Week #18 - Happy New Year... almost

Good Morning Mom and Dad!

I honestly have no idea when I will be able to e-mail next p-day because I am being transfered this Wednesday. I have no idea where or who my new companion will be. I just know I am really going to miss Sister Williams she has helped me to grow so much as a missionary and really help me overcome my fear of talking with people. So if Jenny and Allen could send my package to the mission office that would be awesome. 905 Kierre Dr., North Little Rock, AR, 72116-3709....(You might want to double check that zip code)
I love daddy too! I hope everything with work is going well!
And to clear up the confusion I love the name Trixie. I think it is super cute and perfect for a little elf.
I was so glad to be able to talk to ya'll you all look so awesome and I love you all so much! I am sorry the morning had been stressful. But I know that we were having a ton of success that Christmas morning so it was all totally worth it...right?!? 2014 is going to be totally amazing I am so excited for it to come! Only 2 more days to wait!
I am glad the package got there... (there is a picture in the "walk in the park" one can you write the name sister foster and Little Rock on the back of it?) thank you so much.
I bet your talk was awesome!! Wish I was there for it! We had our spanish investigator, Juana, come to church this last Sunday and I had to try and translate for her... what a joke... but the Gospel Essentials class was fabulous I was able to teach the first lesson about how God is our loving heavenly father. We had a couple ward members in the class that bore their testimonies and I was able to translate it was really pretty awesome... and the spirit was super strong. But third hour came and it was impossible to translate for her at the rate and depth that they were talking about so she eventually fell asleep...oops. But the second hour was totally worth it.
I bet the Primary sounded like a choir of angels!
Dad...going shopping??? Oh I can tell that he is just going to love that! You are going to have to send pictures of the new outfits...maybe even a fashion show!
I am a little bit envious that you got to go shopping with Laura! I tried to get you to go shopping with me all the time...maybe that was the problem! lol teehee.
So I need to tell you about Christmas Eve and Christmas. We were able to find a TON of english investigators it was absolutely amazing and we found this one family that was super elect the dad's name is Cory and he has three young children, we didn't get to meet the mom but we were able to pray with him and give a brief synopsis of the Restoration, we have an appointment tomorrow to teach him the full lesson. He had just recently moved and was actually looking for a church to attend. We had actually received him as a referral from 3 different people! It was amazing!
Christmas was awesome we were able to eat with the Clements and the Lands. They are pretty much our adopted family here in Pocahontas. Love them so Super much!
Then two days ago was a total joke of a day. It started out with me burning my hand with my flat iron and then just went downhill from there. No one wanted to talk to us... All of our appointments fell through... by the end of the day I was ready to just punch my pillow..(aggressive, I know!) But the mercy of the Lord is amazing we have had the best week of teaching than we have ever had! We were able to teach 17 lessons, 2 member present lessons, 9 Recent convert/ less active member lessons, and we received 7 new investigators! How awesome is that! I am super sad to be leaving this area but I know there are others that I need to find and teach.
...ummm...that was pretty much our week....
Love ya'll so much!
Have a happy new year!
Hermana Ives

Week #17 - Skype info

Hey family!

Thanks for the Skype account info...I'm not sure what time we are Skyping probably around 5-7pm (the time zone here)...I may end up just calling instead of Skyping....(would you be super disappointed if that happened?) And  yes we have a time limit it has to be 45 minutes. Plenty of time to get all caught up with each other! =D

Teehee I love packages I am opening one each day til Christmas eve to open yours! I like packages!
I don't really get the Elf on the Shelf thing....what is the point? And personally I like the name Trixie.

Wow, driving all the way to Yakima! That sounds like fun. Is Mamie having a girl or a boy? Do they have a name picked out yet?

Wow you really went to town with those Christmas seeds that is really cool!

This week was crazy I got the flu and pretty much slept for 2 days straight...Sister Williams was about to go stir crazy because she had to study all day long, both days. And then after that we had zone conference! We got mission T-shirts and we were able to watch Ephriam's Rescue! Wow what a good movie! "You know the problem with multiple wives? Multiple mother-in-laws!"  Super excited to watch it again when I get home!

I have really been missing Costco sushi...so if it isn't on the list of things to do first thing when I get back...it should be! lol

Who knew that scarves are such a popular gift to give sister missionaries?!? I love it! I have received 4 so far! Que bueno! I wear them all the time so I am most definitely not complaining! =D

We were spiritual harvesting on Friday and we knocked on this one door and the lady who opened the door had a big smile on her face and invited us in. She kept saying how much she enjoyed talking to me and how special my smile was and how many conversations we have had...(I have never met this lady before in my life) But she was determined that she knew me, it was very interesting and we were able to leave her with a book of Mormon.

Ummmm....what else... we had to help in Primary yesterday....I very strongly dislike being given a class of 6 children under the age of 8 with and hour and 10 minutes to fill and no time to look at the lesson manual. Ridonculous!

yup yup... that pretty much sums up this week.
Oh we had a flash flood this week too! That was pretty cool actually - I love the rain.
Love,
Hermana Ives

Week #16 - This week has been...interesting???

Hey Parents!!!
This week has been a very....intense, weird, funny, depressing, mixture of stuff...
(wow, is that a hook or what?!?)
Here is a little summary of Zone Meeting:
~ 2 John 1:9-10 - get to the POINT, the doctrine is why you are talking to people not the fact that they have pink flamingoes in their front yard aka lawnd.
~ men can deny your words but they cannot deny the word of God.
~ Eye contact is a must
(district, zone and specialized training meetings are so amazing but they always make me feel very imperfect and an awful missionary...)
Anywho zone meeting was all the way down in Searcy Arkansas...so that was a 2 hour drive that totally killed our miles for the week) But on our way back into Pocahontas we felt impressed to stop in Walnut Ridge. We looked at the branch list and decided to go see this specific less active member. (the member wasn't home so we decided to knock on at least 3 doors in this neighborhood) anyways we felt very prompted to knock this one door. she opened the door and instantly said come in (she didn't even know who we were!) Crazy, she kept talking about how she just had no idea which church was correct and how to teach her son to be respectful and trust in God (it was crazy how ready this lady was - Felicia) Anywho we set up a return appointment and that was a super awesome day. (The elders played a prank on us today and left the scripture verse 3 Nephi 3:7 ...we haven't quite decided how to get them back yet...so if you have any ideas we would love to hear them.)
Okay so what are the odds of meeting someone in Pocahontas Arkansas who happened to live in France the same time Mitt Romney was in France on his mission and just happened to track into her?!? I know right CRAAAAAAAZZZYY! (but she wasn't really interested in talking to us... but that was a pretty crazy happenstance.)
So I had to give a Sunday talk this last Sunday.... (having time to write a talk especially without a computer is a complete joke!) But I did it with little note cards it was about Faith, and essentially went we can never have enough faith...Amen.
So you would never think it of me but the Primary children in this branch LOVE me!!! =) yup I am a pretty cool sister missionary to know. (I am even getting over my fear of children- even more, so that is pretty awesome)
We are teaching a 10 year old (Heather) who is going to get baptized this month. And we are teaching an 8 year old (Ashley) Who really wants to be baptized but her mom doesn't seem to be to interested in talking to us ( but Ashley's upstairs neighbor is a member and one of her best friends lives there, so she wants to come to church with her friend Kaylea)
We are finally kind of getting a teaching pool! Yeah! And we have finally found 2 Spanish investigators! AAAAAHHHHHHH! Super duper excited we had a lesson with Juanna from Guatemala yesterday with Sister Whitlock which was pretty awesome. She wants to come to church (and I am super excited but at the same time super scared because there is NO ONE in her age group 16 and even fewer people who could actually talk to her in Spanish....) So I have no idea what to do.
On Saturday we had a branch Christmas party... there was a choir and program... (we were in the choir...) When the pianist is the oldest person in the branch and the choir director isn't much younger things really drag and are off tune....I have to say that it was all I could do to not laugh my head off as I was watching everyone yawn and nod off. Then to make it worse having people come up to you afterwards and say "we could really hear you two" that is not a complement in a choir... it was just so bad... but it was fun to talk with everyone.
Sunday I gave my talk.... I'm not sure how well it was received but at least it is done. We had to help out in Primary with music because they didn't have a pianist... (Branches made up of entirely retired people are interesting) anywho Sister Williams and I kind of took over Primary singing time... which was pretty fun.
Sunday evening I was able to get a blessing from the elders.... it was actually pretty comical because it talked about my companion as well... and how we are going through the same struggles and we need to talk to each other more (Sister Williams wasn't to pleased that she was being rebuked along with me in MY blessing) We laughed about it the entire way home though.
And that in a pretty small nutshell was my week!
que bueno,
Hermana Ives

