Hey fam!
Merry Christmas! I'm stoked! Can I call around 2pm your time? I'll call at around 8 your time to confirm.
We had zone conference and a temple trip this week and it was SO great....although we didn't get much teaching accomplished...and we somehow ended up arriving LATE to EVERYTHING this week...it was super annoying... but I'm excited to work my bum off this week. Also, we ate SO much this week. I've figured out that you eat more in Spanish, but the food is less healthy in English work....but they"re so sweet and generous!! we're so grateful for our members.
We went with our investigator, Linda to her church yesterday morning...it was way fun to experience a black Baptist church...we read the story of Abraham being commanded to sacrifice Isaac and one thing that the teacher said I really enjoyed: "It says' God won't tempt you above what you can stand...' oh yes He will, but He WON'T test you above what you can stand with Him"
It was a fun experience... Linda later came with us to a baptism and seemed to enjoy it, although we were worried because it seemed like our having gone with her to her church made her more intrigued with her church again....but she just barely called and talked about how the Lord keeps putting us together and it must be for a reason, so she told me that she's done with her old church and she's going to come to our church....um ok major blessing. She's so sweet!
Also, I think I wrote about a recent convert for another ward and how her mom was completely overwhelmed and impressed with the Spirit at her daughter's baptism...well, the mom and dad got baptized yesterday...He was baptized at 8am, got confirmed in church, received the priesthood after church, and baptized his wife in the afternoon. It was such a beautiful baptism and they were both so so excited....AND their two granddaughters and a friend are getting baptized on New Years Eve. Miracles!!
We met a really great guy at the frozen yogurt shop who is ex Air Force, has studied all forms of Christianity extensively, and is very open about religion. We have an appointment with him this week and we're praying that it goes well!
I think that's all.....I'll talk to you in 6 days!
Merry Christmas!
Love you more than all the miracles this week!
Hermana Beauchamp
Monday, December 19, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Birthday
Hey Fam,
Thank you for the birthday package! it did get to me on Saturday. It made me so happy! Hermana Prince arranged it so that I was blindfolded and taken to a member in Rancho Vista branch's house for lunch. It was way fun! That was the day before, then we went to lunch at an Indian Restaurant with a member named Sister Makanui. She's a way cool older lady from Hawaii. We found 2 new investigators (miracle of miracles) and then ate corn dogs and cake for dinner. We finished the day with fire breathing. We ran out of matches though, so it didn't last too long. A few weeks ago we got a media referral that said that this man was interested in joining our church....of course we were stoked, but it turned out to be a prank. We decided to knock the rest of the street to see if anyone else in that area has been prepared. We tried one night, failed miserably, so we tried again on my birthday. It seemed liked things were going to go about the same way, but at the door that Sister Jensen and I had independently resolved would be the last, we met this sweet young single mother named Belsie who let us in right away, was very open about her beliefs and interest, and expressed a desire to come with us to church. She didn't end up coming yesterday, but we're praying hard for her. Tender mercies from God!
There's a mission newsletter that comes out every month, usually listing birthdays. Bummer: mine was left off, so aside from my sweet companions, nobody really knew. Somehow our Zone Leaders found out they had missed it and they started yelling about what terrible zone leaders they were and sang a very loud "Happy Birthday" to me right before a baptism. They're awfully nice :)
We really have an AWESOME zone. I really think I'll be moved back to Spanish after Christmas, but our zone is super hard working, very creative, very dedicated, and way fun to boot. We had a "snowball fight" last monday.....we filled socks and knee highs with flour and played capture the flag, dodgeball, etc. Awesome.
We have zone conference AND a temple trip this week and I'm so stoked!
I might have mentioned this last week, but one of our investigators just came out as gay, so we've been doing a lot of reading and research to know how best to teach the gospel so that he can fully understand the importance of it and know how to live it. We love him so much and we've been praying that he'll stay close to the Spirit. Anyway, during all that research this week, I kept getting caught up in the New Testament. Man, I love it! There is so much wonderful stuff in there. Dad, I love when you send me little spiritual thoughts about your scriptures study. I sure love your brain.
I think I also mentioned Linda....we met her at Wal-mart and then she magically showed up to our ward Christmas party. We went and visited her on Saturday and she kept saying "You girls are a Godsend, and I'm not just trying to flatter you. I was just so tired...so drained...in every way. But I'm feeling the fruits of the Spirit right now....love, peace, joy, hope....you girls have the Holy Spirit with you." Yes Linda. We do. She's so perceptive and she has such a deep love for the Savior. She's been attending a black baptist church but she really doesn't enjoy it because there are too many cliques and church politics. She says "If we were really the body of Christ, we wouldn't be back biting and gossiping like that." She feels that God led her there for a purpose, though and she feels that she should stay there to help the other members of the congregation. She's so great! But technically not our investigator. She lives in another ward's boundaries so we're trying to figure out how to make a smooth transition. I know that if she comes to church, she'll feel that ward family love. Poor thing is just so lonely....
