know that Thomas will be with me. The Lord doesn't do anything for nothing. Thomas has a great and marvelous work on the other side, and I have a great and marvelous work to do here. Satan is trying to stop me, and he is trying hard. But when we are on the Lord's errand, fear tactics are going to be useless. I know that my Redeemer lives, and is there to support me. I KNOW this. No doubt, no confusion. And I am praying that I will be able to share that with as many people as possible.

 

Keep praying for the missionaries. We need all the heavenly help we can get. I love you all, and am praying for you. Keep strong, and know that God is great and is there for you.

 

Love, Sister Worthen.