Week #15 - Keeping Warm

Dear Mom and Dad!

Warm enough....I am warm...Black knee high socks would be a good thing.. I haven't gotten boots yet because there isn't a JCPenny's in Pocahontas.

Good job on working on family history and missionary work! I am still working on talking to people at every opportunity as well.

I would love some charcoal, and I am taking superfood every morning so I am going to need some more superfood pretty soon.

I am glad that you have all the Christmas decorations up now! And so many goodies! How awesome is that! Sister William's mom sent us a Christmas countdown! Super cool! Sister Williams is allergic to chocolate so the candy countdown is all of her favorite candies!

How many missionaries to we have in the ward? Do we just have sisters or do we have a set of both?

I miss going to the temple and I am so glad that you are taking advantage of the great blessing that we have to have a Spokane temple right by home!

How you have jellies??? You are going to have to send me pictures! I bet they are totally adorable!
How long will Ling be in Taiwan? Is she feeling better now that chemo is overwith?

You were at church to make up for our lack of church here. Church was cancelled because of the snow/ice storm we got here last Wednesday and the roads are so bad. (Don't worry we were told to stay indoors all day because of all the snow and ice.)

I am glad that everyone is getting my letters! I have made it a goal of mine for my entire mission to write back every letter/card that I get.

Christmas Wishlist....CDs, Socks, I don't really NEED anything, leggings would be useful. maybe a new watch....

I would love to write Mary Simpson. What specifically would you like me to write about? Would you like me to send me the letter to you or directly to Mary Simpson?

Caroling is going to be awesome! I want to go caroling! I think it would be an awesome finding tool!

Have you ever heard of snow ice cream? I had it for the first time yesterday! It was absolutely delicious!
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 cup milk/ almond milk
-5-6c cups of snow

Stir vanilla, sugar, and milk together for 3 minutes
Then stir in the snow thoroughly
And then enjoy!!! Yummmmm!

Anywho...it has been a good week!
I love you!
Hermana Ives

Week #14

Dear Família!

 

Wow that sounds like a super fun FHE! Did dad plan this one or you? =D

 

The power of fasting is so amazing! I have been learning so much on my mission and how to use fasting has really been one of the top things to learn! I absolutely love fasting now and it has made such a difference in missionary work!
 

Facebook is such an awesome tool! And our mission is going to be getting iPads starting in May! To further the work both here and with our friends at home! I am so excited it is going to help the work so much! Plus our scriptures, preach my gospel, area book, and planners are going to be on the iPad!!! Talk about convenience!

 

Thanks for giving it to Spencer! The letter he sent me didn't have a return address!

Keep sending me stamps and you will continue to receive letters! Great exchange! teehee

Okay yeah I am not sure if I am going to send them before Christmas or not...I was hoping to send the one that I am writing in right now as well, but I also wanted them to be somewhat of a Christmas "present"... no sé...

 

lol! Elder Ives! Oh my goodness! lol, no kidding about brutal rejection! I had my first bible bash a couple days ago... (apparently) This little old lady opened the door and I started to introduce us and she interrupted me and said, "I know what you believe and you can't change me." Then she continued to question me about what it meant to be a Christian, what Jesus did for us on the cross, and so forth when I answered her questions she seemed to be satisfied and then said, "Well, you believe that you will be eternally pregnant in heaven." (ummm....I have never heard that before...) and she continued on about polygamy... anyway it was mild and we answered her questions and corrected some false beliefs...the conversation ended with "Well, you have such a beautiful smile, and you do too dear, I really do wish you didn't believe in that Mormon religion..."  (Can I just say it is super weird having someone tell you that it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe in God and then tell you that they wished you didn't believe the way that you do...

Way to go mom with the missionary work!!! Super impressed and happy for you!

 

Coolest realization this week...well there were many, one of the coolest realizations this week 3 Nephi 21:9-10 and the statement: missionaries= members with name tags... we really are no different than any other member except that all we do is missionary work for a certain amount of time.

 

Thanksgiving dinner of favorites: there was a turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, chicken chili, chicken Caesar salad, funeral potatoes, gravy, stuffing, just a bunch of stuff it was crazy

 

Wow!! You wrote that candy cane poem?!?! That was fabulous mom! great job!
 

I am serving in the Pocahontas Branch! Pretty tight little branch mostly grandparent aged members. and it is fun hearing all about grandchildren and especially great grand children lol.

 

Thank you so much for your package and I hope you have a wonderful FHE!

 

Can you believe I have been on my mission for this long and have NEVER had a correlation meeting? Super ridiculous! I really hope that the one we are supposed to have on Wednesday doesn't fall through!

 

I love you so much! I will write more of the stories of this week in a letter because I really need to go shopping. Especially to get myself some more tights! Can never have enough tights! lol

 

Love you all!

 

Have a wonderful time getting ready for Christmas! Are the Christmas decorations up yet? ....are they going to be put up???

 

Have a great week!

 

Love 

 

Hermana Ives

Week #11 - This Week's Adventures

Ok, where to begin! It is super weird being transferred in the middle of a transfer! My new companion Hermana Smith is a super hero and my Spanish is getting better because I HAVE to speak in lessons more than just give my testimony at the end. 

Our baptismal goal for this month is 4 and we have already set 2 dates and I think we already know who is going to be next! It is super exciting bearing testimony about the gospel and hearing about the beliefs of others. It is really weird how some people don't know even who the old prophets are such as Noah, Abraham, Moses! They don't know the stories associated with them... how crazy is that, it blows my mind.

