First Ohio letter!

Ohio Letter #1  - March 5 2012

Haley with Pres. & Sister Sorenson

Haley's Comp - Sis. Stephanie Mayer

Ok - so this last week and a half has been so busy and so tiring. I haven't written in my journal once since last Friday because by the time we're done planning and I'm ready for bed there's either no time to write in my journal or I'm just way too tired.

We arrived wed late afternoon and went straight to president’s house. We had a welcoming meeting, ate dinner (we were STARVED because we hadn't eaten anything all day and it was so nice to have food other than MTC food.  Sis. Sorensen's homemade rolls and honeybutter were soooo good!), then role played with the AP's while everyone was having their interviews with pres. I don't really remember my interview; it was only like 2 minutes long. The next day we got to go see the Kirtland temple and the Whitney store. The coolest part about our mini tour was in the school of the prophets. Pres asked all of us to take a few minutes in there and dedicate our missions to the Lord and tell Him the kind of missionaries we want to be, then at the end of our missions we go back and report our missions to Him. After the short tour we went to the transfer meeting and got our new companions and area we serve in. My companion is Sister Mayer and we're serving in Ravenna. My comp is really really nice and loving to everyone and is happy most of the time. She's really good at depending on the Lord for EVERYTHING.

So Ravenna is not exactly the place I wanted or expected to start in because it's mostly proselyting. I was expecting being at the visitors center about half my time but Ravenna is one of the 2 areas that only goes once a week and then once a week for a few hours to the Johnson Farm. We also found out almost immediately that our area was just combined with another so really we have 2 areas AND we also have a singles branch, so we have a lot of ground to cover. THEN  I found out that we would be shot gunning the area which means that both missionaries are brand new to the area and don't know anyone or anything about it so we have to start from scratch! Normally at least one missionary in a comp stays in the area and the other is transferred so one person will know everything about the area... Considering all this and the fact that I'm brand new to all this and have no idea what the heck I'm doing, my first week has been overwhelming for both of us to say the least. We're supposed to spend like 3 hours on Friday's weekly planning but ours took like 5 hours and we still spent 3 more hours on Saturday doing it. It was sooooo frustrating to me because I felt like we were wasting so much time and I felt like my comp didn't really know what she was doing and wasn't being effective with our time. I wanted to do something to be more effective but I was helpless because I still have no idea what I'm doing. I had to repent for being so negative about it because turns out, that's just what needed to happen.

Saturday during our planning we went through a lot of the old progress records of less actives in both areas and we found one girl, XXXX, that got baptized 2 years ago but has had a lot of issues the past year (like drug busts at the house she was living at and for some unknown reason she ended up in the hospital after that and then in a women’s shelter) and hasn't been to church in a long time. I really felt like we needed to text her and let her know that sisters were in the area now and we're excited to meet her. She texted us back immediately, which was weird because as missionaries not many people answer our calls or texts, especially immediately, and we set up a time to see her later that night.

Throughout the time we were there she told us she's been trying to stop smoking again, she doesn't really feel God's love anymore; she doesn't trust that the Lord can help her. I shared Ether 12:27 with her (God strengthens us in our weaknesses), explained as she keeps the commandments and her baptismal covenant that she will feel Gods presence again, as she prays she'll trust him again, etc. She told us one way she knew she could get help with WoW was fasting, so we brought up (of course) the fact that the next day was fast and testimony meeting at church, she said she didn't want to go back to church, we explained importance of taking the sacrament, then she told us that another sister missionary told her she couldn't take the sacrament anymore which is why she got scared off from church. I couldn't believe that someone had told her that because that is NOT our job. We have no right to tell someone else if they can or can't take the sacrament, that is between ourselves, the Lord, and our bishops. We explained all this to her, told her we were sooo sorry, etc. We told her we wanted to help her get through this struggle, that we would be here every step of the way, and that we would dedicate our fasts to her and by the end of our lesson she agreed to fasting and coming to church tomorrow! I think one of the main things that got her though was when I explained patriarchal blessings and the real guidance we receive from them and how we can see our own great potential through them.

This was all great but the best part comes next... right as we were leaving she told us how crazy this all was because she really had no desire to see the missionaries again and she had been ditching them for awhile now but she had been talking to one of her old sister missionaries and they had made a bet that if Julie would talk to the missionaries again then this previous sister missionary would agree to do something in her singles ward.  It was only an hour later that we texted her about meeting her!!!!! The Lord had prepared the way for XXXX! If we hadn't taken all that extra time with our planning we would have sent the text too soon, she would have dodged it most likely and things just would not have worked out. The Lord is in this work and it's so cool to see it actually happen. She came to church with us, she fasted, and she already loves us and we love her!

Please keep her in your prayers because we can't even imagine how hard it is to overcome that addiction. She has soooo much potential to be such a blessing to other people in church and we need her back! There are more people I want to tell you about but I'm really running out of time.  

Please continue to keep me in your prayers too because I still struggle sometimes with having a desire to be out here all the time. Sometimes I really enjoy it and I know why I'm here but then other times I think about how much I miss being home with you guys and I can't imagine how I'm going to last a whole year and a half. Sometimes it seems too long but when I keep busy I don't think about it. I can't wait til I get to the point when I don't want to go home haha who knows how long that will take but hopefully not long.
   I love you all sooooo much, though, and can’t wait to hear from you again next week.

Sure love ya!

First Snail Mail letter...a doozie!

