Week 48 - Winter storm & Shoveling blessings

This week has been pretty crazy!!

SO! Wednesday we picked up a new investigator! Alexa. Sweet story. In the summer she took a quiz on a random thing that was "how well do you know the Book of Mormon?" and she scored something like "you know a little bit about it, you might even like it! Would you like a free copy?" so she thought, sure! Then missionaries met up with her shortly after, they taught her a bit and gave her a BOM and she never thought she would talk to them again. She also shared that that day she met the missionaries was one of the worst days for her mental health wise. Then fast forward until now, January and we call her up out of the blue, ALSO on one of the worst days for her. (mind you, these were the only two days of the past months she has had these terrible days). She said she wasn't really interested in meeting and then she said, "but if you do have people in the area you can give me a call." After we called that day she told God, if this is something  you want me to look more into, have them call me back. And then a few days latter we called her!!! She said she would meet with us! We had an amazing lesson teaching about Joseph Smith, the Holy Ghost, and the Book of Mormon! Super excited :)

This weekend we also had a HUMONGOUS storm! It snowed from Friday at 3pm to Saturday around 10 pm. There is snow out here up to my thighs! We weren't allowed to drive until yesterday morning. But even then we saw that our car was blocked in but the men who cleared the roads...

Before The Storm

 After The Storm

Our car trapped in!

We did a lot of service! Also the Hermanas who live two buildings down from us stayed with us through the whole storm! Their heater stopped working on Friday! They had to stay with us! It was a blessing in disguise! I love Hermana Hicks and Hermana Dahle! We had so much fun helping others and bonding!

So many miracles in helping people dig their cars out in the next few days!! Here are the highlights!

Vic - Saturday night we went and helped him out! He and his family are from Florida and he and his daughter were out playing in the snow and shoveling out his car. When we went in for the night we left him with our shovel and he worked getting some other peoples cars out too! He is a manager at the Bone fish grill and said we could come by and he'd take care of us!

Helda - Our Peruvian neighbor that asked to borrow our shovel sunday morning so she could get to work. We told her to just tell us which one it is and we would help her out! Also we found out that she and her husband didnt have any food!! So Saturday night we (well really Hermana Dahle) made a great homemade mac and cheese with bread sticks and a salad and gave servings of that and a bunch of other foods we had to them! Turns out she owns a resturaunt and said we are welcome to come and she will give us food :) We were able to dig her out that morning! And she made it off to work just fine! Also she speaks spanish and the Hermanas are totally going to teach her soon!

A man whose name I do not remeber! - After we helped Helda we helped this other hispanic man! The elders helped us get his car out too. He said he owned Wings, Things, and more and also told us to stop by!

Many others- a few other people we were able to help out and just get to know a little bit. It was interesting how nice some people were! we got to know so many of our neighbors it was great!

Reema - One of the neighbors that we helped out was Reema! She is from Liberia! (side note, Sister Krause and I inspire knocked on her door a month and a half ago! Not sure she remembers but I do! :) She was in the middle of moving to Florida! She wanted to get away from the cold. Well she definitely got stuck a day too late! Anyways Sunday night we helped her and then went back monday morning so she could make her train. Well turned out her train was delayed and she didnt need to leave as soon as she thought. What does she decided to do with her extra day home. She makes us an AMAZING dinner! It was so incredibly good! Also in the middle of the day she agreed to take the Hermanas to a much needed doctors appointment at a half hours notice! (we werent allowed to drive our mission cars yet and we didnt want to walk 3 miles for an hermana that was going to a chiropractor, yeah, not a good idea). Today we were allowed to drive cars but our car was blocked in and the Hermana's had a dead battery! So we walked out this morning at 8 am just in time to see Reema about to leave and she just so happens to have jumper cables and we were able to get their car started and make it to District meeting! 

Casey - Yesterday night we were able to go help our now new investigator, Casey! She is a rather fragile person physically and is very hesitant to walk her dog, Winston. (PS Shout out to Delaney, every time I see him it makes me think of your Winston). So we got to help her take him out and face the icey sidewalks ourselves instead of her. Winston is a medium sized dog, a liver floppy eared maybe-german spaniel! Looks so much like our dog at home Chloe! Anyways, he pulls a lot and she doesnt have the strength to resist. Winston was able to get out his energy and go to the bathroom. We then got to talk more about gospel things with her! Her boyfriend is Mormon and she is Jewish and trying to find faith in Christ! We are going over again tonight!!