We are teaching a couple of Less Active members who have baptism age kids... One family is the mother, an 11 year old daughter - Esperanza (Hope), and a 7 year old daughter Ruby (having her birthday Nov 16 and baptism on the 17th.  Anyway while we were teaching them last week Esperanza said that she wanted to be a missionary and when we asked why she said, "So I can think about God all day on Sunday!" It was so adorable! And when we asked Ruby what her favorite part of Church was she said the Sacrament (that completely blew my mind...I know when I was 7 sacrament meeting was not my favorite part...) she said that she really liked the symbolism of the sacrament! The are such an awesome family!

Favorite quote of all church boards everywhere... and trust me Arkansas has a LOT of church reader boards... "Living without God is like trying to dribble a football." tee hee, isn't that awesome?!?

I absolutely love the Book of Mormon. everything hinges on the Book of Mormon you either believe that it is the word of God or you don't. You either gain that testimony and then know that Joseph Smith was a prophet that received revelation from God to restore is church or you don't. There is no other way to gain a testimony of the Gospel without the Book of Mormon. It is impossible you just can't do it. I have been making a list of all the things I want to study....I just don't have enough time! lol but I guess I will know what I will be studying for at least 15 years after my mission so that is all good.

We found a couple of Chinese people to talk to and we are hoping to be able to do that this week! I am super excited... I have decided that I am going to be at least tri-lingual...I am going to be fluent in English, Spanish, and Chinese... It is going to happen! lol (I am such a big dreamer!)

I got a letter from one of my Primary Children!!! It absolutely made my day...which was great because that particular day had been good...but it was also just plain rough. 

I was in Walmart today and right as you walk in they have a countdown until Christmas board...do you realize that there are only 43 days until Christmas? How crazy is that? I could hardly believe it!

Ummm....yeah, so this week I got a hug...not from a female....that was super akward-o.... I'm not quite sure what you are supposed to do in those situations... It was after we taught our lesson and he said he would be baptized December 1st we shook his hand and he pulled us into a big hug...oops

Anywho...All of my companions have been awesome and I am so glad I had the opportunity to work with each of them!

The elders in our branch (there are 4 sets of missionaries...) had a baptism last Sunday! I played the piano...did you know that the timing is different between the Spanish and English Hymns of I believe in Christ? Yeah...I didn't either until everyone started singing...it kind of sounded bad...but whatcha going to do when no one will make eye-contact with you to trade hymnbooks because they are all so focused on singing the right words...eeeeesh...

This is a random thought but I wish missionary lessons happened around a dining room table. It would be so nice to sit in a close circle with good lighting, and a table to put pictures and cut outs on... (has any one else had this thought/desire?)

The hills in Arkansas are 10 worse than the hills in Mississippi! Like you can be peddling your legs off and still have only gone 2 feet...they are so steep that I make it barely half way up and then HAVE to get off and walk. But every time it makes me remember dad so it is all good :D thanks for teaching me to appreciate the ability to get up hills and now I have the knowledge that it could always be worse. I think one long gradual hill is a hundred times better than 6 super steep hills with Stop signs in the valleys...yup you pick up so much speed and then you have to lose it all and start going up hill with little to no momentum...it kind of bites... but we are on car week so I haven't had to worry about it in a while. 

Ummm....I'm not sure what else to talk about..the weather is a lot warmer than where you are all :) teehee... not to rub it in or anything. 

Love you bunches!

Hermana Ives

Week #10 - Thankful November

OK so CRAZINESS!!! Ummm...so out of the blue President Petersen called me during studies and told me to pack....

Yup, I'm coming home...lol just kidding! I was actually transferred to Little Rock to open up a new area with Hermana Smith. (Hermana Smith is also a visa waiter for Argentina) Super awesome. Love her to pieces. Yeah I am actually in the same branch as Hermana Howton now!

Yeah, so I packed and I spent a couple of days in Midtown Tennessee with the English speaking Training Sisters and then drove over to Little Rock. 

Sooo....ummm, we have a new apartment.... and I bought a GPS today because trying to figure out where everything was with a map was super dificil. So my shiny new GPS is awesome....and we actually have a car this week so I am praying we will be more successful than we have been the last 3 days we have been here. We are hoping for 4 baptisms this month...so if you could keep Hermana Smith and I in your prayers and for the ability to meet that goal that would be awesome. I am so thankful for your prayers they have truly helped!

This Sunday we got a ride to church with the Franklins to church and they fed us dinner afterwards. It was baked potatoes and salmon! It felt like home it was Delicious reminded me of Sunday dinners with you and dad. 

Super excited to do the Lord's work in this area! 

I am sorry you haven't been feeling well. I will keep you in my prayers...like always...

I am so sorry to hear about Auntie Bob... give everyone my well wishes, I hope grandma Caye is doing well with all of this. Tell her I miss her...and that I am expecting a letter from her!

How are Stan and Ling doing? 

Thanks for all the addresses...Ummm, could I get the Given's address as well? Thanks!

I don't know what to tell you about...this week has been super weird because I had 1 1/2 days in Horn Lake Mississippi, 2 1/2 days in Midtown Tennesse, and 3 days in Little Rock Arkansas. 

Arkansas hills are SUPER difficult! they are SO STEEEEEEEEEP! like you really only can make it half way up and then you HAVE to walk the rest because there is NO WAY to make it up!

Love,

Hermana Ives

Week #9

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MY PACKAGE!!!  We can't open mail until after our planning meeting at 9:30pm....it was the longest planning session EVER! lol thank you so much! I love the hot chocolate and my tea! and that USB is TINY but I brought a lanyard with me so no worries about that. I will start writing snail mail...I just need to get envelopes. but thanks for the stamps... actually I was hoping to get some addresses from you like (Tyler and Laura's, Gma Judy, The Wrights (Cori), and Ashely Schaffer's if you can get it) I am thinking I'll probably just send Grandma Caye's letters in with yours if that is alright.

