Episode 64: The One with Danielle and Rihanna

Hello everyone! Merry Christmas!

This week has been excellent!We found lots of new investigators, picked back up a few investigators who disappeared for a while, and just generally did a lot of good missionary work. I don't think I could ask for anything more in my life than what I have. God is good to me!

Also, two of our investigators, Danielle and Rihanna, are getting baptized on December 29th! They are a mom and a daughter, and They are just so cute! Danielle found the church when she started dating a member, and her conversion has just been awesome. I'm so excited for the two of them. 

Rihanna loves to take selfies.

In other news, we tracted in below freezing weather, which is pretty cold, but it's kinda fun to bundle up and look all puffy. I feel like the scientists in Antarctica! We also don't have an ice scraper, so we scrape the frost off of our car with a gift card and a spatula!

I also highly recommend this message from Elder Eyring:

https://www.lds.org/liahona/2016/12/peace-in-this-life?lang=eng&_r=1&cid=HP_TH_1-12-2016_dPFD_fENSN_xLIDyL2-1_

It talks about the meaning of peace and how we can find true peace in our lives through the Savior Jesus Christ. 

Have a great Christmas and I'll see you next week!

Love,

Sister Lemon 

Episode 63: The One with Zone Conference and Christmas Miracles

Hello lovely friends and family! This week has been great!

We had zone conference this week, which means that all the missionaries in all of Tacoma and Lakewood got together for trainings and a devotional. And guess who got to give one of the trainings...

Me! And Sister Bolos:

 

And of course, zone conference always means good food:

This week has also been a great week for finding. We have been working really hard and doing our best to talk to everyone we see, and the payoffs are pretty obvious! Just last night we found 2 new investigators who are both really solid and want to get baptized. I think it has something to do with the Christmas season. Lots of people seem more inclined to talk about Jesus when His name and his picture are everywhere. What a great time of year!

Speaking of Christmas, we took a Christmas card picture, and a little girl photo bombed it:

Here's the good one:

I have been thinking a lot about faith recently. One of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon is Ether 12, which you can read here:

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/12?lang=eng

The principle of faith is amazing. It is how we know of things that are true when we cannot see them. Faith is everything from knowing that the sun will rise again after it has set for the night, to knowing that the Son of God rose again after he had been dead for 3 days, to knowing that because He is risen, we can be cleansed from our sins and find joy in our lives.

I love you all! Merry Christmas!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 61: The One with Thanksgiving

Hello! I hope your thanksgiving was great! Mine was. I made a pie!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it is time for Christmas! Here is a link to some great Christmas videos, service projects, and more: 

www.mormon.org/christmas 

To kick it off, there will be an international day of service this Thursday, December 4th. We are trying to get 100,000 people to do something nice for someone else, which will make it the largest organized day of service ever. So go make someone's day!

We had a few really great lessons this week. One was with a woman named Amanda, who came to church once, but then got really busy working overtime, and we were not able to contact her for a week of two, until she texted us and said she was free on Tuesday. We taught her about the pan of salvation, and the lesson was really special for her because of some things that have happened in her life. She said it made so much more sense than what she had always been told about the afterlife or about our purpose on earth. She is also reading the Book of Mormon and loving it. The only problem is she is currently working on Sundays, but she wants to come to church again, so we are praying that her schedule will change soon. 

I am constantly amazed with how the gospel changes people's lives. I just read a talk about how the purpose of the gospel is to make bad people good and good people better, and to change human nature. The Atonement is for Saints as well as sinners. It cleanses us, and it also enables us. Through Christ we can become more than we ever could on our own. I would not be where I am now without Him.

That's all for this week! 

Love,

Sister Lemon

P. S. This little boy stole my shoes, so I made him pose for a picture in them. 

Episode 60: The One with Miraculous Phone Calls

Hello everybody! Happy Thanksgiving! I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve a mission and to help people come closer to Jesus Christ. I am also grateful for each of you and the impact you have on my life.

This week was truly amazing. On Friday, a recent convert called us and told us that he had a friend who had just moved from California, and she wanted to meet with us. Her name is Angela, and she is planning on getting baptized next Sunday! She has a lot of faith because of some really hard things she has gone through, and she is just amazing!

The next day, we had another phone call from a woman who got our card from her daughter. Her name is Tanya, and she has a lot of challenges in her life right now, but she recognizes that the best way ti get through them is to turn to God. She lives with her 21 year old son and 19 year ild daughter, and we got to teach the whole family. I thought no one would ever call us after we gave them our card, but I was wrong!

Angela, Tanya and her two kids, and 3 other investigators came to church. I've never had 7 investigators come to church in the whole 14 months that I have been on my mission. It was a miracle for sure, and Prayer really pays off. 

Other than that, we have been working really hard to find people and to help them progress. Sometimes that makes Sister Bolos tired, like this:

That's all for this week. Have a great Holiday!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 59: The One where I'm Blessed!

Hello everyone!

We got transfer calls on Saturday, and I will be staying in Soundview with Sister Bolos. I'm really excited. This is a great area, Sister Bolos is a great companion, and many miracles are headed our way!

In fact, the miracles have already started, maybe even longer ago than we realized. Here's a great story from this week.

Ok, so back in August, before Sister Bolos and I were companions, she was in another area talking to people on a beach. She said a prayer with a couple who had just moved to Washington, and they were very nice but not really in a position to set up another meeting. Then, when Sister Bolos and I had been companions for about a week, I had a dream that we needed to knock a certain apartment complex because someone in one of the red buildings there needed us. The first time we knocked it, no one was really interested, so I thought maybe I had the wrong apartment complex or something. I kinda forgot about it until yesterday, when I felt like that person was still there, and we needed to go find her. So we knocked the complex again, and the last door we knocked, no one answered. As we were walking away, a man came out of the apartment, and long story short, it was the same couple Sister Bolos had met on the beach, and they remembered her from their first day in Washington. They had a baby two days bofore, and moved in the day before, so they really did need us! It was amazing.

Also, my new favorite response to "how are you" is "I'm blessed", because I am! Life is good, God is great, and Jesus Christ makes hope possible. The gospel is a message of joy! 

Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 57: The One with Halloween!

Happy Halloween everybody! Sister Bolos and I are dressed up as a lemon and a lime. It's cute!

We have been doing a lot of finding this week, and it has payed off! We have added 10 new people to our teaching pool, one of whom has been coming to church for a few weeks already. We actually thought she was already a member until someone told us she wasn't. 

It is turning into fall here, which means it is really beautiful, with tons of colorful leaves and the perfect temperature. Except when it rains. Then it is just wet.

As has been typical lately, I have been thinking about joy, and I found a great quote about it from General Conference earlier this month:

"Joy is powerful, and focusing on joy brings God's power into our lives. As in all things, Jesus Christ is our ultimate exemplar, "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross." Think of that! In order for Him to endure the most excruciating experience ever endured on earth, our Savior focused on joy!"

I know personally that focusing on the joy that the gospel brings into our lives can get us through the hardest things. And joy comes when we focus on Christ. He is our hope.

Have a great week everyone!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 56: The One with Cowboy - Part 2

Hello everyone! This week has been a wet one. It reminds me of when I first got to Washington. It's crazy to think that I have lived here for all 4 seasons now!

So, if you remember back to Episode 52: The One with the Cowboy, before I got transferred, Sister Powell and I were teaching an older man named Delbert who we called cowboy. Well, he got baptized yesterday!!

It was one of the best baptisms I have been to. Cowboy was so excited, he let go of his walker and started dancing! It's amazing to me how much the gospel can change our lives, no matter how much of our life we have already lived, or how much we have left to go. 

We've also been working with a lady named Alyssa, and she has taught me a lot about teaching the way the Savior taught. She told us that she has has tons of missionaries knock on her door, and she has even let a few into her house, but she has never invited them back for another lesson. What made her interested this time is that Sister Bolos used an analogy about her daughter on her doorstep, and that was the first time she really felt like the gospel related to her life. Ever the next few lessons we have taught her, we used a lot of analogies, and she finally asked how we knew she liked analogies so much, because she hadn't told us yet. We explained that we try to teach in a way that fits the individual we are teaching, and that the Spirit is the one who is really touching her heart and making things make sense. That really touched her, and I think she really felt the Savior's love for her through us.

Other than that, Sister Bolos and I are still being goofy and loving life!

We found some funny, fluffy pig slippers at Walmart on Monday. I couldn't convince Sister Bolos to buy them.

Well, that's all for this week! 

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 53: The One with Another Excellent General Conference

Hello everyone!I hope you all got a chance to watch General Conference, because it was amazing! I learned so much, and I am definitely inspired to be a better missionary and a better person. Which is good because...

I'm getting transferred! I'm going to Soundview, which is the Sister Training Leader area for the Tacoma part of our mission. For those of you who don't know, a Sister Training Leader (STL) is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. We go on exchanges with 5 or so companionship of sisters to model missionary work for them and to help council them with any questions or concerns they are having. We are getting doubled in, which means that both of the sisters that were in that area are leaving (one is going home because she has finished her 18 months, and the other is getting transferred). My new companion will be Sister Bolos, who trained Sister Powell, and is just an amazing missionary. I'm super excited about it!

This week was a great week, and I can't really put into words why that is, other than that serving God to the best of my ability and loving people with all my heart brings pure joy into my life. I hope that I can share that joy with others, because it is truly an amazing feeling.

This is me and Sister Powell at the mission home for General Conference yesterday. It was a gloomy morning, so I decided to bring the sunshine with my shirt!

We found the most adorable fluffy dog while we were knocking doors. It looked like a teddy bear, but the owner said it likes to bite people!

Have a great week everyone!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 52: The One with the Cowboy

Hello everyone! It has been a week of miracles, as pretty much every week is here.

On Monday night we went to go check up on a girl who had been interested in getting baptized, but then kind of disappeared (it happens more often than you might think because some neighborhoods in this area are pretty transient). We were not able to find her, but we ran into a lady named Paige outside of the laundry room of the apartment complex, and we asked if she would like to learn more about Jesus Christ and His gospel, and she said yes, so we taught her the whole first lesson right then and there. Since then we have taught her 2 other times, and she came to church yesterday, which is the biggest thing that people are flaky about. She is praying about whether she should get baptized, and I am so excited for her!

On Tuesday we were knocking some houses that I had knocked once before, and no one had been interested last time, so I was not very confident that we would find anyone willing to listen, but I decided to just try it and see, and I am so glad we did. We met a 75 year old man named Delbert, but we call him Cowboy. He was a professional bull rider, and he also did saddle broncs until his leg got messed up. He still wears the belt buckles he won, and he has a lariat rope on the front of his walker, and he lassos stuff in his front yard. We talked to him about coming to church and about getting baptized, and he is so excited to come closer to Christ. 

Also, General Conference officially started with the women's session on Saturday. It was amazing! If you missed it, I am sorry, but it will be posted on LDS.org in a couple weeks. You can also watch the rest of conference on Saturday and Sunday, which I would highly recommend. It is a huge blessing that we have a living prophet and apostles, and that they speak to us so often and so specifically.

Also, it was really hot one day, but I didn't have a hair tie, so I braided my hair with a bread bag clip:

I think I deserve some points for creativity.

Well, that's all for this week. I love you all!

Love, 

Sister Lemon

​

Episode 51: The One

Hello everyone! It has been another great week of ups and downs. Being a missionary is certainly never boring!

So, on Tuesday we were knocking doors from 5 to 7 like we do every day. It all seemed pretty normal, until we found out that we had somehow wandered out of our area (oops!). As we were headed back to our car to figure out out how to get back into our area, we heard a big popping or smacking sound followed by screeching tires. We just looked at each other and started running toward the sound. It turns out there had been an accident at the end of the street, and there were witnesses, but no one had a phone to call 911, so we did that promptly. It was really lucky that we were there to make the call, because it was a pretty bad accident, and one older man had some lacerations on his arm that needed attention. We also had to open up one of the cars because the door was dented in and smoke was coming out. Luckily no one was seriously hurt, and I'm really glad that we were there, even if it wasn't in our area.

