Mission B!!!

Well this week has just flown by... what the heck!?

Last week Elder Nash of the Seventy came to our mission. Flip! It was so amazing!! It was such a good few days!  We woke up at 4:30 on Thursday morning to get ready and travel up to Pueblo where the meeting would be held. It was so icy cold. Minus 7 degrees Celcius that morning.  The insides of our windows were frozen in the car. It was pretty cool.

Icy mornings

We met with some other missionaries and followed one another up.    It was so pretty driving through the snowy mountains. No snow on the roads, it hadn't snowed since Monday... but the mountains were so pretty as the sun rose... and then there were deer crossing the road too. So cool!! It was such a nice drive up!

Early morning drive to the Springs

Finally we get to the Chapel in Pueblo. We got there an hour early so that some of the missionaries in our travelling crew could practice their musical number...  and you know how I like to be early!! So that was nice! Haha!

Chapel in Pueblo

The meeting started at 9.00. I said the opening prayer... I almost died. So scary like! At least I got to do the opening one and get it done with haha.

 There aren't enough hours in the day to tell you everything that I learned from that meeting. It was so great! I learned so so so much!

One of the things Elder Nash talked about was when he talked with one of the sisters who was involved with filming "the District" videos, and the difference implementing "Preach my Gospel" made to her mission. She said that before was Mission A and after was Mission B.

Preach My Gospel - A Guide to Missionary Service

===li'l back story===

At the beginning, before the opening prayer, we all got to get up and shake Elder Nash's hand.  He stared my soul down and then asked me where I was from. Then he told me he wanted to hear me speak more because I speak more beautiful English than he ever could... knowing that they were randomly picking 3 people to speak on something that we were meant to prepare in case... I quickly assured him that I would be praying... so I wouldn't need to talk any more... haha

He laughed and then asked me "Are you working hard" while still staring in to my soul...  well I can't very well lie to him! So I responded "Not as hard as I should be. I will change". He just said "good, we need that" and then I carried on my merry way and talked to our Area Seventy and then Mission President and his wife, before sitting down...

===end of back story===

So after everything... after all the amazing talks and teaching we received from Sister and President Rehm and then Sister and Elder Nash... the meeting is over... Elder Nash walks down and shakes my hand and looks into my soul again and says "Mission B right?"

Flip!! Well of course!! I was already excited for Mission B... but then I was like.... well I better get on to it!

Mission Conference with Elder Nash

Next day we had a special leadership council with Elder Nash and so we spent the night in the Springs... we were sooo pooped and tired... but as soon as that alarm went off all I could think was "Mission B!!!" and I was up like a bolt of lightning, ready to go for the day! And I haven't snoozed the alarm even once since then. It's been mission B for 4 mornings now and it's going great!  Even 5 minutes extra sleep in the morning is disobedient... the only way is obedience.   I am certain that we are going to get at least 2 new investigators this week... and we are going to work our butts off.  Mission B is so exciting!!

After the meeting we headed back home. We followed the Zone Leaders home. We stopped for dinner though in a place called Canon City. There's this burger place where they feed missionaries for free, Big Burger World.  Dang! those burgers were so freaking huge!! It's crazy! I wasn't feeling like eating too much so I ate some Jalepeno cream cheese Poppers and then some fried pickles

Fried Pickles

... mmmm it was good... The two Elders got burgers bigger than their heads... so gross!

  Then we headed home through Salida, where maybe I used my Monte Vista lock picking skills and broke into the sisters' apartment to get chocolate cake..

Yum!!!

They said we could have some. It was good.  Mmmmm cake!   Then we headed home... and to bed! Agh! Bed was so nice and comfy!!!

The next morning, Saturday, it was back up to Salida for district meeting... We usually have district meeting 15 minutes away, but the poor Salida sisters have to drive 75 minutes each way every week... so we had it up there this week! It was cool. Salida is pretty!

Salida

So this past week has been pretty busy...  it's been a good but weird week! Lots of things we had to do but not a lot of time in our area. This week will be good because we get to spend all of it in our area... granted we have 2 exchanges this week... but we will have someone in the area for the next 8 days in a row!!! :)

Well... that's my say for the week!

This week I will have been out for 11 months.... yuck!

Hope you have a great week!!

Love you all!

The church is true!!!!!!!!!

