This week was a week for the records. Insane. But so good!
Thursday: We ran down to Jordan's Landing to Kohl's and I bought that jacket I wrote about last week! It's so cute! I love it! Funny story -- it's actually black?
The Zone went to Haunted Heritage Park! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In the first five minutes I was already crying because I was laughing so hard :) It was hysterical! And this one part, especially creative: "The Trenches". They actually dug war trenches into a field! How cool is that?!? There were dead bodies lining the sides & some were actually actors who would jump out & scare us. Sister Williams(Scotland) was walking with me & when she gets scared -- she screams at the top of her lungs -- pushes everyone in sight & runs!!! hahahaha it was so great. The only part that creeped me outwas in a cabin, the second room had human-size scarecrow-like puppets with stictch mouths hanging kind of slanted with lots of strings. Sounds kinda lame - but I just don't do creepy puppets!
The other part that made me nervous was coming up on the butcher shop -- the inside was pitch black from an angle. I don't do can't-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face dark. But you HAD to stay on the path. So we went through! Not so bad! They had a live headless horseman! So cool! The "welcomer" at the hospital oddly resembled Billy Crystal in Princess Bride! We got him to jump up & down and say "Humperdink! Humperdink! Humperdink!" So glad I went :)
Friday: I made a smoothie for breakfast! Our blender actually works pretty well! Strawberry Banana :) Mostly strawberry...
We met with a man named "Ur" who was raised Jewish. He was really nice & receptive. We clarified some misconceptions that he asked about very diplomatically & told him our stance on almost everything! Sis Garbett said she was really proud of how well I did! She said I was just talking & explaining stuff, very naturally - which is what we're going for. He didn't refer but we gave him a pass along card & a pamphlet on the restoration. I was very pleased with how it turned out.
Jamie Morgan sent me a #1 Tar Heels postcard. Hilarious Jamie. Hilarious. [Actually I laughed hysterically - I loved it!!! It's going on my wall.]
Sis Garbett & I were contacting on the Square when I randomly came out with "I was rooting for you...just...know that...." and I could not for the life of me, figure out what it was from!?! A solid 10 minutes later I was talking with Sister Ward, when *BAM* it came to me. Pirates of the Carribean 1 --- Captain Jack says it to Norrington. I figured it out -- and all was right in the world :)
Saturday: I woke up feeling nauseous. I made a plain egg omelet, felt a little better and went down to the Square. We called three of our investigators. All are doing reasonably well. Jessica (FL) is set up for Oct 31 and we are so excited!!! Jessica (AZ) is having car trouble BUT when we talked with her she sounded much more confident & coherent than she usually does. We love the progress we've been able to see in her. The network doesn't always go through when we try to call Ethiopia so we can talk to Efrem --- so we're hoping to get in touch with him again soon. He is studying Preach My Gospel now and is loving it! He's talking about going on a mission once he can get a new job, move closer to church, get baptized & receive the Priesthood!
I felt worse & worse as the morning went on -- going to the bathroom every 30 min to wait to get sick. Nothing. Finally I felt so horrible we decided to go to the SVC to check my temperature. 93.1 ??? Yea...I was dying :)
After 3 hrs we got permission to go home![During which time I laid on the study room couch - feeling like I was about to die] Before we left I finally got sick and actually felt a lot better but Sis Garbett kept saying, "Oh Sister....you look soooo sick."
Thanks.
We made it home, in the rain -- changed into our pajamas & went to bed. Around 6:30 my temp was 100.2 and I was freezing. I decided to take a hot shower so I could just not hurt for 10 minutes. When I came back, Sis Garbett had put toast, applesauce & ice chunks on the bedside table! She took good care of me :)
Sunday: We stayed home. I still had a fever & I got dizzy every time I tried to sit up. So I laid in bed & tried to rest. This gave Sis Garbett plenty of time to try making chicken noodle soup & biscuits from scratch. I kept it down! Yay! My fever went down throughout the day & I decided that night that one more good knock-out sleep would set me up to get back to feeling 100%. I'm grateful that Sis Garbett was able to take care of me and stay positive even though we were stuck in our apartment all weekend.
Monday: Transfer Conference at 7:30 AM which was so exciting! I would bet all the money in my purse.....AND a million bucks that our transfer conferences are unlike any other world-wide. We had basic announcements by the APs and then we sang Halloween songs under the direction of Sister Holmes! "Five little pumpkins sitting on a fence..." complete with posters & cut-out pumpkins on a stick! The departing sisters got up & sang their song. They changed the words to "I Can't Wait to Be King" from The Lion King to "You Don't Want us to Leave"....it was really cute. And kinda sad.
OUTBOUND CALLS! On the projector screen they put up each individual sister's picture up - if she was going outbound. It was so exciting! Their picture pops up on the screen & they run down to the front of the theatre with all the other Outbound sisters. Then President has their actual calls in a letter (just like a regular mission call) and they call out their name, they come up, he hands them their call - they stand up on a box - open their letter & read out where they're going! My ZL Sister Terry(England) got called to Colorado! She's going into her 8th so she didn't think she was going to go Outbound. They're decreasing the number who go...so she was SO surprised! A Sister from Armenia is going to Sis Garbett's mission in California! There were calls to New Hampshire, Louisiana, Florida, California, Alaska, Colorado, Texas & Oklahoma. Those are the ones I remember anyway. The Sister who got sent to Oklahoma was from Japan & when she read it out she said "Okrahoma, Okrahoma City" and everyone was really confused -- then it clicked -- Oklahoma! Got it! hahahahaha
After the big meeting, we split into Zones for our specific assignments!
Zone: Teaching 2
Apartment: DA 105
Companion: Sis Garbett
So the only thing that changed is where we live!!! We were really excited to stay together. And it's great -- because we just moved 30 ft down the hall! We get to keep all of our investigators so we are very content with our transfer assignment :)
I got a package from home via Sister Day!!!! My red wool skirt, mini M&Ms, a pretty scarf, pictures!!!!!, confetti, a shell from the NC coast (LOVED IT), gum & popcorn! The pictures were fantastic. Dallin already looks OLDER -- what's up with that?!?!?!?
Elder Aaron Lee wrote me! Made my day! And let me just say, his perfect grammar [in both English & Spanish] was really refreshing.
I passed of my English tour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We took the ZLs around on a tour - they were role playing as guests - and it was...interesting. Stuff that never happens to us, happened. We dropped our referral cards, our pen, almost our brains along with them. It was crazy. But the POINT of the tour was achieved. I am officially passed off & I feel kinda accomplished :) Look out Spanish tour -- here I come!
THERE WAS SNOW ON THE MOUNTAINS!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!
Tuesday: We got moving time! I moved all of my stuff in 30 minutes and was left with and hour & a half to catch up on my Book of Mormon reading. Nice to have some down time because we never get down time outside of meals. But it's good to stay busy, I prefer it.
On chat we found our THIRD investigator named Jessica! What are the chances?!?!? She & her husband went to church on Sunday & had some additional questions. So we talked for a while & set up a time to call her later in the week!
We went to Blue Lemon for dinner, with our buy one get on free coupon! Their Lemon Grilled Chicken B.L.T. is to die for. And it feeds me for 3 meals. Perfect.
That night Sister Terry slipped me a Reeses! She said I did great on my tour & I am doing wonderfully. Not that I'm feeling good about it or anything :)
Wednesday: Our day started at 4:15 AM --- why? You might ask. Because Sis Garbett is passed off on driving, she was given the privilege to drive the Outbound sisters to the airport!!! Yay!!! And as her companion....I got to go!!! It was actually kinda fun to see them off!
We went back to bed :)
We had a Zone meeting at 8:00 where we got new planners & time to put in our oh-so-special TMSQ stickers! That's right....we have special Key Indicator/Transfer Goals/Chat Goals stickers. Be jealous. After the meeting we had personal study then weekly planning. Because we usually do WP at home but were on the Square we decided to go to Nauvoo Cafe to get a MuffinTop & plan! It was cute, tasty & very productive. We had a legit comp inventory for once & because we both have reasonably good communication skills, it was good and this transfer is already better than the last.
I got a letter from the "not sure if you actually ever made it to your mission" Elder Edwards! He was in my MTC disctrict & signed my book, "I really really hope we can keep in touch." But he never responded to the letters I sent him. So I stopped writing 3 weeks ago. But he did make it to his mission in Arizona & he's doing really well. He said he's been meaning to write me but at the end of each P-day realizes he's out of time and still hasn't written me. His letter was 2 pages....so it kinda made up for his lack of previous communication. He's only written his family....and ME! Not even his best friends from school who write him letter after letter. I feel special :) This weekend was rough & things were just kinda off between me & Sis Garbett and everyone was going home and I wasn't feeling like myself. It was horrible! Elder Edwards' letter literally saved me. It put me right back on track & after reading half of it I already felt like myself! After I read the whole thing I was back to being totally psyched to be on a mission. So glad I got that letter.
NEW SISTERS!!!!! We got to drive them to Wal-mart at 5:00 PM Which we love because we get to grocery shop a day early! Yay! Sis Garbett & I decided that since we eat each others' food anyways...we're just going to split the cost of our Wal-mart runs. I bought colored pens to use in my planner --- I LOVE THEM! So fun. So colorful. So enthusiastic!
