Spiders (Week 72)

“This week was one of those weeks where so much happens and then you get to Monday and you wonder if any of it actually happened because it felt like the week was only 1 hour long. And yet, so much happened. It's an interesting feeling.

Well, Halloween is coming up and our apartment sure knows it. I don't know how many spiders I've seen in there lately, but it's been a lot. I guess with the torrential downpours that have been going on, they're looking for a dry warm place to stay. Don't worry, we've been trying to just catch and release them instead of killing them.

To start off, zone conference was amazing this week. I went in with some questions about faith and came out with a lot of answers. I was wondering if there are levels of faith and what that means. My favorite part of the whole conference was when President Schofield said: "we are nothing. except we aren't, because he sent his son to extend his grace." Grace is like kinda a confusing topic to me because I've met so many evangelical people on my mission who like to argue about grace and works and how Mormons believe that we can earn our way to heaven or something and why do we need to get baptized and do certain things, it's okay as long as we have faith, we are saved. I don't know. Talking to them is so confusing. BUT I've been studying it a lot recently and I just know so much that the Book of Mormon is true. Like HOLY COW it's true. I love it. I saw a quote this week that said: Choose your love and love your choice. I've chosen this gospel. I've chosen to be on a mission. It's blessing me so much, why would I not express love to heavenly father in return by doing certain things like getting baptized and going to church and enduring to the end? It makes sense to me. James E. Talmage said: "Passive belief on the part of a would-be recipient of blessing is insufficient; only when it is vitalized into active faith is it a power; so also of one who ministers in the authority given of God, mental and spiritual energy must be operative if the service is to be effective." I think I've shared that quote again, but I'll share it again, because it's something that I don't think a lot of people understand. Heavenly Father is bound when we do what he says! Wouldn't we want to insure blessings for ourselves by being obedient? Otherwise, the blessings that will come will be sporadic and hard to recognize. Through faith and our actions, we can see miracles and appreciate God more, thus being more happy.

We have had miracle after miracle here in Bothell. It's hard to contain all of them within ourselves with there just being 2 of us. It's been really good. We've been working hard and seeing results, and it's so awesome. I think Sister Piddubna is really enjoying herself as well, and I think we've been able to really help each other with English and Russian. I was worried that I would plateau this transfer, but I feel like I'm past the plateau of my mission and just learning more than ever! It's awesome.

After zone conference, we were really concerned about following the promptings of the spirit. We didn't have a lot of time to go out to work. We went to the place that we had planned to go earlier, and it just didn't feel right. Sister Piddubna felt that we needed to call a woman that we've been working with. Her phone was dead, and so we felt uneasy because her husband is dying of cancer, and we were worried that something had happened. Typically, we go there during the day and we always call first. Well, it was 7pm, but she really felt that we needed to go check on this woman. In this moment, we prayed to confirm, and I never really felt any strong confirmation. However, I decided to trust Sister P's instincts, and we headed out. We got there, and knocked. She opened the door and just cried. She had been having a rough day, her husband hadn't been eating, he hadn't been drinking, and she was scared that he's getting near the end. Just through the small whispering of the spirit, we were able to hug, pray with, and read the word of God to his beautiful daughter who needed our help that night. I learned a lot about trusting my companion as well. It takes humility to follow your companion's prompting, even when you don't feel the same way. However, I think that's how it is a lot of the time. And we wonder why our companion got the prompting and we didn't. Feelings of resentment can arise and take away the unity of the companionship. And then, you see a miracle and you are humbled. I was lucky enough that night to decide before we saw the miracle that Sister Piddubna was indeed feeling the spirit and that we needed to act on that, regardless of my own feelings. It was a cool experience.

We had a Dan Jones! (where you meet someone that week and teach them, then they come to church that week and you get a return appointment with them). It's really hard to do. I've had one other one on my whole mission! It's a miracle, and I'm so excited to see where it goes with that investigator.

We went to the library for an appointment, but then our investigator asked if we cuold reschedule for a later time. BUT THEN it was really cool.. we found out why we needed to be there. This man just walked right up to us and started telling us how much he loves Mormons. AND THEN he started speaking Russian. Man, it was cool. He's Muslim and not interested in learning, but he was a real boost of our morale. A small act of kindness and word of encouragement or gratitude can go a long way, truly.

