So I missed 2 basketball seasons while I was in Indonesia, and that was kind of hard for me. Luckily, my dad gave me lot's of updates on my team back here in Utah so that most of the names were not completely foreign to me (although the faces have been...) right before coming home.
However, there were a few changes that occurred to the team that I loved so much in the 2 seasons I missed. First and foremost, my Matty (Matt Harpring), whose jersey I would always wear on game days (whose jersey should I get next? Ya, I dunno either... Still waiting to see if Millsap stays around) retired from the NBA. After that, the news from my dad was just the normal ups and downs of the season. And the next season was a lot the same. And then, literally THE MONTH before I came home (I was SOOO excited to come home and watch my team play again!), all hell broke loose at the ESA, and each week, the news i got was worse and worse. First, Boozer was traded (but I wasn't that sad... I always thought he was a waste of money cuz of his inconsistency). Other items of business I heard about were Kirilenko and Kyle Korver. The biggest slap in the face, however, was Sloan retiring. I remember talking to one of my basketball friends in Indonesia (I practiced with teams in my last 2 areas, and the guys always loved talking NBA with me), and he was telling me about Sloan. I literally burst out crying, "What is going on in Utah? The only people left of my old team are Millsap and Williams!" Weeeeeeeeelllllllllllllll..... I shouldn't have spoken too soon. The next week, I came to practice and the same kid told me about Willams being traded. My heart literally sank, and I had no idea what I would be coming home to! Ugh, I was NOT happy.
Now I'm sitting at home watching my second game of the season... the Jazz are at the Nuggets, and THANK HEAVENS they're playing better, but last nights game was utter humiliation. It's still the first quarter though... We'll see what happens tonight. I just miss my old Jazz team... The team that I watched from the nosebleed section and my friends' couches. But......... Those days are as over as the Stockton to Malone days, so I should probably stop complaining and just keep on cheering my team on. So....
GO JAZZ!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
My Eavesdropping Dilemma
So today on the bus I eavesdropped on ANOTHER retarded conversation. Although I'm an avid bus rider, I'm not a huge fan of talking to random people on the bus; I much prefer listening to what others have to say if I am not busy doing an assignment or tuning everyone out with music. HOWEVER, the last 2 days I have been caught listening to other peoples' conversations that have made me not just uncomfortable, but also want to yell at them, "GROW UP!" Let me go into a little bit more detail...
The other day, there was no other seat left on the bus except the very middle seat of the very back of the bus... In that position, I am kitty-corner to both of the side seats that face each other. On this particular day, I had pulled out an assignment that I needed to read, but was distracted by the girl sitting next to me and the guy sitting kitty-corner to me, because they were talking and this guy was fidgeting like no other college-aged person I'd ever seen before. I felt like I was watching a junior high boy talk to a hot college girl. But this guy is in college, and unfortunately the girl was not the most attractive beauty on the bus that day. So I just thought it was awkwardly funny. Then, as I continued trying to read, I kept getting distracted by their stupid conversation... His awkward laugh, her awkward conversation continuers... Seriously. Sometimes, people should just NOT try to flirt in public. As this guy was awkwardly trying to find a position that was comfortable for himself (which there must not have been one, because he COULD NOT stop moving), he put his foot up on his opposite leg, and guess what was right there next to his foot... MY FACE. I hate feet, and this tripped me out even more. After that, I couldn't tune out the conversation, and it went from school to nintendo to POKEMON. Yes, you read that right. POKEMON. I freaked. The next available seat I JUMPED out of my spot, and thanked Heavenly Father that I didn't have to sit between those two any longer. Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. Yes, He does.