One of my favorite parts of missionary work is all the people we get to meet. Even when people don;t accept the gospel or don't do the things they say they will (like come to church or meet with us again later in the week), I really feel like it is a blessing just to meet so may amazing people and talk with them for a few minutes. I have learned so much from people I barely know, and it has really changed my life. Sister Powell and I are are particularly working on leaving everyone better than we found them, even if they aren't interested in or receptive to our message. It has been really cool to see the impact we can have in their lives, and I am grateful for that opportunity.

I have also been studying humility a lot this week. I love the idea that humility doesn't mean thinking less of yourself; it means thinking of yourself less. I am finding that the more I get outside of myself, the happier I am. If I truly focus on the needs of others and on how I can help them, I find I worry and stress a lot less. It's amazing how the gospel can bless us in literally EVERY aspect of our lives.  

Well, that is all for this week! I love you all. Have a great day!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 50: The One where We Got Kicked Out... A Lot!

Hello everyone! 

So, this week has felt like a month because so much has changed with our investigators. We found a lot of people, and then dropped them within a day or two, which feels kind of crazy, but apparently this are tends to be that way. There are lots of people that have a desire to learn and progress in their lives, but they lack the commitment to make it happen. But don;t worry, we found some diamonds in the rough!

One "diamond" in particular is Wendell. I think I have never been so comfortable being myself with an investigator. When we teach Wendell, it is just so real. And the best part is, he actually keeps commitments and shows up for appointments. Wendell has a lot of faith, but he also has a lot of questions, so we are really working on helping him find his own answers from God, rather than just taking someone's word for it. He also is kind of against organized religion because of some bad experiences he had in the past, but he said our church seems different so far. I have high hopes for Wendell.

As for the title of this email, here's the story. When we knock doors in apartment complexes, people sometimes get kind of grumpy, and they call their apartment manager, and the manager kicks us out. Religious proselyting is not considered soliciting or trespassing in Washington, but we don't want to make a scene either, so we just leave. Well, on Friday, Sister Powell and I got kicked out of 3 apartment complexes and a mall parking lot, which is a new record for me. At first I was really frustrated about it, but upon reflection, I started seeing God's hand in it. If we hadn't gotten kicked out of the first 2 complexes, we wouldn't have gone to the third, which is where we found Wendell and another really great investigator named Armando. Also, it's pretty amazing that we were able to meet Wendell and Armando before we got kicked out.

Actually, that has been a really big theme for me this week. God's plan for each of us is so perfect, so detailed, and so personal. No matter what your circumstances, God's plan for you got you where you are and it's going to get you right back out, and it's all for a reason. Isn't that amazing!

Well, that's all for this week. Have a great day, and I'll talk to you again soon!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 49: The One where the Rain Came Back

Hello everyone! 

This week has gone by super fast, and I almost can't even remember what happened. But that's a good thing, because one of the best things a missionary can be is busy. If you're busy, you're working hard, and that means that more people have the chance to let this message change their lives. 

It started raining again, which means that people started hiding in their houses more again, but that's not going to slow us down! 

We found an amazing lady this week named Aiisha. She is from Guam, and she has 6 kids, and she has more faith than almost anyone I have met. She basically taught herself the lesson, and we just guided the conversation. We have also talked to her husband a lot over the past week. At first, he was not very interested, but his heart is getting softer, and I have high hopes for their family.

I have been studying about joy a lot recently, and the more I study, the more I realize that the gospel is what will bring us the most joy in our lives. The whole purpose of God's plan for each one of us is to allow us to have more joy. That's really why we try to share the gospel with everyone: because we want everyone to have the joy that God intends them to have. That's why I love my "job"!

Have a great Labor Day!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 48: The One with the Mission Tour

Surprise!

Hello everyone! Many of you may be wondering why I am emailing on a Wednesday in stead of a Monday (or maybe you didn't even notice). Well, it is because we had a mission tour on Monday, which was amazing! It also meant I get to have P-Day today, on my birthday, which made me feel extra special. It's like "Happy birthday, here's a P-Day!"

So, what is a mission tour? It is when a general authority (a worldwide leader in the church) comes and gives training and you learn lots so that you can get better. It was amazing! I learned so much that I don't even know where to start, but it was definitely life changing. President said we will probably be quoting our Elder Uceda and Elder Clayton for the rest of our lives, and I definitely agree with that.

Also, As you may remember, I have a new companion now!

This is me, Sister Powell (my new companion), Sister Bolos (my friend and Sister Powell's trainer), and Sister Scousen.

Sister Powell is from San Antonio, TX. She is great! we are working really hard and getting a lot done. A lot of the people we have met are really flaky, but we just keep finding more awesome people, and trusting that if we work hard and have faith, we will see results. 

Other than that, I just want to remind you all that God loves you. He knows you personally because He is your literal Father in Heaven, and because of that, he loves you with a perfect, amazing love. If you want to know more about that, I highly suggest reading this talk:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/tomorrow-the-lord-will-do-wonders-among-you?lang=eng

I love you all, and have a great week!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 46: The One With a Photo Gallery

Hello everybody! You get a lot of pictures this week!

Sister Gobrait and I wore matching outfits, and I think all the people we talked to thought it was a uniform or something. I also tried to be an islander.

It was over 90 degrees and a nice man gave us tiny sodas. Sister Gobrait had never seen a tiny soda before. She thought it was the cutest thing ever.

Some kid abandoned their bubbles, and Sister Gobrait and I had a fun time with them while we were knocking.

Sister Ireland and me at the Blatter's house last P-Day.

Baptism! His name is Malachi, and he's a Samoan kid that we have been teaching for a few weeks. His hair is probably longer than mine.

Also, yesterday all 6 of the missionaries that serve in this ward gave 5 minute talks on trusting in the Lord. I talked about how we have to step outside of our comfort zone to really be trusting in the Lord, because if we are comfortable, we are only trusting in ourselves and our own abilities. I realized that that sums up pretty much my whole mission, but to be honest, the times that I am the least comfortable are the times when I am the happiest and the most successful. 

Have a great week everyone! I love you all!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 45: The One Where We Invited Everyone to Be Baptized

Hello everyone! This week has been great. Lots of hard work, and lots of joy!

