Rapping Things Up

5/26/14

Hola! So...I didn't get a lot of emails this week so I'm writing a big long one for you..lucky you! 

You started reading Preach My Gospel? YAY! That's so awesome! Preach My Gospel is really cool. You first see it as a book "just for missionaries" but it totally applies to us as members of the Church. We've been sharing tidbits of Preach my Gospel with members and it has been so cool to see the unique spirit that it brings into homes. Can't wait to hear what you learn and your experiences with it! 

Morgan...have I told you how excited I am? Can I ever tell you enough? AHHHHHHHHH! Your papers are almost in. I'm so excited for you. I'm going to be praying and thinking of you these next few weeks. Yesterday was fast and testimony meeting because we have district conference this coming Sunday. A sister who is preparing to go on a mission and is almost done with her papers bore her testimony. And I just got so emotional because I was just so excited for her. And then I thought about all those who are going on missions soon. I just ​really wanted to stand up and ​yell, "I am SO pumped for you​!!" My mission has changed my life...and it continues to do so. I don't know even how to describe it. The experiences you have out here really do impact you and impact others. It's hard work...but it's ​so rewarding all the same. Okay I'll stop going off on my ​missionary soap box here. I'm just SO EXCITED!  

Mom...your ​funny "foggy" experience at the hospital reminds me of when I'm with my comp and I'm trying to drive or do something and talk to her at the same time...I struggle. I'll be like, "I think.....I think....that....we...we need to do...." And I can't EVER finish my sentences. She's like, "Nevermind Sister, I'll talk to you when you're not preoccupied." haha. I CAN'T MULTITASK! Working on it. 

Annie....Congrats on the awards...I feel like you have gotten many the last few months. That's awesome! That's so WEIRD you are almost ready to get your permit. Ew. Ick. Uck. Why are you so old? And what is this I hear that you want me to take the train​ so you can have the car? ​Actually...that might be fun...I could still contact people I guess. haha. 

Speaking of cars...well I'm glad I don't have to worry about driving in the snow in Canada ever again. Phew...but I still have stressful days where I'm thinking ​hard about a lesson or an investigator and I'll make a really stupid decision on the road. I scare my comp a lot...poor dear. We've had quite a few near crash experiences but oh well...I haven't actually CRASHED which is good. It all comes back to this "multitasking thing" 

So this is gonna be a crazy week here because a) it's the last week of the transfer b) tonight we are going on an exchange with the sister training leaders. I get to stay here with a sister that came out with me and c) it's interviews with the mission pres & wife this Thurs. So I haven't been able to relax the last few days :) I'm ​so ​excited for everything that's going on...it's just CRAZY. 

So like I said I have interviews with Pres and Sis this Thurs and I'm excited. I feel like I haven't talked ​to them​ in FOREVER. I love them so much...and it's a little bittersweet because it's my last interview with them. So I want to make it a good one! That would be cool if you went to their homecoming. They are awesome! 

This week was crazy. Just sayin. But it was AWESOME!

(Investigators) are doing well for the most part. We met them last week and we hadn't seen them for a while. First they told us due to financial stress and their situation the wedding is called off for the time being (but we are confused because they told us they want to still be married in our church???) At first I was just crushed inside. But then we watched Pres Monson's talk "I Will Not Forsake Thee" ​with them ​because she hadn't ever heard the prophet. She got all teary at the end and told us how she knew he was a man of God. He was "different" from other leaders. He had a very amazing love. It was so cool. Then she just went on this monologue of how much she's changed since she met with us. She has changed so much...she has no desire to ​do a lot of the things she was doing before. She WANTS to ​obey the commandments. As she was just going on about this I just got so teary and happy. The gospel changes lives...and it is changing this family. So she recognizes this is the right path for her. We just need to resolve her wedding concerns. They are so awesome! 

(Investigator) is doing better. Baby steps with him. We had an awesome lesson with him the other night. We were talking about the gospel of ​Jesus ​Christ and how you need ALL the steps to make it to the celestial kingdom (​faith, repentance, baptism,​Holy ​Ghost, endure to the end) So as a little object lesson we made cookies...and while the cookies were baking we gave him some cookies we already made...but we put a lot of salt in them...heheheh. We talked about how even if a few "steps" or "ingredients" are left out...it changes the outcome. I think he got the point. We can't pick and choose what we follow in the gospel...we have to follow ALL of it. It was fun! 