When we got back we helped the New Sisters haul around their 55 million lbs of luggage! Yes we have an elevator but because there were so many sisters and so much luggage, sometimes the stairs are faster. Workout for the week: Done.
We finally got all of our stuff into our apartment, new groceries included and decided that before anything else happened -- we had to move the furniture around to match our old apartment down the hall. I know - we're girls. We moved our beds into FOUR different positions before we ended up putting them right where they began :) But the good part was that we vacuumed as we moved, so now at least we know our entire floor is clean! We're still getting used to it. We moved the couch, the chair, the lamps, the study table and the coffee table all around too. It'll work for now! We put up all our clothes, bedding, food etc. and decided it felt a little better. I took a "Before" picture....so that & the comparison picture will probably come next week - once we get everything the way we want it. Pictures etc.
Thursday: First day of our new transfer goal of having Companion Prayer at 6:15 AM --- it went well, we're feeling more united.
I woke up & decided I had to wash my sheets & Febreeze my comforter & blanket I pulled out of the closet. So I did! I love having a laundry room IN our apartment. Best thing ever. There's just something about having clean everything that just makes life easier, ya know?
First miracle of the day: I read once that having a green plant [picture, fake or real] in your home/office/room is supposed to provide a healthy, calm energy. So we decided that we needed a plant! Or at least a picture of a plant! This morning, we walk out of our new apartment and *BAM* there's a fake tree sitting right across the hall from us! We knock on the door, ask Sis Johnson (California) if she's getting rid of it & if we can have it? We get the all-clear & we help it across the hall to it's new home!
We called Jessica (Georgia) and found out that she & her husband are looking at a tentative baptism date for 3 Sundays from now! WE WERE SO EXCITED!
President & Sister Holmes visited us in Chat this morning. President was telling me & Sister Garbett about how amazing the work is that we do -- that we can accomplish so much from our tiny computer-filled room. He's really excited for the progress the mission is making. So are we.
For comp study we watched "Nora's Christmas Gift". That's right -- the old Despain Family Favorite. She loved it and 3 more of my jokes now make sense to her :)
We're headed to Burlington to shop for boots! It snowed in the night most days this week! So I figured sooner rather than later would be a good idea. Then we're writing letters, doing laundry, putting up pictures, cleaning, eating food sometime in between there & living it up -- missionary style ;)
Like I said -- we had a rough couple of days, we're thinking it was just the stress of transfers but we were seriously off. We're usually hilarious but for whatever reason we were not as funny as we usually are. So I chose my subject line because -- WE'RE BACK! Yup, good news ladies & gentlemen: We're back to being our hysterical & yet oh-so-clean & adorable selves and in fact, we'll be here six more weeks. Enjoy the show :)
One of the best parts of being a TMSQ Sister: Feeling like a secret agent with my security card that gets me into all the coded doors :) All is well that ends well.
I know that this gospel is true. I know it more & more each day. As I bear testimony to people I'm IMing with online -- I can feel the spirit. We pray so hard for everyone we talk to, that they will be able to feel the different spirit that is here on Temple Square. It's like coming home. This is the message we have to share, that of a spirit that brings peace & comfort in all aspects of your life. Everyone needs it. No one is the exception. Our job, is to make them realize they're included!
Love you all & thanks for writing,
Sister Ainsley Marie
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
West Side Story - TMSQ Edition
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Bonjour mon fils! Ok...I think that's "my kids"....so that doesn't apply to anyone BUT it's French! I'm learning bits of about 90 languages - it's awesome!
This week has been fantastic - as always - and it flew by like nobody's business!!! I'm starting into my last week of my first transfer! So exciting!
Thursday: After emailing we went shopping at Jordan's Landing in South Jordan. There's this really cute brown jacket that I didn't get (what's your point, i know) but I thought about it & I think I'm gonna get it later today. So I'm excited! I bought an electrical hand mixer which will greatly improve the cooking experiences we have had this transfer. I bought a dinky little old school scale...yes - so I can have it laugh at me once a week :) No, but Sis Garbett & I are working on being healthy! We haven't made cookies in over a week! It's crazy! This way, with the scale & all, I'll be able to keep track of where I am! I bought a BRITA pitcher which I was a teensy bit skeptical about at first because it would be a hassle but in the end, worth it. OH MAN! BEST THING EVER! The water in SLC or Utah or in the west...idk...is soft & so it tastes weird so this amazing BRITA pitcher makes it taste like normal water! Holla! We're drinking 5 bottles of water everyday & YES we have to take a bajillion bathroom breaks. And for the last & possibly best purchase - a shower rug! Best thing ever - I just never knew! It was $5.00 at Wal-mart but my goodness how much more it makes me feel at home! It's wonderful. It makes me happy every time I have to stick my feet on it. Lesson learned: Find joy in the infinitesimal things :)
Friday: Did I mention David Archuleta came to our session of General Conference?!?!??! He sat 15 rows in front of us -- it was so cool! And after one of the morning session started, Sis Garbett & I were contacting in front of the waterfall at the CC when who should walk by but ALEX BOYE!!! [Go to mormon.org & look up his profile - he's in the MOTAB!] He smiled at us, we waved & he waved back!!! Yup...we're best friends.
Sister Garbett has been writing to Elder Jones since they met in the MTC. His companion, Elder Grimm is hilarious & has officially been encouraged by a certain Sis G to write me. We'll see :) We sent them a package with goodies & letters & I drew them two little comics that were apparently so funny - Sis G started crying because she was laughing so hard!
There was a bomb scare at the construction on Main St. we had to walk around two whole blocks to get home from Rite Aid. I know...poor us. It's so awesome living in SLC & calling Temple Square "home". I feel so special! It's great when SLC sister missionaries will come to go to the temple or do service & they walk through the gates; I feel like I should break out into a West Side Story song & dance :)
We committed Jessica 2 to church! She is golden.
During our dinner break we went to Gateway to Barnes & Noble. We took a quiz & found out my love language is QUALITY TIME. Just for future reference :) No, but it's good to know as companions, because I know that Sis G shows love through words & that's how I can show her I appreciate her. It makes communicating so much easier! It also helps you understand yourself a lot better. Things make much more sense now.
On our way back, we ran across the beloved corner bagpiper who we can hear from inside the Square. He played "I hope they call me on a mission" for us! We talked to him for a few minutes. He's from Sandy, he has a fake Scottish accent that's actually very believable! His daughter is on a mission in Connecticut right now. He's been out of work for a while but he's made work by playing his bagpipe! He's raising money to take his wife with him & his "piping group" to Scotland! Sweet, huh?
Saturday: All 4 of our phone appointments kept! We were thrilled! We've got Jessica in Arizona, Jessica in Florida, Yvonne in Ghana & Efrem in Ethiopia.
Jessica (AZ) made it to church (yea!) and really enjoys going to Relief Society. She is making progress in reading/listening to The Book of Mormon & we are very excited when she understand what we teach her. She is 34 but a little slow - so we have to teach very simply. She is on date for Nov 6 !!!
Jessica (FL) told us she made it to church, met the missionaries, was actually meeting with them right then when we called - so we called back. She's on date for Oct 31 !!!!!! I was so excited I couldn't breathe! We found her on chat and one week later -- she's on date! How prepared was she!?!?
Yvonne came on chat & set up an appointment to meet with us right away! Turns out her fiance lives in Oregon & is encouraging her to get baptized. They have never met before & this whole situation is a little tricky. She is very willing to learn - but right now, maybe not for her own reasons. We are hoping to develop it into a personal desire to continue learning more.
Efrem is AMAZING. He lives in Ethiopia - 12 hrs from church. He has to go 8 times before he can be baptized! He has read The Book of Mormon FIVE times, finished the Doctrine & Covenants along with The Pearl Of Great Price -- and soaks it all up! He is 24 and wants to serve a mission :) He has applied to three new jobs that are closer to church, which would allow him to go 6 more times & get baptized! We assigned him to read from Preach My Gospel -- because he's read everything else & knows it better than we do! He's progressing very well. He lives 9 hrs ahead of us, so scheduling is hard & sometimes the call won't go through. But he said not to worry about what time it is, learning more about the gospel is more important that his sleep :) He is so fantastic!!!
I met a husband & wife from Mink Creek! So they obviously know Gma & Gpa Despain. Small world!
I got a bag of candy from Sister Day!!! We don't get mail on Saturday -- so it was a wonderful surprise! Thank you!
Sunday: We found a new investigator on chat! Her name is Lisa, she's 24 & she has two little toddlers. She met with the missionaries when she was 15 but says she wasn't ready then. She was raised Catholic but the church she used to go to isn't very child-friendly. She had family friends who were member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints & they were really good examples of putting family first. That's what she wants in her life! So we set up a time to call her!
We ran into Matt & Missy Williams! They were down for a bit of the day & luckily we ran into each other!
Monday: I got updates from Sis Gandolph & Elder Lee! Sounds like Taiwan is a BIT of an adjustment to say the least! But she sounds very positive :) Elder Lee, as always, has entertaining tales of his investigators -- I tried to imagine 11 months without chocolate -- at which point my brain shut down.
I got a copy of the Spanish script for Square information!!! I'm practicing during Personal Study. Dad: Why is it called "La Manzana del Templo?" (Insert from Dad: manzana means apple and city block!)