This week our mission had a goal to invite a very large number of people to be baptized. Sister Gobrait and I decided to take this goal very seriously, and we basically invited everyone we met this week to prepare themselves for baptism. It led to a lot of great conversations, and what is even more amazing is that someone committed! His name is Jay, and he is now scheduled to be baptized at the end of the month. 

Other than that, nothing too eventful has happened this week. Just a lot of happy days.

I wanted to share with you all a scripture that has really stood out to me this week. It is Ether 12:4, and it says: 

Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

I have had so may thoughts about that scripture this week that I don;t really know what to say about it. but I love the idea that hope is the anchor of our souls, and that it keeps us going in a positive direction.

Well, that's all for this week. I love you all!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 44: The One with the Heat Miracles

Hello everyone! This has been a great week. It has been really hot and stuffy, but Sister Gobrait and I have been working on not complaining about the heat, and I'm convinced that it has brought miracles. For example:

1) We were knocking some apartments, and the stairways felt like ovens. I thought I was going to slow roast to death. We started to complain a little, but I decided to just have faith in stead of frustration. I told Sister Gobrait that I was sure someone would be interested before our 2 hours of knocking were up. The next door we knocked, we found a man named Walter who invited us back and is interested in coming to church.

2) I was getting really thirsty but I had forgotten to bring my water bottle with me. I told myself I could make it 30 more minutes, but the dramatic part of me was sure I would perish before we were done. Just then, we knocked into a really sweet lady who said her mom joined the church about a year ago and has been telling her to check it out. She said she still hasn't decided if she is interested or not, but she was grateful for everything that missionaries had done for her mom. She invited us in and gave us water with lemon and cucumber, and I was pretty much a happy camper. She asked us some questions about how missions work and about the temple, and then she gave us a whole frozen pizza, a bag or apples, and some granola bars. People are so amazing!

3) We had 15 minutes between an appointment and dinner, and we decided to go check on someone who had been interested a few months ago, but we hadn't been able to get a hold of her. She still wasn't home, but we met her neighbors, who had just moved  in a week or two ago. They are a really sweet married (yes, they are already married!) couple with two little girls. They are really interested in learning more about the gospel and in coming to church.

I have also been thinking a lot this week about patience and happiness. I am realizing more and more that patience isn't waithing through sadness until happiness comes again. Patience is choosing to be happy even when your circumstances could be an excuse to be negative. Happiness is available to us at any time if we seek it out.

That's all for this week!

Love, 

Sister Lemon

Episode 43: The One Where I Knock.. A Lot

Hello everyone! 

This week has been really great! A lot of our investigators had stopped progressing, which is usually really frustrating, but Sister Gobrait and I decided to just stop focusing on them and go out and find new people to teach. It took a lot of faith, and at first I was feeling like we were knocking a billion doors and half of them didn't even open. But the more we persevered, and the more we worked on having faith that there would be someone who wanted to learn from us, the more results we saw. It was really a testament to me that faith+hard work=miracles.

We also went on exchanges this week, and I got to relive my transfer with Sister Rydalch, which was really fun. We talked a lot about how our missions have changed us since we were companions, and how recognizing the change motivates us to want to change even more. The Atonement of Jesus Christ not only allows us to repent of our sins, but also enables us and motivates us to be constantly improving and growing.

In other news, I got ice cream form the ice cream truck for the first time in my life. It was one of those "bucket list" kinds of things that doesn't really matter, but it made me happy! It was a Mexican ice cream truck, so I got a mango and chili popsicle. Here is the photo evidence.

And here is another goofy picture, because Sister Gobrait loves taking pictures, even when we are both tired and want to punch people! (don't worry, we haven't resorted to violence, just funny faces)

That's all for this week! I love you all. Keep on smiling.

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 42: The One in the Blessed Land of Lakewood

Hello everybody! It's me again.

This week has just been great. My new area is amazing, my companion is amazing, and life is just good all around.

This is my new companion, Sister Gobrait. She is great! She is from Tahiti, and she has been out for 7 months total: 2 in Tahiti, 2 in the MTC learning English, and 3 in this area. We laugh a lot, and we are really united, which is just awesome. Like she was saying this morning, it feels like we have known each other for forever. A lot of times we will have conversations that go something like this:

Me: Do you want to turn down this road, or turn around and knock back the way we came?

Sister Gobrait: Maybe we should turn around.

Me: Oh, good. That's what I was thinking, too!

Sister Gobrait: Then it must be inspired, let's do it!

We joke and laugh a lot, and we are pretty much just happy all the time. We also share a ward with a foursome of elders. Two of them are our zone leaders, one just finished being the assistant to the mission president, and one is brand new (translation: they are 3 very experienced missionaries and one newbie). They are some crazy kids, and something crazy is always happening in our area.

We have also had a lot of miracles this week. For example, on Wednesday, we were deciding where to knock, and Sister Gobrait said she couldn't get it out of her mind that we needed to go to Woodbrook,which is a random part or our area that is on the other side of McChord Air Force Base. You have to take the freeway for 15 minutes to get there from anywhere else in our area. But, we decided to go there anyway. When we got out of the car, a random man had appeared out of nowhere and was walking toward us. Sister Gobrait was getting kind of nervous because Woodbrook has a bit of a bad rap for being "sketchy". When the guy got closer to us, he asked if we were lost, because apparently no one ever goes down that side street. We explained that we weren't lost, we were looking for people to teach about the gospel of Jesus Christ. He said he had met missionaries before when he lived in Samoa, and he would be interested in learning more. We set up an appointment for the next day, but he wasn't there, and he wasn't there another time we tried stopping by, so we figured he wasn't that interested after all. Well, yesterday we had a dinner in Woodbrook, and we got there early, so we decided to knock some doors until dinner. We picked a spot, but as we were about to start, Sister Gobrait said she felt like we should cross the street and knock on the other side fist. We hadn't knocked a single door when a car pulled up behind us. It was Junior! (the guy from before). He said he was sorry he had missed the appointment, but he still wants to meet with us . I have high hopes for Junior, because we have been led by the Spirit right to him twice now. It's amazing!