(Investigator) is doing awesome! Came to church for the second time yesterday. He's reading and he seems to like what he is learning. Tomorrow for exchanges we are going to be talking to him about the word of wisdom. And it's just been fun teaching him because he really listens. 

(Investigators) are still here. We don't see them as much. They still have quite a lot of challenges they are overcoming. But we help out as much as we can. 

(Member) is doing well! We went over for dinner last night and his parents were there again. We ate and slipped in a little mini plan of salvation lesson. It was so cool because his dad got a little teary eyed. The spirit was so strong. It was cool! We gave them ​pamphlets​ and we specifically told him to give us a call if he wanted us to come over and if he wanted to learn more. We'll see what happens. But they are good people. I love them all! 

We had a cool miracle happen too. So Sister T baptized this couple six months ago or so. But they haven't been to church. We had a lesson with them last Saturday and we talked about sacrifice. ...and how the Lord will make up for the​ sacrifices​ we make to keep our covenants... and they came to church yesterday! YAY! They are a wonderful family! I was super happy for them to be there! For the last few months that I've been here we've visited ​but they didn't make it out a lot...but this week they did! YES! 

Anyways, I'm grateful for the gospel. I'm grateful to be here. I think it's really funny how God works. He knows what we need and WHEN we need it. Hope you have a good week! 

Love you all! 

P.S.

So Aerin had a really funny thing happen this week. The reason it is funny is that as those of you who know Aerin recognize, she is a Rule Follower. Some people are; some people aren't, and Aerin most definitely is.  Big time.  She is very obedient.  It actually caused her problems occasionally in basketball, because she would follow exactly to the letter what the coach told her to do, when at times she maybe should have improvised according to the situation.  So that is why this situation is so ironic. You also need to know that in Aerin's mission, they are allowed to listen to "uplifting" music.  So EFY songs, instrumental, etc. are okay.

She sent me what her companion had written home about it (below):

COMP:  My week went alright i had a few embarrassing situations and we now think our zone leaders think we are apostate. We had an investigator show us this amazing freestytle rap by this man who spent some time in jail. Thing is he didn't have any beats or anything.. he was just rhyming, but the rap was incredible. I wouldn't even call it a rap... It was all about the Savior and God and his decision to follow Christ.How we cant let satan have any power over us and i cant quote very well, the best part about it was that as i was listening i could feel the spirit testifying of the truths that were in his rap. I want to name it to his testimonial rap because that's exactly what it was, anyways he showed us this rap and we got to another investigator's home and we thought how awesome would it be for him to hear this to know that there is better type of music to listen to than just a bunch of songs with swearing in it, so i have my comp text our other investigator to find out what the name of the rap and rapper was, but she accidentally sent it to the Zone leaders (so the message was: "Hey we were wondering could you text us name of that rapper that we listened to yesterday?").. 

​S​he freaked (that's an understatement) out when they texted us back and said "i don't know i'm not well versed in rap sisters"... We almost peed our pants, and of course i got to clean up the mess when they called us 2 seconds later and all of this is happening during our lesson mind you, so not only are we embarrassed because the whole situation could have been avoided but we are also getting into "trouble" in front of our investigator and member. We assured them that we felt the spirit from it and it didn't draw our thoughts away from our purpose but in fact added on to it and if i had the chance i would recommend it to the mission president to listen to. ​They hung up and then sent us another reminder via text. so it kind of was resolved but we still aren't comfortable to see them during skills and interviews this thursday. 

AERIN:(So...yeah...I'm like super embarrassed about it because they might think we are listening to inappropriate rap music...which we weren't at all....sigh...way to go Sister Ogden...one of my brighter moments on my mission)

​We told her that she & her comp should wear bandanas, snapbacks, etc. to their next zone meeting. ​Or flash gang signs to one another. Hope she won't kill me for sharing it, but we have been laughing about it all week.

District