I've Got a Tan!

First off I won't be spreading the lies the locals like to have spread. WA is super super sunny in the summer. I'm getting a nice little missionary tan.

Frog count: This week there were less frogs. Then again I only remembered to count three days worth. Those days came to a total of 22 frog ornaments! Ridiculous. I'll try and remember to take a picture this week.

Weird fact: There are these weird black and blue birds here that scream! They are obnoxious and weird. Also a large majority of houses here are built weird and it's hard to tell which door is the front door.

We had exchanges this past Tuesday. It was weird leaving Olympia. It was even weirder leaving Sister Sandau. I went to Elma and it was nice. Its a small town so people were very friendly and actually waved back. There was this funny old Dog that followed Sister Gehring and I a mile back to our car and then we had to take her back because we didn't want anyone thinking the missionaries stole there dog. She was sweet though. We get dogs and cats following us all the time but not normally to that extent.

I didn't feel like I learned a whole lot on exchanges until I got back to Olympia. I realized just how much I have come to love Olympia and Sister Sandau. I returned with lots of extra excitement to work hard. There are a lot of things I learned but those were the biggest things and I'm too short on time to elaborate. Sorry!

We were knocking doors the other day and this kid and his mum answered the door and the kid turns to him mum and asked "Mom are they nuns?" It was too funny. It also turned out she is a less active member! We will be going back to visit soon.

Sister Sandau and I have been unintentionally colour coordinating the past few days. I totally pick out my clothes first! The people at church love it...

Our ward is really great and loving we just need to get them more excited about the work but they're slowly getting pumped.

Saturday Sister Sandau felt strongly that we needed to go knock a certain apartment complex where one of the member families live. Other than that family we found out there were only four other occupied apartments. We knocked on those door and got nothing. We were about to leave when one of the members precious kids asked if she could knock with us so we spent a good 40 minutes role playing door approaches with three of their kids. It was so amazing! The girls were 10, 7, and 2(or 3). They were so excited to get to be the missionaries. Sister Sandau and I took turns being their companions feeding them things to say when they were unsure (which didn't happen very often). Then at the end we put our name tags on the older two of the girls and had them be the missionaries knocking on our door. They were AMAZING! They had such outstanding testimonies. It was seriously the greatest experience ever.

That's all I have time for but I wanted to share that little bit with you all! I know that this Church is true and that it is for EVERYONE. No matter your age, life story, or current situation the gospel can bless your life. Those little girls weren't just repeating things they were told. They shared their heart with us. I encourage everyone to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. It will truly bless your live!

Take care and keep Christ as the focus of your life and everything will be beautiful! Even the hardest of situations!

I Know that my Redeemer Lives

Weird WA fact of the week: People in Olympia are obsessed with frogs. I'm going to keep a tally of how many frog ornaments I see in people's yards this week. I'll let you know the total next week.
Also trash cans are so small they stand barely taller than my waist. Recycle bins are the size of normal trash bins in Mo.

So funny moment from last Monday. We were leaving the library after emailing and I was backing Sister Sandau out of her parking lot. The guy in the car next to us got out and apologized for parking too close. He thought that I couldn't open my door to get in (I totally could have). I loved the face he gave me when I told him we always back out this way.

This week was very crazy. Tuesday was Zone Conference. That was fun and really cool. In one of the classes we did role plays where we had to approach the potential and strick up a conversation (eventually steering it to the gospel) using a random prop. I was the only greenie that ended up playing the role of missionary. It was interesting because the prop we had was a rubix cube. Sister Blatter (my mission mom) was very surprised when I took 30 seconds to connect with my potential and then used the rubix cube to talk about how life is so confusing and the only way to truly solve the puzzle of life was through the gospel. (thankfully I was one of the last to go and had plenty of time to ponder how to connect it). Still not a fan of role plays though. In that same class there were a lot of Star Wars gospel related comments. It made me laugh a lot. Thanks to Tara I actually understand all the references now!

We just started teaching this guy named Paul and I was really bummed when he didn't come to the baptism or church this week. I had such high hopes but then last night he called us and apologized for ditching out. We're meeting with him again tonight. So the hope is still there.

We have a recent convert who has a almost 13 year old son who is very troubled and needs some help. The child development major in me kicked in and Sister Sandau and I have developed a plan that will hopefully make him realize he is special and worthy of people's love. Whether I get to see a change in him or it occurs 10 years from now I just have to know that we never gave up on him.