We are also working with a really solid lady named Jennifer. She has been progressing so well, and she was going to get married this upcoming weekend, but we just found out yesterday that she isn't actually married to her "husband" (she calls him her husband though, so that's why we got confused). They are engaged, but they haven't set a date yet. So, we told her that if she can set a date, we will help her with the wedding. I have a lot of faith that we will be having a wedding/baptism in the coming months. 

Jennifer also has a really cute son named Leo. He likes to steal my glasses.  

Well, that's all I've got for this week! Have a great week and I will talk you again soon!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 40: The One With Fireworks

Hello everyone! Happy 4th of July. Fireworks have been going off here for days (not the big ones, just small stuff). We were walking between some apartments in a complex, and some kids were playing with fireworks, and I was really scared for their safety, especially after they caught the grass on fire. But as far as I know, no one got hurt.

We went to Yaiy, our Cambodian grandma's house again this week (the one from Episode 36: The One with the Old Lady and a Kitchen Fire). Guess what, she came to church this week! That's the first time on my whole mission that she has come, and it was awesome. We even went to help her get dressed before church. She's so cute!

I've also been reading a lot about listening recently. I realized that hearing is what you do wit your ears, but listening is what you do with your heart. I know that sounds really cheesy, but it's really true! You can hear and not do anything, but when you listen, it causes you to act. I have started carrying around a tiny notebook to write down all kinds of stuff so that I can work on listening rather than just hearing, and it's awesome! I am learning tons from things I never would have noticed before.

Well, that's all for this week folks! Oh, except this picture of mini golfing last week. I got 2nd! 

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 39: The One Where I Hit Half-Way

Hello everyone! Today's email will be very short, but I still love you all!

At some point this past week, I hit my half way mark kind of! It's a little confusing because my mission is a weird length or something, but I have 9 months left out here in the WA-TAC!

Also, Ming Kong got baptized yesterday, and it was a really awesome baptism with lots of ward support. Hooray!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 38: The One Where I Eat Weird and Delicious Things

Hello everybody!

Fruit is in season here, and I've been eating strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries from Cambodian people's gardens (they all have fruit gardens). It is the freshest, most delicious fruit I have ever eaten!

Also, I have eaten Cambodian food for a second dinner every day this week! I guess that's what happens when you teach Cambodians at 7:00 p.m.! Everything I have had is super delicious, I could it eat it forever. Sometimes I don't know what I'm eating (such as I ate something that looked like re-fried beans but tasted like the spiciest scrambled eggs you can imagine), but I figure maybe it's better that way. I also ate soup with a half of a fish in it. Guess which half I got! Sister Pen's soup had this nice fish tail in it, and mine had an eyeball looking right at me! don't worry, you don't eat the head. You just have to look at it while you eat the rest of the soup. Good thing I'm not squeamish. 

This week we also had zone conference, and this time it was at an outdoor camp called Zion's Camp. We did a lot of team building and trust exercises, and then talked about how we could apply what we had learned from the activities into our missionary work. It was really cool!

We got to be outside and wear jeans. What more could you want?

Also, one of the activities was you had to fall backward off this log and people would catch you. If you know anything about my paralyzing fear of falling, you can imagine how much I was not thrilled about that. But I did it!

We took Ming Kong to see a baptism on Saturday. The person being baptized had been in some kind of accident, and he is partially paralyzed and can't speak. It was really cool though, because you could see his testimony in his eyes and in his smile. Ming Kong got a little nervous when the missionary performing the baptism almost dropped the guy, but we told her she can pick someone "big big" to baptize her, and she felt a lot better. I was really excited because she is so ready to be baptized, and I can't wait to see her as happy as the guy on Saturday was. She gave up tea this week, so she should get baptized this upcoming weekend.

I read a great talk this week by Elder Henry B. Eyring. He told a story about his father, who had debilitating bone cancer, but he was still determined to be faithful to the end of his life. He was one day volunteering weeding in a church owned vegetable farm that grows food tor humanitarian uses. He was in so much pain that he couldn't even kneel. He weeded laying on his stomach and scooting along the ground for several hours. After the day was done, someone told him the weeds he had pulled had already been sprayed and would have died in a few days. The weeds that needed pulled were in a different part or the farm. When he laughingly told this story to a young Elder Eyring, Elder Eyring asked how he could find so much pain for nothing amusing. Wasn't he frustrated that he had wasted his whole day, or mad that no one hat told him earlier? His father looked at him and said "I didn't come for the weeds. I came for the Savior." I like to keep that in mind when I'm knocking doors that no one opens, or talking to people who just want to tell me I'm wrong, or pretty much any frustrating situation. I didn't come on a mission for the weeds. I came for the Savior.

I love you all. Keep your chins up!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 37: The One Where I Learned to Make Cambodian Food

Hello everybody! So much has happened this week, that I honestly don't know where to start or what to include, so forgive me if my thoughts are kind of scattered. It feels like I've lived a whole month's worth of events since last Monday!

On Saturday (see, I told you I was going to be scattered), we were supposed to have so much going on that we weren't sure we would actually make it to all of our appointments. And then, of course, 70% of them fell through, and so we were trying to decide what to do to find new people to teach. Well, apparently the answer is cook with the Cambodians, but we didn't know that at the time.

Here is what happened. We went to Bong Roth's house (Souhan and Sakura's house) to teach their aunt, Ming Kong. We taught her while everyone else was at the grocery store, and they got back as we were about to leave. Bong Roth asked if we could stay for a bit and help them cook, and we said sure. So I learned (kinda) how to make Kuthio (I probably spelled that way wrong), which is kind of like a Cambodian pho with a beef base in stead of chicken, and way more delicious. The reason it was a finding activity is because one of Bong Roth's friends showed up, and now we are teaching her, and they also gave us the phone number of another lady who is interested. Basically i have decided that the best way to find more Cambodians is to hang out with the Cambodians we already know, because it is a lot easier than hunting them down in the midst of everyone else. Plus, I get to eat tasty food!

Ming Kong is actually doing really well right now. She came to church and stayed for all 3 hours, even though Bong Roth had to go home to take care of her baby. Ming Kong told us that as soon as she walked into the chapel, she could feel something different. She wants to get baptized and follow Jesus Christ so much, and you can tell that she is really committed to it, too.  