Crystal - So! Reema only had room for the Hermana's in her car so Sister Krause and I decided to go out for a walk. Maybe find walmart or get some food. Well we totally took the wrong turn and walked somewhere I had never been before! We hoped that walking up this huge hill will help us get to some main store that we knew, nope. We had found a dead end at the top of the hill. So we climbed through a huge bank of snow, ontop of some garbage bins and out to a main road that we thankfully did recognize! Well I was pretty tired at this point that we walked all over and just wanted to get some pizza from the papa johns right in front of us! So we did that. Then we started walking back home, who knows how far that was. Anyways on the way back there were some cars stopped at a light and one woman pulled up and looked at us and we smiled at each other. We passed the car and I thought "No, she actually looked really nice!" I turned around, went to the window and asked if we could have a ride! She said "of course!" We hope in she asked where we lived and she knew the place and headed that way. Turns out SHES A MEMBER!! In a ward an hour away! She used to live in the Baltimore YSA. She joined the church 3 years ago. She works at a place just down the street from where we were and happened to be an hour early for work! She brought us all the way back home! How awesome! Tender Mercies of the Lord!!

Last important detail!! Sister Krause is leaving to go over to a ward in Frederick and I am staying and training a new missionary! AGAIN! Hahah how funny! I am just so grateful this time I know what I am doing and I have a car to help me get around (well I have a car as soon as the tons of ice/snow behind it get moved)

Anyways I love you all! Hope your week is amazing! I love this Gospel and I love all the people I get to meet and help in life! Do something this week to help others :)

Sister Nakata

Week 47 - Clothes & A Great Family Home Evening!

Hey everyone!!

So, again I added some more pictures! this week we went with the Spanish sisters to this fan shop here in baltimore. The owner LOVES mormons and gave us like half off and he calls it the "mormon discount" he is so great! Got a great shirt :) and hoodie!

So I cannot remember a ton that has happened this week but yesterday was great!

We went out knocking on some doors in search of someone (there are so many addresses we have of potential investigators that are building numbers but without apartment numbers!) Anyways, we knocked on a door two or three times, no one answered so we moved to a door right by it. It seemed like no one was home and we were about to leave and I thought "no lets try another knock on this door and wait" So we did! And then the door that we first knocked on opened! And we met this wonderful YSA woman named Blessing! How cool! We committed her to pray about looking more into this church and invited her to the activity that night and church!

The FHE activity that night was pudding Pictionary! It was so much fun! Amy came! She and a recent convert in the ward, TeeTee are really getting a long! It is great! Right before FHE we had a short lesson with her on the Book of Mormon! Last Friday we also had a lesson with Amy and in both lessons she said the closing prayer!! SO exciting! She doesn't have any religious background but she is so open to learning. 

This week we have a few appointments with some potential investigators and we are hoping good things!!

Have a wonderful week! I will try and make next weeks more detailed! Love you all :)

Sister Nakata

Week 46 - Tasting Colors & Understanding God

Hey family!!

This past week has been pretty good! I am a little low on time today!

So WE GOT A CAR!!! Man! over 3 weeks, no car, a whole stake! It has been a bit interesting! But we made it through and we now have a 2016 Toyota Carolla! It is brand new! It had 17 miles on it when we got it! #blessed 

We also got on exchanges this week!! Sister Shepherd and Sister Buchi (my MTC companion) are our sister training leaders! They are awesome! Sister Shepherd came with me in the BYSA area and Sister Krause went to the Chesapeake ward with Sister Buchi! One thing that is nice is that Sister Shepherd has served in this ward before! We got to go to this place called Matthew's Pizza in the city with the Bishop, his wife and other members!! It was so good! 

Sister Shepherd is just a great example! We talked to a few people on the bus! (we got our car later that night) We met a guy who tasted colors (....yeah) and some other nice people!

We had a lesson with our investigator Mimi who recently resolved that she is mad at God for letting bad things happen to so many people.. so we are going to work on helping her with that this week.

We also got to have the New Missionary meeting with President and the Assistants! That was really good. I love every meeting that President is in! 

From Exchanges I learned that I want to work on emphasising inviting others to come unto Christ in even the simple encounters I have.

