November 25, 2013

Family!

Enjoying my first weekend in the great town of Belmont. Its quite exhausting being transfered from little Ellington to 2 HUGE wards and learning how to be a sister trainer and on top of that the APs gave us a mini missoinary for the weekend. The first 2 days i felt like a brand new missionary- worst feeling ever but im gettin the swing of it. I love it here but church is just one big joke. First of all we are in church or in a church meeting for 8 hours each sunday. I never thought sitting would be so exhausting. The first ward has their primary program....but im not really sure you should call it a primary program when youre competing with mormon tabernacle choir orchestra status. They had a progressional walk in with the kids in 2 rows holding hands and 10 violenists and a chelloist. The whole focus was inviting friends though and so many people came! They even gave us a small part in the program. Despite all the fluff and stuff, you know the church is still true because kids on the front row still picked their noses. I looked at sister crane and said, "this is just pathetic". she laughed and said "youre not in kansas anymore". Don't worry, at least the members are normal. To define "NORMAL", im refering to you know, your typical sunday ward: Mitt Romneys son sitting in front of you, clayton christansen sitting beside you, pres haight, the stake president, patriarch, jane clayon johnson from good morning america a few rows up, Elizabeth Smart's brother, eh thats just a few i care to name right now. The rest are just boring old millionaries and harvard and MIT grads so theyre not important enough to mention just yet.

Sister Crane and I have a musical number in a couple weeks and im really looking forward to playing in front of people who have literally mastered in music.

The good news is that i had dejavu flashback moment in Brandon's shoes. Sitting in a members home and i said im from Camarillo.

Camarillo? I have good friends there!

Oh yeah? Who?
The Barfus family! Their pictures on our fridge

I go to the fridge and sure enough, they weren't lying.

 

THEN! I look in the directory and I see Wunderli. Wunderli? Well thats not a common name. I have sister crane point them out and sure enough it's Dave's cousin! Small world...but what else is new these days.

 

In all reality it's great and im happy...and its really great to be back with sister crane. We ran into president the other day (because its just common to happen to run into people) and told him it was the best thanksgiving and christmas gift he could have ever given! We were like "what is going on? what does god want us to do?" He laughed and said "I have no idea- that's your job to ask and figure it out!"

 

Our Bishops are AWESOME. They had a really cool experience before i got here - sister crane was praying and studying one day and had this impression that someone needs to get baptized by christmas, she just new it. then they had a meeting with the bishop and he said "sisters! ive been thinking....someone is going to get baptized by christmas". Here is the new list of investigators you can pray for: Bernard (ESPECIALLY BERNARD...missionaries have been praying for him for years), Jessica Tao, Susan Bonn, Vickram, Yolanda & family, and Levit

 

I love you all. The church is still true no matter who sits on your left and right on a church pew. People with perferct lives aren't actually perfect. And the spirit is as strong in your life as you'd like it to be.

 

Love,

Sister Bell

BELL in BELMONT - Does the gospel ring true or what?

Pictures-Nov. 20, 2013

1. Goodbye elllington

2. Present for Don & Audrey - their family pictures surrounded by the Proclamation. Yup, they cried.

3. Bye compy! 

November 20, 2013

Family! If any of you would like to be added to the email list so you dont have to read it from my blog and want it straight away...let me know - id be happy to add you on.

Guess who i got to meet? Elder Nielson of the 70! The "Exclamation Point" guy from conference. Im pretty sure his smile is super glued on his face its almost scary. We got to have the best zone conference with him. The most spiritual experiences of my life. We got to hear further into his study about how "exclamation points" came to be and the process of preparing a talk for general conference. He's so humble and so real. He's also been with Elder Cook of the 12 and explained the miraculous process of joining him for choosing where missionaries are assigned to. What a spiritual and confirming process that we are called where we are for a reason.

 

This week was transfer week. Saturday night of transfer week we have what's called t-txt (transfer text) and we get together as a zone at the stake center and sit around our phones and wait for a million texts to come in at the same time which has the list of where people are getting moved to. It's a hilarious sight to see all these missionaries.

 

IM GETTING TRANSFERED. Bittersweet. I see in the text S. Bell: Belmont. Wait a second here.....i read it over like 5 times. BELMONT, MASS? That's where sister crane is serving....that means im replacing her..or her companion?....

Then I see the phone RING: President Packard. Oh Great. I answer it and he called me to be a Sister Training Leader. Then he asked if I saw where im going yet. I said yes, to Belmont, but im confused - who will be my companion? He laughed and said: Sister Crane. Does that make up for having to leave Ellington?

WHAT? WITH SISTER CRANE AGAIN??? MY RUGBY BUDDY FOR LIFE????? yes that kind of makes up for it. In Belmont!!! We just did special 4 day exchanges there! Does the Lord prepare you or what??