After church we went to Bong Roth's to talk to Ming Kong about how she felt and to answer any questions she might have. We were visiting a little bit with their whole family, and Tami (Bong Roth's 2 year old daughter, who is kinda spoiled) was doing a little potty dance. Ming Kong and Sister Pen were asking her (in Cambodian) if she needed to go to the bathroom and if she needed any help. Apparently, Tami was not amused, because after ignoring them for a couple minutes, she gave Ming Kong the stink eye and shouted "no pee, Kong!" It was particularly funny because Ming Kong thought it was so funny, and her laugh is really contagious.

Also, on Monday we helped a lady move in to a house in our area all the way from Kent. Her name is Marry Anne, or "Granny Standing Bear" (she does not appear to be native American, but I don't know the story yet if it is a knock name). The Kent missionaries called us and asked us to be there when she got to her new place, which is good because she was by herself and it was 95 degrees out, and I think she would have died if she had tried to unload all her stuff without any help. We have gone over every day since to try to talk to her again, but she is never home! I think her room mate (who is pretty old and uses an electric scooter) is getting tired of us being there all the time, but we are really anxious to teach her, because she has already been to church twice, and has had some lessons from the missionaries in Kent.

Other than that, we have just been keeping really busy with lots of good things. I have been studying a lot, particularly about making love our motivation behind everything we do. I have been particularly pondering on Proverbs 10:12, which says "Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins." I haven't uncovered all the meanings of that verse yet, but I have noticed recently that the more you love someone, the less you notice their mistakes, and the more you focus on their strengths rather than their faults. It is really cool! I'm not very good at it yet, but I'm working on it, and it makes a world of difference.

Well, that's all for today! Except for this selfie Sister Pen took while I was driving. Excuse my face, I was caught off guard.

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 36: The One with the Old Lady and a Kitchen Fire

Hello everybody! I hope this finds you all doing well.

As I am sure you know by now, missionary work is never boring. For example, this week we went to visit a really old Cambodian lady who has stopped coming to church because at the age of 95, her health is not the best. We always go to her back door because if faces the street (I know, weird). Well, when we got to the door, it was open, which is unusual, so we just walked in. There in the kitchen was some guy I've never seen trying to put out a fire that basically took over the stove top. His method was essentially beating the fire to death with a wet rag, and it was more effective than you might think. Once he got the fire put out, the smoke alarm started going off (I think he roasted the rag, among other things), and so we had to help open all the doors and windows and fan the smoke out of the house. Never a dull moment!

This week we taught two Cambodian kids named Kameron and Beverly, and they are amazing! We shared the first vision with them, and asked them what they thought would happen after Joseph Smith prayed. Beverly said "I think God and Jesus told Joseph Smith to be the new prophet", and Kameron said "and they probably wanted him to tell everybody about how they could have the truth again". Basically we said "yeah, that's what happened", and then gave them the Book of Mormon. They both started reading it right then and there! I'm so excited for these two!

Also, it was about 95 here yesterday, so knocking doors was basically hotter than sirrache sauce (which I've started eating a lot because Asians love it). We were knocking in a mobile home park for retired people, and just when I thought I was going to pass out from heat, a really nice lady let us in and gave us some ice water. And she actually had air conditioning, which is pretty rare here. It turns out she got baptized many years ago, but then she got offended by something someone at church said to her, and she hasn't come back since. She was really kind, but it is always sad to me when people lose their faith because of someone else's imperfections.

This week has been a little hard for me as well. There have just been a lot of people who seem so ready for the gospel, but they make promises to do things like go to church that they never intend to keep. At first I was getting really bogged down about it, feeling really tired, and on some level I just wanted to give up. But, I have decided that I am not a quitter, so I started studying to try to find a better solution. I found so many great things in the Book of Mormon and in the words of living apostles, but I want to share on thing in particular with you. 

How great is it to know that God is always supporting us! He never leaves us alone in our times of trial. And because of the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we never go through trials or struggles alone. He knows us perfectly, he knows exactly what we are going through because He has gone through it for us, and He knows specifically how best to help you through it. Isn't that amazing!

Well, that's all I have for today! 

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 35: The One with

Hello everyone! Happy Memorial Day!

Tomorrow is transfer day, but don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, and neither is Sister Pen. We are staying here to keep working hard and making things happen.

We had a huge breakfast for our ward this morning. It was really fun, and there were a lot of people there. Sister Wheelock made a slideshow of all the people in our ward who have served in the armed forces, as well as action shots of planes and boats and stuff. It was really touching.

Other than that. life ha been pretty normal. We are working hard, and I know that big things are coming, so stay tuned!

And remember, "men are that they might have joy"!

I love you all. Have a great day.

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 34: The One with the Temple Trip and a Pinched Nerve

Hello everybody! It has been a great week, with some surprised thrown in the mix.

To start, I am back to just one companion. Another sister had to go home for more intensive health care, and Sister Knudsen got transferred up to Silverdale to fill her spot until next week when we get some new sisters. The life of a missionary is never boring!

Also, this week we got to go on our annual temple trip! It is usually in March, but the temple was closed in March for some maintenance. Anyway, it was awesome. I love the temple!! 

Here is my zone in front of the temple. I think Sister Blatter got so excited about the beautiful missionaries, that she cut off the top of the temple, but that is alright.

And this is just a goofy picture of the tree zones I went to the temple with. See, missionaries are real people, too! Plus, we got to ride in a school bus for an hour, and that was pretty exciting. Sister Pen was shocked that there were no seat belts.

In other news, I pinched a nerve in my ankle, and for about 20 minutes I thought I was going to die or else they were going to have to amputate my foot. i'm a little dramatic, what can I say. After walking it off (a lot!), wrapping it, and Sister Pen putting magic Cambodian balm on it for 3 days, I no longer think I'm going to lose the foot or my life. 

