Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Crazy!


3-9-15
    Dearest family,
   Well another crazy week in the life of a sister missionary. Yup. I'm getting this email out late again because I've been doing so much post mission prep today because it is the only day I can. I don't like it. I have been trying very hard not to think about going home and how scared I am to return to the world...but everywhere I go people are asking me when I am going home, and last night in the middle of weekly planning sister Robertson was counting on her fingers and I asked her what she was doing and she said "counting how many days you have left....its 25..." And I was like "HEY!!!"
        

But seriously, the work here is going amazing! We had a few cancelations, but God provides and we saw some miracles. Tuesday was a meeting day. We had part 1 of our mission leadership council which was super intense! It was all about how God trusts this mission SO much and how we were all selected at this crucial time to be leaders in the mission as the world implements "being Disciples of Christ in the Digital age" and how it was up to us to teach the other missionaries the principles behind obedience, especially in regards to new iPad policies and trainings. As of his last week, we are no longer piloting iPads, but testing them now, and all US missions, and Canada and Europe will be using iPads from here on out. And if we miss use them they won't be taking them away, because just taking them from us won't teach us how to use technology righteously for the rest of our lives, we will just be guided as we make mistakes to turn to the lord and use technology for his purposes. We are not iPad missionaries, but the Saviors missionaries who just happen to use iPads as a tool. We had a four hour training later on Tuesday with the whole mission in which Elder Clark of the seventy and Brother Donaldson from the church technology department came and gave us a super intense training on how to change our nature, not our behavior and how we need to be vaccinated from unrighteous use of technology instead of quarantined. It was really overwhelming and exciting and tiring and cool. I will have to tell you more about it when I can actually talk to you and show you some of the quotes they used from general authorities about it. I think it would be good for parents to use with their kids!
     So that was a crazy day, and that Tuesday is when I got super sick. I had a really bad cold all week long, which meant my bag was constantly full of used tissues and I sounded like a man! Haha! But there were still some amazing things that happened. 
     Wednesday morning we finished up with part 2 of Mission Leadership council, and we got the new ipads! I have a brand new loner Ipad for my last month, while everyone else gets brand new ones of their very own that they are required to purchase. We were super excited about that because I thought I wouldn't get one because I was leaving so soon and that I would have to be on paper for my last few weeks! Tender mercy! It was awesome! Then we spent all afternoon with both sets of our zone leaders planning for our zone training meetings. Luckily this week we didn't have exchanges because we were so busy and I was super sick and tired most of the time! 
Kacie's Baptism
     Thursday morning we had our first Zone training meeting and it went really well! This month we are focusing on our missionary purpose and it is really cool to hear the testimonies of so many missionaries who are just so dedicated! It's crazy! We did some fun role playing and a bunch of other training and at the end, Sister Tripp and I were able to bare our testimonies because it was our last zone training meeting. Later that evening we had a baptism! Her name is Kacie Dickson and she is in her early 20s and she has been waiting to get baptized for a long time and has been so prepared. Her husband was less active, but he was able to baptize her, and it was a really fun upbeat baptism. I had to speak at it, even though I sounded like a man, but it all went really well. I spoke on the Holy Ghost, and it gave me a chance to reflect on how much I value His friendship and company.
     Saturday was our second Zone training meeting and it went super well! We had a lot of discussion on the atonement and it was amazing. We read the Seminary Donuts story with them (look it up online! It is a great analogy!) And then at the end of the whole meeting I sang Savior Redeemer of My Soul for them and bore my testimony. I'm not gonna lie, I got really emotional. I love that zone and we are super close, and I have loved my mission so much, and baring my testimony of how important and special it has been to me and also my testimony of the Savior...I was on the border of the full on Ugly cry...but don't worry I kept it together pretty well. It was a really spiritual meeting. Saturday we also met the most golden investigator! She is 16 and is living with an active family that has practically adopted her. She is from Columbia but sounds more like she has an Australian accent and she loves the gospel so much already. Her name is Julianna and she wants to be an English major too with an emphasis in creative writing and publishing and editing, so we get along super well! She is fantastic! We will have to get her baptized before I leave!
     Sunday was super hectic and crazy! Once one appointment falls behind, all the rest do too!
     We had an appointment with a family who had Russian relatives living with them who wanted to know about the gospel but couldn’t speak English. So we had like three translators there who were talking over each other the whole time and whenever we said a simple sentence it took them forever to translate it which made us realize they were going waaaay more in depth than they needed to. Which was really frustrating and confusing. We went a half hour over and needed to get to dinner but the RM we were with just kept saying "This is more important, and you are going to be late." and was getting annoyed at us for wanting to be punctual and get to our dinner without them hating us. Thankfully dinner was super kind and funny and awesome! Their names were the Porters and they were just dandy! But also that Russian Couple really felt the spirit and want to learn more....so we will see how that goes.
     The work is moving forward! It is grand and glorious! We have the twins’ baptism coming up this next week and I will have to send pictures of that. I'm so thankful for this chance to share my love of the Savior with others and to serve Him. Thank you for the prayers and all the help! I'm still learning tons and growing and changing. I feel like I'm not where I want to be yet before I go home, but I'm still learning lots and tons. Love you all and miss you! 

Love,
Sister Lenise Diane Volmer

 

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