We called Yvonne & found out she went to church!!! Her cell phone ring back tone is this African hip-hop something or other, it's crazy. And yes we rock dance to it every time we call her. It's our bit of worldly-side joy.
Sis Garbett closed my locker on my arm. It felt really good. No bruise yet...I'm feeling conflicted about that because it hurts but you can't SEE it?!?
Tuesday: We met a lady from Germany! She's been traveling for 3 months -- she started at Alaska went to Canada, California, Utah -- will go to Texas next then Hawaii! Her husband stays at home with the dog, apparently he doesn't like to travel. So he lets her go off for 3 months!
We had a guy come on chat who when we asked "What is your purpose in coming to mormon.org?" he said "To preach to you & teach you about the bible." We struggled with him for a few minutes but finally just let him know that we are here to teach & to feel free to browse the website. Enjoy your evening. *End Chat*
That night Sister Garbett said, "My sheets are so nicely tucked -- I feel like a burrito!"
Wednesday: Elder Jones wrote Sis G & said that both he and Elder Grimm loved the package we sent! One of the comics I drew was of them getting the package -- he said it was hilarious & right on!
Sister Thomas wrote me! Sounds like the family is doing great! Brooke is home, Jordan needs to write more & Hannah breaks out into song & dance. I love getting updates from everyone! Otherwise I have no idea what's going on!
That night on chat we had a lady come on with, "If plural marriage ended in 1890 -- why did Brigham Young have more than one wife?" Our answer: "Brigham Young died in 1877." ----- *cricket cricket* ---- we did talk to her more about it though. No worries. Turns out she was having a debate with her daughter & we were able to clear up some confusion! Go us!
I discovered that tuna salad -- or rather, tuna ON a salad -- is my new favorite lunch! It's SO good & fills me up -- it's so easy to make, I love it.
Sister Gilbert's boyfriend is going to ARGENTINA!!!!! He reports February 16, 2010! This means however, that she will have to wait a YEAR for him to get home. So she wasn't too stoked about that but was excited to finally hear where he's headed!
We went home & cleaned for hours on end. It's so CLEAN!!!! Sis G was busy cleaning the kitchen -- so I cleaned & organized her half of the room. "I didn't even know my stuff could look like that!" Made my day.
Today: I tried a new work out this morning. The hall I run in - is really long - so I run up & back then do 10 crunches - up & back then 10 push ups!!! For 20 min. It was awesome!!! I loved it. Added a little variation to my morning routine.
We met a guy on chat this morning, Logan -- who is going to NCSU! [What are the chances?!?!?] We're going to call him this weekend & talk more!
We're going to haunted Heritage Park tonight!
I have a vintage style pocket watch on a necklace & for whatever reason everyone is fascinated by it! Sister Kinman said, "You have a timepiece on a necklace?!?" Which was funny because she is American....with an accent it would have come off as acceptably appropriate but without an accent - it was hilarious!
Edit to my last post: Sister Moore's visitor who was amazed by the BuckEye tree -- was actually from Ohio. (Makes more sense now!)
I'm having the time of my life here at TMSQ! I keep having these random moments where it hits me "I'm a missionary on TEMPLE SQUARE! On the Temple Square!....Whoa! That's awesome!!! I have the coolest mission call!" So thank you to everyone who has written me - I really appreciate the stories & support from home & beyond! We have our days where the mental stress is insane & you just don't want to stand for 8 more hours! And you feel frustrated when you say "Hello" to people you pass & they reply "We've already had the tour." And I want to say, "That's wonderful --- we also have the ability to talk like normal people! Cool, huh? And did you also know that there isn't 'THE' tour anymore? Uh huh, we individualize our contacts. Feel pretty special now, don't ya?"
But at the end of the day - I still can't believe I've been so blessed as to be here! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!
Bonjour mon fils! Ok...I think that's "my kids"....so that doesn't apply to anyone BUT it's French! I'm learning bits of about 90 languages - it's awesome!
This week has been fantastic - as always - and it flew by like nobody's business!!! I'm starting into my last week of my first transfer! So exciting!
Thursday: After emailing we went shopping at Jordan's Landing in South Jordan. There's this really cute brown jacket that I didn't get (what's your point, i know) but I thought about it & I think I'm gonna get it later today. So I'm excited! I bought an electrical hand mixer which will greatly improve the cooking experiences we have had this transfer. I bought a dinky little old school scale...yes - so I can have it laugh at me once a week :) No, but Sis Garbett & I are working on being healthy! We haven't made cookies in over a week! It's crazy! This way, with the scale & all, I'll be able to keep track of where I am! I bought a BRITA pitcher which I was a teensy bit skeptical about at first because it would be a hassle but in the end, worth it. OH MAN! BEST THING EVER! The water in SLC or Utah or in the west...idk...is soft & so it tastes weird so this amazing BRITA pitcher makes it taste like normal water! Holla! We're drinking 5 bottles of water everyday & YES we have to take a bajillion bathroom breaks. And for the last & possibly best purchase - a shower rug! Best thing ever - I just never knew! It was $5.00 at Wal-mart but my goodness how much more it makes me feel at home! It's wonderful. It makes me happy every time I have to stick my feet on it. Lesson learned: Find joy in the infinitesimal things :)
Friday: Did I mention David Archuleta came to our session of General Conference?!?!??! He sat 15 rows in front of us -- it was so cool! And after one of the morning session started, Sis Garbett & I were contacting in front of the waterfall at the CC when who should walk by but ALEX BOYE!!! [Go to mormon.org & look up his profile - he's in the MOTAB!] He smiled at us, we waved & he waved back!!! Yup...we're best friends.
Sister Garbett has been writing to Elder Jones since they met in the MTC. His companion, Elder Grimm is hilarious & has officially been encouraged by a certain Sis G to write me. We'll see :) We sent them a package with goodies & letters & I drew them two little comics that were apparently so funny - Sis G started crying because she was laughing so hard!
There was a bomb scare at the construction on Main St. we had to walk around two whole blocks to get home from Rite Aid. I know...poor us. It's so awesome living in SLC & calling Temple Square "home". I feel so special! It's great when SLC sister missionaries will come to go to the temple or do service & they walk through the gates; I feel like I should break out into a West Side Story song & dance :)
We committed Jessica 2 to church! She is golden.
During our dinner break we went to Gateway to Barnes & Noble. We took a quiz & found out my love language is QUALITY TIME. Just for future reference :) No, but it's good to know as companions, because I know that Sis G shows love through words & that's how I can show her I appreciate her. It makes communicating so much easier! It also helps you understand yourself a lot better. Things make much more sense now.
On our way back, we ran across the beloved corner bagpiper who we can hear from inside the Square. He played "I hope they call me on a mission" for us! We talked to him for a few minutes. He's from Sandy, he has a fake Scottish accent that's actually very believable! His daughter is on a mission in Connecticut right now. He's been out of work for a while but he's made work by playing his bagpipe! He's raising money to take his wife with him & his "piping group" to Scotland! Sweet, huh?
Saturday: All 4 of our phone appointments kept! We were thrilled! We've got Jessica in Arizona, Jessica in Florida, Yvonne in Ghana & Efrem in Ethiopia.
Jessica (AZ) made it to church (yea!) and really enjoys going to Relief Society. She is making progress in reading/listening to The Book of Mormon & we are very excited when she understand what we teach her. She is 34 but a little slow - so we have to teach very simply. She is on date for Nov 6 !!!
Jessica (FL) told us she made it to church, met the missionaries, was actually meeting with them right then when we called - so we called back. She's on date for Oct 31 !!!!!! I was so excited I couldn't breathe! We found her on chat and one week later -- she's on date! How prepared was she!?!?
Yvonne came on chat & set up an appointment to meet with us right away! Turns out her fiance lives in Oregon & is encouraging her to get baptized. They have never met before & this whole situation is a little tricky. She is very willing to learn - but right now, maybe not for her own reasons. We are hoping to develop it into a personal desire to continue learning more.
Efrem is AMAZING. He lives in Ethiopia - 12 hrs from church. He has to go 8 times before he can be baptized! He has read The Book of Mormon FIVE times, finished the Doctrine & Covenants along with The Pearl Of Great Price -- and soaks it all up! He is 24 and wants to serve a mission :) He has applied to three new jobs that are closer to church, which would allow him to go 6 more times & get baptized! We assigned him to read from Preach My Gospel -- because he's read everything else & knows it better than we do! He's progressing very well. He lives 9 hrs ahead of us, so scheduling is hard & sometimes the call won't go through. But he said not to worry about what time it is, learning more about the gospel is more important that his sleep :) He is so fantastic!!!
I met a husband & wife from Mink Creek! So they obviously know Gma & Gpa Despain. Small world!
I got a bag of candy from Sister Day!!! We don't get mail on Saturday -- so it was a wonderful surprise! Thank you!
Sunday: We found a new investigator on chat! Her name is Lisa, she's 24 & she has two little toddlers. She met with the missionaries when she was 15 but says she wasn't ready then. She was raised Catholic but the church she used to go to isn't very child-friendly. She had family friends who were member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints & they were really good examples of putting family first. That's what she wants in her life! So we set up a time to call her!
