Another Great Week

Dear Family,

I LOVED all of your emails this week.  Love love love them.  It has been a pretty interesting week.  A lot of our appointments fell threw and sister Bean was super sick, so it was really different, but it was still an awesome week.  My favorite part by far was getting my package from Eve and the boys. 

We had transfers on Tuesday and all of the companionships in our district had to go except for us.  We knew that I would be staying with Sister Bean because the new training program is a 12 week program.  It is almost guaranteed that next transfer one of us will get transferred. I choose not to think about that.  Anyway, Tuesday night we called out district leader to see who was in our new district, which was awesome because Sister bean knew a couple of the Elders and that was really fun.  True I didn't know them myself, but that didn't really matter.  It was still super cool.  Okay back on topic, Elder Haderly our district leader told us we both had mail and I had a package.  I basically could think of nothing else for the the rest of the night, because I had to wait until the next morning's district meeting to get it.  I was so excited to get a package from Eve, and all of the letters.  It was so much fun.  Honestly it just made my day. 

It was also super cool because a couple weeks before I had requested a copy of my patriarchal blessing. I haven't been able to find it for a couple months now and the thought kept coming back to me to get it.  Then during conference I just kept thinking about my blessing.  So I finally asked President how to get it and requested a copy.  I was so amazed at how much it talked about missionary work and I had never even noticed it.  It talked about how I would bring the saving ordinances to many and through my example many would accept the gospel of Christ and others would be strengthened.  I felt a little silly reading it and wondering how in the world I ever thought I wasn't supposed to go on a mission. 

Today has already been a really fun day.  Last night we got a call from the assistance and they told us we were invited to come to a zone leader council, (usually sisters don't go to those, you know, cause we are not zone leaders) we are kind of excited about it.  Today we had to go to Target for our shopping needs and we just thought, "Well why not look at the clothes."  There were rows and rows of 75% off clearance items and it was a lot of fun looking at the clothes.  I got a sweater and a $5 shirt which was awesome.  It makes me laugh because, it was just something different which is fun every now and then. 

It's been a good week and  we are excited for the next week.  I love hearing from everyone and I'll talk to you later. 

Sister Allred

Ps I've attached some pictures.  There is my first district and the zone leaders in front, then the journal Liz made me and then all of the cool stuff in the package eve sent me

**Note from Deborah: For some reason Tressa put the pictures in a word document and I am still trying to figure out how to get them formated to beable to post on the blog. They are coming!

It's been a crazy week

Dear Family,

 

It has been an awesome week!  We have continued to work and I'm seeing a lot of progress happening in out area.  We have been getting a couple of referrals from members which is exciting and we also had a woman come up to us on Sunday and say that she wanted to get baptized, Her mom is already a member and both want us to start teaching their family.  She has some mental handicaps and so we need to talk to the bishop to proceed further but it is really exciting and shocking. 

 

We have also been working hard with the less actives and a lot express tons of desire to come back to church and start making changes in their life.  Sunday we had a less active walk into the church building, just because she wanted to come and pray.  No one had seen her for a couple years and she was so friendly.  It was a good day on Sunday. 

 

Saturday we went over to the Peck family.  They are getting sealed tomorrow and we just wanted to check up on them. Another interesting thing I learned about in this ward is we have a real author.  Rachel you should check out "Paranormalcy"  by kiersten White.  She was out of town yesterday because she was in Denver doing a book signing. 

 

We also had some specific council from the president this week which was awesome.  We have a less active who wants to come back but has studied the word of wisdom and doesn't think green tea is bad.  She said it was confirmed by her bishop and so we were a little confused.  We sent a text message explaining the situation to president cook and then went to our dinner appointment.  When we got out we had a reply text that said, "The bishop is wrong!"  and then a voicemail saying we have official statements explaining that hot drinks means tea and coffee.  Green tea comes from a tea plant.  It says on the package.  "Sure there may be good things about it but there are bad things about it to!  What is bad about green tea?  Well, the Lord says don't drink it.  so it just comes down to whether or not you sustain the living prophet today!"  We could hear on the message that president cook was laughing and himself and we were laughing to because we just thought, "really?  that is what we are supposed to tell our less active who is planning on going to japan to study the tea ceremony!"  Oh missionary work is awesome.  But really that is what it comes down to .  We may not have a good reason for why we do things but it all come down to faith, and putting our trust in the Lord. 

 

That is really all I can think about this week.  I live you all and am glad to hear you are doing good.  I'll send you another letter today.

 

Love Sister Allred

This was a Great Week

Dear Family,

 

I had a really good week, but once again I'm not exactly sure how it got to be Tuesday again. I'm also really excited about this week because we already have a ton of set appointments that we have been trying to set up for a while!

