Week #48 - Warning: Crime Scene DO NOT CROSS!

Hola familia!

 

Estoy aqui en Little Rock y tambien estare en Little Rock por 6 semanas mas! YEAH!!! No one is getting transferred. And Sister Stevens still needs to be in full car. So, that intense bike riding regimine (that I know you both -mom AND dad, are planning....yeah probably not going to happen the first week I'm home... we might just need to ease into that ;)

 

Ummm... Hermana Stevens y yo have been getting pretty worn out with Spiritual Harvesting so we decided to try some "other" finding ideas. We have started up un clase del Libro de Mormon! Cada Jueves a las 7:30pm. We held our first class last Thursday (at 6pm) but not as many people as we were hoping were able to come because they have work so we decided to push it back. But I have to say that it was awesome and the spirit was super strong. The Book of Mormon is powerful, the personal experiences of members are touching, and the questions of the investigators fuel the class! We have put a lot of effort into this class so I am hoping and praying that we will be able to get a better turn out this coming week.

 

Thank you mom for the AWESOME package! The Caution tape is awesome! We use it for EVERYTHING. I even decorated the back of my old planner with it! Super great. (That is important information for a little later in the storyline... just keep reading ;) The clothespin chopsticks are adorable and the chocolate disappeared VERY quickly.  We even have the Saturday to Monday package deal in Little Rock! boo-yeah!

 

So, we have been able to find and talk with some SUPER awesome people this week. Just answers to prayers and a testimony to me that Heavenly Father is truly aware of His children. Their specific needs and wants. Olga in specific is super amazing! We had our first lesson with her last Friday and she talked about how when we first knocked on her door she could feel the Spirit of the Lord and really wants to hear more of our message. She told us that she really doesn't like to read too much but that she would read the folleto (pamphlet) and the Intro of the Book of Mormon! We are so excited to teach her and her family!

All of the Spiritual Harvesting is starting to pay off!

 

Okay, sooooo... hypothetically speaking....where would someone potentially go (in terms of celestial glories) if they ran over one of the Lord's creatures (let's just say a raccoon, for the sake of the hypothetical) with the Lord's car??? ...

I'm not admitting anything. Just wondering...

 

Okay actually yes... yes that hypothetical isn't quite so hypothetical. We were driving home and a raccoon ran out in front of the car in front of me. The raccoon was still alive and staggered to the side of the road just to run back into the road right in front of me...It was sooo disgusting (you know how much I hate squishing bugs because of the feeling?? Yeah, I have come to the conclusion that road kill is about 10 times worse.. So, we make it home and I may or may not be crying and struggling through some PTSD we get through planning we kneel down to pray I flip over my planner and my gorgeous warning tape decorations. The irony sent me crying and my companion laughing... It was a very interesting evening.

 

Sister Sims is the mission nurse and we have to txt her for any medical advice or whatever. So we know her pretty well because of Sister Steven's injuries. I had some pretty bad stomach cramps and I asked Sister Sims if she knew something that I should take... and she suggested anti-acid. I thought she was nuts and clarified but she again recommended anti acid. so I took one (did nothing..) It wasn't until a couple days later that Sister Sims txted and asked sister Stevens if her stomach cramps had gone away.... she had recommended the anti acid for Sister Steven because of all the anti-inflammatory medicine that she has been taking... yeah... so I am still not too trusting of medical people..

 

Sister Stevens has a recent convert that went back to Mexico. But he sent us some pumpkin seed cookie things... Pretty good... but COVERED in tiny little ants... It wasn't until we had eaten a couple of bites that we realized quite how MANY there were... (one or two, I can handle that, I lived in China...more than that... I have been in America for 9 years since that... ) It gave me the heebie jeebies...

 

I love you all, I know the gospel is true!

Keep sharing

Keep going

Keep doing!
Love,

Hermana Ives

 

Week #47 - What a Climb!

Hola familia,

So this week has been interesting. Hermana Stevens got the splint on her elbow taken off (nothing broken in the wrist just pain from hanging out of the splint at a funny angle. whew) Now the challenge is just getting it straight. It has been fun to be able to help do hair! I have had very few opportunities to do hair on someone, that had very little other option, in my life! teehee, I have to say I have done some super nice and impressive hairdos that are still compliant with mission rules of being modest. Don't worry I haven't gone apostate yet ;)

Ummm, there was a RS activity of climbing Pinnacle Mountain! We were able to get several less actives to come as well as a few investigators! It was super fun too (don't fall out of your chair dad. yes, you did read that right, I said fun.) It was a 2 mile hike and we had a beautiful lesson about temples and then a testimony meeting... The way down was a little more treacherous... especially if you have 2 broken arms... Hermana Stevens and I were joking that if she broke a leg she wouldn't be sent home because of that but because of stupidity. Our justification in going in the first place was that if a very pregnant RS president could do it she could too... It was just a little sketchy all the way around! But still fun.

We have tried to do a couple more ayunos de Ingles... pero I just get disappointed or frustrated so I have yet to complete a 24 hour fast... But I WILL get there. If it's the last thing I do.

A lot of this week has been devoted to less actives and helping them to come back to church. neat thing is that the extra attention seems to be helping them. So that is super neat.

Oh! Food specialty of the week! We had CHEESE ice cream! yup, de queso! I think it was cream cheese and let me tell you it was delicious! So was the watermelon ice cream... If you come to South Little Rock you have to go and see Tino and get some supper yummy ice cream!

Ummm...so Thursday was a little depressing because we had a day of teaching plan of salvation (not that the plan of salvation is depressing but the reasons for having to teach it.) There are so many people who are going through such difficult times and circumstances.

This week I have really learned that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ knows the intent of your heart and blesses you accordingly. Spiritual harvesting is not one of my favorite things (just another witness that I will probably never knock doors as a job) but as you do things that you know you need to that you don't necessarily want to do you Heavenly Father will bless you with success! We were able to talk with many people and add to our teaching pool. I know that He knows each of us personally and what each one of us is struggling with. I know that we are all precious and he will give us the strength necessary to overcome any trial/test/temptation.

Transfers are next week and I am really hoping that neither Hermana Stevens or I are moved. I want to stay here and I am not ready to fly solo in this area. Since I haven't been able to develop super strong relationships with the members since it is really hard to have more than a basic, "hi, how are you?" conversation.

Oh something cool that Hermana Stevens and I have decided to do is to start a Book of Mormon study group on THURSDAY night not Wednesday (because EVERYONE has a bible study that night) So we made super impressive handouts and have been trying to tell everyone about it. It was super funny that the second person we invited declined because they have a prayer group on Thursday evenings. Hermana Stevens and I were shocked! Who EVER has a church activity on any other evenings besides Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays? Oh well, opposition in all things lol.

Ummm... yeah that has pretty much been our week in a nutshell. Not too shabby!

Love yall bunches more than oats!

Hermana Ives

Week #46 - What a crazy week!

Hola familia,

Okay so first thing first before I forget! HAPPY BIRTHDAY Grandma Cullimore! I hear that you are becoming another year wiser! When I get back you are going to have to shed a little of that wisdom on me! I need all the advice I can get ;) Any who! I hope you have an awesome birthday and you are going to have to have an extra bite of cake and ice cream for me! okay?

So, there have been some complications with Hermana Steven... we found out on Monday that she has a fracture in the radial head of her right elbow... Tuesday we found out that she had fracture in her left wrist... and today we will see if she has a fracture in her left wrist.... so she has been in Splints all week long.. who knew that broken bones were such a great conversation starter though! I certainly had no idea.

We taught RS last Sunday! It was in Spanish and it went relatively well. I am pretty pleased with it. Plus we had an awesome dinner of Posole with the Arroyos. However the members are WAY to used to feeding the elders. The portion sizes are ridiculous!

Ummm... let's see what else. This week has been super crazy just because of trying to heal some bones... so it has been a pretty long week with nothing super exciting happening. I am even more sure now than ever that I will never be a home health nurse.

Ummm, I love you all!

I hope you have an awesome week!

Sorry this one is so short!

Love,

Hermana Ives 

Week #45 - Ahhh... Feel the Heat

Hola! familia!