But she is such a blessing for us.
Anyhoo, I think that's about all the news around here....
I love you more than all the Baptist churches in Lancaster
Hermana B
Thank you for the birthday package! it did get to me on Saturday. It made me so happy! Hermana Prince arranged it so that I was blindfolded and taken to a member in Rancho Vista branch's house for lunch. It was way fun! That was the day before, then we went to lunch at an Indian Restaurant with a member named Sister Makanui. She's a way cool older lady from Hawaii. We found 2 new investigators (miracle of miracles) and then ate corn dogs and cake for dinner. We finished the day with fire breathing. We ran out of matches though, so it didn't last too long. A few weeks ago we got a media referral that said that this man was interested in joining our church....of course we were stoked, but it turned out to be a prank. We decided to knock the rest of the street to see if anyone else in that area has been prepared. We tried one night, failed miserably, so we tried again on my birthday. It seemed liked things were going to go about the same way, but at the door that Sister Jensen and I had independently resolved would be the last, we met this sweet young single mother named Belsie who let us in right away, was very open about her beliefs and interest, and expressed a desire to come with us to church. She didn't end up coming yesterday, but we're praying hard for her. Tender mercies from God!
There's a mission newsletter that comes out every month, usually listing birthdays. Bummer: mine was left off, so aside from my sweet companions, nobody really knew. Somehow our Zone Leaders found out they had missed it and they started yelling about what terrible zone leaders they were and sang a very loud "Happy Birthday" to me right before a baptism. They're awfully nice :)
We really have an AWESOME zone. I really think I'll be moved back to Spanish after Christmas, but our zone is super hard working, very creative, very dedicated, and way fun to boot. We had a "snowball fight" last monday.....we filled socks and knee highs with flour and played capture the flag, dodgeball, etc. Awesome.
We have zone conference AND a temple trip this week and I'm so stoked!
I might have mentioned this last week, but one of our investigators just came out as gay, so we've been doing a lot of reading and research to know how best to teach the gospel so that he can fully understand the importance of it and know how to live it. We love him so much and we've been praying that he'll stay close to the Spirit. Anyway, during all that research this week, I kept getting caught up in the New Testament. Man, I love it! There is so much wonderful stuff in there. Dad, I love when you send me little spiritual thoughts about your scriptures study. I sure love your brain.
I think I also mentioned Linda....we met her at Wal-mart and then she magically showed up to our ward Christmas party. We went and visited her on Saturday and she kept saying "You girls are a Godsend, and I'm not just trying to flatter you. I was just so tired...so drained...in every way. But I'm feeling the fruits of the Spirit right now....love, peace, joy, hope....you girls have the Holy Spirit with you." Yes Linda. We do. She's so perceptive and she has such a deep love for the Savior. She's been attending a black baptist church but she really doesn't enjoy it because there are too many cliques and church politics. She says "If we were really the body of Christ, we wouldn't be back biting and gossiping like that." She feels that God led her there for a purpose, though and she feels that she should stay there to help the other members of the congregation. She's so great! But technically not our investigator. She lives in another ward's boundaries so we're trying to figure out how to make a smooth transition. I know that if she comes to church, she'll feel that ward family love. Poor thing is just so lonely....
But she is such a blessing for us.
Anyhoo, I think that's about all the news around here....
I love you more than all the Baptist churches in Lancaster
Hermana B
Monday, December 5, 2011
Windy California Dec 5, 2001
Dearest loving fambly,
Hooray for Tomi! I'm so glad she's a part of our lives. She's such an angel.
It HAS been super windy around here. It's getting pretty chilly, too. Certainly not -7, but there was ice on the ground yesterday. I've rescinded my "I hate tights" stance. When you can't wear pants, they're pretty miraculous.
It was a little slower this week. I was feeling pretty sick on Wednesday, so we didn't get to go out and teach as much as we would like, but we already have 19 scheduled appointments this week. That's a lot. Especially for English. I'm stoked.
I think I forgot to tell you about the Creche Festival...apparently Lancaster and Palmdale put on a really great multi-faith Public Affairs Christmas activity every year and it keeps growing. They have a huge display of probably 500 nativities from all around the world placed all over the cultural hall and then they opened up the chapel to have musical performances from all kinds of different choirs, groups, singers, pianists, etc. It was really beautiful and it's helped establish friendships with different churches around Lancaster.
