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!

All Hail!!

This week was a slow one! It rained an awful lot! It felt exactly like being back in Ireland!! Not a fan! Hahaha we got so soaked!

But on the plus side... on Tuesday we got free food! There is a BBQ truck that sells really good food, and when we stopped by to get something to eat, they gave it to us for free because they were members!! Schweet!! It was so good!  Loved it!

We had 2 exchanges this week! I got to go to Manassa for the day! It was pretty awesome!  We hauled and packed a load of wood! It was fun!  Hard labour! Woohoo!

Then... this dark cloud appears

... and we hear this weird sound like banging on the tin roofs... We look up... and the man that we were doing service with says "Let's go! Get in your car" so we head towards the car... and boom... massive hail stones falling from the sky... now they weren't golf ball sized or anything... but pretty big!!  Sister Talili got hit in the head and so I wanted to feel it... I stood there for like a minute and nothing hit me!

Getting pelted by hail!!

So we go to their house where his wife had made some really good lunch for us! Then it starts hailing again!! HARDER!!  So we run out to get our cameras. I still want to get hit. "Hit me" I yelled at the sky... nothing. NOTHING!!  "HIT ME!!!!" Boom... smack on the top of my head.  Flip...  it was hard.  I had a bump on my head for like 3 days after that hail stone.   It was like a rock!!   So that's my weather story.

Yesterday we went and taught one of our less active members... she hasn't been to church since I've been here... and then guess what... we get to church and I see this car... and I'm like... no?  The Wolf?  Is that really the Wolf?   (she calls herself the Wolf. She's so funny! We love her!) And so after church we went to our lesson that we had planned with her... I brought my guitar and we sang the lesson... it was pretty fun!!

This week just seemed to last forever! And not!! It was weird! We're already at the last week of this transfer! So crazy!

Our one investigator with a baptism date is moving to Minnesota. He is really ill and is going to be staying with his sister. Luckily he gave us her number and so we can send the missionaries there to him. He still wants to get baptised.

Timothy, the Squirrel, doesn't run away anymore when I go out to feed him... He just climbs in the tree and watches... Although the other day I opened the window so I could watch him, and he shouted at me!! Cheeky !! He was also climbing on our roof, and then.. plonk... he just fell off!! It was pretty funny! Haha

Anyhoo... the week has been rather slow and slightly uneventful..besides being sarcastic to a Drunk eejit!. I ain't Scurrrd of him!

Not scurred!!

.. So I shall go now! 

Mosiah 2:9... And these are the words which he spake and caused to be written, saying: My brethren, all ye that have assembled yourselves together, you that can hear my words which I shall speak unto you this day; for I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view.

Don't trifle with their words.

Profit from the Prophets.

Haha!!  I crack myself up!

Love you all!! Have a good week! : )

'Home' For A Day

With Sis Tucker at Denver Colorado Temple

SO!  This week was just amazingly wonderful!!! I loved it!!
It flew by but I loved it!
I got to go to the temple for my half way mark on Thursday!!  Waaah!!  I missed the temple so much! It was pretty funny because no one could pronounce the family names I had!! Good ol' strong Afrikaans names! Made me giggle on the inside!  It was such an amazing day!!

The trip started on Wednesday! We headed up to Saguache and met the Salida sisters half way and switched companions... So I got to go with Sister Tucker, my MTC companion!

Back together to celebrate their halfway mark

We chatted a lot that night! And then Sister Olsen called... she trained Sister Tucker and she was my trainer's companion too! :)  So we were planning on just showing up at her house on our way to the mission office to meet with everyone else... She called and asked us if we wanted to have breakfast with them on the Friday on our way back home... so we said yes!  SWEET! We get to meet with her twice!!  So after some long chatting we got in to bed, on time mind you! And then didn't sleep... Neither Sister Tucker nor I could sleep that night!!  We were so tired by the time the alarm went off... yet slightly relieved because now we didn't have to lie awake in bed! Haha... so we got ready and headed off to Pueblo to surprise Sis Olsen!! It was pretty good! We got to talk a lot on the way there...

Off to surprise Sis. Olsen

Then we chatted for about 30 minutes with Sister Olsen and her companion Sister Jenkins!  It was cool!

Then off to the Mission Office. We switched drivers so I drove the rest of the way and then we get there.. and guess who is there at the mission office with a card!!!! SISTER AUKUSO!!!! Agh! I love her so much!! It was awesome to see her there!!

Happy to see Sis. Aukuso again!

Then we headed to Denver and had lunch there!  It was cool... and then straight to the Temple!! I love the temple!! It was like I got to go home for the day!! It was so amazing!

