Olaf and Sven adventures!

11-3-14
Dear family. 

Sven and Olaf for Halloween

     This week was great!...and all sorts of really crazy in-between! 
     So as you saw, we got to carve pumpkins last Monday which was a lot of fun! My district is hilarious and we had fun getting pumpkin goo all over each other. We carved pumpkins at one of the Senior Couple's houses (The Mendenhalls) and it was great! 
     Tuesday, we met up with two of the women I told you about last week who are really struggling...but it got better. We met with one and  had a really good lesson with her in which we talked about the beauty of the sacrament and the healing power it can have if we go to church. We convinced her to come this next Sunday!!! AH! yay!
     As for the one I've worked with forever who has depression...We were able to have a really good lesson with her about enduring to the end.  In D&C 121:43 it talks about reproving at times with sharpness and then showing forth a greater increase in love. Something about being a missionary has taught me to say and do things I never would have had the guts to say and do before. Boldness, if used by prompting of the Holy Ghost, can change the hearts of people. It was a really good lesson. 

     Wednesday morning we were surprised to find out that we had Mission President Interviews that day! We thought with President McCune's son in critical condition that we wouldn't be having interviews this transfer, but we were wrong! He came and he and his wife were in really good spirits. Apparently their son is up and walks around the ICU at least twice every day.  President said he is very polite and nice and at sometimes shows sparks of clarity and know who and where he is.  They said he will improve over time, and we are all still praying for him like crazy to improve. 

Woodey & Buzz, Alice & Mad Hatter, Sven & Olaf
and random Elder as Belle?

     Wednesday evening we spent doing service and making cards with one of our investigators named Cathy. Cathy was raised Jehovah’s witness and is elderly with a bunch of health problems. She actually went to Arizona on Thursday for the winter, so we won't be able to teach her anymore...which is sad because she was our only real investigator...so now we are at ground zero and doing a lot of building and contacting. But she let us make cards with her fancy embosser....legit!
          Friday was crazy! We were inside most of the day doing our weekly planning. (They are asked to stay in a lot on Halloween day) We camped out on our apartment floor with pillows and planned lessons for everyone for the next week, while making cookies for our bishops. We have what is called companionship inventory where you discuss the strength of your companions relationship and talk about strengths and unity...ours usually end up with us laughing our heads off and debating who is in charge of killing spiders. (Sis Wicker believes they should have a chance to live...I disagree...if they have invaded my living quarters, they have a right to die!!! So we ended up having a pillow fight...that was fun! And then I straightened Sis Wicker's hair for the Halloween party (She had never done it...) We then had an awesome Halloween party with our district! We all dressed up as Disney Duos. The Elders were... not as creative as us sisters... Sis Spencer and Sis Carey were Buzz and Woodey, Sis Rodriguez and Sis Gorrido were Alice and the Mad Hatter, and Sis Wicker and I were Sven and Olaf! :) it was great! We played apples to apples, and ate chili.
     Saturday morning we had our first Preach My Gospel class! It went really well! We had 14 people come, and are anticipating more. It was great to help members understand their role in missionary work and how they could use studying preach my gospel to help them become better member missionaries! It was super and we are hoping to have the same class in the other stake we cover as well! 

Sisters Rodriguez & Volmer 

          Yesterday was a loooooooong day of going to church! We went to two church blocks...six hours of church...haha. It's good for meeting lots of people but leaves you pretty exhausted. I try to bare my testimony in every ward we go to on fast Sundays, and in the second ward I attended I felt prompted very strongly to share my testimony on deciding to serve a mission and how it had impacted me. So I went up and bore a simple and straightforward testimony of my experience and how much my mission means to me. I remember standing up at the podium and seeing a girl about my age, sitting near the back who was just crying the whole time I spoke. When the meeting was over, she came up behind me and grabbed me tightly by the arm and simply said, "Thank you for your testimony. It was for me." I nodded and gave her a big hug. It is so amazing when the spirit speaks through you. The ability to be an instrument in the spirit's hands is like no other. This week I found myself thinking so many times how grateful I was for the opportunity to be a missionary. I had similar experiences all week long where I wasn’t sure what was going to come out of my mouth, but the Lord knew and he made everything come out just the way He needed it to be. I love the Lord. He knows every one of the people I teach better than I do, and I just need to not get in the way of His love. But I can be an advocate for showing it to others. 

          Well I hope all is well at home! I pray for you all every day! Pray for missionary experiences and they WILL happen! And don't NOT pray because you know they will happen! haha! 

     Love you all and miss you!
Love,  Sister Lenise Diane Volmer