Belmont covers 2 wards which will be a lot of information to pick up all at once. I serve in the area of the temple. SPECIAL! They have few investigators right now and there's like 2 less actives on their record so itll be the complete opposite type of work that ive been doing in Ellington. I love sister crane so much and ive always wanted to be her companion again. It's a car area but everything is so close together that a lot of times we'll walk. I get to be in the same ward as our counselors to the mission presidency President Haight and President Christensen (smartest business man in the world....literally.)

 

As sad as I am to leave Ellington, it's hard not to look back and see all the little stepping stones that have lead me to this point as clear signs that I know I am supposed to go there. I know itll be a good opportunity for me to be a Sister Trainer. I have no idea what the heak ill be doing but it means i get to go to the best leadership meetings and i get to do exchanges across a lot of the mission. Such an exciting time. Its such a testimony to me that Heavenly Father simply just loves us. He wants to make us happy and help meet our righteous desires. He blesses us in unexpected ways because he knows what will make us happy more than what WE think will make us happy. 

 

It's so sad to hear about all the natural disasters that have occured. We received wind gusts and a little rain from the tornados in the midwest and it is devistating to hear about the Phillipines. Im not sure if its as a missionary or just me but its weird, the Lord numbs you of experiences like that....either that or im an inconsiderate person. you feel sorrow but ok. That it's all going to be ok, and everything erases from your memory. Sister Barney's family lives in the area of the tornados so that was a scary time for her - but we got news that all her family is safe so that's good. It's so hard to leave ellington, my new home and its even harder to leave your investigators and members that youre closest to because they feel like literal family. I got to have one last lesson with Gary and he is praying about Dec 28th as his bapitsm date. Im hoping that with the perks of doing exchanges I can come down for his baptism.

 

I love you all and I love the Lord. I could probably be a missionary forever - - but for some reason i dont think my mission president will let me do that :)  A lot of days are rough and thinking of days like tomorrow where ill be stepping into a whole new world where i dont know what the heak the Lord wants me to accomplish there. But somehow, we just wake up and start moving and something happens. Im sad to think that i probably wont get freshly killed chickens from peoples backyards or walk into nasty hoarders homes...but im sure the classy people of Belmong have something fun to add :)

 

MUCH LOVE,

Sister Bell

 

Be ready at all times - you never know what the Lord's going to call you to next!

November 12, 2013

Sister Barney and I had the best week! We have been planning this huge musical fireside the past month and this sunday was finally the day.

IT WAS PERFECT.

Someone counted and said there was 180 people that attended. We figured out there was almost 20 nonmembers out of that 180. How crazy is that? That's more than our average church attendance! We had it put in the local paper and a random couple showed up that said they saw it in the paper! They said "Wow, we always thought you guys were closed doors!"

We also put the worship times on the program so any nonmembers there hopefully saw that. We got a child prodigy to come from over an hour away and it was really cool because we got it approved to have someone do an acoustic guitar piece. Members loved it and loved that we kept the actual program to 45 minutes that way they could have time to mingle with refreshments afterwards without feeling like they had to jet home. It really gained even more of the trust of the members - they were impressed the simple ol missionaries could pull something like this off! Duh people. who do you think we are. :) In all honestly, sister barney and I were amazed and quite surprised how it came together. we felt like there were loose ends that weren't tied up or how it was all going to come together because we had a few things switch around last minute this week - it is such a testimony to me that heavenly father cares about each of us and whats important to us AND ties up our loose ends. So many members stepped up to help us organize refreshments and help with the invitation design and most importantly, accept the bishop's challenge to invite at least 1 friend.

 

It's amazing how the Lord can support us and strengthen us. The day before an important lesson i always think "i don't know what the heak we're going to teach this investigator or this member". Somehow...we figure out an awesome lesson plan. Then before the lesson i always think "I don't know how to explain this....this is going to be a train wreck...i don't even remember all the points we wanted to mention." yet somehow....it works out! Somehow...the spirit is there! we remember the points!

I feel like one of my weaknesses is teaching - that i have no idea how to expain anything or that i never say anything at the right time. and even though its never perfect, holy cow the Lord works miracles each time with me. On the way to our last lesson with gary, sister barney and i were talking through the lesson in the car on the way over. after i said some things i said, "wow that was awful...it cant go like that. im rambling"

BUT walking out of the lesson, I felt like it was one of my best. Scriptures came to mind that we hadn't planned and I was able to testify and explain clearly....but its only in the lessons that happens. whenever i try to talk it through it is a DISASTER. I am kind of grateful that's the case actually because it is very humbling and it makes it very easy for me to recognize that it's 100% the Lord stepping in and speaking through the spirit, definitely not my own ability. I still have much improvement to go and yeah sometimes lessons don't turn out as beautiful, but I know that the Lord is 100% ingrained in his work and that as we figure out how we can match that, allow ourselves to become 100% ingrained in his work, somehow everything aligns beautifully. :)

 

Can't thank you enough for your prayers - we need them most desperately...especially our investigators: please pray for them this week..specifically Gary (he's feeling stressed about baptism), Susan (as we invite her to let us regularly teach her), Tammy (that shell come to church!!) and Don!

