Busy & Happy

We miss this smile-so glad she's happy!

3-24-14

Dear Family,

Okay.
Get Ready.
Put your seatbelts on.
Crazy week.
Lots happened.
Life is good.
And Frustrating.
And Crazy.
And Hilarious.
And just WAAAAHHH!!!
So this week.....where to begin, where to begin.... I don't even know!!! 

Snow, rain, & hale so you gotta play in it!

      So we've been doing that one One Ward A Night program I've been telling you about in my last email, and seriously we had a ton of our ward mission leaders cancel on us this week, which was kind of a blessing because I got a bad cold this week and Sis Balero is recovering from sickness too... Ayiyi! Sickness is not fun when you're a missionary and have to do missionary work anyways! So Monday, (You know how I was telling you I was getting super bored with all my clothes, well tender mercy!!!) we got a call from a lady in one of our wards (Who is super stylish and just my size) and she told us that she was getting rid of a bunch of clothes and asked if we wanted to come try some on! Which we did and I got a bunch of new(ish) stuff! First World Missionary problems...but whatever, it's good to have new clothes! 
     Then Tuesday there was this wacky storm! So everyone out here has been praying and fasting like crazy for more rain and snow because they don't have enough moisture to last the summer. Well this crazy storm comes out of nowhere and starts pouring snow, hale, and rain....so we decided to dance outside in it while singing. It was fun. One of our Fellowshippers who is an RM sister who returned home early because of health issues also got engaged that day so we had fun "oohing" and "aaahhing" over her pretty ring.

Goat whisperer

     Wednesday, we missed birthing goats!!! SAD! :( We wanted to really really bad! But the text that their owner sent us never made it through), so we just went over later that day and played with the 3 new baby goats! (We actually didn't play with them, we helped build a goat shed...but we still got to hold them!) We named them after the songs we sang to their mother to get her to have the babies... Roar, Brave, and Fractle. They were soooo cute! Also Wednesday night we were up making videos for our District Training meeting the next day. Our district leader called us Sunday and told us we had to make a short hilarious video to share before each DTM...well guess what. The next day WE WON the contest with our video...it was simply a video of me holding a hideous picture of myself with a bajillion double chins and counting them in a strange voice...and then we added credits and all the double chins were named....so we won. 
     Thursday was super fun, because we went on exchanges with our Sister Training Leaders. Sis Balero went to Vernal, and Sis Lolofie came and stayed with me here in Roosevelt. I absolutely LOVE Sister Lolofie!!! She's half Samoan and gorgeous! She's super cool and hilarious and she has these crazy blue eyes even though she looks Polynesian. Her personality is pretty much a 23 year old girl version of Lucas Fernandez... I'm not even kidding she reminds me of him so much and their laughs are the same! We cracked up a lot and had bunches of fun. I wish I had gotten a picture with her, she is so inspiring! I hope I can be just like her someday as a missionary. She is super good at putting people at ease and finding scriptures off the top of her head that help in every situation.
     So Friday, I started getting sick...which was no bueno...but I think I'm already getting over it, so it didn't last that long and it was nowhere near as sick as I was in Orem back in January. That was bad! 


Robert & Remo's baptism!

4 years in choir & 2 years in Forte together helps
to make for some great musical numbers at baptisms.

     Saturday was crazy...We helped out at this Family History Fair that our stake put on, which was super interesting! That's one of the things I want to work on when I get home is Family History! Then we practiced our song (Come Unto Christ, 2014 Youth Theme Song) for the baptism, then we headed over the baptism! The program was beautiful and it was an amazing feeling watching as Robert and Remo both got baptized. I thought I would cry or something because these boys were my first real baptism that I had been with from the beginning...but instead I laughed when they got baptized because the water heater in the chapel hadn't been working and the water was FREEZING. They both were gasping when they came out of the water! Poor guys! We sang and it went better than I thought it would, especially with my half-dead-with-a-cold voice. Lots of people came up to us and complimented us and told us about how well our voices blended together. After 4 years of choir together, I think we've mastered the art of blending :) We've gotten super close to Robert and Remo's family and we had dinner with them after the baptism and had fun getting to know their cousins. Their grandmother Glenda, who has recently returned to activity and is the main supporter for her grandsons. She is an amazing women and I'm so proud of her and her example. Saturday night was a dumb night though. NOBODY wanted to see us at all.... we couldn't get a hold of anyone and nobody was home! Our Ward Mission Leader Bro Wilda (He is a stellar Ward Mission Leader!!) was trying so hard to find us people, but because so many of the people in Roosevelt are related, one of their grandpa's died and suddenly EVERYONE was visiting family or prepping for a funeral...so almost literally everybody’s grandpa died and we had no one to teach.
     Sunday was super crazy too. We went to Robert and Remo's confirmations and taught a lot of people. I was sooooo tired and sick that I was trying soooo hard not to fall asleep during Relief Society. It probably didn't help that I was fasting too for a lesson we had later that day.
     So we've been trying to teach this guy L for FOREVER! But he just keeps chickening out when we invite him to take the lessons. He's 25 and he's married to a girl (Whose less active) named T, and they have the cutest little baby boy named K. He is such a baby flirt! What a cute kid! I'm super sad we aren't allowed to play with cute babies as missionaries...because if we could I would play with that kid for hours! But anyways, back to L. We've had a billion spiritual moments with him, but he's been reluctant to take the lessons. So when Sis Lolofie came with me to his house on Thursday, she was super smooth and got him to finally accept the lessons and we set up a time to see him on Sunday. Then Saturday he texted and said he just didn't know if he was ready for the lessons yet. So I fasted for him on Sunday and prayed like crazy for him. Then we taught him the Plan of Salvation (The one he had the most questions about) and answered a lot of his questions. We keep telling him to pray but he won't because I think he's too scared he might actually get an answer. And he keeps telling us he wants a big slap-in-the-face answer if he's actually going to do this...DANG! He's tough. But I LOVE teaching them! Whenever I'm over there I just feel like I need to help them accept the gospel. So if you could pray for L to soften his heart and to also get an answer I would appreciate that so much.

      By way of a concluding spiritual thought, I thought I would share with you a poem I wrote this week:

 I love you all and pray for you daily. Hope Kelsy gets well soon! Until Next week!
Love forever,

Sister Lenise Diane Volmer

 

 This I Know
By: Sister Lenise Diane Volmer

This I know:
That God has fingers,
nails,  palms, knuckles,
god has cheekbones,
a bottom lip.
A sloping nose,
and creases in Hi skin,
where His mouth pulls
into a smile like the
moon.

This I know:
God has a Son,
with flshypink
scars
on His hands and wrists
and feet and side.
He has piercing eyes
that closed
when His strong shoulders
fell
under the weight
of so many
ravaged hearts.

This I know:
That thought at times
I have taken
the hammer in my
hand
and delivered--myself--
the blows
to those heavy iron nails,
God's Son
has still lifted me
with the ghosts
of those iron nails
forever graven
on His palms.

This I know:
Those hate--scarred
perfect hands
aren't capable of
creating flaws,
Every deformity
crease, crevice, crater
imperfection, blemish, and
broken thing
has a purpose
has a role.

This I know:
That I have fingers,
nails, palms, knuckles.
I have cheekbones,
a bottom lip,
a sloping nose
and creases in my skin,
where my mouth pulls
into a smile.
And though I am shattered
broken fragments--
This I know:
That I am beautiful
to Him.