The next day, I got my favorite seat on the bus, at the very back on either the right or left side. I like it because you can sit with your feet up on the metal thing behind the other seats. So I got that seat, and about 10 seconds later 3 girls come and sit on the seat kitty-corner to me. They were freaking out about something, and for the next 20 minutes I got to listen to them talk about (in a high, squealy, girlish freak out voice), "Omigosh, you were totally flirting with that boy!" "Omigosh, I was SOOOO not flirting with him. If I was flirting with him, it would have been SOOOO much more hard core than thaaaat, duuuuh." "Omigosh, are you serious? You have got to teach me how to flirt like that. I swear I can't even get a single boy to look at me the way that you can." ....And it just went on from there. While it was entertaining, after about 5 minutes I just wanted them to SHUT UP because it was getting really annoying listening to them. But, since they wouldn't stop and I wasn't about to move from my favorite place, I pulled out my Ipod and pretended to sleep until they got off the bus.
So this has caused me to think back on my own conversations with people, and I wonder... am I this annoying to listen to? GOSH I HOPE NOT.
The other day, there was no other seat left on the bus except the very middle seat of the very back of the bus... In that position, I am kitty-corner to both of the side seats that face each other. On this particular day, I had pulled out an assignment that I needed to read, but was distracted by the girl sitting next to me and the guy sitting kitty-corner to me, because they were talking and this guy was fidgeting like no other college-aged person I'd ever seen before. I felt like I was watching a junior high boy talk to a hot college girl. But this guy is in college, and unfortunately the girl was not the most attractive beauty on the bus that day. So I just thought it was awkwardly funny. Then, as I continued trying to read, I kept getting distracted by their stupid conversation... His awkward laugh, her awkward conversation continuers... Seriously. Sometimes, people should just NOT try to flirt in public. As this guy was awkwardly trying to find a position that was comfortable for himself (which there must not have been one, because he COULD NOT stop moving), he put his foot up on his opposite leg, and guess what was right there next to his foot... MY FACE. I hate feet, and this tripped me out even more. After that, I couldn't tune out the conversation, and it went from school to nintendo to POKEMON. Yes, you read that right. POKEMON. I freaked. The next available seat I JUMPED out of my spot, and thanked Heavenly Father that I didn't have to sit between those two any longer. Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. Yes, He does.
The next day, I got my favorite seat on the bus, at the very back on either the right or left side. I like it because you can sit with your feet up on the metal thing behind the other seats. So I got that seat, and about 10 seconds later 3 girls come and sit on the seat kitty-corner to me. They were freaking out about something, and for the next 20 minutes I got to listen to them talk about (in a high, squealy, girlish freak out voice), "Omigosh, you were totally flirting with that boy!" "Omigosh, I was SOOOO not flirting with him. If I was flirting with him, it would have been SOOOO much more hard core than thaaaat, duuuuh." "Omigosh, are you serious? You have got to teach me how to flirt like that. I swear I can't even get a single boy to look at me the way that you can." ....And it just went on from there. While it was entertaining, after about 5 minutes I just wanted them to SHUT UP because it was getting really annoying listening to them. But, since they wouldn't stop and I wasn't about to move from my favorite place, I pulled out my Ipod and pretended to sleep until they got off the bus.
So this has caused me to think back on my own conversations with people, and I wonder... am I this annoying to listen to? GOSH I HOPE NOT.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
"I know that God knows and loves me!" experience
Here it is the end of the month, and HOLY CRAP August has been a busy month! I moved out, Carter came home from his mission (nice to have ya back, kid!), Ben moved to Happy Valley (not the happiest part, of course... He is a Utah boy!), and tonight we're going to be getting together to watch Ben open his mission call. Yup... It's been QUITE the month!
So today I was in the math building at school to drop something off, and since nature was calling, I walked into the old bathroom. Now, a little background - my previous 3 semesters at WSU, I spent almost ALL my time in that math building, because I was studying with friends and just trying to make it through all my math classes. So this bathroom was used quite frequently by me during those 3 semesters. However, as I walked into the bathroom, the first (and probably only...) memory that came to mind was one of my "I know that God knows and loves me!" moments. Please allow me to elaborate.