Actually, there was so much more that happened including me driving for an hour and a half literally hydroplaning the whole time. It's been raining like crazy here! It was so dark I could only see the lights in front of me between the windshield wipers, the darkness, and all of the water pouring down. It really made me realize that the lights of the other cars are so important. If they didn't have lights, we would have been dead. I'll let you figure out the gospel analogy from this story by yourself....

I love and miss all of you and wish you a wonderful week!”

the Realm of the Miraculous (Week 71)

“This week, we were listening to something called the "Prophet PepTalk" a few times, and I just heard a phrase that stuck out to me. It was "move into the realm of the miraculous." I can't find where it's from on lds.org, so I'm guess it's not from conference. However, I do love a talk by Hartman Rector Jr called "Following Christ to Victory." He said: "When the Lord said, “Lengthen your stride, quicken your pace, heighten your reach, widen your vision, and stretch your capacity,” he was in reality saying “expect a miracle,” for these are the stuff from which miracles are made. The prophet says, “DO IT,” and he indicates the time is NOW. And expect the miracle."

It's hard sometimes to knock on a door and immediately recognize whoever opens the door as a potential baptism. As someone who might be willing to change their life to the point where they could actually step into the baptismal font. It's so dang hard because time after time, we have that door closed and walk away knowing that that person wasn't ready to make any changes in their life. But, we have to MOVE into the realm of the miraculous. The miracles are out there. I kbnow it because every single time, I start feeling down in the dumps or discouraged, I have an awesome companion to pull me out or something awesome happens and we see miracles.

We can actually CHOOSE to live and see miracles or we can choose to not. It's not easy when hopes get dashed or situations take a turn for the worse, but, holy cow, I'm so grateful to have Sister Piddubna as a companion right now! She is the most pure sister. She is just an angel, and she expects miracles every single day. She listens to the spirit, and while she might not be very self-confident, she is confident in the Lord and His plan. She is humble and teachable and always seeking to learn more about the gospel. We are doing so well!

This week was great, but my favorite day was probably Sunday. We came to church, and once again, our investigators didn't make it. Turns out one was sick and the other is going to start going to the YSA ward! He knows a girl from the ward, and she invited him. It's a little sad but really exciting for him, and the YSA sisters! We had the primary program at church, which means that all of the PMFs come and a lot of other non-members. We weren't able to talk to all of them because of the large number, but we did talk to some, and we had one non-member ask for us to come over to dinner and another member ask us to come over to teach their non-member son-in-law this coming week!

We put in the work and then a lot of the times, the miracles just come from the most random and unexpected sources. It's truly a blessing. We weren't 100% sure that our investigator was going to come to the fireside, but he did! I remember, we were both like...well, we're going to go in faith and pray that he will make it. He was a little late, and we had to stand on the street so that he could find it, and we didn't have translation for him. However, he really enjoyed and was intrigued by it. The whole time, I was praying that he would be able to understand the English, and he was able to! It was so awesome. Prayers are answered!

I've been working to keep my testimony alive and vital by reading the Book of Mormon more intently this past week, and I feel more on fire than ever! If you're not reading the Book of Mormon daily, or if you've never read it...please take a look. Try it. Come and see if it has anythign to offer. In this world of commotion, I promise that there is peace in Jesus Christ. One of the wayd we find out about Jesus Christ is by reading His words from Holy scriptures like the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

I love being a missionary, and I love you all!
Sister Jenne”

Freezing Rain! (week 70)

“So, I've been wondering where the Seattle rain is. We've been told that winter starts on September 15th, and I remember last year when it started raining in September. But, up to this point, it's been really beautiful and warm. Well...this week, the one time we go knocking far away from home with no jackets or tights, it poured down freezing rain for 30 minutes and then we had a long lesson in a freezing cold house. Sister Piddubna got sick after that and had a fever that night...Winter is here. It was a lesson learned; we'll always keep jackets in the car now.

The coolest miracle happened this week though! We got a text on our phone saying to call this guy asap because he wants to meet with us (English speaking, not Russian). So we went over and taught the Restoration and committed him to all the normal commitments. So we were discouraged at his not coming to church yesterday and not texting us back. BUT then, we got a text last night :) Turns out, his phone broke or something. So all is well and there is a church tour set up this week.

