Fence hoppin', Joshua Smith believen', Date settin' Missionaries

Hola Mi Amigos!

I just can't seem to get rid of the Spanish vibe even though we haven't talked to Eliseo in a couple of days. He's doing well though, currently on 1 Nephi 20. I asked if he could read Tres Nephi Capital Once...pray for him.

Sister Bowman and I are doing great out here in our little village. We spent some time of the reserve [“the rez”] trying to track down some less-active [folks] and talked to some super sketch people. Also on the rez we hopped a massive fence and walked 15 minutes down a dirt road just to go contact a potential investigator.  The good news: became new investigator.  The bad news: might be a rapist. So there's that. Remember when I first got here and my first BOM handout was to someone similar? Well…let's just say this isn't the only two times I've attracted some dangerous creepers…but what can I say? Even THEY need the gospel.

Also while tracting, we ran into a man who told us that Joshua [Joseph] Smith was a felon and a dirty, rotten man. So...we asked who Joshua Smith was. (Clearly we knew who he was talking about…but you get bored and have to entertain yourself somehow). Anyway...we tried to clear that little misconception up to the best of our 19-yr-old abilities. I thought that was funny though. Poor ‘Joshua’.

We had a great week in terms of key indicators (numbers and stuff)! We set 3 baptismal dates…which is super duper great for this first-world, teensy-tiny town. People tend to think that because we are in Canada that we have a "cushy" mission. Well yeah…we do in terms of housing, food, hygiene, etc. But not in terms of finding people who are willing to hear our message. Because we are in a first-world country we have to deal with people who text during our lessons, have access to ‘anti-’ [LDS] material, and are just generally "too darn busy" to even give us the time of day. ALL missions are hard.  The difficulties just depend on where you are. 

ANYWAY...our three “dates” are Noreen, Holly, and Wei. All three “dates” have generally the same concerns: Church and Smoking. Noreen has been taught for a while now and she is very ill. She suffers from a kidney disease as well as something with her heart and then a million other things…so coming to church will be VERY difficult. Hopefully we can work something out so that she'll be able to get the sacrament at home or something. She has been to church once though. Oh! Her grandson Rori is now reading the Book of Mormon and he will become an official investigator in no time! Another “date” is Wei. He is Chinese and has been raised with no belief in God or even a higher power. He was willing to set a [baptism] date, but it's going to be slow helping him understand prayer and such. He also has an 8-year-old daughter named Ying-Ying and hopefully we'll be able to baptize her too! The other “date” is a woman named Holly! She is half native and looking for something more in her life. She has two daughters who are 6 and 3. She really wants them to know more about God…so that's the main reason she is meeting with us. She is in the process of quitting smoking. Pray that all of these will go through on April 26th!

Jim is doing well! He has received the priesthood, participated in baptisms for the dead, and is now taking a temple prep course all within a month of being baptized! I am so happy that I was able to be here when Jim finally decided to "get dunked" (as he would say). I know that we will be friends for life and I can't wait for the day that he can finally go to the temple for his endowments! He continues to ask if I will do the baptism for his mother…but he doesn't quite understand that I have to wait until after my mission. Oh well. That is still a huge compliment! What a gem!

Updates on me?

•  Uhh...I have strep throat.
• Hit 5 months.
• Got testimony blocked by 2 members and then ran out of time. Bummer.
• Dyed Sister Bowman’s hair brown yesterday. Thinking of going to hair school instead of going into politics…the world is going downhill anyway, right?
• Officially gluten free (can't say I love it, but will have to adapt).
• No longer fit into any of my clothes. Sorry mom but I've started buying new ones! #7incheslost
• Learned how to make yams.
• Crossed the US border for a solid 3.7 seconds.

It's been an uphill battle all week, but just as the ever poetic and clearly wonderful example to children everywhere Miley Cyrus said "It's the climb!"  1 Nephi 17:7

xoxo, A

On the rez.  Isn't it gorgeous?

Wild horses on the rez.

Osoyoos Lake at dusk.  Magical.

US Border.

Dying Sis Bowman's hair.

Missin' my Sis Larrrrrrsen!

Just Keep Swimming

Hola!

My Español is coming along quite nicely. I've been reading the Spanish pamphlets during personal studies and I think I'm catching on. Sister Larsen wants to kill me because I repeat things in Spanish every 5 seconds and generally make up my own words. But WHO CARES because it's the spirit that will speak to Eliseo, not me!

Anyway…Sadly nothing has really happened this week. I don't have much to entertain you with except that a man named Jep now lives in our apartment with us. Mind you Jep is nice and quite friendly. Jep began one night as I was in the shower and yelled to Sister Larsen "why don't you leave the night light on anymore?" She yelled back "I don't know, I just forGET." Well...I thought she said "I don't know, I just leave it for JEP." I thought for a moment, then asked..."uhhh who is Jep and why does he need a night light?" That is how Jep began. Whenever something goes wrong we blame it on Jep. The people who live above us now know about him and leave us notes that are from Jep. He frequently attends church (although rarely seen) and usually likes to lurk around. I envision him being similar to Boo Radley. I know what you are thinking, and no I haven't gone insane yet. Just smile and appreciate our creativity.

This week I was blessed (yes literally, the guy put his hands on my shoulders) by a Seventh -Day Adventist as we were knocking doors. We were chased off a house on the reserve by some angry lady who is very likely a crackhead. As she screamed at us and told us to never come back I gave her a quick salute and thought "God bless you too." We've done lots of yard work and both came to the conclusion that we will be having teeny gardens (you're welcome, future husband).

Now for the incredibly heart wrenching news. Sister Larsen and I are breaking up. She is being transferred to Mapleridge and will be companions with Sister Stewart (side note: Sis Stewart is black and I am jealous of Sis L.). There are three black people here in Osoyoos. I will be staying in Osoyoos and be companions with Sister Bowman. She is currently serving on the [editor: not sure which, but we think Vancouver ] Island and I'm excited to give her a tour of the now-sunny Okanagan. Not gonna lie...I cried for hours last night after we got the transfer call. It's hard leaving your trainer. But I know that I need to spread my wings and fly. It finally hit me that I'm actually on a mission and that whether I like it or not...life is going to be changing. I bought a bracelet last week what says "Just Keep Swimming." (shout out to Jason, Evan, and Hot Carl) That's what I gotta do. Only 13-1/2 more months left to serve the Lord to the best of my ability.  Keep on keepin’ on.

These last few months have been amazing. I owe Sister Larsen everything! Tribute to SIS L – Holla Holla Dolla Bill Yo.

Update: Jim is doing great. Got the priesthood this past Sunday and is going on the branch temple trip this coming Saturday. He will be caring for our love fern (zucchini plant) while we are in the lower mainland.

“Peace and blessins” (can you name the youtube video? – gold star for you!)

xoxo A

PS: new mission motto "YOMO"…you-only-mission-once

Doing a little yard work.

A view of our down.

Read carefully.

A note from Jep.

I'm going to miss this girl.

YOMO.

The Island of Misfit Toys

Hey :)

This past week has been rough, but completely worth it! Sister Larsen and I have been working our butts off to make sure we talk to every single person we see. We tracted in rain, mud, and on the “first nations” reservation (sketchy). Heavenly Father put us through the ringer. He tried my patience and faith over and over again. We were yelled at, insulted, and rejected…but that is nothing compared to what the Savior went through. When people reject us…they are rejecting Him. Those sad moments when people choose to ignore this beautiful message just make the little miracles that much sweeter.

One incredible miracle that happened this week was finding Rob and his wife. The prophet has promised us that if we have 20 quality gospel conversations (QGCs) a day the Lord will bless us. So Sister Larsen and I were driving up in the boonies trying to find this potential investigator's house. We hadn't completed our goal of 20 QGC's yet so we started going through our contacts trying to find a non-member that we could talk to. I look through everyone and no one felt right. So Sister L told me to just type in a random 250 number. I closed my eyes and let the spirit direct my finger. The phone started ringing and a women picked up on the other end. I started tell her who we were and asked if there was anything we could do for her, service-wise. She said no and handed the phone to her husband. He asked how we had gotten this number…so I told him. I went on to tell him a little about the church and how we love to help people with anything that they need. He told me they had just moved from Port Hardy to Courtney (nowhere near Osoyoos). I asked if we could walk his dog (everyone has a dog in BC). Then it was silent for a couple seconds. He took a deep breath and said…"How did you know? My wife has cancer and we really need some help." I was speechless. I somehow got out that we have sister missionaries in Courtney and that they would love to help him and his wife with anything that they need. I told him how Heavenly Father loved him and wanted him to know that there were people who cared. Rob is now in contact with the sister missionaries out there and I hope they keep us updated. Isn't that a miracle? God is incredible.

Another miracle I want to share is about our darling new investigator from Mexico! While out on Main Street in Oliver Sister L and I were talking to different people and handing out mormon.org cards. I walked up to this man and started a conversation. Well...kind of a conversation. He clearly didn't speak any English and I bombed Spanish in Jr High, so no bueno. I showed him my tag and said something about Jesus Christ. He got that part. Somehow through our broken conversation he understood that I wanted to share something about God with him. He wrote down his name and phone number for me and we parted ways. So...later that night we texted Eliseo to set up an appointment. He texted back something like "lskjgslajfkaljsreiwaljg." At least that is what is looked like to me. All I could get was "godblessu." Then he called us...God didn't bless us with the gift of tongues…but we figured out he worked at Covert Farms and they we would try to see him the next day. So... off we went to covert farms…up in the middle of nowhere. It was raining and we brought our favorite Hungarian member with us. As we stomped through the mud, going from tiny shack to tiny shack asking "Donde Esta Eliseo Sebastion?" I wouldn't give up. After what felt like 5 gazillion doors...we finally found where all the Mexicans were living and found Eliseo! We gave him El Libro De Mormon and asked him to read 2 Nephi 31. The next evening he called us and said he was on "lesson 10 in nefi" and that it was "bueno." We can't even communicate and he is progressing! He calls us every night and updates us on what he is reading. He always says "God bless you mi hermanas, Adios!" He is DARLING! We are so excited to teach him and help him work towards baptism! Heavenly Father keeps us on our toes and I love it!

I love my mission. I love being in the Lord’s vineyard with all His misfit toys here in Osoyoos. What a blessing it is to meet all of God-s ever-so-unique children :)  Thank you for all your support and love! I hope you have a great week! "Godblessu!" – Eliseo

xoxo, A

Text from Eliseo

At the border.  The USA is behind us.

The border, as you enter BC.

We figured out homemade sushi!

Mmm, mmm, good!

Growing our own zucchini plant.

For behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Hello  :-)

It's been a miraculous week!  Yes, Jim was baptized!!  His story is amazing and with his permission, I get to share it with you! 

Jim is so sweet and soft spoken.  He was a high school band teacher for most of his life and also owned a flower shop.  He was in an abusive marriage for 51 years, which truly hurt his confidence and ability to trust.  Without saying more, it's safe to say Jim has had a trying life.  Through it all though, he remained unconditional and kept his faith in the Savior.  Jim was taught starting in May 2013, almost a year.  He's had baptismal dates in the past, been taught everything at least twice, and has come to church for the last 8 months straight.  He was an eternal investigator.  After my first time meeting and having a lesson with him I literally cried because I was so frustrated.  How could we ever get through to this lonely, sad man?  After a couple weeks of reflection (not teaching him) we prayed and felt that we should try again.  So, a few lessons later we felt a strong impression to set a date with him.  He had told us his concerns before and just wasn't ready.  But the impression was so strong that Sister Larsen and I knew that we had to follow it.  So...we straight-up asked him.  He was a little shocked at first and said "how about a maybe."  We went back and forth for a while and finally he just said "I know that I need to be baptized.  Okay.  Feb 22 it is." and then signed Sister Larsen’s planner.  We walked out of that lesson with tears of joy! 

After setting a baptism date, there was a mighty change in Jim.  He was glowing!  I can honestly say I've never seen Jim smile and laugh so much!  He was a different man.  He told us during one lesson "well girls, the night that I set my baptism date, I had a feeling come over me of just peace and love.  I slept so well!  I can tell that He is happy with me!" What a doll.  There were a few bumps in the road but Jim was baptized this past Saturday!  Sister Larsen and I, dressed in all white, held his precious little dog Annie on the steps of the font per President Tilleman’s request.  Magical is the only word I can literally think of to describe it.  It was the happiest day of my mission thus far.

Watching Jim go from a pained and bitter life to one full of joy and love was incredible.  Jim truly went through the refiner's fire.  We cannot go through that fire with pride in our hearts.  Heavenly Father can only mold us when we become humble enough to accept His will.  Just as it says in Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth."  Jim is an example to me of how making Christ our focus and making Him our rock will get us through anything.  We will all have trials, big and small, but it's through faith in the Fathers plan and humility in accepting His will, not our own, that we will be able to overcome those obstacles and make it through the refiner's fire. 

Remember that Christ never forgets us.  He is our only Shepherd.  1 Nephi 21:15-15 "...Yea, they may forget yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel...  Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." Although we might not always remember Christ during our trials and afflictions, He will ALWAYS remember us.  He knows every pain and every joy you've ever felt.  The nail prints in His perfect hands are the constant reminder of the sacrifice He made for us in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross.  I know that baptism is the only way we can truly repent of our sins and show our loving Father in Heaven that we are willing to follow His commandments.  What a blessing that Jim, who is 74 yrs old, now has been cleansed of his sins, has the gift of the Holy Ghost, and can live with God again.  It is never to late to change.

I am humbled for the opportunity and privilege to be out here serving His children.  I am especially grateful to teach those here in Canada who are descendants of the Lamanites.  Many times in the gospel it teaches that it is through the mouth of the gentiles the House of Israel will be nourished by the good word of God.  What a blessing and a miracle it was to be called Vancouver, Canada, and specifically Osoyoos.  Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer and Savior of the world.  He ministered not only to His sheep in Jerusalem, but to His other sheep here in the Americas.  The Lord's work is growing and the lyrics "I believe in Christ, so come what may" give great comfort during this hastening.  Thank you for all your love and support! 

xoxo, A

Us, Jim, and his dog "Annie"

Getting ready...

We got to hold "Annie' near the water.

He Lives

Hi :)

So last Saturday we (us, our branch mission leader, recent convert & true friend to Jim, and Jim) all drove the two hours up to West Kelowna so that we could watch two little children be baptized and so that Jim could have his interview.  We all went to dinner before the baptism and boy was that a treat!!  Sitting in a restaurant with a few of the people you adore was a blessing in itself.  Just imagine Sister Larsen and I sitting there with 4 people over the age of 65 and laughing till it hurts.  It was a sight to see and they truly are some of the greatest homies!  I can't wait any longer...Jim passed his baptismal interview with President Tilleman!  What a miracle!  He will be baptized this coming Saturday, February 22 in Penticton!  I am sooooo excited for Jim to make these sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father!  It's been a long time coming for him and I know that this decision is one that he will reflect on throughout the eternities.

We spent a not-so-romantic Valentine's Day out tracting and had dinner with a less active family.  They took us out to a place in Osoyoos and while we were eating a man came in and sat in a booth by himself.  His glasses were kind of weird, one lens was black and the other clear.  So I’m not sure what the deal is.  Anyway, I started feeling really bad for him.  No one should be alone on Valentine's Day!  Sister L and I couldn't go sit with him (against the rules) so I made Sis L run out to the car with me so we could grab him a cupcake that we had made for someone else.  We came back in and I set it in his table and said “We made this for someone special and that's you.  Happy Valentine's Day!”  Then we sat back down.  The point is this: A lonely pirate was my valentine. 

During one of our lessons this week we watched "Finding Faith in Christ".  That movie is so powerful.  I want to bear my testimony that Jesus Christ is truly our Savior and Redeemer.  He is the light.  At General Conference in April of 1985, Bruce R. McConkie (10 days before he died) gave a talk called "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane."  In it, he talks about the Savior's life and ultimate sacrifice.  He bears his testimony, one that I admire and aspire to have.  He said:

“He is our Lord, our God, and our King.  This I know of myself independent of any other person.

“I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.

“But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way.”

I know that my Savior lives.  I know that He is the bread of life and through Him we can return to live with our Father in Heaven.  He died for each and every one of our sins.  Mosiah 14:5 - "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." This scripture is perfect.  Through missionary work we are able help God’s children fully access the atonement.  We are literally declaring tidings of great joy!  1 Nephi 13:37 - “And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.”

I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity teach Jim and help prepare him for baptism.  In Jeffrey R.  Holland’s [ October 2012 general ] conference talk “The First Great Commandment” he tells about what Christ might have said to Peter, “What I need, Peter, are disciples—and I need them forever.  I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs.  I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith.  I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do.  Ours is not a feeble message.  It is not a fleeting task.  It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history.  It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world.”

I thank Heavenly Father everyday that I am worthy and able to be out here serving Him and His wandering sheep.  I can't wait to tell you all about Jim's miraculous baptism!  It really is a miracle. 

xoxo A

It's finally gotten a little sunny here!

Finally biffed it on some ice and bruised my elbow.

My MTC companion, Sister Settle, is finally in the Kelowna Zone!

“Wo men shi chian jiao shi!"

Ni Hao! 

We stayed with the Richmond Chinese sisters for one night while in Vancouver for transfer meeting/mission council and they taught me how to say, "Hi, we are missionaries!" (subject line above) and "Sister Holm."  So, ever since we got back to Osoyoos I've been practicing non stop in case they transfer me down there, which isn't likely.  My terrible white girl attempt at Chinese is driving Sis L crazy.  Oh well.  She can practice being patient.

We spent a good portion of the week down in the lower mainland.  Wednesday - Saturday.  On Tuesday we caught the greyhound bus from Penticton to Langley and stayed with the Surrey North sisters.

Thursday was transfer meeting.  We weren't getting transferred but we did have to go down to pick up a vacuum and have interview with President.  So we had the privilege of attending transfer meeting, okay?  Haha.  We had some inspiring training for President and Sister Tilleman, the senior office couples, and the assistants.  The assistants training were about when Nephi was told to go and build a boat.  Nephi didn't just say "okay God, give me some tools.." he asked where he could find materials to make the tools.  I loved that because as missionaries, we can't just say "okay God, give us some baptisms.." we have to ask where we should go in order to find those who He has prepared.  Anyway, that night we stayed with the Port Moody sisters. 

On Friday we were blessed to be able to attend Mission Council, which is when all the Zone Leaders, Sister Training Leaders, and mission presidency discuss how the mission is doing and ways we can improve.  It was an HONOR to be there.  President had told us a couple days earlier that we would be going, but we had no idea how inspiring it would be.  It went from 8am to 6pm and the spirit was there the entire time.  I'm so grateful for our leaders out here in the Canada Vancouver Mission.  They are truly called of God.  Sis L and I were in awe at the types of concerns and solutions that were brought up.  I guess I just forgot that there was more to BC than just little old Oliver/Osoyoos!

It's also amazing to see how the work is hastening in the entire province.  I know that the Lord is blessing our mission because of the counsel of President Tilleman, "Work hard.  Love the people.  Be exactly obedient." I testify that the last one is extremely true!  I've seen it change our area and bless us with more miracles!  Sister Larsen and I then had interviews with President.  Ah...  I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful that went!  That night we stayed with the Richmond Chinese sisters, which was a hoot!  They had to take us to the bus at 5 am the next morning..  poor things.  Bless them.  The bus ride was nasty, but Sis L and I just  passed out.  It's rare we time to just sit back and sleep.  We already stick out pretty bad (skirts, tags), but carrying around a vacuum tube didn't help.  After the 7-hour bus ride, we had to wait for our branch mission leader to pick us up and take us to our car.  So..  being the losers we are..  we pretended to be ghost busters for the 20 mins we were waiting.  I wouldn't say my mission has changed me...  but it's definitely made me care a lot less about what I look like in public.

I am so grateful to be out here.  It's challenging, frustrating, and tiring..  but anything worth it in this life usually is.  I'm so grateful for my Savior and the sacrifice he willingly made for all of us.  I know that it is only through baptism that we can truly access the atonement.  I'm so grateful for the example that Christ is, especially His humility.  He was willing to come down here, suffer for our sins, and STILL give the glory to our Father in Heaven.  Incredible.  I know that this gospel is true and that Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ that glorious day in the sacred grove.  I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and goes hand-in-hand with the Bible.  I'm so grateful for this gospel and the many blessings I've seen from it.  I know that it will bless the life of every soul who chooses to listen to our message.  Thank you for all your love and support!  Happy Valentines Day!  Remember who loves you most... 

xoxo A

Being a loser (packing the new vacuum home on the bus).  What's new?

Too much fun with googlie eyes on p-day. #marceltheshellstatus

Giant box of kinder eggs from a true holmie! 

Thanks uncle Brian and fam!  You get me.

Quail tracks. there are like 46,885,432 gazillion here.

Love my friends :)