It was my first semester taking math classes at the college level since my senior year of high school, and one of my classes was Calc 2. I was SUPER nervous about taking all these math classes, but had felt like it was what I was supposed to be doing. However, after I took the first test in my calc class, I realized pretty dang quick that it was going to be a heck of a lot harder than I could've ever imagined! I took my first test, and although I had felt good about it, the next class period my score was in the range of a nice F. Never before in my life had I ever gotten an F before! So then I started freaking out, wondering if math really was what God intended for me to do, or if I should just take the easy way out and do PE. After talking to a few people, I decided to take the class until our 2nd test had been given. If I failed that 2nd test, then I would have to drop the class and find some other subject that I would want to teach.
The days leading up to that test, I worked harder than I'd had to do for the previous 3 semesters I'd already been in college. It was like getting ready for the AP tests all over again! haha. But I worked hard, and came in feeling confident about that test - until I opened it and realized that I had no idea what most of it was talking about. And that was that - pure and utter defeat in the face of adversity. Obviously this wasn't what I should be doing, I'm not smart enough for this kind of stuff, and gosh dangit I'd be a FAR better PE coach than math teacher anyways. Then, suddenly, I got a little burst of energy, and decided to just do the best I could on the test. So I did. But don't worry, the bathroom part IS coming in soon...
The next class period, I came early. I sat at the back of the room (my usual seat), and fretted about having to switch all my plans around. I was nervous, I was anxious, and my hands wouldn't stop shaking or sweating. Finally, I decided that I needed to say another prayer to Heavenly Father, asking Him to direct me in what He wanted me to do, and to do so through my score of this test. I walked into that old, stinky bathroom, and I went into my own personal stall and said a very intense, faith-filled prayer. Then I went out to see what the rest of my life was going to consist of.
Long story short, a few minutes later I returned to that bathroom with tears in my eyes so that I could say another prayer to my Heavenly Father, but this time full of gratitude. Now Heavenly Father had truly affirmed what He wanted from me. That test was my highest scoring test that I EVER got on a math test at Weber. The Holy Ghost testified to me, through that experience, that this was EXACTLY what my loving Father in Heaven had in mind for me, and to keep working hard... He would be helping me through the entire group of courses that I'd be taking in the math core. And after 3 semesters of hell that I had to endure in the math core, I can testify today that He kept His promise. He was there with me every step of the way, and I'm so grateful for it!
This is just one of many hundreds of stories I could tell about knowing and feeling God's love for me. Maybe you could tell about one of yours on your blog? Or at least write it down in your journal. These experiences happen to strengthen and help our testimonies continue to grow and flourish, and they need to be written down so we don't forget them!
So today I was in the math building at school to drop something off, and since nature was calling, I walked into the old bathroom. Now, a little background - my previous 3 semesters at WSU, I spent almost ALL my time in that math building, because I was studying with friends and just trying to make it through all my math classes. So this bathroom was used quite frequently by me during those 3 semesters. However, as I walked into the bathroom, the first (and probably only...) memory that came to mind was one of my "I know that God knows and loves me!" moments. Please allow me to elaborate.
It was my first semester taking math classes at the college level since my senior year of high school, and one of my classes was Calc 2. I was SUPER nervous about taking all these math classes, but had felt like it was what I was supposed to be doing. However, after I took the first test in my calc class, I realized pretty dang quick that it was going to be a heck of a lot harder than I could've ever imagined! I took my first test, and although I had felt good about it, the next class period my score was in the range of a nice F. Never before in my life had I ever gotten an F before! So then I started freaking out, wondering if math really was what God intended for me to do, or if I should just take the easy way out and do PE. After talking to a few people, I decided to take the class until our 2nd test had been given. If I failed that 2nd test, then I would have to drop the class and find some other subject that I would want to teach.
The days leading up to that test, I worked harder than I'd had to do for the previous 3 semesters I'd already been in college. It was like getting ready for the AP tests all over again! haha. But I worked hard, and came in feeling confident about that test - until I opened it and realized that I had no idea what most of it was talking about. And that was that - pure and utter defeat in the face of adversity. Obviously this wasn't what I should be doing, I'm not smart enough for this kind of stuff, and gosh dangit I'd be a FAR better PE coach than math teacher anyways. Then, suddenly, I got a little burst of energy, and decided to just do the best I could on the test. So I did. But don't worry, the bathroom part IS coming in soon...