I remember, after church yesterday, we were both just feeling tired, because we had to wake up early for ward council and then go to 5 hours of church instead of 3. We went home for comp study and unexpectedly were able to set up a lesson with a Ukrainian man. He's so dang funny...he spent the first 15 minutes telling us about an Artesian well where you can get free spring water and then he gave us some of it with organic honey in it. Super yummy. He also tried to show us some Ukrainian comedy show about getting married. I told him we couldn't watch that right now hahah. I wrote it down though...I also told him about enduring to the end and he was like...naw...life isn't to be endured! It's to be enjoyed! I thought that was cool. He would make an awesome Mormon. So our Sunday really became better after getting that text and having that lesson. The other cool part was that we were having a really hard time trying to find someone who  could come to the lesson with us. We needed a third female there so that we could go inside. No one was answering. We were about to give up and I just decided to scroll through the phone and call the first person who stuck out. Of course, the first person that popped up was the obvious choice. She speaks Russian and doesn't live far away...We just totally forgot about her due to the fact that she's not in our ward. It's funny because I think a lot of the time, the choice is obvious, and God is wondering why we aren't seeing it.  So he has to get us to that point through other promptings, such as: scrolling through phone contacts.

We said goodbye to Sister Christensen this weekend. It was bittersweet, but I know it was for the best (Sis Chris, if you're reading this: ya tebya lublu ii ya tak hochu shtobui tui vernulac zdyes no fsyo normana).

We got permission to go and be part of a studio audience on a tv show in Seattle with a member from our ward. It was the coolest p-day ever today!

I've been thinking a lot about what President Eyring said in conference. He said that he read the Book of Mormon every day for 50 years. Um. Think about that, actually...So you're telling me that this incredibly busy man never had a day where he was just traveling or speaking or working all day long so much that he never had a second to open the book? That's amazing! It's easy as a missionary, because we have a scheduled time every single morning, and it's our responsibility. But even then, sometimes I find myself reading other things. But, I want to discover the Book of Mormon's message for me. I invite all of you to do the same. I'm going to read it cover to cover one more time before the end of my mission, and I can't wait to share with all of you some of the new things that I will learn.

So much more happened, but the time is so far gone.

I love you all!”

Why should the U.S. ban pre-shredded cheese? (Week 69)

“TO MAKE AMERICA GRATE AGAIN!

This week in English class, we read jokes! No one understood them, except the native English speakers, so it was a bit of a fail. Now, I know some new jokes though. Someday I hope to have an arsenal of jokes and riddles to pull out in boring moments. I never thought a mission is where I would hear so many jokes.

Once upon a time, we were in our apartment, talking to our district leader on the phone, and it started smelling like gas. Of course, we tell him and then he shows up at 10:30pm (we're supposed to be asleep by then) to check it out. by 11:00pm, we still couldn't find the source, but we weren't about to just go to sleep. And so, we walked around the office, trying to find the apartment complex's emergency number. Basically, we couldn't find any numbers to contact and we just had to pack our bags, leave, and go sleep at some other sisters' apartment. The floor was dang hard. I might have gotten 2 hours of sleep on Saturday night. The funniest part was that there were Elders in our apartment, and that never happens.

It's good to be back in Bothell. I miss Duvall and Sister Anderson, but I love Sister Christensen & Piddubna (yes, I'm in a trio again, but Sister C will be going home this next week, so it will just be Sister P and I)

We are covering the Bothell ward and both Russian areas. It's a lot to cover, and we have 4 area books (only people who have served a mission will know what that means, probably...) For the rest of you...it means we have to spread ourselves a little thin to make sure that nothing gets too neglected! I'm exhausted and working hard. That's okay though because HARD IS GOOD!

I'll say a bit about what I loved from General Conference this past weekend!


I have to say that I always, always love Elder Holland's talks the most out of everyone's. I try to find others that measure up, but it's always his that hit me the most. I have always wondered about Christ's admonition to us to "be ye perfect." I have always thought, "well, that's literally impossible, I'll just have to wait for a billion years." I guess what Elder Holland is saying is that it's true, it's not going to happen for a really really long time. Like, it's an eternal process. Do you know how long eternity is?? Jesus uses an unfathomable measurement (perfection) because we cannot fathom the things that he has done for us. Refinement will one day be complete, but for now, I want to strive (however clumsily) for perfect moments in the name of perfection himself. Like Elder Holland said. Anyone who knows me knows that I can be a perfectionist and stress out about the small insignificant things that will hold me back from seeing the bigger picture, luckily, the mission has helped me realize that I can heal and change.

