Uno analogy!

7-28-14

Dearest Family,

Lenise is happy!

    Where to begin where to begin.
    Monday after emails, we had a lesson with Dusty...it was Sis McMurray's idea and we had an object lesson and played Uno...it turned into a really spiritual lesson and really affected Dusty. You know how when you play Uno how everyone gangs up on  you when you only have one card left and you get really frustrated and feel like you'll never win? Well that's how life is too. I've seen it so much recently that when our investigators or less actives are getting closer to baptism or the priesthood or the temple, Satan and his followers kick it up a notch and make their life a terrible mess! So we talked about endurance and pushing through trials, and how trials are preparing us for greater blessings. It was fun and spiritual...and you really get to see people's bad sides when you play dirty rotten card games like Uno...
    Tuesday was super busy...Tuesdays are always super busy... haha. Bro Crozier (my adopted grandfather/ward mission leader in White Rocks) introduced us to the grandson of an elderly couple in their branch who was staying for the summer and who wasn't a member. His name is John and he's 23. He's majoring in Mathematics while simultaneously working on writing a science fiction novel. He was a really interesting guy. Super logical but also in touch with spiritual things too. It was interesting to give him the first lesson and hear all his ideas about God. He said he believed in Deism (pretty much believing in a supreme creator who created the universe and then sits back and just watches everything happen) except he believes that God intervenes every now and then because he had an experience in 6th grade where he prayed to feel comfort and he had a really strong spiritual experience. It was fun teaching him and we hope to be able to meet up with him again soon. We went to have dinner with him and his grandparents last night and then teach another lesson, except when we got there the house was packed with people because their family reunion had just started and we couldn't teach with a bajillion little kids running around and wrestling on the floor...So we'll see what happens. 
    Tuesday was interesting also because our phone stopped working...like completely. No incoming calls or texts and not outgoing ones either. So this week was a little frustrating without a phone, which meant people could only get a hold of us on our land line in the mornings and we would have to periodically stop at churches or the family history center to use their phone and get ahold of people. Wednesday it was funny because after we went to the Addiction Recovery Program meeting with a couple of our less actives, we showed up at our coordination meeting and one of our Zone Leaders, Elder Christofferson got out of his car and was like "What the heck sisters! We've called you like 3 times!" and we were like "We told Elder Valdez, we don't have a phone right now!" and he looked all sheepish and was like "Oh. Right. Sorry."
    Friday was President Interviews. And it just so happened to be while we were waiting for President to show up that I got the email from mom about Great Grandma passing away...yeah I had to leave the room because I was tearing up... I didn't expect to be so sad. But it passed pretty quickly. She's happier, I know it. She's been waiting to be with Grandpa again for a while.

Vanessa's baptism!

    Saturday was Vanessa's baptism and she asked me to sing at it. I sang Savior Redeemer of my Soul and had to try really hard not to cry while doing it. Her baptism was really spiritual and powerful. Not only did she get baptized but her husband the next day received the priesthood, which was AWESOME! They are moving this week though to Las Vegas so we are going to have to keep up with them via Facetime until we get the other missionaries involved. They have already found their church building in Vegas and live 3 miles from the temple down there. V loves the temple and can't wait to go inside! 
    Sunday was crazy. We were all over the place. Misty, my redheaded friend and ward missionary gave her farewell talk this Sunday and we went to her goodbye dinner... All of these amazing people I've become friends with out here in Roosevelt are all leaving on missions and it makes me sad, but I know what they’re doing (because I'm doing it too) and it's the best thing they could do at this time in their lives. 
    Goodness gracious! What a week! And I've just started another one. Well, I hope you are all having fun this week with reunion people! I've been keeping Grandpa Merkley in my prayers! Tell mom not to laugh too hard...or we'll run out of Tylenol for her laughing headaches! Have fun! Love you all and miss you to pieces! Have a fun summer! Tell Riley to keep singing with that pretty voice of hers! The church is true!!!
Love,

    Sister Lenise Diane Volmer