'Home' for a day

After the temple we headed back to the Mission Home and had dinner together and then had a fireside and testimony meeting.  It was good... although... I still hate talking in front of people... so yeah! Haha!! After that we all drove back to the Mission Office, picked up our car and headed back to the Mission Home for the night!  It was like our first day in the Mission! haha   Funny how it worked out that the time we have Jubilee, both Sister Tucker and I are in the Valley, and so end up staying there together again.
We said good night to President and Sister Rehm and headed to bed... after doing some studies... I just really wanted to do studies!

Then 6 am we were on the road again headed back to Pueblo for breakfast with Sis Olsen and Jenkins... breakfast was great!

Sis. Aukuso, Sis. Botts, Sis. Tucker and Sis. Olsen

So great! And then we had to head off to be back in time to drop Sister Tucker to her District meeting (which is usually ours too,) and then head off to Alamosa to teach their District meeting... Kinda cool that their District leader asked us to teach... it's fun going to different District meetings sometimes! We taught about being Happy Missionaries! And how we can do that!

I think she knows exactly how to be a Happy Missionary

So yeah... that's pretty much all I wanna talk about because the temple trumps anything else this week! hahaha

Pumpkin Temple 

Just know that I Love you all!! And the church is true!!


So... you know who much I love words... and puns and so on.. well... I was reading about Daniel the other day.... and so


Pray Or Be Prey.... I'm so clever hahaha #bottsdoctrine

Anyway! I love you!

Pray always!

Halfway!! No Way!!

So this week was pretty great!!  We had a sweet P-day playing sports! My love for soccer is ever growing!

Tuesday we went down to the area of some of our sisters and split up and went tracting with them to help them find some new people! I really enjoyed it!... Yeah... I really enjoyed knocking on the doors of strangers... how crazy is that!? Haha

Then we went and had lunch with Sister Olsen and her new companion, Sister Jenkins. It was pretty great to see her again! Can't believe that after just 6 weeks together I could miss a friend so much!

Great friends - Sis Olsen

Lunch was great! Then we headed up to the Springs to spend the night there before our meeting in the morning.  We had dinner with a member from Sister Decker's old ward.
Wednesday we had our meeting, discussed the things that the mission needed. It was a good meeting I think.  After that.... we got to go have dinner with two of my favourite people from the area that I trained in!! And the one sister's NEW BABY!!!!   Aaaagh!! It was the best thing ever. I just sobbed like a little baby at the Miracle that he was... even after we eventually left to start the drive back home... I just sobbed with happiness for them! It was so great!

Thursday was planning day! So we got to plan next week and also prepare the lesson for Zone Training with the zone leaders... Us sisters got the job of teaching about obedience... great... because they don't hear that from me enough already! Hahaha    but yeah... so Friday we had Zone Training..  it was good. I think the lesson went really well.  I learned a lot if no one else did!
We came to the conclusion that disobedience was easy... So I said to them "are missionaries weak?" Everyone was a little silent... didn't know what to say... so in a slightly more stern voice (you know me) I said "Are we weak? We leave our families, we talk to strangers about Jesus Christ. we get yelled at and sometimes people are really mean. We do this every day... ARE MISSIONARIES WEAK?"  Someone then answered with "no" while others shook their heads... and then I just said, "then why do we pick the easy way?"

So as a close we decided that as a zone we would be strong and obedient and not weak!...

It was good. I enjoyed doing it. I had no intention of asking that question... but it was good. I needed to hear that.

Then we had lunch at this Mexican place with a bunch of us. It was a nice lunch.

Saturday.. ooooh Saturday!

I'mma skip most of the day and get to the good bits... Saturday evening we have dinner with this member.  Her boyfriend is in corrections but he has a pass to be out for 6 hours, so we we're all having dinner together with her niece, daughter, dad and grandma also.... so while our member was inside getting something... BOOM! Out of his pocket her BF pops out a ring... shows us and asks for help on how to do it!! He was so nervous it was cute!  So as the evening went on, whenever she would go inside we would chat a little about it.  He didn't want to take her to the side because he wanted us to be there, he said he knew that we were a big part of her life now. (Deffo earning brownie points with me now! haha) And so we decided we would call everyone together for a message on "eternal families", so as we did that he got down on one knee and told her that he wanted to be with her for ETERNITY... she said yes! :)

 It was so beautiful... for a moment I had a working heart! Haha

And then we went inside and for real shared a message. The message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The Spirit was definitely there. And that's how we got this week's newest investigator! :)

Also... we have a pet Squirrel. Timothy II, since the first Timothy was the one Sis Grow Smooshed... lol. I feed him nuts every day. One day I will hug him and not get rabies.  One day. Maybe.

Timothy II

Life is good!

This week I go to the Denver Temple for my Halfway mark!!!   Crazy!!  Nine months from Tuesday I will be getting on a plane to go home... I love you all... but I really don't want to leave!! Nooooo....  sad days!

Denver Temple

Anyway... this church is true. The gospel is hard to live some times... but... Are children of God weak?....


I love you all!!!


<3 Sister Botts.