The next class period, I came early. I sat at the back of the room (my usual seat), and fretted about having to switch all my plans around. I was nervous, I was anxious, and my hands wouldn't stop shaking or sweating. Finally, I decided that I needed to say another prayer to Heavenly Father, asking Him to direct me in what He wanted me to do, and to do so through my score of this test. I walked into that old, stinky bathroom, and I went into my own personal stall and said a very intense, faith-filled prayer. Then I went out to see what the rest of my life was going to consist of.
Long story short, a few minutes later I returned to that bathroom with tears in my eyes so that I could say another prayer to my Heavenly Father, but this time full of gratitude. Now Heavenly Father had truly affirmed what He wanted from me. That test was my highest scoring test that I EVER got on a math test at Weber. The Holy Ghost testified to me, through that experience, that this was EXACTLY what my loving Father in Heaven had in mind for me, and to keep working hard... He would be helping me through the entire group of courses that I'd be taking in the math core. And after 3 semesters of hell that I had to endure in the math core, I can testify today that He kept His promise. He was there with me every step of the way, and I'm so grateful for it!
This is just one of many hundreds of stories I could tell about knowing and feeling God's love for me. Maybe you could tell about one of yours on your blog? Or at least write it down in your journal. These experiences happen to strengthen and help our testimonies continue to grow and flourish, and they need to be written down so we don't forget them!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Why do YOU work out?
So I made my brother get out of bed early this morning to go to the gym with me and help me with a few new exercises to help my workouts be more productive. It was a HARD WORKOUT (I still can't go down stairs without my legs buckling...), and a great experience (the kid has no idea that a guy his size can carry A LOT more weight than a flabby girl my size...), and I definitely feel like we bonded :)
I've gone to the gym quite a bit this summer (that means like once, twice, or maybe, MAYBE 3 times a week... but hey, that's good for me!), and I was thinking today, why do I do that? Why do I go to the gym? Then the answer came loud and clear to me... I go to the gym so that I can eat.
I know everyone is different, and everyone has their own reasons for doing things. Working out is just another one of those things. People have their excuses for not going to the gym just as much as they do for going. I thought it was funny, as I was thinking about this, that most people's response to this question would probably be something like "Because I wanna look hot in my swimsuit" or "Because I wanna lose weight," or the best answer of all, "Because I feel good after I work out." Now, I'm not demeaning any of these responses - on the contrary, each of these answers is totally and completely applicable to the person saying it. So why am I different?
Well, let's start with the fact that I LOVE LOVE LOVE food! I just love eating... It's one of those things that I will do until I'm sick. I mean, I've gotten better the last few years at not over-eating, but it still happens. And probably always will. So, in order to still feel good about myself and at least feel like I'm trying to "look good" in that swimsuit, I am given 2 choices: 1) Don't eat as much, or 2) Work out as much as you can. Would I EVER choose choice #1? NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS. Therefore, I work out. Not a lot, mind you, but enough to feel like I'm at least trying to control myself.
Oh, by the way... I ate Indonesian food tonight, and it was DELICIOUS! Haha... That's why I wanted to have an extra good workout this morning - I knew I'd be overeating later that night. Gotta love it! :P
I've gone to the gym quite a bit this summer (that means like once, twice, or maybe, MAYBE 3 times a week... but hey, that's good for me!), and I was thinking today, why do I do that? Why do I go to the gym? Then the answer came loud and clear to me... I go to the gym so that I can eat.
I know everyone is different, and everyone has their own reasons for doing things. Working out is just another one of those things. People have their excuses for not going to the gym just as much as they do for going. I thought it was funny, as I was thinking about this, that most people's response to this question would probably be something like "Because I wanna look hot in my swimsuit" or "Because I wanna lose weight," or the best answer of all, "Because I feel good after I work out." Now, I'm not demeaning any of these responses - on the contrary, each of these answers is totally and completely applicable to the person saying it. So why am I different?
Well, let's start with the fact that I LOVE LOVE LOVE food! I just love eating... It's one of those things that I will do until I'm sick. I mean, I've gotten better the last few years at not over-eating, but it still happens. And probably always will. So, in order to still feel good about myself and at least feel like I'm trying to "look good" in that swimsuit, I am given 2 choices: 1) Don't eat as much, or 2) Work out as much as you can. Would I EVER choose choice #1? NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS. Therefore, I work out. Not a lot, mind you, but enough to feel like I'm at least trying to control myself.
Oh, by the way... I ate Indonesian food tonight, and it was DELICIOUS! Haha... That's why I wanted to have an extra good workout this morning - I knew I'd be overeating later that night. Gotta love it! :P
Sunday, July 31, 2011
A good day at church
So WOW! The blogger in me is definitely coming out, because since Friday I've been thinking about what to write next on here, and how to formulate it perfectly so it's entertaining and interesting to read. Man alive... This whole blogging thing could have been a very, VERY bad idea :)
So this last month has been a not-so-easy month for me (for reasons not needed to be discussed, just believe me), but as I've been trying to have a better attitude this last week about life, God's plan for me, and being optimistic, positive, faithful and hopeful, I walked into church today. A usual activity for a nice, Sunday afternoon, but today was a little different. Because I felt like every single lesson was FORMULATED just for ME. Have you ever had that feeling? I've had one, MAYBE two lessons out of the three, but this was the first time it was all three.
Relief Society: So Bro. Moritsen taught the lesson today, and he used Elder Neal A. Maxwell's talk, "Lest Ye Be Wearied and Faint in Your Minds" which was FANTASTIC! My mom actually sent me this great quote from that talk about 3 months into my mission about how we HAVE to go through the bad things in life to know what Christ went through and be worthy to live with Him and Heavenly Father... Anyways, it was a quote that helped me MANY TIMES during my mission. So it was a lesson about what we need to do to get through all those difficult times, and it was EXACTLY what I needed after being a bit of a pessimist this last month. So now I'm going to be better at being positive, and looking for the good in things!
Sunday School: Here we talked about having a meaningful scripture study... not just reading to say you've read it, but to actually STUDY what you're reading. This is something I'm REALLY not that good at (never have been... even on the mission...), cuz I'm good at reading, pondering a bit, then moving on. I don't use a lot of footnotes cuz I don't think many of them apply like you hope they will (especially in explaining words I don't understand...), BUT I was chastised today, and I'm going to do better! I need to start spending more time and attention on the scriptures. One quote that stuck out to me was about how scripture study will increase your faith and drive to become better ... something that I need a lot. I mean, I have a drive to BECOME better, but then I face temptation, and fall. Horribly. So scripture study will help me resist those temptations and soar higher! I felt the truthfulness of that statement as I read and pondered it, and I know this is something that I need to do for myself.
Sacrament: So this was a GREAT topic, however 3 different talks about it made the meeting a little long. BUT the topic was on controlling our anger, which would then help us control everything else better. I must admit, my anger for the last few weeks has been pretty high... Almost to the point of boiling actually, a few times. But, again... We look for opportunities to serve and find the good in people, and that anger will be easier to control.
It was a great day at church! Definitely answers to prayers :)And THAT is how I know I have a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for me, and is helping me chug along to continue on with it!
So this last month has been a not-so-easy month for me (for reasons not needed to be discussed, just believe me), but as I've been trying to have a better attitude this last week about life, God's plan for me, and being optimistic, positive, faithful and hopeful, I walked into church today. A usual activity for a nice, Sunday afternoon, but today was a little different. Because I felt like every single lesson was FORMULATED just for ME. Have you ever had that feeling? I've had one, MAYBE two lessons out of the three, but this was the first time it was all three.