Also, we met a lady at Walmart last week named Linda. We ended up talking with her for an hour while we waited for a prescription to be filled, and we got her number so that we could visit with her sometime. We've been trying to contact her all week with no success, but at our ward's Christmas party, one of our members came and told us to come sit with her because she had brought a nonmember friend. We did so, and it was Linda! She kept saying how amazing it was and how she was so sure it was not just a coincidence that God kept throwing us together. She's great :)
One of our other investigators who has wanted to be baptized FOREVER but has never wanted/been able to quit smoking. BUT HE IS!! He's down to 4 cigarettes a day and realizes that he just can't afford to waste money on killing himself slowly anymore. So please please pray for Chris that he'll stay strong and that even if things take a turn for the better economically, he'll still remember his need to rely on the Lord.
ASL (American Sign Language) is coming along, quicker than I imagined. We still really haven't used it much, but we're practicing with our Relief Society president. She's a super cool lady. She had been sitting in the temple and felt the impression to learn ASL. She signed up for a class at the local college the next day and a week later was called to be a stake interpreter, despite the fact that all she knew was the letters A-G and mom and dad. But she's super involved with the deaf community in California and she's quite the fireball.
Love you more than all the tipped-over semis in Utah!
Hermana B
Hooray for Tomi! I'm so glad she's a part of our lives. She's such an angel.
It HAS been super windy around here. It's getting pretty chilly, too. Certainly not -7, but there was ice on the ground yesterday. I've rescinded my "I hate tights" stance. When you can't wear pants, they're pretty miraculous.
It was a little slower this week. I was feeling pretty sick on Wednesday, so we didn't get to go out and teach as much as we would like, but we already have 19 scheduled appointments this week. That's a lot. Especially for English. I'm stoked.
I think I forgot to tell you about the Creche Festival...apparently Lancaster and Palmdale put on a really great multi-faith Public Affairs Christmas activity every year and it keeps growing. They have a huge display of probably 500 nativities from all around the world placed all over the cultural hall and then they opened up the chapel to have musical performances from all kinds of different choirs, groups, singers, pianists, etc. It was really beautiful and it's helped establish friendships with different churches around Lancaster.
Also, we met a lady at Walmart last week named Linda. We ended up talking with her for an hour while we waited for a prescription to be filled, and we got her number so that we could visit with her sometime. We've been trying to contact her all week with no success, but at our ward's Christmas party, one of our members came and told us to come sit with her because she had brought a nonmember friend. We did so, and it was Linda! She kept saying how amazing it was and how she was so sure it was not just a coincidence that God kept throwing us together. She's great :)
One of our other investigators who has wanted to be baptized FOREVER but has never wanted/been able to quit smoking. BUT HE IS!! He's down to 4 cigarettes a day and realizes that he just can't afford to waste money on killing himself slowly anymore. So please please pray for Chris that he'll stay strong and that even if things take a turn for the better economically, he'll still remember his need to rely on the Lord.
ASL (American Sign Language) is coming along, quicker than I imagined. We still really haven't used it much, but we're practicing with our Relief Society president. She's a super cool lady. She had been sitting in the temple and felt the impression to learn ASL. She signed up for a class at the local college the next day and a week later was called to be a stake interpreter, despite the fact that all she knew was the letters A-G and mom and dad. But she's super involved with the deaf community in California and she's quite the fireball.
Love you more than all the tipped-over semis in Utah!
Hermana B
Dang Gina, that's a whole lotta news! I love it :) I'm so glad the reception went so well! I sure love each of our family members and all the others you mentioned.Also, I love that you entitled it "FAT DOG". Nobody here believes that it helps. Poor saps.
Our area's doing pretty well. I think I wrote last week that we're working a TON with members to strengthen the ward and organize the ward roster, but we're finding quite a few new investigators. Apparently missionary work has been super slow lately so finding 3 new investigators per week is awesome. Also we've been surpassing our goals for having members with us at lessons and meeting all our other goals for the number of lessons we teach to members, etc. IT'S SO COOL! Our ward is really great and the members are so so generous. We're working on helping them be more missionary minded, so if you have any ideas of what we can do for them, please let me know!
Sister Jensen is from Gilbert, Arizona and is a Special Education major at ASU. She's a good, hard worker, and very practical when it comes to setting goals. She's so sweet about helping me relearn English :)
We taught Gospel Principles yesterday and talked about Christlike attributes. We had planned to talk about a few of the less commonly mentioned/examined ones, but we ended up talking about virtue for most of the hour. We talked about how virtue deals directly with purity and power. When we focus on keeping the commandments and living well, we allow the Holy ghost to penetrate our lives more fully, which not only purifies our spirits, but empowers us to be greater representatives of the Savior. That's why it's so important to have "virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly." The idea that spiritual healing promotes physical healing has been rolling around in my mind a little bit...which is interesting, considering what you wrote about trauma observed being recorded as trauma experienced personally....