That first email alluded to a letter coming in the mail...How long can it take to get from Provo to Sandy?  Answer...another 4 days.  On Saturday we got an 8 page letter!  Magnifico!  Here are some excerpts...

Her FIRST night they actually taught some investigators!  (We discovered later that they are people who role play - but Haley writes as if they are real - so it really confused us at first).  She was a little discouraged but prayed "really hard for courage, strength, and help in remembering my purpose for being here..." 

A week later she writes about her district..."We're comprised of our tripanionship and 5 eldders.  Both my companions are going to the Cleveland/Kirtland visitor center so we'll be together on this journey from start to finish!  We're really hoping that we'll get to be companions again sometime later.  Then there's Elder Eyonon and Elder Daniels, our favorites!  Elder Eynon is just the sweetest thing ever and makes me laugh so much with all his wierd, out of nowhere comments! I love him!  Jenna & Sophie, he totally reminds me of and actually really looks like the tall skinny guy in Sydney White that ends up a millionaire at the end.  Elder Daniels is so fantastic!  He is so pumped up about the work, always positive, outgoing, and we can totally tell he was a lady's man!We called him out on it but he won't admit it, he just get's all bashful when we say anything.  Elder Free is our district leader and is perfect for the job.  he is quite knowledgable in the gospel, responsible, has a great spirit, and you can just tell he's been preparing a long time for this.  Elder Pearce is half-Jamican.  H'es very polite, always sitting up straight...He's awesome.  Last , but not least, Elder Adamson.  He's 23 so I really have respect for him and he's mature...he's also good at thinking about thinks on a deeper level which always helps us all out.  They're all just normal, though, and outgoing so it makes it so easy for all of us to get along and bond.  We also love that ALL the elders here are such gentlemen towards all the sisters.  They have respect for us and it's such a great thing to see.  Everyone says your district becomes your family becuase you spend so much time together and we all go through the same hard challenges so we're the support system for each other.  I can already see it happening with us and I love it.  We also love our zone leaders and coordinating sister.  They are so cool, chill, and funny.  Pretty much  I love anyone that makes me laugh though, and I laugh at a lot of things so I guess I love people here really easily.  
     One funny experience I have to tell you about that happened today... I took my skirts to the alterations ladies and when I was trying on all my skirts for her she was giving me these looks and saying things like "oh, all your skirts are just too tight." "I think you need to add a few inches around those hips" and then the one word "oh"  (hahaha) completely implying that she thinks I'm a slut hahaha that would happen to me! My comps just started luaghting so hard when we left the room cuz we were all thinking the same thing! It was really a funny moment!"
     A couple of days later we got another 4 pages of her journal in the mail...I'll keep posting until I am caught up to the present!

Haley's First P-day letter!

It was a long week without hearing from her.  Then 7 days later we got this email...

February 7

Just letting you know I get my first p day today so I can finally write you! Thank you so much for the letters and sending my package, they MADE my day! Even though I didn't get to pick it up until yesterday haha... but seriously getting a package is like getting a big, needed hug through the mail and I love it (elbow nudge... if ya know what I mean):) ...

     I loooove my district and both my companions so you don't have to worry about that for me yet! And yes, I said companionS. I'm in a tricompanionship with Sister Larsen and Sister Smith. I just love the tri and it really is perfect for me cuz I'm not just with the one person all the time and we think it makes us feel like we're just with friends all the time rather than with a companion. We also have 3 heads to use and put together in our lessons so more knowledge! I can't remember if I talked about them in my letter so I'll just tell a little bit. We are the perfect companions for each other! We're all really similar but still add our own individuality to the companionship. I add the outgoing, loud, positive (and style of course) attributes; Sister Larsen adds maturity, humor, and brings my loudness and outgoingness (I know it's not a word but go with it) to an appropriate level (and she's always late like me so I don't feel so bad about it all the time haha), and Sister Smith adds timeliness, hard work, softness, and I can't think of the word but almost like an English like personality. All of us together though are NORMAL, and easy going not emotional and i'm out of time!

Dropping Haley off at the MTC

February 1, 2012
     The Big Day finally arrived!  A GIANT "thank you" to Haley's  wonderful friends who stayed late to help her pack!  She would never have made it otherwise.  They even weighed her luggage to make sure she wasn't over the limit! 
     As we drove down to Provo, we talked about our favorite memories of Haley...Sophie talked about food fights, Dad talked about the stories he told when Haley and Allysa were little and the wrestling games they played, Daniel talked about the many movies they went to see together, Jenna talked about shopping, bribery and the hike the two of them took in Park City, Allysa  and I

     When we got to Provo, we stopped at California Pizza Kitchen for Haley's "Last Supper".  We laughed, we ate, we shared our food...and come to think of it - we took a family picture.  Where on earth did it go?
     Anyway, we got to the Missionary Training Center, parked up by the Provo Temple and said our goodbyes.  Lots of hugs, lots of tears, lots of joy, then we drove in to the MTC.  She got out of the car.  Two elders were there to carry her luggage and off she went with a big, beautiful smile on her face and talking to the elders as if they were already friends.
     I learned something about Haley that day.  She has every bit as much sunshine in her as does Allysa.  She reached out to people and does her best to brighten their day.  I am so proud of her.

Karissa, Marie, Haley,  & Stacie at her setting apart.  Kenzie and Carly came over a little later

"Sisters, sisters. There were never such devoted sisters..."

Group Hug

Mom is so proud of Haley.

So is Dad

"What the heck am I supposed to do about these girls?"

"Oh, all right.  Another group hug..."