Thursday we got to go to the Washington DC visitors center with Recent converts Tee Tee and Alexis and the senior missionaries! That was a wonderful experience!

Well thats all I have for now! Love you lots!

Sister Nakata

Week 45 - Holidays, Mormon-opoly, Puzzle & Tender Mercy

This week was great! I can't remember what happened lastMonday but on Tuesday the Hermana's were out of miles so we bused down to zone training together! Wednesday we also spent the day taking the buses around Baltimore city! And I feel confident in riding them now! Which is awesome because that has been my goal. Man did we get into some SKETCHY neighborhoods! Wednesday the Hermana's GPS died and we happened to find each other on the same bus and got to help them get home safe! Tuesday night they got lost and the Elders had to go save them, so Wednesday we made it back safe together. But man were those two days interesting! And even though we got turned around a few times there were many, many people who helped us find our way. Even though we were in the city and even found our way to parts of the city we are not allowed in past 5pm we never came across a person who was not kind to us! It was a tender mercy of the Lord. 

I got a package from my home ward in Texas! Some how after the Zone meeting the package got in the hands of the YSA elders and they got stuck bringing it back to our apartments while taking public transportation! Back to the package! Thank you so much everyone who contributed! One of the last pictures on the dropbox is of me with of those nice gifts! Also! Shout out to the RICKS! They sent me this adorable 2D nativity that I love! Thank you! Aussi Merci pour la package Nat et Jean Claude! Je vous aimez!

These holidays were awesome!! On New years eve the Hermanas who live 2 apartment buildings down from us spent the night together! We made an awesome dinner! So good! 

Then we played a few games a member let us borrow! We did a Greg Olsen puzzle! That was fun! We spent a good 3 or 4 hours on that! 

The next day we made breakfast and then played Mormon-opoly! It was so funny! we still have that game going! It is a fun one! They I got to rearrange our whole apartment and make it look a million times better!! I feel the spirit so much more in the apartment now that 3 large monstrosities were gone from our living room! (weight bench, unused recliner, a large ugly wooden desk). Then we went back to the Hermanas and played more monopoly and made another dinner! One of those pictures on dropbox was capturing the moment when 3 of us were in "spiritual darkness." Haha that game had so many mormon references I loved it!

We were able to meet the standard of excellence this week of getting 2 new investigators!! That was exciting! The first one was Carole! She was a referral from some spanish elders! She is the coolest! However, she is not a YSA and we had to hand her off to the Elders in her area :(

The other new investigator is Amy! She is a nanny from England! She is working for an LDS family and has expressed interest in the YSA activities and learning about the LDS faith! 

Sunday night we also got to have another lesson with our investigator Claire! She is very sure of wanting to be baptized only she wants the approval of her parents. They have asked her to spend a year investigating other churches and if after that she still wants to be a mormon she can. So her progress is going to be slow :( but it is all in the Lords timing! She has spent the past 4 years going to church and YW with her best friend so she knows it all and is working on getting her Personal Progress!

I am excited for the week to come! I hope all of you have had a great new year and are starting 2016 off well!

Love you!

Sister Nakata

Week 44 - Last Email of the Year!

Hello Friends!!!

Today was awesome! As we went about our preparation day business a family from a ward in California was infront of us in line at the Panda Express wannabe and bought our food! That was tender! They spoke of how they are sure many people have done that for their kids while they were on their missions! 

And! This YSA age woman, Bobbie, just came up to us and started introducing herself and sharing about how her aunt is Mormon and her cousins have gone on missions! Then invited her to an activity tonight and exchanged numbers!! She was so nice and she said she could come tonight! Awesome right!

I had a wonderful Christmas with the Senior couple, Elder and Sister Moss! I love them! We also had a breakfast/movie morning with the other sisters in the area! That was fantastic! And I got to talk to my family!!! Which is always the best!

Our investigators have been out of town for the holidays, so not much going on there! But we hope to get more soon! I love this work so much!

In sunday school we talked about the things we do "because of Him" and it was truly inspiring. And it is Because of Him I am serving. Because of Him I am covering a stake with out a car (due to the sisters before us crashing it, no one was harmed) Because of Him I can work with a brand new missionary that I am teaching. Because of Him I can do hard things and become more than I am! I love it!

Heres a quote from Elder Bednar that President Christiansen sent!

"I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed.

The dye has been cast.

I have stepped over the line.

The decision has been made.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure.