We have a really awesome new investigator named Bong Sina. She is super sweet, and her two daughters are so cute! They mostly speak English because that is what they learn in school, so Sister Pen and I taught them how to count in Cambodian. Imagine that, me teaching a Cambodian person how to speak Cambodian! Bong Sina has a lot of what we call "real intent": she has a very sincere desire to learn the truth for herself, and she is really willing to act on what she learns. I'm really excited to work with her more.

We also went to a funeral this week for an amazing lady in our ward. She has served 3 missions with her husband, and she brought Sister Baca to church every week from the time she was an investigator, which was 12 years ago! It was really cool to hear about all the amazing things this lady had done in her life, and to see what an impact she had in the life of others. It mad me think about how I want to be remembered when it is my time to leave this earth, and how I need to be living now to make that happen. Perspective is a way cool thing!

Also at the funeral, we sang a song that I absolutely love, and I actually have part of the lyrics written on the back of my planner. The song is How Firm a Foundation, and the whole thing is amazing (10 out of 10, would highly recommend singing it, or at least listening to it), but I particularly love the 7th verse. It says:

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose

I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I'll never, no never, I'll never, no never,

I'll never, no never, no never forsake!

I love that! Trusting in God can be hard, but I can testify that it is SO WORTH IT! It is the only way we can overcome the foes, both literal and figurative, that face us every day.

I love this gospel, I love serving as a missionary, and I love all of you! Have an awesome week.

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 33: The One with the Blue Weave - Revisited

Hello everyone! This week has been amazing!! lots of miracles are happening here.

On Tuesday while we were knocking doors from 5-7, there were some kids playing in one of the streets we were on. We noticed they started following us from door to door, but always staying on their scooters at the bottom of the driveways. We started talking to them, and they were so excited. We told them we are missionaries, and we go around talking to people about Jesus and helping people be happy because Jesus makes us happy. They told us they love Jesus, and they want to be missionaries, too! We gave them each a pamphlet to give to their friends, and then they went door to door with us for an hour. A whole hour! I was sure they were going to get bored and leave, but they didn't. We even had a short lesson on a doorstep, and they thought that was about the coolest thing they had ever seen. They were sad when we had to leave, so we took a picture with them, and promised to bring them each a copy of it next week. Also, we accidentally kind of lined up with our "mini-me"s in this picture, which is cute.

​

Every week our mission sets a mission-wide goal that we work on for that week. Usually it is a certain number of lessons taught, number of people on date for baptism, or something like that, where every companionship does everything they can to contribute to the total number. This week was a little different. The goal for this week was called "2-2-2-10", meaning everyone works to have 2 new investigators, 2 people at church, 2 people on date for baptism, and 10 lessons with a member present. Our trio worked really hard all week to make 2-2-2-10 happen for our companionship, and Sunday morning everything was all set to go. We already had more than 2 news, more than 10 lessons with a member, and 2 people on date, and we had invited 5 or 6 people to church, and even set up rides for some of them. And then none of them showed up. Not a one. Even the ones with rides weren't home when their rides got there. We were really upset about, but decided we would just have to try again next week. After the meeting however, we found out that a grandma in her ward had brought her two non-member grand daughters to church, and a less active lady had come with her non-member husband. We had 3 at church and didn't even know it! Our spirits were lifted, until we realized that one of the 2 people we had on date was no longer eligible to be baptized next week because he didn't come to church this week, so now we had met our goal for at church, but were short of our on date goal (if this is getting confusing, I'm sorry). However, we were so inspired by the miracle of 3 people at church, that we decided to just go out, work as hard as we could, and put someone on date by the end of the day. It sounds pretty crazy, but we were so filled with faith, that we knew God would guide us. We prayed and asked where we needed to knock to find someone ready to commit to a baptismal date. As Sister Knudsen was praying, the name of an investigator from my first month in Tacoma came to my mind: Charmaine. Many of you may not remember Charmaine, but she was the title character of "Episode 14: The One with the Blue Weave". It seemed odd, because we hadn't been able to get in contact with Charmaine since that first week or so, but we followed the Spirit and went to knock her street. As we were walking up to her door, before we even knocked, the door opened, and a lady I hadn't seen before greeted us. It turns out that she is Charmaine's mom, and she has been going through some really hard stuff recently, and she started crying just telling us about it. We consoled her, taught her about the Atonement, and long story short, we put Charmaine, Charmaine's mom, And Charmaine's daughter on date! The Spirit was so strong, and I was full of joy and gratitude.

This experience taught me so many things, including but not limited to:

-God supports us as we work toward worthy goals

-if you follow the Spirit, you will always be right

-faith+hard work=miracles

-it is never to late for the Atonement

-gratitude is not a burden, it is a joy

Life is great here in the WA-TAC. I love you all and I pray for you every day.

Love,

Sister Lemon

Aavion's Baptism and The Trio

We got chocolate for Mother's Day because we are "the world's best mom", apparently.

Episode 32: The One with a Surprise Trio

Hello everyone! Lots is going in in my life right now. 

I got another companion. Some emergency transferring happened on Thursday, and long story short, I'm now in a trio that covers 2 wards plus the Cambodian work. It's a little nuts sometimes, but it's also great. We have twice as much work now, which is both exciting and hectic, but I am loving it!

Also, Aavion got baptized on Saturday, and it was the cutest thing ever. He was SO excited to get baptized. We didn't have a baptism jumpsuit the right size, so he was wearing a huge suit rolled up a million times, and not very many people cam because it was Mother's Day weekend, but Aavion didn't care at all. In, fact, he was literally jumping with excitement, and he ran to the font when they told him it was time for his baptism. It was awesome to see the joy the gospel can bring to our lives.

In other news, I got to Skype my family yesterday for Mother's Day, and that was way awesome! Families are the best, and I'm so glad that we get to be together forever!

I have been thinking a lot about change this week. I found this quote:

 

I have seen so much change in myself from the beginning of my mission to now, and I am so glad to be becoming a better person. I know that it is only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that we can change our nature, but the enabling power of the Atonement is so awesome, I can't even describe it. I am eternally grateful for the ability to change.