Alrighty this week has been an interesting adventure...shall we go into detail?

Please keep in mind that this week has been bike week... oh joy.

Monday: We had our second lesson with the coolest family! When we first met them I could imagine them in the temple being sealed together soooooo easily. So that is my goal for this family. (Nancy, Felix, Karen, and Carlos)

We also worked with Ana y Salvador. Ana has studied with the JWs for 5 years and did not appreciated how pushy they were. She also said she had prayed about their doctrine and that it just didn't feel right to her. So we are excited and cautious to start working with them. Oh, we are teaching the RS sisters how to make Chinese food tomorrow so we bought wanton wrappers to cut into jaozo wrappers and we went to a Chinese restaurant to buy 15 chopsticks for 2 bucks! Score! (hermana Stevens and I think it will be hillarious to watch Spanish sisters try and eat with chopsticks. Us and our cruel sense of humor)

Tuesday: We came home and I crashed on the floor. I have only once felt this completely physically exhausted and that was when we helped with the tornado clean up. South Little Rock is gigantic compared to Warren, which has a ten mile diameter! We spend pretty much all of our time biking and when we aren't biking we are spiritual harvesting. We were pretty dissapointed when the RS activity was cancelled. The sister who was going to let us borrow her kitchen had a son that got really sick and there was no one else who had a big enough kitchen... (oh well, more Chinese food for us then!)

Wednesday: I had the best night's sleep I have EVER had on my mission! It was dream like! I woke up like people do on TV commercials, unrealistically awake, happy and full of energy. I wouldn't mind waking up like that everyday. We biked everywhere and tried to see people and no one was home...we ended up teaching 1 recent convert (for the last time because he is going back to Mexico, Rio Verde)

Thursday: Because of some funny scheduling issues we had weekly planning today. for lunch Hermana Stevens and I made jaozi and rice and we feasted! It was delicious! We were so crazing Chinese food that we may have eaten all the jaozi that we made in one sitting... (22 a piece) I have absolutely no self control when it comes to Chinese food. We ended making it out of ground turkey and just winging the recipe but it was pretty darn delicious!

And today my bike decided to have a midlife crisis... My brakes have been getting pretty bad but they decided to stop working altogether, my front tire came loose. Somehow the alignment got SUPER off and my left pedal broke...don't ask me how don't ask me why. I promise I am pretty careful with my bike but everything just decided to freak out today. There were only 4 incidents that were really sketchy, since I had no breaks...

Friday: THE FOURTH OF JULY!!! ...all I can say is it is pretty boring as a missionary. However we did have zone meeting and we were able to meet President and Sister Wakolo as well as their 2 children (Glet, and Jasmine) They have super cool accents too because they are from Fiji.

Hermana Stevens and I decided to celebrate the freedom of our wonderful county in the most patriotic way possible... by having China's national dish of eggs and tomatos! It was SOOO good. The first meal I want when I come home is real Chinese food!

Saturday: This day...was not my favorite day... just being tired... our only plans, spiritual harvesting ALL DAY. Just to say the least I was not the most happy camper. But Hermana Stevens was super supportive and patient. Sometimes my motto for really hard days is, "There is only 3 hours left, I can do ANYTHING for 3 hours.." Finally it was time to bike home. It was a bit dusky and there is constuction on the road that leads to our apartment... in order to get on the sidewalk there is a little 1 inch curb that you have to go over. Hermana Stevens didn't go directly at the curb and so it caught her tire and flipped her off.  Her scrapes and bruises weren't too bad but she couldn't move her elbow... so that was a bit disconcerting. The Otter Creek sisters came and picked us up and dropped us off at our apartment. (Angels from heaven) We called the mission nurse and she told us ice it and then go get xrays in the morning... So that was a really fun night getting up everyso often to get pain meds...

Sunday: We went and Hermana Stevens got xrays. Nothing aappears to be broken or cracked but it still gives her a lot of pain and she can't straighten or move her arm without it hurting. Hermana Stevens wins the award for most fashionable sling though! Who knew how handy scarves would be in this situation.

And that has pretty much been our week...

Love yall bunches

Hermana Ives