 

So some of the highlights--  I got a letter from Nicole (Aidan's new nanny) this week which was so exciting!   She said everything was going well and gave me some exciting news about the family.  It was great and absolutely a highlight but it did make me really miss home this week.  It was really interesting because even though I really miss Aidan, i felt comfortable in thinking "I'm not his nanny anymore.  He is going to be fine."

 

I had a Vegan meal this week, which was actually pretty great.  It wasn't until after the meal that I started to wonder about what exactly I had eaten, because we had a stir fry and I know there was no meat, but now I'm wondering what were those chunks of food that I had just assumed were meat when I was eating it.  It was questionable but it was really good.

 

We stopped by a family in our ward to get a referral the mom had mentioned and we were invited to join their family Home Evening.  For our activity we played don't eat the prophet.  The most exciting part was when the 5 year old took his turn and ate so many chocolate chips he started drooling chocolate.  Then he couldn't chew and then he threw up.  It was kind of gross, but absolutely one of the most eventful FHE activities I've gone to in a long time. 

 

We made a meal for the mission president and his wife for interviews and they sent us a thank you card.  It was addressed to Sister Frijoles (sister bean) and sister Todorojo (Me).  We saw President Cook again on Sunday and he commented on our names.  I'm not sure if he made it up, but we could just tell he thought it was the funniest thing in the world!.  I think I have a new nickname.

 

And that takes me to the most exciting thing about this week.  On Saturday we got a call from the YSA bishop who was working with a family that we were infrequently teaching.  He called and said the Dad had watched a video of Thomas S Monson and knew without a doubt he was a prophet.  We went over on Saturday evening and the husband told his wife "When you watch this video, if you don't feel anything I'll get you a psychologist because something is wrong with you!"  Anyway om Sunday there was a YSA event specifically for bringing non members.  Sister Bean and I were really worried because we were really only expecting this family, and they were really late!  We stood outside the building doing what Sister bean calls the missionary wait, and were pretty bummed out because we thought if anyone comes it is only going to be the dad.  Then all of a sudden the entire family family drove up!  At the end of the event we were able to set up 4 baptismal dates!  HOLY COW!  I am super excited.  I know there is still a ton of work left to do to help get the family ready but I'm really excited about this. 

 

I loved hearing from everyone.  I love you,

 

Sister Allred

Conference = Christmas

Dear Family,

I can't believe it is already a P-day.  SO Weird!  This week has gone by so fast and I can't believe I'm starting my 5th week in the Field and I'm almost done with my first transfer.  Sister Bean records her mission by what planner she is on.  She pulled out her bag of planners and said it was the first time she realized she was on the downward slide to the end of her mission.  It doesn't seem like I'll ever have 13 planners, and I am kind of scared that it's going to happen in a flash.

Conference was in a word, AWESOME!  We had to go to the stake center and on Saturday we woke up and we were just so excited.  We got up and tried to figure out what we should do for the rest of the morning until we had to leave, when we got a call from the district leader asking us where we were because conference was starting in 2 minutes.  We freaked out and rushed into the car.  My bad.  When we were trying to figure out when conference was I added an hour instead of subtracted so we were planning on being at the Stake center at 11am instead of 9.  Not my finest moment,  but the stake center was really close so we were only a little late.  During the sessions our zone leaders wanted us to do a tracting blitz on some apartments near the stake center.  Sister Bean and I were a little nervous about it and that was when we realized Sister Bean forgot her name tag, we both forgot our lunch and we had a unconfirmed appointment back in La Costa.  The sisters of La Costa we not on the ball at all, but we absolutely loved conference.

I can't really say which talk was the best because they were al so good and I got a ton of promptings from them, but looking back at my notes I realized that those promptings really didn't have to much to do with the subjects of the talk.  They we're still really personal and awesome.  I got thoughts on how to be a better teacher, a better mom, and a better missionary.  I think I learned a little bit more about why the Lord called me to be a missionary which was something I have been wondering.  I knew I was called for a purpose but now I feel like I know a little bit more of what that purpose is and I am so grateful to be out here.

I did have to laugh during conference because is was basically only the missionaries who came to the stake center.  Through out the week we notice people trying to avoid us, and then as we sat in a big group of elders I noticed there was a huge circle of space around sister Bean and I.  I started to wonder if I smelled or something but Sister Bean just told me it was the sister missionary cooties. Who knew?

I love you and miss you,

Sister Allred

I got my camera charger and a ton of letters this which which really makes the week amazing so thanks!