Hermana Stevens and I performed a Spanish Hymn #88 in the Spanish Hymnal we actually don't have it in English. It was this last Sunday (she sang and I played the piano. It was really fun and beautiful) We actually had 4 investigators at church!!!!! It was so cool to have so many people come, one of our less actives came as well! Super exciting.
Sister Richardson did in fact give me a hug! and we give each other one every time we see each other. So all is good and well.
There have been a couple of funny stories this week so I shall commence!
1) Wanna be my girlfriend???
    We were out in the Nesbit trailers contacting our investigators and there was an older black guy standing outside his trailer leaning against his car, drinking a beer.... anyway as we were walking past he called out, "Which one of you wants to be my giiiiiirrrllllfriiieeend???" We responded that we couldn't because we were missionaries... "Which one of you is the oldest?" Hermana Stevens is... "Yeah, yeah I believe in Jesus! Jesus saved me and I can do whatever I want because I am SAVED!" We talked a little about the restoration... "If you all don't want to be my Giiirrlllfriiieeend just come straight out ant tell me." Sorry, we can't... "Yeah, I be lookin' for a lady friend maybe gettin' married, when you all gonna be off your missions?" In a year and a little bit... "Well keep in touch so that I can be your boyfriiieeend!" (it was kind of akward but it was super funny!)
2) Little yellow peppers won't be THAT hot...right???
   We helped one of our investigators pick the ripe peppers off of his pepper plants. After we had finished he gave us a handful to take home. Hermanas Stevens and Soelberg really wanted to try these tiny little yellow/orange peppers... so they both popped one in their mouths... just a few seconds later their faces are red, they are sweating, crying, and gobbling down a pb&j sandwich, granola bars, and fruit snacks to try and take away the heat...(I just laughed...but my companions are a little crazy. pray for me   We think they may have been habeneros... we aren't really sure.
3) Biking in the dark....
    I can't decide if I should tell you this one... but we came up with a really cool/close analogy to Lehi's dream about the tree of life... with the mists of darkness and how the white fog line is like the iron rod...
We get to teach English class every Thursday! It is a blast I love it! and I got to try a chewy lollipop that is mango flavored dipped in chile...I didn't really like it...but I tried it. And I think my tolerance for heat is a lot higher than it used to be which is awesome. Oh something delicious is tostadas with creme and salt! Sometimes you can put a little lime on it... DELICIOUS!
I am super happy that the Primary program went well! Wish I could have been there to hear it! And you HAVE to take a picture of your red, black and white blouse with the buckle!!! I want to see it super bad! I bet it looks gorgeous!
Uno??? You played Uno!!!! Without me?!?! fine.... lol
I love the theme for your coloring pages! I bet they look great too!
Bold and direct...well you know... in Spanish.... yeah, i still need to work on opening my mouth and having Spanish come out...
Tell hello to everyone for me, especially the Paynes! Who is Brother Priest, do I know him?
Oh, I was wondering how Cody Chapman's mission and everything is going! Is he on his mission or is he still waiting for insurance and everything?

We are teaching a LOT of people we just need to get them coming to church and baptized! There is Rosa Chacon, Soledad and Ramon, Flor, Jose and Magnilena, Castulo and Teresa and Alfredo, Adrianna, Hermana Domingez, Guatalupe, Senorina, Erika, Christina, Omar, Cecilia, Lela, Imelda and Mira, Maricela... Sooooooo, many people.
I'm not sure when I get to go to the temple but it is super cute! It is like half the size of our temple in Spokane! It is tinie tiny.

Also, If you have any ideas about FHE activities, object lessons, and ideas, I would love to have them!

Week #8

Hola mi familia!

Mailing address:

4744 W.E. Ross Parkway

Apt. 34-205

Southhaven, MS 38671

Yeah, I am on my new bike! It is so pretty! We didn't purchase fenders because the Bike City person said they weren't necessary. Umm.. yeah it fits really well and I like my basket...it is weird having all that weight on my handle bars though...

Harvest prayer is just were you knock doors explain that you are representatives of Jesus Christ in their neighborhood and ask to leave a blessing on their family and home (then you ask about specific things they want to have you pray about). Then you pray in virtue in your calling (Elders can leave an actual priesthood blessing... but being sisters we can only do it in the "virtue of our calling"...) Anyways after the prayer you explain a little bit about the Restoration, if they are interested you set up a return appointment...if not you ask for referrals.

The members that feed us are pretty well off (no worries) and they fill your plate for you...so there isn't really a choice in portion size...especially because all I know how to say is it was delicious...thank you. in Spanish.... Actually a couple days ago we had a really yummy lunch, tomatatoes? somotatoes? Anyway it was a layered tortilla thing soaked in salsa really good but there was a rather sunny sunny side up egg...

Yup you should be proud of me I ate a sunny side up egg without throwing up, turning green, or making weird faces... The entire time I was eating it I was thinking about how people get salmonella...don't you get that when you eat raw eggs??? Anywho...you should be proud, I still don't like them but I actually ate a WHOLE one!

  

I know your primary program is going to be AWESOME!!! Especially the Valiant 8 class! I know they are going to be superb! How are they all doing? I haven't received a single letter from them! Triste! But I know they are super busy, I would just like a general update.

OKAY...ummm this week has been really good. We had Specialized training, very inspirational about being bold and very direct. (I am finding it is difficult to be both then I have to use my limited vocabulary.

We have 4 new investigators... and none of them came to church :'( We extended the invitation to them all and they all said they would. It is just really sad.

I love reading the Ensign! I read it every morning while I am eating breakfast. I love the words of our prophet and apostles and I am so grateful for their counsel.

oh, I'm not sure I told you but Sister Richardson (the one you hugged) she is in my area so we actually see them at least once a week! Pretty exciting! I love her so much.

This last Sunday our branch president gave each of the sister missionaries blessings just of comfort and advice for this area. It is such a miracle how our Heavenly Father knows each of our needs and desires sometimes even before we do! I am becoming a huge fan of prayer, fasting, scripture study, and priesthood blessings, even more than I was before!

Out of the 8 weeks I have been gone I have fasted at least 5 times! Fasting is so amazing and it amplifies our faith and prayers to such an amazing extend I love the story in Matthew 17:14-21 and Alma 6:6, 17:3,9 really inspirational verses about the power of fasting.

Sorry I haven't sent more pictures I completely forgot my camera and camera cord...so maybe...sometime,....in the future...

I love you!

Hermana Ives,

Week #7 Southhaven

Hola mis padres!

Como estan?

 

I am actually in the mission field! How crazy is that?!? I am serving in the Southhaven/Horn Lake areas in Mississippi! teehee! How exciting! On transfer day I was in 3 different states! Arkansas, Tennessee, AND Mississippi! I started out on bike week...so only three days with a bike but that was kind of crazy! I actually wished I had goggles on Friday Saturday because it rained...super hard! LOL  It felt pretty disgusting having a stripe of mud up my coat and the bottom half of my dress clinging to my legs because it was soaked! oh well...I just was amazed that anyone would let us in while in that condition!

 

Oh guess what! teehee Elder Ludwig is actually in my district! How funny is that my first transfer and I have already met him. Anywho, just let Gma Judy know!

 

I am actually in a 3-some I am serving with Hermanas Soulberg and Stevens. Hermana Soulberg has been out for 5 months and is a visa waiter for Argentina she should be leaving within 2 weeks. Hermana Stevens has only been out for a transfer! Pretty crazy stuff! In this mission we only have 8 spanish speaking sisters (including Hermana Howton and I) and there are 5 more Spanish sisters coming next transfer... yikes a bee! My trainers are pretty awesome though! And I am starting to learn a lot more Spanish by just sitting through church and lessons.

 

Spiritual Harvest prayers are awesome and I have had the opportunity to say a couple, one in Spanish and one in English. They are really neat because the spirit can be felt so strong.

 

I have to say that the member's Mexican food is AMAZING!!! It is kind of weird how they don't really eat with you they just watch... but the food is delicious my favorite was chicken mole with arroz y frijoles! Yum, yum.  So much better than cafeteria food.

 

I think the Lord is trying to tell me I need to fast more because I had the opportunity to fast before AND after general conference! lol for the 7 weeks I have been out I have already fasted for 4 of those Sundays (one was a special fast with Hermana Howton...) but still it is kind of crazy. I love fasting though so it is okay.