Saturday was amazing! Christina got baptized! We didn't really do anything along the way but encourage her. In our lessons we would introduce the subject and she would bare her testimony on it already having studied it. She had already read 5 of the teachings of the prophet books. Watches nothing but church movies and is writing missionaries that are serving other places who's families are in the Oly 4th ward. She is amazing! Her baptism was awesome. She got Confirmed on Sunday and her blessing was so amazing. One of the members was so impressed with her blessing they leaned forward and told us we had just welcomed in a very special new member to the church. She is really that amazing. I've learned so much from her.

Well that's it for the week! Enjoy the pictures. I hope everyone is doing well! Love you all!

Already a Baptism!

Disclaimer these events may be told out of order.

Things in the Beautiful WA-TAC are AMAZING! First off let me tell you some of the many weird things about WA. I believe I've told you about the weird milk jugs (if not let me know and I'll send a pic again, they're weird). I've mentioned how there are no lights in the main rooms, and how people are WAY obsessed with their dogs and cats. Here's another weird thing about the cats her. They have THUMBS! Yes thumbs. They aren't quite human but they have cat versions. Some even have two per paw! So weird! I will try getting a picture.

Anyway. I met my first hippie this past week (like a real hippie. I thought everyone had exaggerated them never shaving and such. It wasn't an exaggeration). It was very interesting and saddening at the same time. Everything she told us about fit perfectly within the teachings of the Gospel but instead of believing in God she attributed it all to nature. It was sad to see her so close but miles and miles away all at the same time.

We had a VERY exciting week last week. A lady moved into Oly 4th ward boundaries. She had been taught the first three lessons in her previous area but had to move so she contacted us after moving and we started teaching her. We have put her on date and she will be getting baptized on SATURDAY! I am so excited for her! She has such a strong testimony and she practically glows with happiness all the time! I love her so much and love seeing how God blesses her life every single day! Saturday is going to be double special for me now! I was sad that I wouldn't be with Sam on that day but now while I still wish I could be with her at the temple I am excited to watch Christina take the first step towards going to the temple in a year. Hopefully I will get to join her next August.

We did an extra knocking the other day because we have been praying to find people and we know that faith requires action. BOY DID MY FAITH GROW. Every single door we knocked on let us pray with them. The third door we knock on let us teach her part of a lesson and is having us come back on the 15th! Her name is Ruth. After knocking we went to visit a less active member but she wasn't home. This was all part of God's plan because she wasn't home we ended up talking to her neighbor Paul. Before knocking on Marian's door we had a short conversation with him and had invited him to church. He said maybe. After we found she wasn't home we talked with him more. We gave him a church tour yesterday and a Book of Mormon. We're meeting with him again on Wed. And he's coming to church Sunday!

Wednesday we had one of the Young Women coming knocking with us (we knock every day for two hours inviting people to learn about the Gospel. Its awesome). We pulled up on our chosen street, parked and prayed. After praying Sister Sandau added a request to be protected from dogs. All I have to say before I continue this story is that I really hope someone was watching out their window because it was the funniest sight. Anyway we all get out of the car and Makayla (the young woman) was asking if she should be worried about dogs. No sooner had we reassured her that we'd never really had problems than we hear a dog bark. We look over and see that its a BIG dog and it isn't chained up. We agree not to go to that house until it goes inside. We start walking. Suddenly another dog comes running out from under the same house and then there are like 7 barking dogs (not vicious sounding just BIG) running at us from every house in the cul-de-sac! Not even two feet from the car we all yell to get back in the car. We climb in and start driving away. The view from the rear view window was one from a movie! It was so funny! Seven dogs all running behind our car. We couldn't stop laughing!

Being chased by the dogs led us to switching streets. Because of this we knocked on a sweet lady's door and had almost an hour long conversation with her. (Most people are really nice, or at least polite about not being interested) She has forever changed my view on Christ. She talked about how He is the perfect being but was still mortal and had toe jam and that type of stuff. I know that sounds weird and you're asking how that could change my view on Christ, let me explain. It helped me love Christ even more. I never really thought about how Christ had actually experienced mortality. Not only does he truly understand EVERY emotion and feeling we have but he has personally experienced what it feels like to feel hungry, gross and sweaty, and tired. It gives me strength when we're walking up a steep hill in 90+ degrees hot, sweaty, and feeling the dirt in my shoes. It reminds me that He is walking right next to me and it renews my strength as to what my purpose is. It gives me hope that the next door I knock on will open, and behind it will be someone who has been prepared and waiting. Even when that door closes with a "no thanks" I hope and pray that the next door will carry a "yes".

I know that this work is GOD's work. I am but a means to His will being fulfilled. I can't wait to see even more of how God has a part in every part of my life. No matter how small it is. I KNOW that my Heavenly Father is helping and guiding me. Teaching me what I need to know to become worthy of being His daughter and to eventually return and live with Him forever.

Pray always and let God know your questions, fears, everything!