I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, 

tainted visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits or popularity.

I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, 

am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, and my goal is Heaven.

My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, 

my guide is reliable, my mission is clear!

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, 

negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, 

or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, or let up, until I have stayed up stored up, 

and paid up of the cause of Christ.

I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till I know, and work till He stops me.

And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me.

My banner will be clear"

Elder Bednar

Love you all!

Sister Nakata

Christmas Puzzle and Kids

This was a quite Christmas. 

The Browns visited for a few days the week-end before. 

We played games and talked and ate some yummy food with the Johnson's.

Their trip a little too short! 

This is our traditional puzzle this year I missed Justine helping me... 

Emric and Amelie helped a little but I pretty much did it all by myself!

On Christmas Eve, we watched - I mean, I and Amelie watched - "It's a wonderful life"

Emric and Mike watched an old Star Wars!

We watched also a short version of 'The Nativity'

But the BEST part was getting to Skype with Justine for an hour!

She is happy and doing well and it warms our hearts!

Then after Christmas, Alexi and Heavena came. 

They brought a little cooler weather with them,

(80's and 100% humidity was too hot and weird in December!)

Week 43 - New Place, New People

Hey familly!!

So this week has definitely been an interesting one with a lot of new experiences! Oh man, many ups and downs this week! Hardest week so far! But I know with out a doubt I have seen many miracles!

Tuesday I said goodbye to Sharon :( She is just wonderful, I love her so much.

So! I am like completely out of time! This email isn't exciting at all! I am so sorry! But I have a firm testimony that the Lord loves me and is supporting me!

Here in the Baltimore YSA there is significant less members of the ward. Sacrament meeting had 30 people and was SO quiet! We have 2 progressing investigators and found a new investigator last night! but she is 51 and would need to be referred to the missionaries in the family ward. There are a lot of recent converts to work with and thats awesome!

I hope your Christmas goes well! I love you all so much!

Sister Nakata

 And here is my new companion! Sister Krause! She is an awesome go getter missionary! from IDAHO! #2 companion not from Utah! haha!

New Appartement

Week 42 - What A Week!!

Oh my goodness!! WHAT A WEEK!

This past week has been purely AMAZING! I have loved it! SO many fun things!

Highlights:

* Caroling with the Youth in a nursing home
This was lots of fun! I have been singing so much on my mission!

* Wonderful Dinner with the Macharsky family! I love them so much! 
We taught the Restoration and started talking about what God expects of us. Brother Macharsky (Ma-char-ski) is a spiritual giant. He and his family are awesome. I am so mad I wont be at their house on Christmas eve to make gingerbread house!

* "Inspired knocked" on a members door
...that one was embarrassing. Especially because I had been there for dinner before. But in my defense its in a ton of apartment buildings that ALL LOOK THE SAME. And we had a great conversation and challenged her to give away some pass-a-long cards!

* Found a new investigator, Paige!
The Spanish elders talked to her and she said she would love to study with us because she has studied with many other religions before but not Mormons! She has a lot of things going on. One of which being in a relationship with a man that her mother is still married to...but hey, anyone can overcome the worst of situations with the Atonement! But really Paige is a wonderful human being who just want the best for people around her. Where there is someone in need she helps. She is amazing and has been through heck and back! I am excited for her to continue on this path!

* Amazing Zone Conference (AKA Zone revelatory experience) with Elder Teh of the 70!

Oh I love this conference! Half the mission was at this conference and the other half was the next day! I felt slightly pounded with "YOU NEED TO ALWAY BE WORKING HARD AND TRUSTING THE LORD" and at first it felt like much I kept thinking "but this and but that" but by the end the spirit was whispering to my heart that it is okay and I really can do it through Christ and using my brain and talents God has given me. Here are some things I learned by the spirit that day:

- Praying Creates Christ-like attributes (love, faith, hope, humility) with-in us. If we want to be more like Christ PRAY. Always Pray.

- Pour your heart out and believe, actively seeking to work hard to make the miracles of your Faith happen

- Write down revelation

-Ask inspired questions all the time (I really need to work on that) But see section about Susan for an experience from applying that.

- We are not about Sharing information, we are about inviting people to CHANGE

- NEVER stop listening to the Spirit

- Use the spirit as the resource it is! Walk away changed, renewed, forgiven

- "If I don't think I can be like Ammon (or enter in any scriptural or modern prophet/apostle you admire) How do I think I am supposed to be like Christ??"

