Holy Cow! Has it been a week already?

Dear Family,

 

I think this may be a quick email.  Sorry about that.  This week was really good.  We had a lot of teaching appointments and small miracles that carried us through our days.  One frustrating thing is that we had so many different appts scheduled with nonmembers to start teaching them.  They all bailed. That was honestly not supre surprising.  But the lessons that we have been having with those we are teaching have been great. With one lesson we were talking about the plan of salvation.  The guy that we are teaching is super hesitant with even his relationship with God and has so many questions.  While we were teaching he had to write down all of his questions so he didn't forget, and we would stop frequently to answer all of them or deffer them to a different lesson.  Anyway we talked a lot about the Holy ghost and what it feels like.  We talked about feeling good and at peace, or feeling enlightened.  At the end of the lesson we asked him how he felt and he said, "Well I understand, and it makes sense.  I feel really enlightened."  There was a moment of silence while we let him listen the the words he said.  He thought for a minute and he said, "Hey!  That's kind of cool!"  we invited him to read the book of Mormon and he said he wasn't ready yet.  but then the next day his family members told us they found him in his room reading the book of Mormon- hyperventilating slightly but still reading.  I think he is so ready, but he just isn't willing to admit that he is ready. 

 

Saturday we decided to go tracking.  It was probably the first time I have gone tracting in forever.  It was actually pretty enjoyable.  We didn't find anyone but we had a lot of really great conversations.  We met one man who was a musician.  As we went up to the house the garage door was open his truck door was wide open, I think the keys were in the ignition and all the lights were on.  we rang the door bell and he came down.  He was the most spacey man I have ever met.  He told us immediately that he was busy and didn't have time to talk.  Then he started asking us questions, and talking about everything to ancient African drums to the cheesy picture on our pass along card.  I honestly didn't know how to handle him, but sister Campbell spent a lot of time with spacey musicians.  They connected.  That is why we need companions. 

 

I feel like we skipped church on Sunday.  We spent almost the entire time to damage control with some less actives and investigators that were struggling.  They just needed to talk and so we listened. That would have been fine except they were not wanting to talk about anything spiritual at all and not super interested in a gospel discussion.  Didn't find out till later that our investigator who came to church was participating in Sunday school and we missed it!  I was so sad about that.  She was so happy and excited.  The only hurdle is she thinks that she has the gift of the holy ghost right now.  We're working on that. 

 

Well I've got to go.  It's a quick email but I seem to have a lot to do in this emailing hour. 

 

I love you all so much. 

 

Sister Allred

And the missioanaries walked and walked and walked...

Dear Family,

 

I am so grateful to be sitting here reading your emails- mostly because I haven't really sat all week.  Or at least that is what it seems like.  It's actually a blessing, and an answer to our prayers.  Since moving to our new apartment which is a little out there I have been super stressed about miles.  Not to mention that this month we have had to drive to vista a bunch!  All the other missionaries car pooled but since we are the furthest out- we drove our own car.  We have an allotment of miles each month but we are going to go over that so badly.  Anyway I have been praying to help us wit our miles and he has.  We have been getting ideas of what we can do to stay in certain areas and take the shortest ways.  But Heavenly Father also blessed us with a lot of time to walk and walk, and walk.  I'm not complaining it was a blessing.   Sisters in the mission are completely spoiled but that is what we did this week.  We walked.  

 

Good things happened this week and I really saw Heavenly Father blessing us.  On Thursday we had dinner scheduled with the sweetest couple in the ward.  They are great but they are a little afraid to do missionary work.  That morning we spent a large part of our comp study practicing how we can help the couple find comfortable and specific ways to invite their friends and family.  We were determined to help them set a plan of action.  When we got to dinner we were stunned to see their neighbor sitting at the table.  They had invited him to dinner and through out the entire dinner the husband kept telling the friend, "You should be Mormon!"  I was shocked.  The friend was really nice and we will be meeting with him this week.  I hope he is receptive.

 

Friday we went to sister's conference and then rushed back the Del Mar because our investigator Maria was getting married!  (That makes the law of chastity lesson a whole lot less awkward)  It was really simple and small but it was beautiful. She looked absolutely gorgeous.  We had it at the church and bishop performed the marriage.  I could tell that the groom was really touched because the ward pulled together and ran the wedding.  The elders quorum set up and took down. A sister donated all of the flowers from her garden, ward members were the videographer and the photographer, and the relief society were servers during the wedding.  I think the family members were a little surprised too.  Every time I came up to clear their plates they looked at me like "holy cow what are you doing?"  Maybe they were still eating and they were actually wondering why I was taking their food from them. 

 

Anyway the wedding was really simple but gorgeous.  And Alex the groom joined us in our lesson with Maria yesterday.   He is really interested in figuring out how to believe in God.  I'm really excited because I honestly think that if Alex makes progress then that will resolve a lot of Maria's concerns. 

 

Saturday and Sunday were incredibly busy days.  We have a new ward mission leader.  He is probably one of the best member missionaries I have ever met, and I'm not entirely sure if I can keep up with him.  Anyway the mission has this goal of teaching 21 total lessons a week; that includes everything from investigator to dinner messages.  I don't know about other missions but it's actually a high goal to reach every week.  We usually can just do it but this week we were so incredibly behind.  (That is why we had a ton of walking time- we had no teaching appointments)  Well at the end of Friday we had I 12 lessons to got with only a few scheduled for the weekend.  When we told our ward mission leader I was a little afraid that he was going to have a heart attack from the panic that struck him.  We promised him that we would be able to get a few more lessons and then he made calls to ward members and long story short Sister Campbell and I taught 12 lessons in 2 days.  It might not look like a lot but it was.  Anyway I'm grateful for our ward mission leader.  It inspires me to not settle for anything less then our goals. 

 

Dad, I loved President Uchtdorf's message this month and I really needed it.  I was walking to the car on Sunday and had a small panic attack when I realized that I was closer to my year mark then my 9 month mark.  Sister Campbell couldn't really empathize, but she kept telling me that I was in the middle.  That calmed me down quite a bit.  Oh and mom, thank you for the Birthday Package.  I loved the skirts and the pictures.  They were just what I needed.  Thanks!

 

Well I got to go.  I love you all so much. 

 

 

Love sister Allred

First Week Of Training

Dear Family,

 

I'm sorry if this week is a little foggy.  I'm really tired in my head.  Not so much from training although that is a part of it- but we moved today.  We are so sad to be leaving the Lessies, but we are excited to move into our new above the garage apartment at the Johnsons.  Above the garage yes- but it is in Rancho Santa Fe and the family lives in a mansion, so this is probably the nicest place I've ever lived.  No joke it is small but it is gorgeous.  and its really great because it has a ton of character and personality.  The Johnsons are also a really great family although I feel like I probably won't see them much because it's summer and they will probably be traveling a ton.  Anyway, as we were looking through the apartment I kept remembering Eldon and Liz's descriptions of their mission apartments.  Didn't someone have mold dripping from the ceiling.  I don't have that.  No.  No, I dont. I actually feel a little bad that this is the first place my greenie is really going to live.  She is very likely going to have unreal expectations of the mission. Luckily she is very down to earth.

 

Oh!  I should talk about my greenie.  Her name is Sister Campbell.  She is from Provo Utah and goes to school at BYU-Idaho.  She is really sweet and very capable.  I'm excited to get to train her because I think that she is going to be a really good missionary.  We have had a long first week, but it had been good.  I felt so bad for sister Campbell the first night because she was just so tired, but our mission pres told us to have them keep going so that is what we did.  The next day was also an adventure.  we met some of the people that we are teaching and She did really well.  (Okay so I had to laugh to myself at this one because I had told sister Campbell that we are in a pretty affluent area.  Part of our area had really big houses.  Well we left dinner on Wednesday and she started talking about how much she enjoyed herself.  she said that even though it was nicer then normal place it still felt really homey.  I didn't have the heart to tell her that we had dinner in the government housing complex that is in our area, and it only got bigger from there.) 

 

Being a trainer is a whole different experience.  Just explaining the basics and things that I forget are basic is different for me.  Also I am realizing all of the bad habits that I have fallen into on my mission.  Honestly before Sister Campbell I thought I was at least a decent missionary.  Shame on me.  I prayed that I would have humility and a week later I was called to be a trainer. God answers prayers.  Well lucky thing is- Sister Campbell doesn't know the difference.

 

We had some really great lessons this week.  We are working with our investigator named maria and she is just so sweet.  I know that eventually she will get baptized.  The only question is when.  She really just needs a spiritual confirmation, but she actually has a surprisingly mature understanding of gospel topics and ideas.  I'm so excited about it.  Sister Campbell invited her to be baptized and I was just so proud of her.  We had talked about it before hand and we had prepped but it is still kind of a scary thing to do at the beginning.  Anyway, Maria said she wasn't ready to get baptized but it was still really good and the spirit was strong there. 

 

So- I have a question.  How much German to I have in my blood?   We have a family from Germany in our ward.  I've had dinner with them twice now and I just really like them.  I think out of every family in Del Mar, or actually my mission, that I don't actively teach , I click with this family the most.  They are really funny and blunt.  I like them.  Anyway I was just wondering. 

 

We got a new ward mission leader this week.  I was devastated in sacrament meeting when I heard brother darton was released, but then they announced brother zachirson was the new ward mission leader.  Then I knew everything would be fine.  I think Brother Zachirson is more excited about missionary work then I am!  He might just wear me out.

 

Well I'm sad to hear that we don't have a new baby in the family yet.  I was hoping.   I'll be praying for  you Liz.  I just wish that I could be there.  You know I do have a greenie.  Maybe sister Campbell doesn't know that you aren't supposed to leave your area, or your mission.  Maybe I will come for the baby! 

 

Anyway I love you all so much.  I loved the emails. 

 

Love Sister Allred tranning