:) 

All Things are Possible

Another week has come and gone...  MAKE IT STOP!!!
This week was good!
Monday we spent playing sports... no comment on that :/

Tuesday we were supposed to go play Bingo at the Veteran's Center, but I was sick, so we figured it was better not to go and kill all the old people with my germs! So we packed up our bags and then went and got some books from one of our members, took them to the library, and got her some new ones, and then headed to Colorado Springs for the night as we had Leadership Council meeting in the morning.
We got to have dinner with one of the members from my first area again! It was awesome catching up! Then we went and surprised another member from my first ward who lived just around the corner!  After that we headed over to the sisters we were staying at for the night! Sister Hall was trained around me just after I finished training so I knew her pretty well, and now she is training a new sister, Sister Sturgeon! It was pretty cool to spend the night with them and seeing how they are doing... which is GREAT! They are doing so well...

Sis Hall on the left

It snowed that night!  So we got up to go to our meeting and all we heard were happy squeals from their bedroom... "It's snowing!!" haha it was like Christmas morning! So we all looked at the snow together for a bit! It was cool... and then we headed to our meeting.  By the time our meeting finished all the snow had melted... you would never have thought it had snowed so much.

After our meeting we went and had dinner with a bunch of missionaries at this Hawaiian place... it was nice... my shrimp still had poop in it though... and that's gross! I literally ate poop for dinner!

After dinner we headed down back to the valley. Our Zone Leaders were at dinner too, so we drove home together... and I don't mean together in the car... just following one another since it might have been snowing on the pass, and so it'd be good to look out for each other...  Finally we got home and just dived straight into bed!! So tired!

Thursday was planning!  We planned with the Zone leaders what we would teach on Friday at Specialised Training! We planned a pretty awesome training I think!

Then we had dinner with this family that have been members for like 3 years... they usually set up our dinners but I haven't actually ever had dinner with them...
It was so great! The father asked lots of questions about deep doctrinal stuff and we had some really good conversations.  Then before we left he said that he knew that Heavenly Father knew what He was doing when he sent me here... that made me so happy because I'd been feeling a little redundant here the last few days!!

So Friday comes... we have zone training!! It was so great! We went over a survey that we've been trying to get people to use to make having gospel conversations with new people easier... and then instead of role playing the surveys... we just sent the missionaries out in the streets to try it... we did it too! It was so much fun!! We talked to a whole bunch of new people and then when we got everyone back together, we talked about our experiences and how it had gone! It was great!!!  Then we got on to the doctrine portion... Sister Zitting and I started out by talking about how we can have Faith to see Miracles!

And then we had an activity...


For the activity we divided the zone into 2 teams... one side got rubber bands... and the other side got balloons that we had blown up...  then we said... 'play dodge ball'...  The poor side with the balloons got whipped... all out and the rubber band team won... so then... we swapped the air filled balloons for balloons with just enough water to make them heavy but not enough to make them burst...  well now the tables were turned... the team with the balloons kicked butt!

Then it was the Zone Leaders turn to teach and they related 'faith to see miracles' to making that Faith in Christ... because without Him we are like the empty balloons against Satan's rubber bands... but with Christ we are full and ready to fight and win!

 

Funny part of all of that is that, instead of balloons, we were gonna use nerf guns... and then paper instead of the air filled balloons... but the morning of the meeting Sister Zitting and I decided to blow up balloons instead, and Elders Austin and Fox decided to use water balloons instead!! Inspired I tell ya!!!

 There were a few upcoming birthdays in the zone so we went to have lunch at Chilies... so there's like 22 missionaries sitting having lunch at Chilies and the manager comes to the table and tells us someone has covered our bill.... ??????!?!?!? WHAT?! That's a huge bill!!!   I have my suspicions on who it was, but it was really just so cool and kind of them... I'm so grateful for their love and kindness!! How great are people?!?

Saturday we went on exchanges! I got to stay in my area with a brand new missionary. I was intent on pushing myself out of my comfort zone that day... so I did... we did a lot of tracting!!  It was so great! She had never been tracting yet, and I hate to do it, so it was the perfect practice...  We enjoyed it! We had lunch together at a Mexican restaurant. It was nice to sit down and get to know her!  Then we did some more tracting!! What?!? I know right!

And we taught our investigator then too... it was a good evening and I really enjoyed the exchange!! Probably my favourite so far because we just worked so hard!   Then she wrote me a note and left it under my blanket, so I found it as I was about to go to bed.... it was so sweet and just what I needed to hear this week!!  I'm so grateful to be a missionary and to be a sister training leader... I get to serve with such amazing missionaries that I probably wouldn't get to serve with otherwise!

Sometimes I need a day like that, where I'm run off my feet, to remember just how much I love, love, love this work!!!

Sunday was ok... ended up going home early just before Relief Society because I've been sick this week, and so I slept for like 4 hours.. It was good to rest, but it felt really, really weird not being at church while it was still going... not a happy feeling! But I'm feeling a bit better today! So we shall see!!

And then this morning..... IT'S SNOWING!!!!!  Everything is white!! Happy days!! I love it!!!   So great! And I drove in the snow for the first time today too!! It was ... normal... not enough snow to make driving hard... yet!

Happy Snow Days

On Thursday this week we get to hear from and meet Elder Nash of the Seventy!  Waah... so cool... except I'm doing the opening prayer... I might be sick that day! Hahaha jokes!! But kinda terrifying! And then on Friday we get to have a special leadership council with him... exciting!!!

Elder Marcus B. Nash 

Well.... that's me for now.


Just one thing.... when you feel like you're not good enough to do what Heavenly Father expects you to do... quite frankly, you're not! But that's ok because Christ is... and through Him, all things are possible!!

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!


Sister Botts

Born to Succeed

With Sis, Aukuso for maybe the last time

Well well well... another week has passed!! Cray cray!
This week was pretty slow as far as work goes, but it's been good. I got a new companion, Sister Zitting. She is pretty great. I'm excited to work with her in our area! It's going to be good!

New companion - Sis. Zitting

We got to go to the Springs on Tuesday for the transfer meeting... I just love the drive there!! It's always so beautiful!

I got to see Sister Aukuso! so that's always freaking great! I love her so much!! I owe a lot of the way my mission has turned out to her! Sad days that she leaves in 5 weeks!! Waaaaah! haha

But I am still loving the work!   I love the people here so much... Sister Zitting has 2 transfers left so I'm terrified that I'm going to be moved from this area at the end of this transfer.... No!! I don't wanna go!!   Either I leave in 5 weeks or I spend another 4 and a half months... which I am so down with!! I'll have been here for 7 and a half months then if I get to stay... I hope I get to stay!! I'm not going to be done here in 5 weeks!!


Anyway...

Things are good!  Not too much to report this week though...   next week I will have a lot to talk about hahah...

Something that I loved from the little Ensign insert about Elder Scott... he said "Our Heavenly Father did not put us on earth to fail but to succeed gloriously"

Elder Richard G. Scott

I love that... because the plan was always for our success... the only reason that plan could ever fail is if WE deviate from the plan!

When we talk about the "strait and narrow path" it's STRAIT... not STRAIGHT!... and so it's not always just walk straight and super easy... but it is STRAIT... which is strict, which some people may see as restrictive... but really it means that as we follow that strict path, there is no way to fail... we have been given every step that we need to take!!

If we fail, it's not because God wanted us to... rather because we chose to!

I love you all so much!! Thanks for keeping me going!!

Love Sister Botts

Tempus Fugit

This Halloween I reached 10 months! I hate that!! It means I only have 8 and a half months left.  This is so depressing!
Today is the start of a new transfer. I get a new companion, Sister Zitting.  I don't know her very well, but she seems really nice. I think she's one of those sisters who works really hard, so I'm excited!! Maybe by the time I leave here I will be so tired from working that I'll be ready to come home.

Tired!!!

Probably not though. Let's be honest! haha

I just love it here so much!!

Sis. Botts and Sis. Dekker - last day toghether

Sad thing... I'm probably seeing Sis Aukuso for the last time tomorrow.... so so sad!! I will probably cry! :( But that's ok.  We will live.

First picture with Sis. Aukuso

We have a lot of stuff happening this transfer that is gonna make the time go super fast!! Way too fast! I feel like I always talk about how the time goes too fast.... but it really does!!

Yesterday a family came to church and, I swear, they're just 'boom' prepared to hear the gospel. They had met with missionaries before and were preparing to be baptised but then things got in the way... now that they have moved here... they work with members. It's going to be amazing!

This week has been a little slow... we had some not so fun stuff that we needed to take care of... but it was all good. We got to go to Manassa and make lunch for the sisters there and spend time with them.  We also got to go to the Trunk or Treat... our investigator came with his new wife... who is a member. :)

We got to help out with setting up a Haunted House in a theater... but, boohoo!!! We couldnt be part of it... rules and all that jazz hahaha.  But we heard it was pretty terrifying! So that's good!!

Proof of how much she loves being part of a Haunted House - Halloween 2011

But yeah... it's been a really great week! I've learned some interesting things from the scriptures. Got to spend time teaching and learning from some amazing people...  got to talk about beans and farts with a really old man at the dinner table... it was so funny! I laughed so hard at him! Also got to get rejected by our friend who may have killed people... sad... but you know... life goes on!!!


Well... we are in a new library for today... our one's computers were down... and so our time is very limited... so I shall end here!

 I love you.

I love the work! It makes me so happy!

Happy!!!

and as Sister Grow always says
"Work hard, Play hard, Pray hard"

Love you!