We ran into Matt & Missy Williams! They were down for a bit of the day & luckily we ran into each other!
Monday: I got updates from Sis Gandolph & Elder Lee! Sounds like Taiwan is a BIT of an adjustment to say the least! But she sounds very positive :) Elder Lee, as always, has entertaining tales of his investigators -- I tried to imagine 11 months without chocolate -- at which point my brain shut down.
I got a copy of the Spanish script for Square information!!! I'm practicing during Personal Study. Dad: Why is it called "La Manzana del Templo?" (Insert from Dad: manzana means apple and city block!)
We called Yvonne & found out she went to church!!! Her cell phone ring back tone is this African hip-hop something or other, it's crazy. And yes we rock dance to it every time we call her. It's our bit of worldly-side joy.
Sis Garbett closed my locker on my arm. It felt really good. No bruise yet...I'm feeling conflicted about that because it hurts but you can't SEE it?!?
Tuesday: We met a lady from Germany! She's been traveling for 3 months -- she started at Alaska went to Canada, California, Utah -- will go to Texas next then Hawaii! Her husband stays at home with the dog, apparently he doesn't like to travel. So he lets her go off for 3 months!
We had a guy come on chat who when we asked "What is your purpose in coming to mormon.org?" he said "To preach to you & teach you about the bible." We struggled with him for a few minutes but finally just let him know that we are here to teach & to feel free to browse the website. Enjoy your evening. *End Chat*
That night Sister Garbett said, "My sheets are so nicely tucked -- I feel like a burrito!"
Wednesday: Elder Jones wrote Sis G & said that both he and Elder Grimm loved the package we sent! One of the comics I drew was of them getting the package -- he said it was hilarious & right on!
Sister Thomas wrote me! Sounds like the family is doing great! Brooke is home, Jordan needs to write more & Hannah breaks out into song & dance. I love getting updates from everyone! Otherwise I have no idea what's going on!
That night on chat we had a lady come on with, "If plural marriage ended in 1890 -- why did Brigham Young have more than one wife?" Our answer: "Brigham Young died in 1877." ----- *cricket cricket* ---- we did talk to her more about it though. No worries. Turns out she was having a debate with her daughter & we were able to clear up some confusion! Go us!
I discovered that tuna salad -- or rather, tuna ON a salad -- is my new favorite lunch! It's SO good & fills me up -- it's so easy to make, I love it.
Sister Gilbert's boyfriend is going to ARGENTINA!!!!! He reports February 16, 2010! This means however, that she will have to wait a YEAR for him to get home. So she wasn't too stoked about that but was excited to finally hear where he's headed!
We went home & cleaned for hours on end. It's so CLEAN!!!! Sis G was busy cleaning the kitchen -- so I cleaned & organized her half of the room. "I didn't even know my stuff could look like that!" Made my day.
Today: I tried a new work out this morning. The hall I run in - is really long - so I run up & back then do 10 crunches - up & back then 10 push ups!!! For 20 min. It was awesome!!! I loved it. Added a little variation to my morning routine.
We met a guy on chat this morning, Logan -- who is going to NCSU! [What are the chances?!?!?] We're going to call him this weekend & talk more!
We're going to haunted Heritage Park tonight!
I have a vintage style pocket watch on a necklace & for whatever reason everyone is fascinated by it! Sister Kinman said, "You have a timepiece on a necklace?!?" Which was funny because she is American....with an accent it would have come off as acceptably appropriate but without an accent - it was hilarious!
Edit to my last post: Sister Moore's visitor who was amazed by the BuckEye tree -- was actually from Ohio. (Makes more sense now!)
I'm having the time of my life here at TMSQ! I keep having these random moments where it hits me "I'm a missionary on TEMPLE SQUARE! On the Temple Square!....Whoa! That's awesome!!! I have the coolest mission call!" So thank you to everyone who has written me - I really appreciate the stories & support from home & beyond! We have our days where the mental stress is insane & you just don't want to stand for 8 more hours! And you feel frustrated when you say "Hello" to people you pass & they reply "We've already had the tour." And I want to say, "That's wonderful --- we also have the ability to talk like normal people! Cool, huh? And did you also know that there isn't 'THE' tour anymore? Uh huh, we individualize our contacts. Feel pretty special now, don't ya?"
But at the end of the day - I still can't believe I've been so blessed as to be here! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Well I'll be darned! That there's a buckeye tree!!!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Gday! (Which is actually how you say hello in Danish?)
This week has been exciting, stressful, patience-building & of all things -- enlightening!
Thursday: So let me just talk for two seconds about last Thursday - our Pday. Everything that COULD have gone wrong, did. It was crazy! Doctors visits were canceled at last minute, people were late, our van window wouldn't go up so we had to call Fleet -- but the cell phone in the van was dead! Brilliant. Then we had to take 5,000 left turns to get to a place 100 ft away? Then the garage door opener didn't work. Then we had an hour cut off our regular time (which was already an hour shorter than usual) because of the protest. So we grocery shopped for 20 min (like speed shoppers on TV!!!) and were disappointed to realize we didn't have enough time to hit up Cafe Rio. The End
Friday: AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got wonderful delicious morsels from Sisters Martschenko & Winkle! I didn't get to see them because they came by on Thursday & I was home (Pday) but luckily they ran into Sister Malala who brought me the cookies & mini M&Ms :) TOTALLY MADE MY DAY! The cookies were ridiculously good - I would absolutely LOVE the recipe! I did manage to share them with my companion, who also loved them. They lasted about 3 days -- THEY WERE SO GOOD!
Hahahahaha ok, don't quite know how this went down -- but Sis Williams (Scotland) said she converted someone to Islam over chat?!?!?! Probably just a troller but it was still hilarious when she told us! When we were driving around on Pday we saw a "little person" riding a razor scooter across the street. The new phrase Sister Williams says is, "mIDget on a scooter!" (the emphasis on the ID of midget...in case you didn't get that) so she says that whenever there's something kind of random or unusual we see. It's one of those You-had-to-be-there kinda things.
We went out to lunch at Blue Lemon with Sisters Williams & Gilbert. If you've never been - go! We got a Lemon Grilled Chicken BLT & it was amazing. We were ordering our food when they started playing "Lasso" by Phoenix over the intercom. I almost collapsed! Hahahaha I got so trunky for about 3.2 seconds -- then I was back :)
Attention: Ladies & Gentlemen! Let it be known that Sister Ainsley Despain can officially do the South American "RM finger slap" thing!!! You know the "oh snap!" or "wow that was really hot" or "wow! I can't believe that just happened!" reaction thing that Jeff & Dad do? THAT! I am just so proud!
Saturday: It's absolutely fantastic! Me & Sister Garbett are like friends with Sisters Williams & Gilbert?!?!?!? It's SO GREAT! Because here's the thing, you don't have to be friends with anyone! Right? You can get along & say hey on the Square and all but the four of us schedule outings together & go over to each other's apartments for dinner or cookies. It's so funny - we'll just randomly say, "It's like we're....friends...or something?!?" They came over for dinner before District Meeting, it's so fun - we get some time to just be girls :)
During the DM I told everyone the story President Smith (MTC) told us about his super enthusiastic cowboy companion who would jump out of bed every morning, run into the bathroom, look at himself in the mirror & say, "Elder So &So, You are a handsome guy! You are a great missionary. And today is going to be a wonderful day!"
They loved it. It is now officially known as "The Elder Cowboy Story". After I told it, everyone was laughing & Sis Terry (England) said, "I have an immense sense of respect for Sister Despain right now!" I told them that they should try it -- because it really DOES work! It's amazing!
My companion, the wonderful, the lovely, the so-much-like-me-it's-freaky, Sister Garbett goes home at the end of next transfer & so I told her about Brother Lee's book, I'm Home! Now What? She really really really wants a copy :) So I told her I'd have Mom send me one! I think it's just what she needs! So nice to have wonderfully helpful connections like knowing the author of a book about how to live as a super-recent Returned Missionary!
Sunday: We took two Hispanic families through "God's Plan" in the NVC. And one family referred!!!!!!! We were thrilled. I didn't mention that I spoke a little Spanish, which turned out to be a big help because at the end, they talked amongst themselves in Spanish about whether or not they wanted missionaries to come visit. And so once they decided - they told us in English what we already knew! It was great!
We talked with one of our investigators, Jessica 1 (because now we have two Jessica G's -- so we've resorted to numbers) and Sister Garbett committed her to BAPTISM!!!! It was so exciting to hear her say it. Just like in Preach My Gospel, "When you come to know that these things are true, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God?" And then to hear a "yes" on the other end??? SO EXCITING!!!!
Monday: Monday was a bit of a weird day for me. Mostly because it really sunk in that I'm going to be here -- on a mission -- for 18 months (give or take a few).
Jessica 1 told us during our phone call that she wanted to live the Law of Chastity!!! We haven't even taught her about it yet! She's so great, it's been interesting because she has a low self-esteem so she has made some choices she isn't proud of but she really, really wants to change. Which is perfect. We make sure we tell her that we love talking to her & that we know she is a wonderful, amazing daughter of God. We can already hear the change in her voice, she is much happier.
