Loving Missionary Life!!

So happy it's stupid :)

This week was greeeeat!  We worked so hard and taught so many lessons!!
P-day was lame, but other than that it was a great week! We have a new investigator! It's exciting!

We got to have District meeting a little further away in the Calhan Chapel... which reminded me so much of South Africa! For real! The drive there was beautiful! I got to drive. I love driving.

Calhan, Colorado. I can see why it reminds her of home (SA)

I had to talk in Sacrament Meeting yesterday... so of course I slept like nothing for the week!! Freaked !

The thought of a 15 minute talk is just... agh!  So picture this... 4 speakers before me and then the intermediate hymn... still the intermediate hymn somehow is finished by 11:30...  freak!!!! I ain't prepared for that?!  So the bishop leans over behind the YW, who were singing, and says he'll fill in some time after... SWEET! So I feel a little better... well I got up there and somehow talked for 30 minutes... Bizarre! It didn't feel that long at all.... I was so not excited about speaking about "Strengthening Home and Family"  because, as many people have pointed out many times... I don't know too much about that... but it was one of my favourite talks ever. I loved giving it.

The cutest part though... made my day... maybe even my life.... I stopped talking and looked around... I was about to speak specifically to the children so I said "Children, are you listening?" and suddenly out of the congregation I hear the voice of a small little boy "YES!" Haha  I laughed!!  And others did too... it was just so cute! I loved it!  I still don't know who it was but it made my day...

At least somebody was!!

Imagine my surprise though, to look at the clock to see that it was 12 o'clock. Haha it was pretty great!

We had the opportunity to talk and teach the Restoration at an 8 year old's baptism. I was so happy that the family asked us!! I feel that missing Mark's baptism, I have to make up by being at as many little kids baptisms as possible!

Mark, Niamh and Steph at Mark's baptism

I love teaching too... it's like I'm freaking out about everything, always, still... speaking to strangers is terrifying still!!! But as soon as I open my mouth... I feel fine!

Time is once again running short...   I love you all.  I love the Gospel.

I reach my 7 month mark in 3 days, and I'm not happy about that.... I can't imagine being anything else... taking my name tag off for the last time... I get teary just thinking about that!!!  I just love everything about missionary life!! I'm so happy it's stupid!!

Loving Missionary life

The Church is true!!!!!!  I'm telling you! It's true!!

The gospel is so great!


Well... I love all of you very much!

Have a great week!!!!

Sister Botts

Squalls and Falls

This week was an odd one. I don't know why. It just felt odd!
We ate at a Korean Restaurant on Tuesday! It was pretty cool. SO so so much food though! It was legit!  We really enjoyed it!

Korean Restaurant

For P-day last week we had a Zombie nerf war... it is as dorkie as it sounds, but it was a lot of fun and something different for once! I had a lot of fun!

We also had Pioneer Day this Saturday which was so great! We got to spend time inside showing Church History videos and having discussions about them afterward. I liked that! Then for the last 30 minutes we went out and walked around the park with all the members. It was cool because I got to see a lot of the members from my 2 previous areas! It was super good!

We also biked a lot on Friday! It was great! We biked first thing in the morning to District meeting....

Back on Bikes :)

I totally bit the dirt though. We were biking on loose sand and my companion's bike wiggled a bit, so while I was watching her I buffed it and landed in a thorn bush.. that's right... you can laugh... it's fine. Laugh at my pain... go ahead! Haha... it was pretty funny. And I have some gnarly bruises to go with it!

One of our members brought a friend to church yesterday, and since they had a calling in nursery, asked us to meet her there and show her where the Gospel principles class was... which we happened to be teaching... so while we're talking I finally ask where she is from... "I'm from South Africa"... imagine how excited I was haha.  She was from Durban but had been in Denver for 2 years.

Durban beachfront

It was pretty cool!  Also someone who served their mission in South Africa said my accent sounded like what they remembered a SA accent sounded like... Happy days!! Haha! Made my day!!

We are teaching a 9 year old boy who's grandparents are members but his parents aren't. He is so smart it's crazy! I think they underestimate his understanding of the things he learns.
Yesterday when he closed the lesson with a prayer in his prayer he said "And please help my dad to learn the Gospel as well as me" My ever growing heart broke a little bit. It was the sweetest thing!

We also did a good bit of service this week!  Because of the storms, we spent one afternoon fixing up a garden and another repainting a recently flooded basement! It was fun!!

I feel bad for being so excited about these big storms!! But they're so beautiful!!!!

Flag in a Storm

Calm after the Storm

Yesterday's talks were on families... and someone mentioned "Intentional Parenting".

I'm just going to leave those two words... you can think about what that means to you!


The church is true. It always has been...


I love you!!!

Sister Botts.

Hard Work and Still Small Voices.

I have a peanut butter problem.  I don't know where I lost my hate of peanut butter but it has happened. I went through half a jar and an entire loaf of bread last week.   It's a real problem I have now!!

This week was good. I've started drawing again. So that's a thing I guess.

We spent Saturday doing service. We spent it in the Black Forest Regional Park. There was a really bad fire there a few years ago, and so to stop mudslides we were digging holes and embedding logs of trees.  It was fun. I love some good manual labour!! I got bitten by huge red ants while moving one of the logs.  Freaking hurts!!

Service in Black Forest Regional Park

Some fun along the way

Loving the manual labour

It was also 11th of July ... or, in America 7/11, which means FREE SLURPEE DAY!!! Haha happy days!! Just the right thing after some hard work!


We had a good teaching week. Next week can be better though!



There was a massive storm here on Thursday night.  I feel bad for loving storms so much because it ruined a lot of people's homes and gardens.

Some of the roadside along this road was washed away in the storms

No sign of the storms in this sky

I was once again confronted by my fear of public praying yesterday... for both Sacrament meetings I gave the opening prayer... Aaaagh!!!
But it was ok. Something that I realized while I was praying, and then was brought to my attention last night by someone else who had heard me pray in Sacrament.... I revert back to my natural accent when I pray. Proper South African sounding hahaha!   It's weird. It's like my habitual accent that I have when I'm talking to non-South Africans just goes away when I pray. It's funny!


It's been a good week though! We had Zone training on Thursday which was pretty great. Probably the best one I've gone to yet! I learned a lot!

We also had interviews with the Mission President on Friday.  Interviews always freak me out hahaha.

I've loved the week though. We taught a lot and got to know more of the members.   We happened to find the right people to teach who needed to hear from Heavenly Father, without ever knowing that they needed us. I love that we can do that. That Heavenly Father will direct us to the people we need to speak to, even if they are active members. Sometimes we don't know the struggles that people are going through, and we just have to listen to the Spirit when he tells us who to see.

Instruments in His hands

There have been hard days but it's still the best thing I've ever done!!!  I wish I had  time to type more but the time is far spent... wow... that was obnoxious!  Anyway... here's a fun fact! I'm learning Korean!! I can now say "Shut up", "I love you", "stop texting boys", "you're obnoxious" and "that's stupid" in Korean. Hahaha it has been a good week!!!!!!

We shall overcome!!!

And now I should go!

Sisters in Zion

Just remember this.... you may never need a  load of food storage. In an emergency, you will probably not be able to carry all the water you obediently stored in case of an emergency, but one thing you will have... is the fact that you have been obedient to the Prophets of the Lord in getting ready your food storage.  Maybe it's not about disaster. Maybe its about obedience.  Maybe you will meet someone who will be in need of food? Maybe you'll just be obedient and do it anyway?!


LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Be obedient!!!!

<3 Sister Botts

Onward and Upward

Goodbye Sis. Grow

Hello Sis. Park

So this week was very interesting!  New area. New car. Happy days!  Our home is beautiful. The members that we live with are great!!!  We have a boxing bag!! And a gym downstairs where we live. I've never worked out so much in my life!! It's awesome!!

She's always wanted a boxing bag!!!

Driving has been fun.  I forgot that Road Rage was a thing that I had. Hello my old friend!

It's been the 4th of July weekend so there were a lot of people either not around or busy celebrating so we didn't get to teach a lot, which makes me sad.... But... on Saturday we were in a parade... a whole bunch of missionaries. It was cool. I got so tanned. Happy days I'm not "Shark Bait" anymore!!! :)

Before the Parade

A lot of fireworks this week.

I feel weird about this week just because I don't know the area or the people and we only taught like 15 lessons... so I just feel like it flew by with out anything significant happening.   The people here are all really great!!



Something happened during the parade though. Maybe it was just heat stroke! haha

But I looked around. I saw these hundreds and hundreds of people around us and realized that we, as a small group, were responsible for bringing them the gospel. It was like I all of a sudden just had this mini panic attack, and my smiley face turned to a terrified face for a few seconds!

It made me think of something our Mission President said during Stake Conference. He said that our missionary experiences will not grow our testimonies, but our testimonies will grow our missionary experiences!   There are people all around us all the time! There is never a reason to say "I didn't have the opportunity"   I think really when we say that, what we mean is "I don't have the faith to try and share it" so the stronger our faith is, the more willing we are to share it with others.

 

Because I always had the excuse of... I don't have time, or I don't talk to many non members.  Translation..... " I don't have faith, I don't have faith"    That sounds blunt but that's how I'm seeing it these days.  There is always someone around us to share the gospel with.  

Just freaking do it!

And if you're not going to do it... come up with a better excuse to tell the Lord.



I love you all so much. Thank you for the support and emails! I really do appreciate it!


The gospel is true!!!!!!!


Have a great week!!

With Sis. Aukuso and Sis. Park

Love Sister Botts

Sis Botts and Sis Bentham