Episode 73: The One with Stress and Joy

Hello everyone!

Life is a rollercoaster, but it is a good one!

I got asked to put together a musical number for Zone conference this week. I basically had a week to do it, and It was super stressful, but I think it's coming together, so that's a miracle!

Jennifer is still awesome! She came to church again, and this time she brought her Daughter, Aivree. Aivree is so cute! 

It has been pretty hard to find new investigators lately, but it makes it even more exciting when we do find someone to teach.

Long story short, work is hard but it makes me really happy!

Short email this week, but I love you all!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 72: The One with Ups, Downs, and Miracles!

Hello everyone! 

This is how much we love snow in Tacoma!

This week felt like it was a month long, but it also flew by, which is a weird paradox to wrap my mind around. Anyway, we were working really hard to try to find some new investigators to teach. We found a few people, but then they all ended up being pretty flaky, and I was starting to get discouraged. However, in the words of President Hinckley, "We have every reason to be optimistic in this world. Tragedy is around, yes. Problems everywhere, yes. But … you can't, you don't, build out of pessimism or cynicism. You look with optimism, work with faith, and things happen." So, I was trying to have a positive attitude, and it really payed off! We had a lady named Jennifer show up to church all on her own. She just looked us up on line and came to church. Talk about the opposite of flaky! I asked her why she was interested in our church, and she said she had a rough childhood, but some of her friends who were members of our church were really supportive of her and got her through her challenges. So now, as an adult, she felt like it was time to become the kind of example those friends had been to her. She is just the nicest lady, and I am so excited to work with her more.

Also, this week we were put in contact with a Cambodian member who just got transferred here in the military. His name is Phirun, and he is basically an answer to a lot of prayers, because we are really trying to build up the Cambodian congregation, but we don't have any actively participating men, so it has been a little difficult. But Phirun is super involved, and he created an Asian branch in California when he served his mission there, so he has a lot of good experience to draw from. 

Other than that, here are some pictures.

This is Sister Minnich and Sister Choo. They share our apartment now. Their bathroom flooded, so we had to bail it out. 

It also flooded outside because a really heavy rain came and melted all the snow, and the combination was more than Puyallup could handle.

And of course, a goofy selfie.

That's all for this week! 

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 71: It's the Final Transfer!

Hello everyone! I have not a lot of time to email today. It snowed 6 inches yesterday, and all the libraries were closed, so we are squeezing it in today! Long story short, you basically just get a lot of pictures.

​It was freezing cold, so we wore goofy, fluffy hats that we found in our apartment.

​
​I was really excited about all the snow.

​Snow selfie! You can't see the snow, but it's there!

​

You can definitely see the snow in this one.

Well, that's all for now.

Love, 

Sister Lemon

Episode 70: The One where God Works in Mysterious Ways... and I Love It!

Hello everyone! This week was amazing and unexpected.

So, Sister Zapata and I have been praying for miracles and straightening our faith that this is God's work, and that He will put us where He needs us, when He needs us. It takes a lot of patience, but it works! Here's the story.

We were driving down the road on Tuesday afternoon. The road we were on does not have a sidewalk, and it's usually pretty busy with cars, but for some reason there was no one else on the road for as far as the eye could see in any direction. I noticed a girl walking along the shoulder (which never happens on this particular road), and felt a distinct impression to stop the car and talk with her. So we pulled over and Invited her to church and got her phone number. It seemed pretty insignificant at the time, but the next morning I felt like we needed to text her and set up a time to meet with her sooner than Sunday. To make a long story a little shorter, we have met with Tiffany 3 times since then, and she is amazing! She had been praying for a few weeks that someone would be put in her path to help her make a change in her life, and just when she felt at her lowest, she went out walking and met us. She said she almost flaked out on the first lesson we set up with her, but something told her that her life would be better if she came, and that we were put in her path for a reason, not just by coincidence. Tiffany has been reading the Book of Mormon and praying daily, and she told us that she can feel an increase in the presence of the Holy Ghost in her life from doing those things. I have never felt the Spirit working through me as strongly as when we teach Tiffany, and it is absolutely amazing to be able to be a tool in God's hands to bring one of His children back to Him. I feel like I've known Tiffany forever, and I'm sure it's because God has known her forever, and I get to feel a sliver of His love for her. 

We also had a world wide missionary broadcast this week, and there were changes made to our schedule and how we report back on what we are doing. It's going to take some adjusting, but change always brings growth, so that's exciting! The broadcast also involved several talks and some panel discussion that I really enjoyed. My biggest take away is that the purpose of life is to change and grow through the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the purpose of missionaries is to facilitate that change and growth for those who are searching for it. What a great calling!

And now, some pictures.

​

It was raining really hard, so we took a selfie.

I made some new friends in the Valentines Day section of Wal-Mart. There were so many stuffed animals, I could hardly handle it!

We had Wendy's for lunch on Saturday, and we were on the cup!

I hope you all have a fabulous week!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 69: The One where We Smile in the Rain

Hello everyone! This week the weather warmed up, and the rain came back. It feels like Washington again!

We have been working really hard this week, and finding joy in pretty much everything. God has been good to us, and we have met a lot of great people. Our teaching pool is a little dry right now, but we are preying for miracles every day, and strengthening our faith that they will come. 

We found a really solid investigator this week. Her name is Bong Chanthy. She was taught in the past, but she works on Sundays, so she could never come to church. But she told us that she has been working on getting a different schedule so she can come. She has an amazing testimony of Jesus Christ and of the scriptures. I'm really excited to work with her some more.

I have been pondering a lot recently on the will of God and what I can do to more fully live in harmony with His plan for me. I really have a testimony the God does not make mistakes, neither does He leave things up to chance or coincidence. He knows us perfectly, and He loves us enough to give us the right people, the right experiences, and the right lessons that will teach us to be who He knows we are capable of becoming. I probably sound like a broken record, but you can't tell the truth too many times. 

And now, pictures!

This is my little district. Aren't we cute?

I think this picture requires no explanation.

This is us with Tami, Bong Roths daughter, and her giant cheetah. Tami's a sassy little stinker, and I love her!

Well, that is all for this week. Have a great week and come back for more next Monday.

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 68: The One with "Not Long to Go"

Hello everyone!

So, I have officially reached the point where everyone is telling me that I "don't have long to go" before I go home. So, that's exciting and nerve wracking, all at the same time. But I'm so excited for the next 9 weeks, and the next forever after that!

For those of you we're ordering, the car is all fixed and running great. We didn't have it for about 3 days, and I can definitely say I learned to be greatful for something I used to take for granted. Every time I get in the car to drive now, I smile. Life is full of little tender mercies!

The highlight of this week was going to the temple. It as amazing! The Spirit is there so strongly, and there is peace and clarity there like no where else. 

Also, I can't send any pictures today, so you'll have to get a bunch next week in stead.

I love you all. Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Lemon

Episode 67: The One with Black Ice

Hello everyone! This weeks email will be pretty short because I am running out of computer time. 

This week we found a lot of new people to teach, so stay tuned for updates on them. Miracles are in the making!

Also, we hit some black ice on the way to church yesterday, but don't worry! No damage to me or Sister Zapata, just messed up the alignment of our car. Life is always an adventure.

And I know I say this all the time, but I just keep learning how true it is. God loves you! He knows you personally and has a plan for you in your specific life. He is always there for you, like the best friend and parent you can imagine. 

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Lemon