I love you all! Have a fabulous week!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 31: The One Where I Get Lost... A Lot

Hello everyone! This week has been crazy. Training is hard, but it is also awesome, because Sister Pen is great. I get lost or turned around at least 70% of the places we go, but we always get there eventually! I told our bishop's wife that I sometimes feel like I have no idea what I am doing, and I'm just making stuff up as I go, and she said pretty much every day of her life feels like that, and she turned out fine, so that makes me feel better! In all seriousness though, I think that is kind of the whole reason we are sent to this earth. We couldn't learn or progress without being put into situations that we aren't comfortable or familiar with. As cheesy as it is, here really is no growth in the comfort zone. And I am doing A LOT of growing right now for sure!

We are still working with Om Jon, and he is great. Actually, his name is Om Chon, we just misheard him the first time. Plus, I am terrible at spelling anyway. Anyway, he has a great desire to follow Christ and be baptized, but he feels like he can't leave his wife, who has spine cancer, long enough to go to church, so he doesn't want to commit to a baptism date. But they are the sweetest couple. They call me the Frenchie (apparently Cambodians assume all white people are French and eat lots of bread).I am really hopeful that we can find a way to get them to church, because I have already seen how much prayer has blessed them, and I know taking the Sacrament will be amazing for them. We are praying hard, and trusting that the Lord will provide a way.

We are also working with a boy named Avion right now. He lives with his grandparents, who were interested for a while, but then decided that they already know everything they care to know and don't want to learn more. But Avion comes to church every week with one of his friends, and he loves learning about God and Jesus. He went to a baptism last week, and afterward asked us if he could do that too! So, we are working with him so that he can get baptizedon Saturday, and he is really excited about it.Every time he prays with us, he prays that he can still get baptized on Saturday. It is really cute!

We had a multi-stake missionary musical fireside yesterday, which was awesome for a lot of reasons. I got to see some people from the American Lake ward, which was awesome. But what was really amazing was how strong the Spirit was. I would try to express it to you, but I cannot. The gospel is true, friends! I don't know how it could not be.

I have been thinking a lot this week this a quote from General Conference, which someone hung on the wall of our apartment:


I have been thinking about what making space in my life for others looks like. There a lots of answers to that question, and it varies from situation to situation, but I have learned a lot about charity and how to build a quality relationship with someone. It has been really cool, and I highly recommend trying it!

Well,that's all for this week! Have a great day my lovelies!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 30: The One with Sister Pen!

Hello everyone! It has been an awesome but crazy week!

First of all, Sister Pen is here! She is awesome. She is 22 years old, and has already graduated college with a degree in international relations. It is really cool to teach Cambodians with her because they really connect with her and open up to her in a way that they don't open up to white people (in other words, me). I'm also learning tons of Cambodian because we talk to each other pretty much only in Cambodian, and she fills in the words I don;t know and corrects my pronunciation ad it is awesome!

This week has also been a week of miracles. When we came in, we were basically starting from scratch. The work had been a little slow, and the sisters before us didn't really have anyone solid to work with. But, in the last 6 days, we found 10 new investigators, and more than half of them are Cambodian. We are doing a lot of Cambodian work, and I am super excited about it.

We also had ward and stake boundary changes the day before I got here, and a lot of people are sad about it because they lost ward members they loved, and now they have to build relationships with new people. But I am super excited about it because Our ward doubled in side and got new area that used to be in the Federal Way mission. There were so many people at church yesterday, that they ran out of sacrament and had to do it twice! The ward that merged with ours has never had sister missionaries either, so there are a lot of members who are really excited to work with us.

In other news, it has been sunny and in the 70s and 80s almost all week. I already have a tan line from the shoes I wear. It's really great, because a lot of people are outside, which makes it easier to talk to them. It's also a lot more fun to knock doors in the sun than in the dark and rain.

On the more spiritual side of things, I have been thinking a lot about prayer this week. We have been teaching a lot of the Cambodians about prayer because many of them have health or family problems, and we teach them how much prayer can help. For example, we went to the home of
Om Jon, an investigator who had been taught about a year ago, to see if he was interested in learning again. He opened the door, and when he recognized who we were, he smiled, invited us in, and asked us to pray with his family, all before we even asked if he was interested! He said he remembered how important and how powerful prayer is, but he couldn't remember how to do it. We taught him again, and he was so excited to be able to pray on his own every day. I hope that is how we all feel about prayer. I know that prayer is one of our greatest resources in life, and that it can bring us great blessings. I hope we are all as excited to communicate with our Father in Heaven as Om Jon is.

Well, that is all for this week. I love you all, and I can't wait to hear from you.

Love,

Sister Lemon

This is me and my new companion, Sister Pen!

This is all of the trainers for this transfer, before we met our new companions.

And this is when I first met Sister Pen!

Episode 29: The One with the Temple Trip

Hello everyone! Lots of news this week!


First of all, I am getting transferred again! I'm going back to the Cambodian area to train a new sister, Sister Pen. She is from Cambodia, and I am so excited to be her companion. I have emailed her (before I knew I would be her trainer), and she sounds awesome!I'm a little nervous because the boundaries of the area were changed yesterday, and a lot of things are going to be different, and I'm the one who has to know what is going on and how things work. But I know it will all work out because God qualifies those he calls.


Also, I got to go to the temple this week! Sister Rydalch and I had the opportunity to take Souhan to do baptisms for his family. It was really cool, and it was great to see him again. Souhan is like my mission best friend.

 


Because we took Souhan to the temple, Sister Rydalch and I got to be companions again for the day, which was really fun. It's cool how much has changed in the past transfer and how much hasn't.


Other than that, this week has been pretty slow. The weather has been really nice, and I think everyone decided that meant they should not be home.


The theme of this week for me has been trusting God. There are a lot of things in my life that I don't understand in my life right now, but I am realizing more and more that that is alright. I particularly like Proverbs 3:5-6, which says "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." I know that the more I trust God and His timing, the happier I find myself, and the more I realize that he definitely knows what I need better than I do. Trusting in Him is not always easy for me, but it is definitely worth it.


I love you all! I will write you again next Monday (yes, Monday. I told you things are changing!)


Love,


Sister Lemon

This is Sister Ireland and me looking normal and cute.

This is more how we feel most of the time: a little scatter brained but still happy!

And this is how Sister Ireland feels about me leaving: