How many transfers are left for both of you? I think Rachel said she was on her last transfer, but that would be almost 8 weeks. Is that right?
I’m going to start my last transfer on Wednesday. It will be 7 weeks long, and I’m getting a new companion. Hna Cottrell. She’s from Utah, and was also trained by Hna Fors. It’s interesting because she’s coming to my area but she’s already served here before.
Are you still on bikes Rachel?
Yep, still on bikes. Which is fine.
How are you both feeling about the holidays?
Mostly I just feel tired. Christmas lights is crazy, and I just want to sleep for three days.
What does the ward or branch you are in do to celebrate?
My ward is going to do a Christmas dinner with some different sketches and things from the different auxiliary groups. I hope we’ll be able to go, because I loooved the party my branch threw last year.
Does your mission have some kind of traditions as far as the missionaries gathering?
My mission did their traditional Christmas gathering this week. We went with half the mission to the temple on Tuesday. Afterwards Sis Ellsworth read us the same Christmas story she did last year, the Ap’s showed pictures from a Christmas children’s’ story put to music, and I think President talked about obedience. Then we all ate Christmas lunch, and took a photo in front of the visitor’s center.
Will you be skyping or calling for Christmas?
I’ll be skyping again. I have no idea at one time because I haven’t written down my vc schedule for this transfer yet.
Do either of you need anything?
I don’t need anything, but I always want lots of stuff.
What is your favorite moment so far from your mission?
I think when I watched Edwin be baptized by his dad, or last Christmas when we had 80 people accept missionaries, and we were able to take Jose to dinner at the Hernandez’s home.
I don’t really have a favorite moment. It’s like asking someone what the favorite moment of their life is. They’re not going to have one. Like the other day Hna Watkins and I decorated cookies with one of the members in our ward, and when we got back to our house their was a homeless man out in front of our house. By the time we got off our bikes and had discussed that we wanted to give him one of the plates of cookies he was halfway down the street so, we ended up running down the street with a plate of cookies still wearing bike helmets. I thought that the was the kind of thing I’d be able to do more often at home, and it made me feel good about being able to go back and just be able to help people so, that was a nice moment too.
What is the funniest moment from your mission?
The other day I pretended I was trying to kick Hna Watkins off her bike while also riding mine, and my shoe fell off in the middle of the road. Hna Fors and I used to run like Muppets (arms up, mouths open, and yelling) when we were going to be late. I think Hna Noble and I pretty much just laughed all day every day actually same thing with Hna Watkins and I. Anyways, a lot of my mission has been equally as hilarious as real life.
What is the most difficult time you have had so far? What did you do to help you get through it?
Probably also last Christmas. I was expecting huge miracles, because it was Christmas time. Which huge miracles as a missionary generally means helping lots of people to accept the gospel and be baptized. I remember Hna Fors and I making so many plans with the people we were teaching at the time, and we were going to have 5 baptisms on Christmas eve. One by one our investigators stopped being interested. We even had this old woman we were teaching pretend to be someone else over the phone because she didn’t want to talk with us. We just kept working and even though things never worked out the way I hoped we were able to see other miracles.
I talked to Guy (the old man from last Christmas I met at the vc) and he said he’d try to come see the Christmas lights. You should all pray that he does, because that would be awesome if he came in again this Christmas.
Hna Fors and Sis Carlson are both going home tomorrow. I have been having a little bit of a hard time with Hna Fors leaving. In the vc we have little farewell meetings when sisters are leaving, and one or two of the companions of the leaving missionary always shares something about their experience together. I’ve been planning on giving Hna For’s legacy for over a year now, and they asked Hna Cottrell to do it instead of me. It was something really small but in that moment it was really hurtful. All the sister I’ve come out with have trained, at least once if not more, and held special callings in the vc. I am very aware of the fact that I am not leadership material, aka I have a terrible attitude, but I felt super passed up. I’m feeling slightly traumatized by the fact that I only have one transfer left. Hna Watkins and I stayed up talking about it last night, and I think I’ve decided I’m just going to hide out in the house and Facebook stalk people (with chat off because the idea of someone talking to me over chat is terrifying). I’m also increasingly bummed out that Hannah won’t be there. I’m also real tired so that makes me more dramatic.
Love ya,
Rachel
p.s. Elly looks super different.