 

Spanish....Espanol... I am kind of frustrated...I just want to be able to understand! I can get my point across but I can't really understand to be able to reply. Oh well, it just takes more practice. There have been several prayers of, "why didn't I go English speaking?" I could be so much more effective right off the bat! But I know I am Spanish speaking for a purpose and I am sure I will use it after my mission as well.

 

Our branch meets in at a church building in Memphis so I actually got to drive by Graceland! (you know I am such a HUGE fan...lol) But it was kind of cool to see the planes!

 

I had the opportunity to share a scripture and spiritual thought with one of our progressing investigators, Solidad. It was really neat because I read Mormon 9:21 and after I finished ready Solidad said, (in Spanish) "Oh I need to get my copy, I have to mark that scripture. I LOVE that" then once she got her copy she re read it and then kept going....(I couldn't remember what these verses said...so my spiritual thought was kind of lost) but it talked about the priesthood and she started explaining to her husband and daughter what she knew about the priesthood and proper authority! It was really pretty cool!

 

Her husband Ramon, kept quizzing me on my Spanish vocab! It was crazy nerve wracking! but it was cool that he was willing to help me!

 

Ummm....Letters....I would love letters from people. I want to know how the Wrights are doing, Marcy, my primary kids, Grandma Judy and Cullimore, Gma Caye....I don't know I would just love to hear how everyone is doing! maybe some pictures?!? lol only if you want to...(I don't really have a printer now....so would you mind printing out that quote in Spanish and sending it?!? I would love that.

 

I love you! I hope all in going well and that you are enjoying your time on family history! Oh, I would love to see some of your drawings! (copies of/pictures of)

 

I love you,

Hermana Ives!

Companions

Arkansas Little Rock Mission Map

Little Rock or Bust

On Tuesday, October 8, 2013 Hermana Michaela Ives traveled from the Mexico City Missionary Training Center to Little Rock Arkansas. With a few minutes in between flights she was able to call her mother and report that everything was going well.

The following photographic evidence of her safe arrival arrived in e-mail a little later:

Here is Sister (Hermana) Ives with President and Sister Petersen in the mission home.

This is the whole set of incoming missionaries. They are an impressive bunch. We are looking forward to great future reports. Preparation day (or e-mail day as Mom calls it) will change from Thursday to Monday. Good thing there was a phone call to break up the dry spell.

Week #5: Last week in the MTC (CCM)

Hola Padres!

Okay so most important detail first...This week they had for one meal a normal GREEN salad and shepherd's pie!!! It was absolutely delicious and I had to get seconds of both! Their salads here usually have fruit, nuts, extreme amounts of strange meats and some white cheese...(fresc....something) anywho, this green salad was made of Romain and spinach and cucumbers! It was SOOOOOOO good!

Alright awesome lesson this week... Don't complain! If it isn't a big enough deal to talk about it directly to the person then it isn't big enough to complain about to others...

I have been spending my personal study time studying humility...D&C101:37-38 and especially D&C 67:10 is a new favorite scripture! It is just really interesting thinking about the process of stripping ourselves of pride, jealousy, and fears.

OK, so I think I have told you a little about our new roommates...did I tell you about their alarms? I can't remember, but it is really quite hilarious. One of their alarms goes off an hour early just so she can hit snooze... and the other one goes off 10 minutes before mine but it is a weird glowing orb that lights up our entire room with strange colors and it makes really cheap ''ambient'' noises...so every morning I am treated to the sounds of an ocean pier...yup it is even complete with seagulls! lol. Anyway, one of them Hermana Young looked really familiar and it wasn't until last night that we realized we lived in the same dorm the same semester and BYU Idaho! How funny is that?!?

Funniest rejection line I have ever heard straight from the mouth of Elder Robbins, ''No, I'm sorry I really need to water my....turtle''  Elder Robbins also has a thing called Sassy Saturday... our district now calls Saturday Sasserday! lol

This week has gone by crazy fast.I can't believe I am actually going to be in Arkansas in 5 days!!! And it isn't going to slow down either because all day tomorrow is a class called in-field orientation, Saturday and Sunday is general conference, Monday is one more day of regular classes and then I am getting on an airplane Tuesday morning!!! AHHHHHHHHHH! I am super excited but also getting a little nervous... I can kind of speak Spanish but I can't really understand it when people speak to me....it is super frustrating. And when sister Howton and I are teaching I'll ask a question to the investigator, the investigator will answer...and then I just stare at my companion....It is really quite depressing, but I know I will get there eventually!

 Oh, and some more exciting news! Hermana Howton and I officially finished cover to cover El Libro de Mormon in a month! 4 weeks! Boo-yeah! There is no way we could have done that without the Lord's help because we really didn't have that much time in our schedules and we really aren't that fast at reading but by the end of the book I was thinking about sitting on the floor with mom reading and how long it took to read one chapter...pshh, that is easy peasy now, and I am so thankful!

We went to the Mexico Temple for the last time in our CCM experience! I understood so much more than I did the first two times and it is such a blessing to be able to see how far I've come!

I am getting pretty good at flipping my r's...I haven't mastered or come even close to the rolled rr but I am determined to get it!

Thank you so much for your answer to my question about what gives you strength! It was such a beautiful testimony and gave me strength! It was funny, I was reading it on the bus on my way to the temple this morning and I had to read and reread each sentence, because of noises, bumps, language...lol and the big red book reference made me burst out laughing! I miss you a lot!

I am so excited for Maryanne and Haley! They are going to love it in the MTC!!! They are going to be absolutely fabulous missionaries! Have they already given their farewell talks?

I am trying to think of anything else exciting that happened this week... I bruised my thumb playing volleyball, then forgot about my bruise and played again and so now I have a bruise on top of a bruise....

One day we taught Hermano Smith's other district at 7pm outside... (i had only gotten 1 mosquito bite up to this point)...I now am the proud owner of 47 bites... yeah, that was not the funnest night of my life.

Oh, I bought a temple recommend holder! It has Spanish on it! And it makes me very happy, I'll try to send a picture of it...next week.

I love you all bunches and bunches! I hope you are enjoying your new phones! Have you been using my Mac? and iPod? And have you been up in my room because I was thinking about it the other day and how I left a bad of dried fruit and m&ms in there...I'm just hoping you found them and put them in a more appropriate spot...like your tummies :) I love you!

Super excited to call you!

With toda mi amor!

Hermana Ives

Oh, mom you know that Spanish note that you left in my bag??? I looked at it the other day and it made me super happy that I understood all of the words and conjugations! It took me a while but I got there!!! Teehee!

Week #4

Hola familia!

Congratulations on stepping into the 21st century! teehee, I hope you are still loving your new phones! Dad, is it a somewhat acceptable replacement for your palm pilot?
Mom, I really want a picture of your frog picture! I am sure it looks AMAZING!!! And I hope your new glasses are working even better now!

To add to your to do list: white collar, america's cup!, now you see me..., and the proposal...(wow all things to watch...) I also want to play volleyball!

