Busy and Tired in the Service

2-9-15

Dear Family...
     Let's start off with the fact I don't think I've been this tired on my mission. Ever. I keep dozing off during nightly planning, and I haven't had much time to think with everywhere we have been running and everything we've been doing. 
      Being a Sister Training Leader just for the past 5 days has been one of the most humbling experiences ever! I feel like I'm being trained as a brand new missionary all over again! It's insane! This new area in Orem is nothing like the last two times I was in Orem when the work was really slow and we did contacting all day. As a Sister Training Leader we get a car, which we need, because they are SO busy here! They have an average of 35 lessons in this area and I cover 2 stakes, and 19 wards. I've gone on more splits this last week than I have in the last 6 months on my mission, which is really pushing my teaching skills and making me rely on the spirit because teaching alone to people you've never met before can be really intimidating and scary, but overall it's been ok. Each night at bed time, I am OUT! So so so tired. As a Sister Training Leader, we are over 2 zones, so I cover 6 sets of sister missionaries (12 Sisters) 4 sets of which are Spanish Sisters. I already love them so much. When I found out I would be an STL, I started praying really hard to just love the sisters that I would be training, and it has helped a lot. I worry about them constantly and I've only known most of them for 5 days. But I don't know a lick of Spanish....Pretty much the only thing I know how to say in Spanish is Yo tengo los gatos verdes en mis pantalones.... (I have green cats in my pants...and that's just not going to help anyone....)

      We have two sets of senior couples and they spoil us so bad! One of them are Elder and Sister Cornish and they claim us all as adopted daughters and keep telling us how much they love us and if there is anything we need or anything they will do it all! They are the sweetest ever! If you ask Elder Cornish his favorite part of the mission, he says the young Sister Missionareis! haha! The Looslie's are the same way! They are the best! 

     This week I've met so many new people who are just so prepared and amazing! This place is booming with investigators and people to teach and to love. My mind is dizzy trying to remember them all though! 


Jeff's Baptism

     Saturday I had the chance to go back to Mapleton to see Jeff's baptism! It was so strange, I had only been gone 3 days and just driving through Springville was making me homesick for it and missing Sister Gulbranson so much. His baptism was amazing and had a great turn out and it was cool to visit with all the missionaries who had taught him in the past! HE is such a tall big guy, and his uncle who baptized him was smaller, and so they had to baptize him twice because he couldn't get him down under the water all the way and pull him back up!  And I loved catching up with Sis Gulbranson.
       Sis Robertson and I have a lot of fun as companions! We are so busy, but we laugh a lot and reminisce the good old days in the MTC together. Last night our land lords had a bunch of teenagers over playing games and they were so loud! It took us a while but we eventually figured out that they were playing charades, which inspired us to want to play a round. So we laughed really hard because we were so loopy and tired and acting out Samuel the Lamanite, and evil king Noah, and being an octopus, and a fireplace. We are weirdos. It's going to be a jolly good time together! :) I'm learning so much from her! She is such an amazing missionary and really knows her stuff!
      I've met some amazing people this week that we teach, and I'm so excited to get to know them more.
       One of them is named AJ. She is in her 40's and has awesome long HOT PINK hair! It's so cool! She wants to get baptized SO bad! She just needs to stop smoking and she'll be good...but she is also living with a boyfriend and their 6 year old daughter. We taught her the law of chastity this week, and told her that she can't get baptized unless her and her Boyfriend of 7 years named N get married. We talked about the blessings and the importance of the commandment to God, and she said she understood, but didn't have money for a wedding. We told her the bishop could marry them, the chapel was free, the ward would come together to decorate and make food, and we knew a cake decorator. She has SO much faith it was crazy! She started crying she was so grateful for everyone's help! Her and her boyfriend set a date for March 10th to get married! It was so amazing! I'm so proud of her and she is such an amazing woman. So we are wedding planners now.

Lenise loves books!

      There is another 17 year old boy named D who wants to be baptized and his brother gets off his mission next month, and is going to come home and baptize him! It will be super neat! We had a lot of district meetings to go to this week and we have been so busy setting up our exchange schedule for this transfer! I have to go on 6 exchanges...6...holy cow. This will be a new adventure for sure. We have MLC (Missionary leadership Council meeting) this week which is just like a zone conference with all the leadership. Then later this next week we have two zone training meetings to plan, conduct, and teach. So this week is going to be a crazy week of meetings and such. Not a whole lot of time to teach, which means we will be going on more splits in the evenings to get all our lessons in. 
      Also on Wed and Thurs nights we do chapel tours. It's something the stake presidents have set up where people can invite nonmember/less active friends and family to come tour the church and get comfortable, and us as missionaries lead the tours and talk about the sacrament and the baptismal font and all sorts of other things. So that keeps us busy. 
      Well, I know that this church is true. I have to wrap things up because we just found out some sisters need help. 
      But I want to bare my testimony that I know that the Savior lives, that through relying on Him we can overcome our struggles, the hard times, the new things, and the hard things. I've been chanting my mantra this week "I can do hard things. I can do hard things." The Lord's will is my will and I'm ready to do what He asks. I love you all and miss you! Thanks for everything and the support. Love you to the moon and back!
    Love,
Sister Lenise Diane Volmer
   p.s. 
       I will not be sending you my current address because they have asked that all mail be sent to the mission office to be forwarded. I need to be obedient and be a good example to these sisters...which means getting letters a week later than they would usually get to me. Any mail should be sent to 85 North 600 East, Provo UT 84606.  Tell me when Leisha has her baby! :)