THANK YOU! Much Love!

This Saturday i find out if I get transferred (AH! NO! Right before thanksgiving!! :( ) which means no p-day next Monday. Talk to you all Wednesday!

 

Bundles of Love,

Sister Bell

 

Keepin it real....because it is real. All of it.

November 4, 2013

ANNNNNDD THE RED SOX WIN THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I told you this land was blessed in more areas than one!

On the other hand, a college nearby just got put on lockdown because of a shooting. Dont worry its out of my area :)

 

Last week was fun - one of the members that had us over invited us to stay for FHE and carve pumpkins with them. Halloween we cant have lessons or proselyte so the cutest lady (we do laundry at her house) took us out to dinner.  

We also got a member referral! A member invited his co-worker - we've only taught him one lesson. It was kind of frustrating because for some reason it just wasnt the best we've done - we just didnt feel "on our game". I was bummed because we want to do our best, especially for member's friends. Unfortunetly, missionaries arent perfect. The good note is he agreed to let us come again so phew, we get a second chance :)

 

I also believe the Lord works in mysterious ways. We had an awesome lesson with Gary on Sat. Part of the lesson was reading him the baptismal interview questions so that if there was an area he didnt feel as good about, we could focus our lessons more on that for the remaining weeks he has until his baptism. After reading them he was surprised when we finished and he said, "Oh, thats it?" We laughed and said yeah that's it. We had preped him before and said it wasnt like a quiz and he didnt have to memorize anything but he said "ah man, i memorized the baptismal covenant! You dont have to tell them that?" We were like no, but thats awesome! You should tell US!" He told what you commit to and then said really excited "and this is the good part - the blessings. He named off a few and then you could see him thinking about one more and he said....ooo and my favorite, the constant companionship of the holy ghost.

I wanted to fall of the couch. We talked about faith and why we set a date and asked him when he said he wanted to get baptized in november if he had a date in mind. We were like...uh because its november...like today. We pulled out the calendar and said just to give you a visual. He held it in his hands for a while and looked really nervous. We told him that he could change it, but that by making a plan and taking it to the Lord says a lot more than just asking the Lord for a plan. He gets that but said I cant pick a day right now. Buuut he said that he would fast about it. Sunday he wasnt at church. We saved a seat and waited and waited and he didnt come :( We got a text from him though saying he had a huge rash break out from either something he ate or stress. Great - the mormons are stressin him out! However....this is the lord works in mysterious ways part.....it was the WEIRDEST fast and testimony meeting ive ever been to. normally our ward has legit testimony meetings. but our wonderful LA talked for all the testimony meetings hes missed for the past 20 years.......i wanted to laugh at how ridiculous it all was - i felt like i was in some reality tv show...yet at the same time i wanted to cry out of horror. its ok it was good for him. next month we will give him a prep lesson.

 

Our off the hook fireside that me and Sister Barney are putting together is this Sunday! It's called "Tune in to Gratitude". We've searched far and wide for the best of the best musicians and had the bishop challenge the ward to invite at least 1 nonmember friend/family. We got relief society to deligate the awesome fancy refreshments and our awesome member did the artwork for the poster and invites. Hopefully its amazing and a great finding opportunity because we are still starving for a bigger teaching pool. members are still trying to find the connect between inviting your friend to an activity is not just to plant a seed and walk away...its a search for who's ready for the next step of inviting them to meet with the missionaries!

 

Still working on finding the joy through the journey and not just work work work through the journey. It stresses me out when we have a blank spot in our schedule and having to determine which the best way to most effectively use that time. But we are doing lots of good. This new idea of missionary work is so exciting and i feel like the luckiest person in the world to be on the front lines. Our ward is AWESOME. Ward Council is amazing - we have the best ward leaders. and ward councils keep getting better and better. i want to stay in this ward my entire mission im getting so attached! which can only mean one thing...

Im trying to love every second and enjoy having sister barney as a companion every second of it as well. :)

 

Love you all! Go preach the good word!

Sister Bell

 

p.s. - if anyone would like to be put on the direct email list, let me know! id be happy to put you right on that way you dont have to go to the blog