Ok, crazy stuff is happening! I found me FIRST WHITE HAIR!!!! No joke! it is NOT blond but white! I actually taped it into my journal and it matches the paper perfectly. So maybe you should make a list of things you want further explanation of and I'll read bits and pieces of my journal when I get back...

This week Hermana Howton and I decided to do a random act of kindness and we heartattacked our old roommates' class room! It was a blast! Then as a district for FHE we heart-attacked Hermana and President Pratt!

I had my first language breakdown this week... It was the end of the day, I hadn't slept well, and I just wasn't getting the language and I started crying! (it was super embarrassing.) Anywho, our elders are super sweet and Elder Larson shared his favorite scripture with me and Elder Johnson asked if there was anything he could do... It was super sweet and really supportive!

Ummm...I realized that this last Sunday was the only Sunday that I would have as a choir director because this Sunday is fast Sunday (and the choir doesn't sing) and next Sunday is general conference so I changed the song and we sung '' I know that my Redeemer Lives'' to the rhapsody hymn arrangement I brought with me... It was super beautiful!
I can't believe I have been gone for a month! It has really just flown by! I am loving practically every minute!

The Spirit is so awesome! This week we had to prepare a lesson and we were thinking about it all day and just didn't know what we needed to talk about with our investigator... as I was studying my scriptures before bed I opened to Mormon 9 (talks about the plan of salvation, Joseph Smith, keeping the commandments) I just had the thought that we needed to read this chapter with our investigator! It was an awesome lesson and it lead into our next lesson of keeping the commandments PERFECTLY!

Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam! Yesterday for one of our practices in teaching we had to pretend we were teaching to sunbeams... and the person being taught got to act like a sunbeam.... (can you see me going kind of crazy with this?!?) Anywho, I was paired up with Elder larson and it was the funnest activity I have done here! I got so into it that other people in our district started laughing at me because I am so good at being a sunbeam! It was a blast! (This is another story you might want further explanation on once I get home...)

Helaman 5:24 - what does your heart take courage in? I think this is a really profound question! And I would like some answers to it, if you feel so inclined! (from both of you...yes, you too dad! : )

Also, something I have learned so strongly while being here is how blessed I am and how grateful we should be everyday. Something that I am starting to do is writing one thing I am grateful for everyday. I hope by the end of my mission to have a huge chart! And I was just thinking you might like to join me in making a gratitude chart! Also, there is a talk on lds.org, i think it is entitled, ''1,000 things to be grateful for''? It is an awesome talk and it is what gave me the inspiration!

I love you all so much! Keep going strong 100% happy and healthy! You are the greatest!

Love,

Hermana Ives
pss your lil' sunshine girl!
　
Grandma Caye!
I promise first day back I will be coming and knocking on your door! Thanks your your e-mail! I love you so much! I miss our Solitaire competitions we are going to have to have a championship when I get back!
I love you so much!
your lil sunshine girl!
　
PSSS - tell Marcy congratulations for me and tell her that I would love to see pictures! (of the apartment that is...but she could send me a picture of her breakfast if she really wanted to! ;)

Week #3

Hey I am so happy that you get to work in the temple! And I am super happy that your couples retreat was fun even though I couldn't be there. ;)

 

Ok, so here is my week (prolly not in order, but whatever!)

 

The Lord knows me SOOOOOO well! Being here in Mexico has made me so so so so SO grateful that I am going to be serving in the US! I have never really been a picky eater....but the food in the cafeteria is VERY difficult to pretend to like sometimes! I even decided to be healthy ad adventurous once and it came back to bite me. I decided to get some white fish...my piece was very NOT cooked! ewwwww! And I have a list of foods I am going to eat as soon as I get in the US. Here it is: Turkey sandwich, chicken Cesar salad, and pasta without any fruit in it! And then for desert I am going to had brownies and ice cream! Boo yeah!

 

Last P-day we had to move casas because one of the bathrooms in our old one was broken and the materials they were going to use to fix it were hazardous so everyone had to move out. Anyways sad story is that we got split up from our old roommates and got new one... I am not nearly as found of them as our old roommates because One of them sets their alarm for 6am instead of 6:30 just so she can hit snooze until 6:30.... the other one has an alarm clock that lights up and makes ''ocean sounds'' and it takes her a good 3 minutes before she will turn over to turn it off! But they are kind of funny so it is okay.

 

For gym we play volley ball and I am seriously getting WAY better plus it is super fun!

 

So apparently the Mexicans have two independence celebrations??? because last Saturday there was a Mexican night and we got to sing the national anthem, watch the presentation of the flag, a short history movie, and a lot of native dances!!! and on Sunday we were able to participate in the gritto...(i am not sure if that is really how you spell that...) anyways we got to shout VIVA! so it was kind of fun but it started at 11pm so everyone was super tired!

 

This last Sunday Hermana Howton and I taught our district meeting about Chapters 10 and 11 in Preach my gospel! It went so well and I realized that I am really not used to asking a question and receiving 5 answers that are actually related to said question! lol it went so well President Christen actually said, ''I know we don't applaud in the church but I just have to!'' needless to say that made me feel pretty great!

 

Hey dad I am not sure if you have been to the Church's Hastening the Work website...but it is totally awesome and inspirational for missionary work in wards... just thinking you might want to use it in an Elder's quorum meeting or something...

 

So, I have seen Elder Clarkson a couple of times. He was rather surprised, as was I about how you have to work really hard to feel the spirit all the time. The MTC is nothing like EFY where the spiritual high is given to you... I think that has something to do with the missionary culture at this MTC since it is so new/young and because we have to prove to the Lord that it is important to us to have His spirit with us.

 

Okay so I just have to say that I have to most awesome teachers and district EVER"!!! So our district had been having a really hard time focusing during study time and actually being on time to class. and so our morning teacher Hermano Smith had a ''talk'' with us. He said that we needed to figure it out and that people of integrity find a way not excuses. and ever since then our district had been on time and actually quiet during study time! Then Hermana Christensen, last night, talked about how she has never had such a special district in her years of teaching at the MTC and that we are all leaders and we need to help not just our companions, not just our district, but we need to set the examples for this MTC and help create a better missionary culture!

 

Also, the other day in class Hermano Smith paid me a huge compliment. He said that I was a superstar in our district because I had had the least amount of Spanish training beforehand but my pronunciation is amazing and that while I am teaching even though my grammar isn't perfect it is easy to understand because I can say it so clearly... anyways that just made me feel really good. and really reading the book of mormon in Spanish has helped my pronunciation and everything SO much!

 

We taught one of our investigators this week and before going into the lesson Hermana Howton asked if we should extend the invitation to be baptized. I told her to do whatever she felt prompted to do. Anyways our whole lesson was on the importance of the Atonement in our lives. She felt like we needed to go into the steps of repentance but we are supposed to keep our lessons between 15 and 20 minutes and we were already pushing it so we ended.  Anyways. our investigators are our teachers and this time we were teaching Hermana Christensen. she called a time out, and asked us how we felt about the lesson. It felt pretty good but i was kind of frustrated because she had asked a question and I understood the question but didn't have the spanish to be able to answer it. She said that is was the BEST lesson she had ever had at the MTC and that we had her in our lesson where we could have asked her to go to the moon and she would have, she said that when you feel the spirit and it is guiding you you HAVE to follow it. Anyways, it felt really good and yet we were both so frustrated because we totally would have done it if we had more time! gahhh!