I would say more, but I have to go! Stay tuned for next week's letter :)

Love,
Sister Jenne”

Transfers... (Week 68)

“Sooo I am getting transferred back to Bothell. There are a lot of mixed feelings.

Mostly, I am just really grateful that we are not white-washing. Duvall needs Sister Anderson. The investigators that we have are a little fragile, but they are getting stronger and stronger as time goes on. More and more involved in the gospel and in tune to the spirit. It's amazing to see how much the people that we have found are searching for truth. Most people are just quite confused, honestly.

"God is not the author of confusion, but is the author of peace." -Quentin L. Cook

I've really been exposed to how much Satan is intricately working within people (myself included) to desensitize us to truth. He doesn't desensitize us to good things. He knows that we have morals inside of us. No, I think he uses good things to keep us from the truth. He would rather have us focused on the good thing rather than the best thing. Eventually, this might lead to bad things, but I think more often, it just leads to confusion.

"Because of what Adam heard and what he saw, he qualified to be called the first prophet on earth, a personal witness of revelation given to man. His major responsibility now was to preserve the truth of the gospel as well as to teach it as it was given to him. Satan, on the other hand, representing the opposition, was going to do and teach anything to deny, to reject, or to ignore the gospel received by revelation, thus inducing the people who had accepted it into apostasy, a state of confusion, division, abandonment, or renunciation of their previous faith!"

A principle that I have been thinking a lot about is trials. Sister Anderson was telling me about an analogy where you are on the far left, God is on the far right, and a fiery match is in the middle. In order to get to exaltation, you absolutely have to go through the fire. There is no way around it. The thing is, some people's situations are things that they can't get out of. Like, a family member dies. Actually, I guess most trials are things that we can't disappear. But, the way that we overcome them is pretty different. Think of an iceberg and how it sticks a little bit out of the surface of the water. It's what we see when we are looking out across the ocean. Since we are educated people, we know that there is a giant glob of ice under the water, as well. It's much much bigger than what we see sticking out.

Since we know this, how often do we skim the top of the water, just hitting the small piece occasionally because we are too fearful of hitting the large part underneath? Probably pretty often. It happens when we skirt around an issue in a companionship because we want to stay neutral, if not happy. It happens when we see weaknesses in ourselves, but aren't willing to do the work to overcome them. It happens when we give up on people because we aren't willing to help them resolve their real issues with the gospel, life, family, or whatever it may be.

However, how much of the water do we miss? How many millions and billions of gallons of water are we missing because we won't allow ourselves to go underwater? We're all really good at avoiding conflict and problems. I'm not saying that we should be contentious. But, the funny part about it is that we create drama because we are bored. We don't focus on the real issues and then create fictitious "problems." It's all a matter of personal pride.

"It was through pride that Christ was crucified. The Pharisees were wroth because Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, which was a threat to their position, and so they plotted His death." -Ezra Taft Benson

The Jaredites were willing to submerge themselves despite the terror that they might have felt. Imagine 344 days inside a barge. They didn't have steering, no windows, no GPS, no idea where they were, and yet "And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord." (Ether 6:9) The difference is where we place our trust.

We had so many awesome experiences this week. Here are a few:
-We went to visit a potential. Her husband had died the night before. We read her the Book of Mormon and watered her flowers. A few days later, I felt a prompting to go and see her earlier than we had planned and to buy her some flowers. We went to the store, and ended up seeing another investigator instead!!  The lady ended up not even being home, but we got to see our investigator which was such a miracle and tender mercy from the Lord. I'm glad that we recognized and followed that prompting. God's timing is perfect. Don't worry, we delivered the flowers, a couple hours later.
-A member had a friend that saw our chalk drawing. She called us and we have a lesson set up this week! So excited for Sister Anderson and her new companion to teach her.
-A member set up a dinner with us and a non-member friend of theirs who is interested.

So many more things, but I have no time to write it. It has been incredible. I am so sad to leave Duvall. This place has my heart forever. These people have my heart as well.

I love you all. Have a wonderful week.
Sister Jenne”