Sister Garbett & I decided we're going to make T-SHIRTS!!! On the front it will say MamaGarbett or lilGarbett & then on the back ALL of our inside jokes. We've got about eleventy billion of them. Everyone says we look alike & even SOUND alike! So...we took that wonderful new knowledge & recorded to Elder Jones(the guy Sis G has been writing to her whole mission) & then we played it back -- and at some parts even WE couldn't tell who was talking! WEIRD!!!
Tuesday: We did service at Heritage Park (where the “This is the Place” monument is). I know -- AWESOME, right? I got to sweep the first floor school room in the Chapel; which was replicated in 1998. When some of us finished & met back up, Sister Sanders(AZ) had to go & tell a supposed visitor that we were there for service & jokingly mentioned that we needed more work! Ya! Turns out the lady she was talking to was actually in charge of some things around there?! Perfect! hahahaha it was so funny because we were done with service, heading up the hill to check out the hospital (which was run only by women doctors who only saw women & children patients!) when we got roped into more service. Priceless. The kinda-cool part about all this? We got to clean a train!!!! Not ride...clean...oh ya...it was exciting! We were talking with our supervisor & asked how much it would be for us to go through the haunted Heritage Park next week - he made a call - we're getting in FREE! Totally pays off to do service ;)
We had about 30 min before we had to be back home so we hopped in our super-cool specially designed MiniVans & raced over to CAFE RIO! So so so so so so so so so so so so delicious! I love the Pork Salad - es mi favorito!
Speaking of which, I got the Spanish script for tours! Once I study enough - I can pass off & get paged for Spanish tours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday: All the 1st Transfer Sisters had a meeting with President & the Aps (who are sister missionaries) to talk about our study of The Living Christ. It was an uplifting meeting to say the least. Everyone had great comments. It was kinda weird having us all together again without our new companions - it was like being back in the MTC! Only.....not! We got a copy of it about 2 weeks ago & were told to "mark it up!" So I did! And I annotated it & cited some things & made my very own footnotes. Yes, I'm an English major :) It was beautiful. It's kind of funny, about 3/4 of the way through someone's comment President Holmes will say "Thank You" not like a "Thank you, you can stop talking now." But he thinks they're done because they pause - when they're not. It's entertaining. But I got to finish my entire comment with no interruption! I was so pleased. And after I finished my hopefully brief & clear comments he said," Thank you. My goodness, what a wonderful observation. We've got a bunch of smarty-pants!!!" I felt just a teensy bit proud.
After our discussion, we went on a little tour of TMSQ with President so he could give us pointers on lessons [everyone else calls them Tours - they just don't know we're teaching them about the gospel :) we're so clever]. Sister Moore told me a story about one of her visitors: So we had this husband & wife from Minnesota. They were taking in everything we were telling them but they had just put up that "wall", ya know? So we could NOT figure out how to get through to them! We were walking by the two Buckeye trees by the South when the wife [in her enthusiastic Minnesotan accent] goes, "Well I'll be darned! That there's a BUCKeye tree! -- who knew they'd gone & built a BuckEye tree all the way out here it Utah, of all places?!?" At that point I just couldn't hold it in - I busted up laughing! We had a wonderful conversation about the tree & the pioneers and they referred!!!"
Only on Temple Square :)
Our time with President lasted about FOUR hours. Which means I was without Sister Garbett for that whole time! Once we were FINALLY reunited, it was amazing how much I missed her! I mean, not amazing -- I just realized how much I like having her around. We have so much fun together! We work hard & get a lot done and the best part is that we maintain our personalities throughout it all! One night this week, I was telling her how "Your mom!" is about the UNfunniest joke known to man. At that point we started saying all of our inside jokes with "your mom" in front of it. Since it made absolutely NO sense whatsoever -- it was hilarious and we then proceeded to take 3 minutes to walk up five steps because we were laughing so hard. It's yet another one of those you-had-to-be-there kinda things.
So all in all everything is going fantastically here on Temple Square, where the wax figurines freak me out a little, it's normal to stand/walk for 12 hrs a day & where the lovely BuckEye trees amaze even the hardest of Minnesota visitors.
Hope all is well at home!
All my love,
Sister Ainsley
Gday! (Which is actually how you say hello in Danish?)
This week has been exciting, stressful, patience-building & of all things -- enlightening!
Thursday: So let me just talk for two seconds about last Thursday - our Pday. Everything that COULD have gone wrong, did. It was crazy! Doctors visits were canceled at last minute, people were late, our van window wouldn't go up so we had to call Fleet -- but the cell phone in the van was dead! Brilliant. Then we had to take 5,000 left turns to get to a place 100 ft away? Then the garage door opener didn't work. Then we had an hour cut off our regular time (which was already an hour shorter than usual) because of the protest. So we grocery shopped for 20 min (like speed shoppers on TV!!!) and were disappointed to realize we didn't have enough time to hit up Cafe Rio. The End
Friday: AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got wonderful delicious morsels from Sisters Martschenko & Winkle! I didn't get to see them because they came by on Thursday & I was home (Pday) but luckily they ran into Sister Malala who brought me the cookies & mini M&Ms :) TOTALLY MADE MY DAY! The cookies were ridiculously good - I would absolutely LOVE the recipe! I did manage to share them with my companion, who also loved them. They lasted about 3 days -- THEY WERE SO GOOD!
Hahahahaha ok, don't quite know how this went down -- but Sis Williams (Scotland) said she converted someone to Islam over chat?!?!?! Probably just a troller but it was still hilarious when she told us! When we were driving around on Pday we saw a "little person" riding a razor scooter across the street. The new phrase Sister Williams says is, "mIDget on a scooter!" (the emphasis on the ID of midget...in case you didn't get that) so she says that whenever there's something kind of random or unusual we see. It's one of those You-had-to-be-there kinda things.
We went out to lunch at Blue Lemon with Sisters Williams & Gilbert. If you've never been - go! We got a Lemon Grilled Chicken BLT & it was amazing. We were ordering our food when they started playing "Lasso" by Phoenix over the intercom. I almost collapsed! Hahahaha I got so trunky for about 3.2 seconds -- then I was back :)
Attention: Ladies & Gentlemen! Let it be known that Sister Ainsley Despain can officially do the South American "RM finger slap" thing!!! You know the "oh snap!" or "wow that was really hot" or "wow! I can't believe that just happened!" reaction thing that Jeff & Dad do? THAT! I am just so proud!
Saturday: It's absolutely fantastic! Me & Sister Garbett are like friends with Sisters Williams & Gilbert?!?!?!? It's SO GREAT! Because here's the thing, you don't have to be friends with anyone! Right? You can get along & say hey on the Square and all but the four of us schedule outings together & go over to each other's apartments for dinner or cookies. It's so funny - we'll just randomly say, "It's like we're....friends...or something?!?" They came over for dinner before District Meeting, it's so fun - we get some time to just be girls :)
During the DM I told everyone the story President Smith (MTC) told us about his super enthusiastic cowboy companion who would jump out of bed every morning, run into the bathroom, look at himself in the mirror & say, "Elder So &So, You are a handsome guy! You are a great missionary. And today is going to be a wonderful day!"
They loved it. It is now officially known as "The Elder Cowboy Story". After I told it, everyone was laughing & Sis Terry (England) said, "I have an immense sense of respect for Sister Despain right now!" I told them that they should try it -- because it really DOES work! It's amazing!
My companion, the wonderful, the lovely, the so-much-like-me-it's-freaky, Sister Garbett goes home at the end of next transfer & so I told her about Brother Lee's book, I'm Home! Now What? She really really really wants a copy :) So I told her I'd have Mom send me one! I think it's just what she needs! So nice to have wonderfully helpful connections like knowing the author of a book about how to live as a super-recent Returned Missionary!
Sunday: We took two Hispanic families through "God's Plan" in the NVC. And one family referred!!!!!!! We were thrilled. I didn't mention that I spoke a little Spanish, which turned out to be a big help because at the end, they talked amongst themselves in Spanish about whether or not they wanted missionaries to come visit. And so once they decided - they told us in English what we already knew! It was great!
We talked with one of our investigators, Jessica 1 (because now we have two Jessica G's -- so we've resorted to numbers) and Sister Garbett committed her to BAPTISM!!!! It was so exciting to hear her say it. Just like in Preach My Gospel, "When you come to know that these things are true, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God?" And then to hear a "yes" on the other end??? SO EXCITING!!!!
Monday: Monday was a bit of a weird day for me. Mostly because it really sunk in that I'm going to be here -- on a mission -- for 18 months (give or take a few).
Jessica 1 told us during our phone call that she wanted to live the Law of Chastity!!! We haven't even taught her about it yet! She's so great, it's been interesting because she has a low self-esteem so she has made some choices she isn't proud of but she really, really wants to change. Which is perfect. We make sure we tell her that we love talking to her & that we know she is a wonderful, amazing daughter of God. We can already hear the change in her voice, she is much happier.
Sister Garbett & I decided we're going to make T-SHIRTS!!! On the front it will say MamaGarbett or lilGarbett & then on the back ALL of our inside jokes. We've got about eleventy billion of them. Everyone says we look alike & even SOUND alike! So...we took that wonderful new knowledge & recorded to Elder Jones(the guy Sis G has been writing to her whole mission) & then we played it back -- and at some parts even WE couldn't tell who was talking! WEIRD!!!