 

Okay Answers:

TRC - is where we get the opportunity to share a message and talk to local members! It is super fun!

CCM - is the Spanish way to say MTC it is something like...centro de capacitacion missional de mexico

Choir - this week we are singing I'll go where you want me to go

E-mails - yup I can print them - don't worry about sending snail mail to the MTC...I will want some in Arkansas and I am actually going to need you to send me some stuff...like my pink USB, my sanjuan t shirt (and any other T-shirt), my sweatshirt, and a laundry bag, and a flashlight... (actually i can buy everything except the first two things...)

Weather - okay I don't know why but in my mind when i say Mexico I think tropical....yeah it really is pretty chilly and I have been super tempted to break open my winter space bag.. but I only have three more weeks so I am going to tough it out! And it is SUPER RAINY! Who knew?!? and if you did, and I find out you didn't tell me??? oh boy, just be ready! lol ;)

Honestly their tienda selection is really quite sad...

 

I went to the temple again today and it was SUPER AWESOME! I understood so much more!!! And going through the veil was awesome because I could actually pronounce the words and understood what most of them meant! I am super excited to go to a Spanish session with you! I love you

I have never been happier and never realized how many blessing I have had until now! I think limiting ourselves to ONLY 100% happy is difficult now! I love you both so much! You are the best parents in the world!

 

With a heart full of love,

(yes I did just quote Les Mis)

Hermana iva-la-vida!

Week #2

Hola mis padres!

 

Como esta usted? 

I saw Elder Clarkson the other morning! It was super good to see him! And man he has the best missionary hand shake I have received yet!

 

You asked about food... yesterday I ate cactus for the very first time in my life! It was actually okay. I thought that it was a slightly fried pita with cheese and chiles on top... I didn't actually know it was cactus until after I had eaten it all!

 

Last Friday for service the sisters went and helped in the laundry service!  I now know how to fold flat and fitted sheets like a pro because i folded like a bajillion! I have never seen so many sheets in my life!

 

Hermana Howton and I really enjoy playing soccer and volleyball with the elders in our district it is super fun! Elder Larson is super funny during soccer because anytime he comes up to get the ball from either of us he yells at the top of his lungs ''I'm sorry HERMANAS!!!''  And I think I might actually be kind of good at volley ball by the time I leave!

 

Okay I thought it was super funny in your letter this week how you were telling me what to do to not get sick....ummm I got sick LAST week and am totally over it this week! But I had the first feeling of homesickness on Saturday because I had to take a nap during gym because I was feeling so poorly and I thought about your homemade chicken noodle soup and honey lemon tea and just about lost it... but want to know what snapped me out of it?!? the thought of supertonic! lol as soon as I thought of that i was instantly 100% happy again although I can't say i was 100% healthy too! lol anywho I just wanted to say that I missed you and that I am super grateful that you have always been there for me!

 

Oh and having my first priesthood blessing by someone that wasn't you, dad, was ridiculously funny! Elders Johnson and Washburn (my district leaders) I think it might have been Elder Washburn's first time anointing... i practically got an entire vile of oil on my head... and my hair had an oil spot... but the blessing was beautiful, they used the priesthood, I had faith in them and in that and I am completely better now.

 

Okay funny story an Elder in our district, Elder Nanto (yes, he is part Japanese! - I thought josh might think that is cool) told a super crazy story! so  one morning he got up and was getting ready and got out his white shirt and put it on then went and brushed his teeth. after he had finished he went to his bed to get the white shirt he had picked out and it wasn't there so he went to his closet and put on a white shirt and went to class...  It wasn't until gym time when he started to unbutton his shirt that he looked down and so yet ANOTHER white button up shirt! he had been wearing two fully buttoned shirts for 8 hours and hadn't noticed at all! It is super funny to hear him tell the story... and I just realized it sounds kinda dumb on paper... oh well

 

I saw the biggest butterfly of my life the other day at choir practice! It was at least the size of dad's hand and it was all BLACK! it was super cool looking and it was kind of ironic about how chill I was about seeing it and how freaked out everyone else was... that had never happened to me before! anyways I wished I had my camera but it wasn't p-day so I didn't have it with me!

 

I now have a calling in my branch! You will never guess! I am the....wait for it... primary teacher! (lol jk) I am the choir director for our branch! I think that is pretty awesome! We get to sing any hymn or children's hymn we want!

 

Yesterday we had TRC where we got to share a short message and visit with a member from one of the local wards here! It was a really cool experience. At one point Hermana Lopez started to share her testimony about the atonement with us. I couldn't understand what she was saying because she was speaking in SPANISH! But I started tearing up because the spirit was so strong and beautiful!  And I learned how the Spirit is able to testify of truth in any language and at any time!

 

That being said... apparently I can speak Spanish really well...(that is what Hermano Smith - my teacher, and Hermana Howton say....) Like my pronunciation and grammar is really good... I just can't understand what anyone is saying.... and my companion is opposite she can understand practically everything and can speak but not as grammatically correct... but I have no idea if this is true because I can't understand what she is saying in SPANISH! But I know the Lord wouldn't have called me Spanish speaking if I wouldn't be able to do it. So I am just trying to have faith and be patient with myself.

 

I have learned a couple really cool things in my personal study this week that I want to share.  First off is that I was studying about the Atonement and how Jesus was called to be our Savior before the world was... and that got me thinking about my calling to earth. of course I can't remember it and the closest experience I have is receiving my mission call. So I started to imagine me in the spirit world bouncing up and down just waiting to see what I would be called to accomplish who my earthly family would be and how I could bless others. I imagine that I was as ecstatic and joyful to receive my call to earth as I was to receive my call to Arkansas. Because I am the same spirit as I was in the spirit world and as I will be when I leave this earth... anyway I thought that was super cool to think about.

The other major thing I learned is to NEVER judge! There is absolutely no way to tell from the outside of a person what is going on inside or what has happened in their past. We had a district meeting last week and some of the elders in our district shared their experiences that told them they needed to go on a mission. (we have one that is terminally ill - another who actually tried to commit suicide - and another who struggled with several bad habits....) You could never tell by seeing or with these elders that they had ever had such serious problems. So that has made me try to be better at not judging merely on appearances.

 

I am super happy that you are working in the Temple now mom!  You are going to tell me everything you are learning!

Dad! Thank you so much for being my GPS buddy on the plane! I appreciate it! :D That is super sweet! and I am still waiting for your answer about why rain clouds turn gray!

 

I am super sorry about PC! I love Grandma Caye so much! Tell her how much I miss her and love her! I have been praying for her and I miss her bunches and bunches! 

 

I love you SO much! You are the best parents in the entire world and being here has been such a blessing because it has helped me realize how blessed my entire life has been!

 

Stay strong! Pray everyday and make sure to laugh!

My companion and I came up with a saying, ''when you can choose between laughing or crying always choose to laugh because laughing is funner!''