* My companion, Sister Botchway got to be interviewed by him! 
Yeah that was just time for my jealously to kick in just a little. But its okay :)

* Friday: Head quarter referral, Susan Blair, she is marvelous!
Okay! So Thursday we got to referral from HQ's and called her. Set up to meet her Friday morning met with her and Sister Vandre (the Ward mission leaders wife). Had an amazing lesson. So at zone conference the day before I learned to ask questions when I study. So That morning in studies I was bold and faithful and asked "what is Susan Blair's concern?" Now I have never met this woman and I don't know anything beyond a few sentences I'd been told. I knew that God and the Spirit knew her though, and could guide me to specifically what I would need to study in order to answer her concern. I flipped directly (no joke, on the first try, got there) to "using the BOM to address people's concerns" in Preach my Gospel started there. So in my studies I found a few possibilities of what her concern may be. Church, Joseph Smith, Priesthood authority. I researched ways to address those concerns with the scriptures. Then in companion study we decided together to Role play with Susan's concern being the priesthood. Well! Low and behold! The Priesthood was the very thing she had the most questions with! And because we had prepared it is something she is understanding right off the bat! Susan want to be baptized as she prays and feels the message we share is true! She came to church this Sunday and we have two meetings with her this coming week! I LOVE THE LORD. He loves each of us and knows us. And knows what others need and can teach us by the spirit what we need to do.

* Friday: Lunch with Brother Vandre and his wife after the lesson with Susan! They took us to the super cheap, super good Mexican restaurant! It was great!

* Friday: I was a Temple Visitor's Center Sister Missionary for a day!

After Lunch with the Vandre's we went on a small road trip with 4 other companionships and went to the Visitors center! With the busy holiday season the sisters there need some extra people and are having sisters from the surrounding missions come and help out! We got to talk with and inspire people coming to the temple lights and to see the nativities from all over the world! I talked to a woman who hadn't heard of the church before and invited her to learn more and to come back! We got to take some pretty sweet pictures too! 

* Friday: Japanese Steak house for dinner!
So we got back around 7:30 and then the awesome Sister Lynch picked us up because it was her birthday and she wanted to treat herself and us to a night at a Japanese Steak House!! She doesn't have family around this area so I guess we were the next best thing! That was just plain awesome!

* A 14 year old LA was able to play with the YW for their basketball game (they didn't win) but when we asked her if she wanted to take the missionary lessons as she tries to come back to activity she said "yes!"

* Saw the Mormon Choir of DC perform in our church building! 
They were AWESOME! Susan came to that too!

* President called Sunday night and said after a lot of prayer decided to have me go to the Baltimore YSA and train a new missionary!
Welp! President has me training again! And in an area that I know nothing about! Haha its crazy but I am so ready for it. I know the Lord is the only way I can do this and I haven't stopped smiling yet! Sister Botchway will be staying here and being follow up trained by Sister Fanga, another tonga sister! So we will have two tongans together! That's awesome! I am excited for them. Sister Botchway is going to have fun taking over this area. It is probably good we didn't stay together. I have found out I can be a control freak. Ha I have not given Sister Botchway enough opportunities to spread her wings and fly so I am glad she has this challenge ahead of her of taking over the area. I know when I had to do that I learned so much!

 Well! There you have it! That's my been my week. It is amazing how many complaining thoughts I have had and how thin I have found my patience at times, but I know that because there were so many good things going on, some things had to have been not so good. And don't worry, I have been able to overcome those rough times and will continue to! :)

* One last thing, 
I dreamt the elders returned the car to us with the gas at empty, the next day it came true. Sharing the car with Elders who never look at the gas gauge=you always getting the gas and the one time you give to car to the elders with it at halfway and they have it for 2 days and you thing "THEY HAVE TO FILL IT UP" (Its a common practice in our mission to not let the tank go below halfway) And then they return it Sunday and its got 57 mile to empty. Yeah.

Well! Life is still good! And I am excited for what's to come! 

I love you all!!

Sister Nakata!

Week 41 - Meeting Marman & Christmas Ward Celebeations

Hope everyone is doing well!!

I love you all!

This past week here on the mission has been pretty good!!