Tuesday: We did service at Heritage Park (where the “This is the Place” monument is). I know -- AWESOME, right? I got to sweep the first floor school room in the Chapel; which was replicated in 1998. When some of us finished & met back up, Sister Sanders(AZ) had to go & tell a supposed visitor that we were there for service & jokingly mentioned that we needed more work! Ya! Turns out the lady she was talking to was actually in charge of some things around there?! Perfect! hahahaha it was so funny because we were done with service, heading up the hill to check out the hospital (which was run only by women doctors who only saw women & children patients!) when we got roped into more service. Priceless. The kinda-cool part about all this? We got to clean a train!!!! Not ride...clean...oh ya...it was exciting! We were talking with our supervisor & asked how much it would be for us to go through the haunted Heritage Park next week - he made a call - we're getting in FREE! Totally pays off to do service ;)
We had about 30 min before we had to be back home so we hopped in our super-cool specially designed MiniVans & raced over to CAFE RIO! So so so so so so so so so so so so delicious! I love the Pork Salad - es mi favorito!
Speaking of which, I got the Spanish script for tours! Once I study enough - I can pass off & get paged for Spanish tours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday: All the 1st Transfer Sisters had a meeting with President & the Aps (who are sister missionaries) to talk about our study of The Living Christ. It was an uplifting meeting to say the least. Everyone had great comments. It was kinda weird having us all together again without our new companions - it was like being back in the MTC! Only.....not! We got a copy of it about 2 weeks ago & were told to "mark it up!" So I did! And I annotated it & cited some things & made my very own footnotes. Yes, I'm an English major :) It was beautiful. It's kind of funny, about 3/4 of the way through someone's comment President Holmes will say "Thank You" not like a "Thank you, you can stop talking now." But he thinks they're done because they pause - when they're not. It's entertaining. But I got to finish my entire comment with no interruption! I was so pleased. And after I finished my hopefully brief & clear comments he said," Thank you. My goodness, what a wonderful observation. We've got a bunch of smarty-pants!!!" I felt just a teensy bit proud.
After our discussion, we went on a little tour of TMSQ with President so he could give us pointers on lessons [everyone else calls them Tours - they just don't know we're teaching them about the gospel :) we're so clever]. Sister Moore told me a story about one of her visitors: So we had this husband & wife from Minnesota. They were taking in everything we were telling them but they had just put up that "wall", ya know? So we could NOT figure out how to get through to them! We were walking by the two Buckeye trees by the South when the wife [in her enthusiastic Minnesotan accent] goes, "Well I'll be darned! That there's a BUCKeye tree! -- who knew they'd gone & built a BuckEye tree all the way out here it Utah, of all places?!?" At that point I just couldn't hold it in - I busted up laughing! We had a wonderful conversation about the tree & the pioneers and they referred!!!"
Only on Temple Square :)
Our time with President lasted about FOUR hours. Which means I was without Sister Garbett for that whole time! Once we were FINALLY reunited, it was amazing how much I missed her! I mean, not amazing -- I just realized how much I like having her around. We have so much fun together! We work hard & get a lot done and the best part is that we maintain our personalities throughout it all! One night this week, I was telling her how "Your mom!" is about the UNfunniest joke known to man. At that point we started saying all of our inside jokes with "your mom" in front of it. Since it made absolutely NO sense whatsoever -- it was hilarious and we then proceeded to take 3 minutes to walk up five steps because we were laughing so hard. It's yet another one of those you-had-to-be-there kinda things.
So all in all everything is going fantastically here on Temple Square, where the wax figurines freak me out a little, it's normal to stand/walk for 12 hrs a day & where the lovely BuckEye trees amaze even the hardest of Minnesota visitors.
Hope all is well at home!
All my love,
Sister Ainsley
Friday, October 8, 2010
The Great American Dream - Sis. Missionary Edition
Hello Everyone!
This week was INSANE! But so great :)
Friday: I saw Becky Lou & Ryland Pigg!!! We talked for a bit, got a picture & they even thought of someone for us to call! Go missionary work :)
I also got to see Pop again!!! I got delayed in bringing my too-big coat over to the NVC but turned out to be perfect because as I walked in, who should I see? But that amazingly healthy looking man I saw just the week before!?!?!? What are the chances? We got to talk for a bit, I delivered my coat, got a hug -- an AMAZING pep talk & then we were on our way!
We went on exchanges with one of our Zone Leaders, Sister Cottam. She is so great! I learned a lot while she came contacting with me & Sister Garbett. We got 10 potentials throughout the day! SO GOOD!
I got word that one of the Elders from my MTC district broke his collar bone! He crashed on his bike...but he's fine - no worries.
Saturday: CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I'd never been to conference before so I was pretty stoked but a tad afraid. We set a mission goal to get 5,000 potentials -- members give us the names/numbers of people they know who might want to have the missionaries visit --- so out of 21,000 people for 5 sessions of conference you'd think we'd be able to get it, right?!? But OH MAN! Once we got up on the square & tried to contact people there were sister missionaries EVERYWHERE! It was hard to find people who weren't being contacted right then! It was a wonderful thing to see :)
Usually we're on the Square by 10, we get two 1 hr breaks for lunch/dinner and we stay until 9:00 But for conference weekend - we're on the Square by 8:00 and we get two 20 min breaks and we stay until 9:00... and we are standing ALL DAY. IT WAS SO WONDERFULLY EXHAUSTING!!! hahahaha it was hard!
I saw Laurel West, Alex & Courtney Caroll, Bryce Winsor, David Hawley, Brooke Jones, Ferry, Zach Gibson, THE MIKKELSENS!!! (i know!!??!?!), Sarah Cook, Corrine Christison, Elder Widenhouse, Heath Dewey & wife and then I caught a glimpse of Mike McEwen -- but I was in the middle of a contact :) I was so surprised to see SO many people! It was great! No, it didn't make me trunky - it was so fun getting to see everyone. It's nice to feel not-quite-so-far-away.
Turns out, the antis who gather on the sidewalks in front of the Square & the Conf Center are great missionaries! Well...some of them. Some just yell --- but it's usually stuff that we don't even believe in...so I was really tempted to suggest they do a bit of research before they have to shell out so much cash for a protest permit. But I didn't :)
Sunday: Sunday was the same as Saturday EXCEPT for the part about me getting to actually GO to a session! We went to the Afternoon session & I loved it! I felt bad for not getting to see the others because it's something I've grown up with. Every April & October we watch Conference at home & we take notes & it's really really great family time and I love it. This year I've got to wait for the Ensign to come out. Which is ok, I'm excited to read it!
Word on the street is that my MTC teacher - Brother Fereday - came to Conference both days! I didn't get to see him though, which bummed me out because he was definitely the teacher who had the most influence on me while I was there. He was so excited to teach us & help us learn. He was there to listen when we needed a friend & he was there to give feedback when we needed a critic. He was the best & I am so glad I was able to learn from him. Wish I could have seen him & his wife....maybe they'll come for Christmas!
Sunday night we gathered in THE tabernacle all 200 of us for our "Close of Conference" meeting. It included a rousing rendition of Called To Serve (with our very own TMSQ 3rd verse) and President & Sister Holmes doing the Acoustic Demonstration for us. It was hysterical! They have the best sense of humor..."Welcome to the TABERNACLE!.....We're gonna rip some newspaper!!! *Rip rip rip* Ok...what's next...hmm..oh right!" hahahaha it was great.
So, like I said - our goal was to get 5,000 potentials. Ok, you ready for it? *Drumroll* WE GOT 5,683 POTENTIALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks to all the members who were at conference & gave us their friends' names & numbers. We really really appreciate it! This is how we get a lot of work done here at Temple Square & we are so grateful for those of you who were able to be fantastic member missionaries this weekend!!!
Monday: We got to sleep in!!!!! I slept in until 9:00 -- it was hard! I woke up a bunch but realized this chance doesn't come too often, so I made myself sleep :) Second great surprise of post-conf life? PIZZA!!! We're so easy to please. It was great though! Sleep & pizza - we Americans had found the true meaning of the "Great American Dream" Done. Finito. Misson: Accomplished!
I did the Acoustic Demonstration!!! This time I didn't feel quite so clammy & nervous. Sis Garbett says I just need to work on speaking lower & going down at the end of my sentences. Can do!
We've got a nice rhythmn going between us as a companionship - now that I actually have things to say - so we have nice a little pattern of alternating & backing each other up & answering questions etc. It's quite lovely :)
We hopped into the Assembly Hall perchance right as Sis Williams & Sis Gilbert were too! No one came in for a bit & so...you know us :) Sis Gilbert & Sis Williams were like, "Give us a concert! Ya! Sing!" hahaha [Sis Gilbert is from NY & Sis Williams is from Scotland] We sang "A Child's Prayer" -- I absolutely love being able to break out into song with 2 parts & know all the words! How great is that!? It was awesome!
Tuesday: We got to sleep in again. It was kinda hard! During lunch break we played Temple Square Hangman with Sister Gilbert & Williams. It was really fun - I felt like I was 10 again back in Sunday School when class is over & there's nothing left to do but to play Hangman!!!
I got a letter from Jamie! It was so great! Made my day!