 

I love you with all my hear!

Hermana Ives!

 

P.S. Give Grandma Caye my love. I hope she and Spud will be able to cope. I know PC is a lot happier in heaven now that he can see and run and play!

 

Week #1

Hola mi padres!

Ok first off I want to say sorry for not telling you in my last e-mail that my P-day was on thursday...they didnt tell me until after I had just closed out of my e-mail account. And another thing is that if any of the spelling is weird or capitalization is off it is because Spanish is messing with my mind and I am typing on a spanish keyboard which essentially the same except the shift and caps buttons are smaller and in different places.

Alrighty all the important details!

Me and my companion Hermana Howton taught our first investigator last Thursday! It has been fantastic teaching her but we do have some REALLY funny stories:

WRONG SCRIPTURE: at our first lesson we asked her to read a short list of scriptures about repentance, faith, and baptism. on the list was D&C 3:11-12. at our next lesson she asked about this scripture and we opened it up and read it.. both me an sister howton we completely lost we didnt recognize any of the words so we said what we knew the scriptures we had assigned had been about.... once we got home we looked it up in English and realized that we were supposed to read D&C 33:11-12. We felt so silly because the scripture we had read with her was the scripture about Joseph Smith losing his translating gift for a while...  needless to say we apologized profusly at our next lesson.

PRAYER: at our next lesson sister howton wanted to ask if we could close with prayer... but couldnt remember the word for close (and I had NO clue) so she ended up saying,  can we not open with prayer? teehee our investigator laughed quite a bit at that one.

MY COMPANION: Sister Howton is SO amazing! I couldnt have asked for a better companion in the entire CCM. She is so focused and fun to be with. We can talk to each other so easily and laugh together all the time. She is truly a blessing the Lord! Also she is super athletic so we have been doing a ton of ab workouts and squats and running...I have been so sore but it feels so good! She and I also have set some really awesome goals as a companionship, one of them being to read the entire Libro de Mormon before we leave the MTC! how cool is that! That is about 20 pages a day, and we are totally doing it! And reading has REALLY gotten easier for me... I actually sound kinda cool now! :)

District 4C At Mexico City Temple

SINGING IN DEVOTIONAL: Our branch was asked to sing at Tuesdays devotional so Hermana Howton and I joined in! We sang I need thee every hour in Spanish, and it was absolutely beautiful! Also it was hermana howtons first time singing in a choir and she did an absolutely fabulous job!

MY DISTRICT: is 4C and it is a pretty awesome group of elders. There are 4 companionships of Elders and us (the sisters) one thing though, our classroom is made out of tile and echoes like NONE other... so they start to talk a little bit loud and you cant hear yourself think. Also our district came up with nicknames for everyone and mine is Iva la Vida! I think it has a really nice ring to it dont you?!?

YOUR LITTLE NOTES: Thank you SO much! Hermana Howton quite enjoyed her foot roll up! teehee! You are so sweet mom thank you they make me smile everytime i find one!

FAST SUNDAY: was absolutely terrifying and awesome. everyone in our branch HAD to get up a bear a 45 second long testimony in Spanish...I did it and honestly I think I did really well! Also I had forgoten how much I absolutely love RS, I have really missed it! Oh and we got to break our fast with Mac n cheese...on spagetti noodles...it was really kinda weird

IM SINGING IN THE RAIN: Ummm....did you know it rains here??? like torrential downpours?!? It has seriously rained every afternoon and night I have been here! it is super crazy you can be out side for less than a minute and still be able to wring a cup of water out of the bottom of your skirt! It is crazy and there is always super loud thunder and really bright lightning to go along with it. And all the sidewalks are really just not even so there ends up being lakes in the middle of the sidewalk . One elder yesterday (either sprained or fractured) his ankle trying to jump over one of these puddles in the sidewalk!

MEXICO CITY TEMPLE! it is seriously the prettiest temple I have been in yet! They have a huge mural along the first wall you come to of when Christ comes to the Americas! Anyways we listened to the entire session in Spanish AND everything at the veil in SPANISH too! That was probably the most dificult thing I have done yet! But it was so cool! And the chandelier in the Celestial room! Oh how I wish I could have taken a picture! It was like stars of diferent sizes stacked on top of eachother!

Mexico City Temple

Driving in Mexico reminds me so much of Beijing China! All of the taxis and street vendors!

I absolutely love how bright every building is! and the graffitti looks SUPER cool! I am most definitely coming back after my mission just to sight see!

ADDRESS: just incase you were wondering the address here is :

Hermana Ives, Arkansa Little Rock Mission

Carr. Tenayuca - Chalmita No. 828

Col. Zona Escolar, Deleg. G.A. Madero,

C.P. 07330, Mexico, D.F.; Mexico

And now FOOD: I am actually kind of dissappointed they have cold cereal, pancakes, waffles, and usually some form of eggs or quesadilla for breakfast with an assortment of pan.

For lunch they always have beans and rice, a bunch of fruit, and some main dish of soup(which has always been my favorite) or a helping of various meats...

Dinner always changes but usually again there is meat... however for the last couple of days they have always had a green salad, fruit, cooked vegetables, and pasta.

A lot of people say the food isnt very good. You know I am NOT a picky eater so I think it is pretty good but i was really hoping for more authentic Mexican food :/ oh well.

With all my love!

Hermana Ives (which i now very automatically pronounce the Spanish way!

To the Mexico City Missionary Training Center

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Getting anywhere from Spokane involves getting to the airport early! The flight left Spokane at 5:45 AM. Three airplanes later and a lot of hours she arrived at the Mexico City MTC. 

To the Security Checkpoint in the Spokane (GEG) Airport

Hey mom and dad!

I am in Mexico in the actual MTC! the flight was so cool! I had no idea that Houston Texas actually had trees! it was super green and we actually flew over the Temple there!

The traffic in Mexico city is crazy busy it totally reminded me of China! And all the buildings were actually bright colors. and the graffiti is beautiful!

My flights were really uneventful but I am really glad that I had the Ensign. It kept me really busy.

There was another sister and two elders on my flight from Huston to Mexico! Sister Howton is actually my companion and we are both going to Little Rock Arkansas! How cool is that!

Anyways, I am here safe and sound. I had really great flights and I had window seats for two of them!

I love you both so much thanks for waking up super early to take me to the airport! I miss you but I am super happy! :D

Love you!

Michaela the coolest hermana here!

Last Sunday in Spokane

Sunday August 25, 2013
Much appreciation in our hearts to all those who came to hear Michaela speak.  
Later that evening we had an open house and again were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support.  She has had many great examples and leaders throughout the years.  Thank you, thank you for your dedication and love.

Original Sidewalk Art Created by (Aunt) Jenny Givens

Hermana Ives - Taking Little Rock by Storm (they'll never be the same!)

Getting the Call

On April 4th, 2013, Michaela received her mission call. (She does a very good impression of a ping-pong ball!)

Michaela was called to serve in the Arkansas (Ar-can-saw) Little Rock Mission. SPANISH speaking!
She reports to the MTC in Mexico City on August 28th, 2013.