We found a new investigator at a frozen yogurt shop: David who's 20 years old. He's recently gotten his heart broken, so he's looking for help to feel hopeful again. We have another named Jeff who's about the same age and we'll be teaching him more aobut Joseph Smith this week. He seemed like a pretty spiritual person, so we're hopeful.
Also Raj, an investigator from India who is married to one of our members (both are AMAZING people...i would love to be more like them) they are both going to visit the LA temple today. Raj has been to the SLC temple and he LOVED it. Please pray for all of them that they'll be touched by the Spirit and feel motivated to come closer to Heavenly Father.
As far as Christmas and birthday, to be honest, the vast majority of things I would like are things I have at home. I have a bunch of CDs that I would LOVE to have here.... like Josh Groban, Coldplay(it fits the mission standards, so far as I can tell), The Rocket Summer, Nickel Creek etc. I might not actually have the Rocket Summer CD, but if it's not there, that's one that I'd love to have. Also, the Little Women soundtrack would be lovely :). Aside from that, fun earrings would be cool...I have a bunch at home that I left. Also, a page-a-day calendar. A good one, like DIY crafty stuff or something. Also, some cool paper to write letters. Aside from that, whatever you think I'd like I'm sure will be AMAZING. you tend to have great taste :). Oh! also: footie socks. but the ones that just cover the toes, not the ones that come halfway up the foot.
I talked to Sister Martin about my unusual tiredness and she says that generally when they check these things out, it's just mission exhaustion and I haven't been sleeping as well as I need to be. Incidentally, I did get a new mattress the same day I talked to her. I can't tell yet if it's helped. I've been having super vivid dreams un/fortunately I remember all of them. Last night's involved elders tracting with pink bras over their suits. Anyway, we're going to ask the mission doc what he thinks this week.
Love you more than all the holes in my socks,
Hermana B
Our area's doing pretty well. I think I wrote last week that we're working a TON with members to strengthen the ward and organize the ward roster, but we're finding quite a few new investigators. Apparently missionary work has been super slow lately so finding 3 new investigators per week is awesome. Also we've been surpassing our goals for having members with us at lessons and meeting all our other goals for the number of lessons we teach to members, etc. IT'S SO COOL! Our ward is really great and the members are so so generous. We're working on helping them be more missionary minded, so if you have any ideas of what we can do for them, please let me know!
Sister Jensen is from Gilbert, Arizona and is a Special Education major at ASU. She's a good, hard worker, and very practical when it comes to setting goals. She's so sweet about helping me relearn English :)
We taught Gospel Principles yesterday and talked about Christlike attributes. We had planned to talk about a few of the less commonly mentioned/examined ones, but we ended up talking about virtue for most of the hour. We talked about how virtue deals directly with purity and power. When we focus on keeping the commandments and living well, we allow the Holy ghost to penetrate our lives more fully, which not only purifies our spirits, but empowers us to be greater representatives of the Savior. That's why it's so important to have "virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly." The idea that spiritual healing promotes physical healing has been rolling around in my mind a little bit...which is interesting, considering what you wrote about trauma observed being recorded as trauma experienced personally....
We found a new investigator at a frozen yogurt shop: David who's 20 years old. He's recently gotten his heart broken, so he's looking for help to feel hopeful again. We have another named Jeff who's about the same age and we'll be teaching him more aobut Joseph Smith this week. He seemed like a pretty spiritual person, so we're hopeful.
Also Raj, an investigator from India who is married to one of our members (both are AMAZING people...i would love to be more like them) they are both going to visit the LA temple today. Raj has been to the SLC temple and he LOVED it. Please pray for all of them that they'll be touched by the Spirit and feel motivated to come closer to Heavenly Father.
As far as Christmas and birthday, to be honest, the vast majority of things I would like are things I have at home. I have a bunch of CDs that I would LOVE to have here.... like Josh Groban, Coldplay(it fits the mission standards, so far as I can tell), The Rocket Summer, Nickel Creek etc. I might not actually have the Rocket Summer CD, but if it's not there, that's one that I'd love to have. Also, the Little Women soundtrack would be lovely :). Aside from that, fun earrings would be cool...I have a bunch at home that I left. Also, a page-a-day calendar. A good one, like DIY crafty stuff or something. Also, some cool paper to write letters. Aside from that, whatever you think I'd like I'm sure will be AMAZING. you tend to have great taste :). Oh! also: footie socks. but the ones that just cover the toes, not the ones that come halfway up the foot.
I talked to Sister Martin about my unusual tiredness and she says that generally when they check these things out, it's just mission exhaustion and I haven't been sleeping as well as I need to be. Incidentally, I did get a new mattress the same day I talked to her. I can't tell yet if it's helped. I've been having super vivid dreams un/fortunately I remember all of them. Last night's involved elders tracting with pink bras over their suits. Anyway, we're going to ask the mission doc what he thinks this week.
Love you more than all the holes in my socks,
Hermana B
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