We scheduled dinner for 8:00 so Sister Williams & Sister Gilbert came over and we made wraps! They were so good! It was fun to have some hang out time. We were chatting & eating & just being girls -- "It's like...having friends!" hahahahaha It's amazing how the little things make the difference. Having this connection between the four of us is so much fun. It really is like having friends...not that we're not all friends...but we're friends because we want to be -- not just because we're all in the same mission. Make sense?
Then we stuck some cookies in the oven! Sad news: they didn't turn out :( We're blaming it on the fact that Sis Garbett & I didn't make them together. However, I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that we melted the cookie dough to melt the butter that we were too lazy to try & mix in....maybe.
Wednesday: Back to waking up at 6:20 -- it was hard for about 3.2 seconds -- then it was fine! Just like every other day. So I got up & ran in the halls. It's a long hall. So to answer your question Mom: yes I do still run in the hall :) It's not the most thrilling of exercises but I like it. It works. Then I do some exercises with that hecka-awesome stretchy band!!!! SO FUN! ok...kinda joking...but it really is useful. And Sister Minchner is a PT & she showed me some other moves to do!
We had weekly planning. Which included a riveting comp inventory, when theoretically the two missionaries would go over issues they might have or ask for suggestions on improvement & then go over strengths of the companionship. Here's what ours is usually like:
Sis G: "Ask your companion for suggestions on how you can improve. Also, discuss any issues that might be keeping your companionship from being productive."
Me: How can I improve?
Sis G: Ummm.....
Me: I mean, I think I can definitely work on talking more....
Sis G: Ya! Sure - and that will just get better with more experience too. But you're doing great! What's something I can work on?
Me: Uhhhh....
Sis G: I should let you talk more....
Me: That would be good - kinda shove me into needing to talk.......
*cricket cricket*
Sis. G: "Hey what you said yesterday was hilarious!
Me: "What, when?"
Sis. G: "Remember during that contact with those 3 guys & you were like....."
So we're doing pretty good! We have fantastic communication abilities -- there's talk of us writing a How-to book on how to have a companionship as good as ours. With the subtitle of "And how to do it humbly" written obviously by someone else -- since that's not our strong point :) But seriously, if we do have issues (which the 1 or 2 that we have had are super minor) we take care of it right then. It's kind of like "Hey -- stop." "Ok!" The End.
OH! Remember back a few weeks when I mentioned the Ninja Cat that went up the tree? It was hanging outside the window again during Planning! But no new ninja stories to report...must have been on it's day off or something.
Sis G is writing Elder J in Florida & he sprays his letters with cologne. IT SMELLS SO GOOD! hahaha but that's not the point, the point is that I FINALLY get what the Elders in the movie The Best Two Years were talking about when he told Elder Van -what's his name to tell his girl friend to stop spraying her letters with perfume cuz it puts Elder Rogers in a coma. Yeah - NOW i get it!
I got my coat! It's the right size & everything! I'd like for it to be a little smaller....but it'll work great for layering etc. I can't wait to wear it with my super bright blue scarf!
We were calling referrals & Sis Garbett called a number for "Alison" but instead got "John" --- so the number was old or wrong or something BUT the weird/awesome/crazy/what-are-the-chances news: HE REFERRED!!!! Sis Garbett just talked to him, explained what we do, got to know him & he said he'd love to have the missionaries come & visit him & his wife & his little 3 yr old! I KNOW! WHAT ARE THE CHANCES!?!?!? Totally made our night.
From my message last week, you'll know that we get "trollers" on Chat -- people who just come on to waste our time. We usually talk to them, until we figure it out then we're super nice & ask if they have any legitimate questions - if not feel free to browse the site - have a nice day. But now, we have a new policy. We're actually going to talk to them! And try to teach them about Christ. It seemed kind of pointless at first but if you look beyond the huge headache you get at the end - I think we actually do some good! Instead of giving them the impression that we only teach "the Elect" we show them that the message we have is for everyone - including them! And wouldn't they like to learn more? So it's been an interesting ride already.
Thursday: We went to the Temple this morning!!!!!!!!!! It was really really cool! In the temple display in the SVC you can see the rooms & everything but it's totally different being inside. It was a really neat experience just knowing that the pioneers were the ones who painted the murals, made the super-low doorknobs and crafted all the designs inside. It was pretty historic. Just another confirmation that what we're teaching people is true. It's so true. Living according to the principles we learn in church brings us true happiness. Being able to accomplish the things we do, is amazing! We are so helpful to the world! After we have a hard time on Chat or a particularly rough contact -- Sis Garbett always says, "This church is SO true." We wouldn't have this much opposition if it weren't. And it's just nice to know.
This morning we had muffin tops at the Nauvoo Cafe! Later, in Chat, someone transferred a Spanish conversation to me & I attempted to talk with them. Sis Garbett asked me a question at one point but I told her to hang on - not right now - she called me out on being impatient & I said, "Just not right now - I'm trying to speak Spanish!" So it was kind of funny :) It went well. The lady was wondering how she could get her 6 yr old son to behave when they go to Mass. I told her about how my parents would take us into an empty room, sit us on their lap & we would be quiet until we started to behave. It took a bit of explaining & re-explaining but I finally got the point across! She got off before I could go into anything about the church, but hopefully I made her life a little easier.
Since I only got to go to one session of Conference, those talks are the only ones I know anything about. But from the Sunday Afternoon session, I really liked Elder Lawrence's talk. He talked about "courageous parenting". He said there are no perfect parents & no perfect answers. He told the parents to "Be not afraid" of parenting. He said that parents should always be unified in their decisions. He said "There is wisdom in staying up for your kids." One of my favorite parts was when he talked about how "young people understand more than we think" and that parents should have one-on-one interviews with each of their children. During this time they should talk to their kids & help them set goals to get them where they want to go.
My parents are the perfect example of this. They have always been very involved in my life. I wouldn't have had it any other way.
A contact in the Tabernacle asked how difficult it was for me to come on my mission. My response? Not hard at all. I've been planning on a mission for as long as I can remember & I've been saving for it for as long as I can remember. I was raised to save money for college & mission. So this choice was not a difficult one. I knew that if I wanted to go - I would have that option. And now, with the wonderful support of my parents & grandparents I am here!
I wouldn't give up this chance for anything in the world.
How many girls 21 year old girls get to say that they are a Sister on Temple Square in Salt Lake City Utah??? How many people get the opportunity to be within 100 ft of a pioneer-built Temple for 10 hrs EVERY day?!? Out of 14 million members -- there are 200 of us. And I am so pleased & proud to be one of them.
All my love,
Sis Ainsley Marie
This week was INSANE! But so great :)
Friday: I saw Becky Lou & Ryland Pigg!!! We talked for a bit, got a picture & they even thought of someone for us to call! Go missionary work :)
I also got to see Pop again!!! I got delayed in bringing my too-big coat over to the NVC but turned out to be perfect because as I walked in, who should I see? But that amazingly healthy looking man I saw just the week before!?!?!? What are the chances? We got to talk for a bit, I delivered my coat, got a hug -- an AMAZING pep talk & then we were on our way!
We went on exchanges with one of our Zone Leaders, Sister Cottam. She is so great! I learned a lot while she came contacting with me & Sister Garbett. We got 10 potentials throughout the day! SO GOOD!
I got word that one of the Elders from my MTC district broke his collar bone! He crashed on his bike...but he's fine - no worries.
Saturday: CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I'd never been to conference before so I was pretty stoked but a tad afraid. We set a mission goal to get 5,000 potentials -- members give us the names/numbers of people they know who might want to have the missionaries visit --- so out of 21,000 people for 5 sessions of conference you'd think we'd be able to get it, right?!? But OH MAN! Once we got up on the square & tried to contact people there were sister missionaries EVERYWHERE! It was hard to find people who weren't being contacted right then! It was a wonderful thing to see :)
Usually we're on the Square by 10, we get two 1 hr breaks for lunch/dinner and we stay until 9:00 But for conference weekend - we're on the Square by 8:00 and we get two 20 min breaks and we stay until 9:00... and we are standing ALL DAY. IT WAS SO WONDERFULLY EXHAUSTING!!! hahahaha it was hard!
I saw Laurel West, Alex & Courtney Caroll, Bryce Winsor, David Hawley, Brooke Jones, Ferry, Zach Gibson, THE MIKKELSENS!!! (i know!!??!?!), Sarah Cook, Corrine Christison, Elder Widenhouse, Heath Dewey & wife and then I caught a glimpse of Mike McEwen -- but I was in the middle of a contact :) I was so surprised to see SO many people! It was great! No, it didn't make me trunky - it was so fun getting to see everyone. It's nice to feel not-quite-so-far-away.
Turns out, the antis who gather on the sidewalks in front of the Square & the Conf Center are great missionaries! Well...some of them. Some just yell --- but it's usually stuff that we don't even believe in...so I was really tempted to suggest they do a bit of research before they have to shell out so much cash for a protest permit. But I didn't :)
Sunday: Sunday was the same as Saturday EXCEPT for the part about me getting to actually GO to a session! We went to the Afternoon session & I loved it! I felt bad for not getting to see the others because it's something I've grown up with. Every April & October we watch Conference at home & we take notes & it's really really great family time and I love it. This year I've got to wait for the Ensign to come out. Which is ok, I'm excited to read it!
Word on the street is that my MTC teacher - Brother Fereday - came to Conference both days! I didn't get to see him though, which bummed me out because he was definitely the teacher who had the most influence on me while I was there. He was so excited to teach us & help us learn. He was there to listen when we needed a friend & he was there to give feedback when we needed a critic. He was the best & I am so glad I was able to learn from him. Wish I could have seen him & his wife....maybe they'll come for Christmas!
Sunday night we gathered in THE tabernacle all 200 of us for our "Close of Conference" meeting. It included a rousing rendition of Called To Serve (with our very own TMSQ 3rd verse) and President & Sister Holmes doing the Acoustic Demonstration for us. It was hysterical! They have the best sense of humor..."Welcome to the TABERNACLE!.....We're gonna rip some newspaper!!! *Rip rip rip* Ok...what's next...hmm..oh right!" hahahaha it was great.
So, like I said - our goal was to get 5,000 potentials. Ok, you ready for it? *Drumroll* WE GOT 5,683 POTENTIALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks to all the members who were at conference & gave us their friends' names & numbers. We really really appreciate it! This is how we get a lot of work done here at Temple Square & we are so grateful for those of you who were able to be fantastic member missionaries this weekend!!!
Monday: We got to sleep in!!!!! I slept in until 9:00 -- it was hard! I woke up a bunch but realized this chance doesn't come too often, so I made myself sleep :) Second great surprise of post-conf life? PIZZA!!! We're so easy to please. It was great though! Sleep & pizza - we Americans had found the true meaning of the "Great American Dream" Done. Finito. Misson: Accomplished!
I did the Acoustic Demonstration!!! This time I didn't feel quite so clammy & nervous. Sis Garbett says I just need to work on speaking lower & going down at the end of my sentences. Can do!
We've got a nice rhythmn going between us as a companionship - now that I actually have things to say - so we have nice a little pattern of alternating & backing each other up & answering questions etc. It's quite lovely :)
We hopped into the Assembly Hall perchance right as Sis Williams & Sis Gilbert were too! No one came in for a bit & so...you know us :) Sis Gilbert & Sis Williams were like, "Give us a concert! Ya! Sing!" hahaha [Sis Gilbert is from NY & Sis Williams is from Scotland] We sang "A Child's Prayer" -- I absolutely love being able to break out into song with 2 parts & know all the words! How great is that!? It was awesome!
Tuesday: We got to sleep in again. It was kinda hard! During lunch break we played Temple Square Hangman with Sister Gilbert & Williams. It was really fun - I felt like I was 10 again back in Sunday School when class is over & there's nothing left to do but to play Hangman!!!
I got a letter from Jamie! It was so great! Made my day!
We scheduled dinner for 8:00 so Sister Williams & Sister Gilbert came over and we made wraps! They were so good! It was fun to have some hang out time. We were chatting & eating & just being girls -- "It's like...having friends!" hahahahaha It's amazing how the little things make the difference. Having this connection between the four of us is so much fun. It really is like having friends...not that we're not all friends...but we're friends because we want to be -- not just because we're all in the same mission. Make sense?
Then we stuck some cookies in the oven! Sad news: they didn't turn out :( We're blaming it on the fact that Sis Garbett & I didn't make them together. However, I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that we melted the cookie dough to melt the butter that we were too lazy to try & mix in....maybe.
Wednesday: Back to waking up at 6:20 -- it was hard for about 3.2 seconds -- then it was fine! Just like every other day. So I got up & ran in the halls. It's a long hall. So to answer your question Mom: yes I do still run in the hall :) It's not the most thrilling of exercises but I like it. It works. Then I do some exercises with that hecka-awesome stretchy band!!!! SO FUN! ok...kinda joking...but it really is useful. And Sister Minchner is a PT & she showed me some other moves to do!
We had weekly planning. Which included a riveting comp inventory, when theoretically the two missionaries would go over issues they might have or ask for suggestions on improvement & then go over strengths of the companionship. Here's what ours is usually like:
Sis G: "Ask your companion for suggestions on how you can improve. Also, discuss any issues that might be keeping your companionship from being productive."
Me: How can I improve?
Sis G: Ummm.....
Me: I mean, I think I can definitely work on talking more....
Sis G: Ya! Sure - and that will just get better with more experience too. But you're doing great! What's something I can work on?
Me: Uhhhh....
Sis G: I should let you talk more....
Me: That would be good - kinda shove me into needing to talk.......
*cricket cricket*
Sis. G: "Hey what you said yesterday was hilarious!
Me: "What, when?"
Sis. G: "Remember during that contact with those 3 guys & you were like....."
So we're doing pretty good! We have fantastic communication abilities -- there's talk of us writing a How-to book on how to have a companionship as good as ours. With the subtitle of "And how to do it humbly" written obviously by someone else -- since that's not our strong point :) But seriously, if we do have issues (which the 1 or 2 that we have had are super minor) we take care of it right then. It's kind of like "Hey -- stop." "Ok!" The End.
OH! Remember back a few weeks when I mentioned the Ninja Cat that went up the tree? It was hanging outside the window again during Planning! But no new ninja stories to report...must have been on it's day off or something.
Sis G is writing Elder J in Florida & he sprays his letters with cologne. IT SMELLS SO GOOD! hahaha but that's not the point, the point is that I FINALLY get what the Elders in the movie The Best Two Years were talking about when he told Elder Van -what's his name to tell his girl friend to stop spraying her letters with perfume cuz it puts Elder Rogers in a coma. Yeah - NOW i get it!
I got my coat! It's the right size & everything! I'd like for it to be a little smaller....but it'll work great for layering etc. I can't wait to wear it with my super bright blue scarf!
We were calling referrals & Sis Garbett called a number for "Alison" but instead got "John" --- so the number was old or wrong or something BUT the weird/awesome/crazy/what-are-the-chances news: HE REFERRED!!!! Sis Garbett just talked to him, explained what we do, got to know him & he said he'd love to have the missionaries come & visit him & his wife & his little 3 yr old! I KNOW! WHAT ARE THE CHANCES!?!?!? Totally made our night.
From my message last week, you'll know that we get "trollers" on Chat -- people who just come on to waste our time. We usually talk to them, until we figure it out then we're super nice & ask if they have any legitimate questions - if not feel free to browse the site - have a nice day. But now, we have a new policy. We're actually going to talk to them! And try to teach them about Christ. It seemed kind of pointless at first but if you look beyond the huge headache you get at the end - I think we actually do some good! Instead of giving them the impression that we only teach "the Elect" we show them that the message we have is for everyone - including them! And wouldn't they like to learn more? So it's been an interesting ride already.
Thursday: We went to the Temple this morning!!!!!!!!!! It was really really cool! In the temple display in the SVC you can see the rooms & everything but it's totally different being inside. It was a really neat experience just knowing that the pioneers were the ones who painted the murals, made the super-low doorknobs and crafted all the designs inside. It was pretty historic. Just another confirmation that what we're teaching people is true. It's so true. Living according to the principles we learn in church brings us true happiness. Being able to accomplish the things we do, is amazing! We are so helpful to the world! After we have a hard time on Chat or a particularly rough contact -- Sis Garbett always says, "This church is SO true." We wouldn't have this much opposition if it weren't. And it's just nice to know.
This morning we had muffin tops at the Nauvoo Cafe! Later, in Chat, someone transferred a Spanish conversation to me & I attempted to talk with them. Sis Garbett asked me a question at one point but I told her to hang on - not right now - she called me out on being impatient & I said, "Just not right now - I'm trying to speak Spanish!" So it was kind of funny :) It went well. The lady was wondering how she could get her 6 yr old son to behave when they go to Mass. I told her about how my parents would take us into an empty room, sit us on their lap & we would be quiet until we started to behave. It took a bit of explaining & re-explaining but I finally got the point across! She got off before I could go into anything about the church, but hopefully I made her life a little easier.
Since I only got to go to one session of Conference, those talks are the only ones I know anything about. But from the Sunday Afternoon session, I really liked Elder Lawrence's talk. He talked about "courageous parenting". He said there are no perfect parents & no perfect answers. He told the parents to "Be not afraid" of parenting. He said that parents should always be unified in their decisions. He said "There is wisdom in staying up for your kids." One of my favorite parts was when he talked about how "young people understand more than we think" and that parents should have one-on-one interviews with each of their children. During this time they should talk to their kids & help them set goals to get them where they want to go.
My parents are the perfect example of this. They have always been very involved in my life. I wouldn't have had it any other way.
A contact in the Tabernacle asked how difficult it was for me to come on my mission. My response? Not hard at all. I've been planning on a mission for as long as I can remember & I've been saving for it for as long as I can remember. I was raised to save money for college & mission. So this choice was not a difficult one. I knew that if I wanted to go - I would have that option. And now, with the wonderful support of my parents & grandparents I am here!
I wouldn't give up this chance for anything in the world.
How many girls 21 year old girls get to say that they are a Sister on Temple Square in Salt Lake City Utah??? How many people get the opportunity to be within 100 ft of a pioneer-built Temple for 10 hrs EVERY day?!? Out of 14 million members -- there are 200 of us. And I am so pleased & proud to be one of them.
All my love,
Sis Ainsley Marie
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