Back to first area, new companion, and General Conference

10-6-14

Saying goodbye to very special people.

Dearest family,
    Where to begin, where to begin....this week has been one of the longest ones I've had in a while, and to say I'm tired is probably an understatement...haha. The beginning of last week feels like a dream. Roosevelt and Orem are so different from each other that I feel like I've stepped back into a different world.
     Monday was a hard/fun day. Finding out I was being transferred was really hard. Both me and Sis McMurray started crying in the family history center and when Elder Christoffersen and Elder Trejo came in they kind of just stood there and stared at us awkwardly and Sis McMurray was just like "don't look at me like that!!!" I really miss her :( she was so great and so much fun. Monday we spent most of the day at a sports zone activity. We played soccer, which I sat out at first because I wasn't feeling well still and my cold was horrible, but I played for awhile then went and said goodbye to the Ryan's (the one who has a recording studio in his house) they are the best and their kids are so cute.   Thank heavens Mom’s prayer for me not to cry while I said my goodbyes was answered.  We swung by Glenda Hunts house, who is the grandma of Robert and Remo Hunt who we baptized back in March and I got to say goodbye to them. They have been doing great. It was amazing because the Sunday before I said goodbye we went to church in their ward and when I was handed the sacrament I looked up and it was Robert standing there passing it to me....can you say best feeling EVER to see someone you taught fulfilling their priesthood duties!
     That night I began packing....Ugh. I hate packing with a fiery passion! Haha!

Loved the Roosevelt smiles!

     We then went to lunch with Dusty. That was sad...Dusty is the best! He served in the Australia Perth mission with an Elder Shwartz who just happens to be the famous LDS pianist William Joseph....and so he gave me a cd that they arranged on his mission. I'm really gonna miss laughing with Dusty. He's been like our protective big brother and has helped us out and taken us hiking and all sorts of grand adventures.  I said good bye to a ton of people, then ended up at the Wilda’s.  I was pretty nervous about leaving and starting new, so I asked Bro. Wilda for a blessing. He blessed me with all these amazing things, like focus, peace, strength, and to not worry about things I can't control at home or in my future. He then blessed me that in my new area I would be able to judge situations and not people, and be able to see past premonitions or prejudices or rumors I may have heard about my new area or companion...That made me think a little bit....and confused me a lot. I didn't know a lot of other missionaries and I had only ever served in two areas and had never heard of what the other areas were like...he told me sometimes we reap and sometimes we see... The next day I couldn't help but cry some more as we hauled all my stuff out (through our basement window....) and drove away through Roosevelt. 9 months – my 2^nd home.
     It was fun to see people I knew at transfers, and when President announced that I was going back to my "baby" I was like "No Way!" I was so excited! So yes I'm staying in the exact same house and I'm in the same neighborhood, and I'm working with a lot of the same people from 9 months ago. It helps because I don't have learn so many new names...but Orem is so different from Roosevelt. I'm used to teaching 20+ lessons a week? And now I'm down to 5-10ish... I was excited at first but the second I stepped back into my apartment I was flooded with all the stress, weaknesses, and frustrations  I used to feel while here 9 months ago.  Last time I was here I didn't feel like I was making a difference ever. So now I'm trying to figure out why God put me here again. Maybe it was just my ‘newness’ as a missionary.  There has to be a reason and somebody or something I need to do, I just know it...or he wouldn't have sent me back. So I have faith that he will help me understand my purpose in Orem. It's good to see some familiar faces I thought I would never see again. It's a lot harder work out here and you get exhausted a lot faster, even though there aren't as many people to teach.  Since being back, I've already had a door very rudely slammed in my face, I've chased down a car, and I've pushed a broken car down the street.
     My companion is Sister Rachel Wicker and she is an absolute sweet heart! She is so hardworking and is so inspiring to me. She has been out on her mission for 9 months and she is 22 years old. She was an only child for her first 20 years and her mom had a baby a month before she left on her mission. So she has a little baby sister. We’ve talked a lot about goal setting, staying positive, not putting ourselves down, and true beauty. I've been back on a bike which feels awesome! (Except for my rear end...that was painful for a while...) but it's nowhere near as hard as it was when I first came to Orem

With Companion # 6 Sis Wicker at the
Sunday morning session.

     I saw RG again since I left last and she is doing really good. Saturday we watched General conference with recently returning less actives who had a billion dogs....ok maybe. They had four. But they were all over us! Very distracting. They took us to lunch and then we went to a member’s house that I knew from before. Their name was the V. Saturday afternoon session was so epic! I had a few questions answered that time around and I wanted to applaud too! We then went out contacting all night and I was really tired.
      The next morning we woke up super early in order to get ready for conference and were out the door by 6:30am. We drove over in Pres McCune's car and had fun talking with him and his wife about how he used to be in a rock band, and then how we put on garage dances at our house, and a bunch of random things.
     Conference was sooooo good! I was on the floor on the very very far right facing the stand, only about five rows back, and right next to the door where all the general authorities entered! We stood near the isle in the beginning and Russell M Nelson came out and shook our hands! I was trying to squeeze through elders to get through in time, but he passed, and I stuck my hand out anyway and he turned back and said "Hello sweetie" and shook my hand. HE CALLED ME SWEETIE! And shook my hand!!! I felt like a fan girl! Haha! It was really cool. I got to shake Tad R Callisters hand and Sis Oscarson, and Jeffrey R Holland walked right in front of us and waved, and D Todd Christofferson blew a kiss at us and L Tom Perry is the cutest little old man, and we saw Dallin H Oaks, and it was AMAZING when the prophet and his councilor a walked out, not 20 feet away from where we were and the whole center stood and was so silent. It was crazy to be so up close. It was hard to focus just because we were all so star struck to be there. It was an amazing experience! The choir sounded awesome as well! I love our prophet and general authorities! They are the best!
     After we were walking through temple square to get to our cars and I saw Bradley Hunt...and then his dad...so I knew Becca was nearby and I ran over and found her and gave her a hug. AJ was there to and I was able to shake his hand and wish him well before I had to run to catch up with the other missionaries.
     By the time we got back we were just in time for the second session and I got to watch it with one of my favorite family's! The Hairs!  I do feel like I need to pack and pretty much reread all of conference because I couldn't absorb it all.   Later last night we were invited to what we thought was a family party with less actives and recent converts invited. So we show up...and it's actually a college party....I felt soooooooo awkward there talking to people and everyone flirting and being loud. It was weird. I wanted to run...but then out of nowhere popped Victoria Roberts! It was fun to see her! But she kept saying my first name… which weirded me out! Hahaha I'm going to be such an awkward RM!      Thanks for all your love and support! I love you all and miss you! I hope I didn't miss anything!

Group I went to Conference with.  Pres & Sis. McCune on right.

Love,
Sister Lenise Diane Volmer