Monday we got to help our investigator, Sharon, decorate the cafeteria of a senior center she volunteers here time, money and effort at! We had a great lesson with her on Friday! We showed her the gospel library app and SHE LOVED IT. She still hasn't come to church! there is a mental block keeping her from coming into the church building, she is promising she is still working on it.

On exchanges I re-learned the value of "sticky-noting" people and since then have left like 10 different members with stick notes of love!

Tuesday we met with the Shankle family. The grandmother, mother, and 11 year old daughter are all members and all less active. They welcomed us in (which they have only done 2 times out of 6+ attempts) and we got to know them. Man they area fun group. Sister Shankle has 3 kids, 11, 8, 6. And these kids have the energy that children in my family have growing up. LITERALLY ALL OVER THE PLACE. Well not the older two girls, really just the 6 year old boy. They talk the talk about wanting to live the gospel, by they are not walking the walk :( I just pray they take those steps they need to get back into church!

Wednesday, we biked all day in the rain (well it was really like mist). We went around and talked to many many people! After biking around all day we decided it was time for a treat and decided to stop at Taco Bell! While we were there I talked to this guy waiting for his food. Shared with him a card and told him to check it out. Right before leaving we started talking to the cashier, Kat. We had small talk for just a minute before she asked us if we were nuns. We explained who we were and she and another employee there just kept asking us all sorts of questions! It was wonderful! We gave Kat a book of Mormon and got her number! She told us how she has a 3 year plan to make it onto the red carpet as a singer/song writer. She sat down with us and sang for us, it was beautiful! She talked about how this might be a sign that she may need to get back into church and we said "yes, it is a sign." Nothing has happened quite yet but we will follow up!

Thursday we had a Trainer/Trainee Meeting! All the missionaries who are new to the mission and their trainers came to a building here in our stake (very convenient) and we got to have instructions from President and Sister Christiansen and the Assistants. They shared with everyone (again) points from the talk "the answer is the Doctrine" by Elder Bednar. You should read it! if you cannot find it anywhere, ask me for a copy and I will send you one!

Thanksgiving Dinner at Francos! They are awesome!

We had thanksgiving desert with these people! The husband is aithiest, but the wife is fully active and endowed!

May I just say that President and Sister Christiansen are amazing! I have luckily been able to see so much of them with Zone Conference two weeks ago, the Trainer meeting last week, a Half-mission Conference this week (Elder Teh of the first quorum of the seventy is coming) and our Christmas conference the 23rd!

Friday's highlight was Sharon. I know that God sent us to her because it is finially time for her to give up her sin of living with this man (on she is fully aware of and is struggling to give up) and be right with God. I am so glad we were sent to her and pray that she is able to overcome the mental and physical blocks Satan is trying to use against her.

Saturday was the ward Christmas party! It was lots and lots of fun! There was tons of food and tons of people. This ward is a very close knit family and I am grateful I get to be a part of it!

Sunday we had the amazing miracle of meeting Marman! (when we said we were Mormon, he said "my name is Mormon!" I said "no, really?" "really" "really?" hahah then he explained it was Marman, not Mormon. This man is amazing he is from a south American country above Brazil, has lived in Florida for the past 20 years and living here in Frederick working on a work project for the next 6 months. He asked us many many questions and we taught the Restoration to him right there. We testified that there are apostles and prophets again. It was right before the Christmas Devotional and I told him to come and find out if they are truly apostles. He said "that is a challenge." And I said "yes! yes, it is a challenge" Well, he did not come to the devotional, but he did take a BOM and gave us his information. He said he does want to find out if our message is true. It was incredible meeting Marman!

Also, you know it is fast Sunday when you are knocking on a potential investigator's door and your companion says "This door looks like a chocolate bar."

Another fun fact I do not remember if I have shared this or not.

Stephanie Meyer's (yeah, the one that wrote twilight) son, Elder Meyer, is in my mission. Ha! Isn't that cool?

Ponderizing scripture "And your whole labor shall be in Zion, with all your soul, from henceforth; yea, you shall ever open your mouth in my cause, not fearing what man can do, for I am with you. amen." D&C 30:11

And I will be completely honest. I have not been doing a good job at all of ponderizing, my mind is always on a million and 5 things I have to do! But I have been pondering on a few different scriptures I want to have as my ponderizing scripture.

Me cooking Talapia for sister Botchway and I! 

I cannot remember if I sent this before or not, so merry Christmas! :D