Relief Society: So Bro. Moritsen taught the lesson today, and he used Elder Neal A. Maxwell's talk, "Lest Ye Be Wearied and Faint in Your Minds" which was FANTASTIC! My mom actually sent me this great quote from that talk about 3 months into my mission about how we HAVE to go through the bad things in life to know what Christ went through and be worthy to live with Him and Heavenly Father... Anyways, it was a quote that helped me MANY TIMES during my mission. So it was a lesson about what we need to do to get through all those difficult times, and it was EXACTLY what I needed after being a bit of a pessimist this last month. So now I'm going to be better at being positive, and looking for the good in things!
Sunday School: Here we talked about having a meaningful scripture study... not just reading to say you've read it, but to actually STUDY what you're reading. This is something I'm REALLY not that good at (never have been... even on the mission...), cuz I'm good at reading, pondering a bit, then moving on. I don't use a lot of footnotes cuz I don't think many of them apply like you hope they will (especially in explaining words I don't understand...), BUT I was chastised today, and I'm going to do better! I need to start spending more time and attention on the scriptures. One quote that stuck out to me was about how scripture study will increase your faith and drive to become better ... something that I need a lot. I mean, I have a drive to BECOME better, but then I face temptation, and fall. Horribly. So scripture study will help me resist those temptations and soar higher! I felt the truthfulness of that statement as I read and pondered it, and I know this is something that I need to do for myself.
Sacrament: So this was a GREAT topic, however 3 different talks about it made the meeting a little long. BUT the topic was on controlling our anger, which would then help us control everything else better. I must admit, my anger for the last few weeks has been pretty high... Almost to the point of boiling actually, a few times. But, again... We look for opportunities to serve and find the good in people, and that anger will be easier to control.
It was a great day at church! Definitely answers to prayers :)And THAT is how I know I have a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for me, and is helping me chug along to continue on with it!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Random Thoughts to Start....
So I've been home from Indonesia now for almost 5 months. Long time, huh? It's crazy. Since then, though, I've talked to my sister and best friend a few times about blogging, and decided that I should keep up with it for 2 reasons... 1) It might be a good way to write out my thoughts and stay updated with friends and family, and 2) the Prophets have said that we should use technology to share our testimonies and do some good. So, my main focus will be on number 1, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to incorporate number 2 quite a bit. So... Here goes my very own first blog EVER!
MOVING OUT: So I'm moving to Bountiful in 2 weeks, and I hate how much work goes into moving ... Too many things to sign, fill out, and PAY. My poor bank account is already so sad looking, but I know it's only gonna get worse as the year progresses. However, I'm SOOOO excited to be moving in with such great people! My cousin Connie has always been such a great friend to me, and someone that I always wanna be around. It'll be kinda weird to be around her almost 24/7, since we usually only see each other about 2-4 times a year, but it's definitely a change I'm excited for! Emily Richardson has been a good friend since junior high, and we lived together down at Snow when I was down there. She was always a role model for me, because she's such a good person who helps me want to be better ... but in a very down to earth way. And Liz Richardson is Em's little sister, who I coached my first year at Davis, and I totally love to death. I'm gonna be with a bunch of great girls who I'm hoping to learn a lot from.
Summer Classes: So this summer, I had to take a class so that I can graduate by next spring. It's a writing class. With an AWESOME teacher. Sure... I had assignments, I had books to read, I had to go to class almost every week... But the great thing about this summer class was how CHILL the teacher was. He wanted everyone to get an A, and he said everyone would, just as long as we showed up and did all the assignments (notice that there is no ON TIME added at the end of this sentence). So although my dad has gotten on me a few times for not being more motivated with this class, and waiting so long to get my final paper done (which is AWESOME btw if you're interested in WWII and Indonesia....), but that's what great about my class. I don't believe I could've spent my $800 on a better class :)
Fall Classes: And that leads us to the new school year starting in less than a month. CRAZY! I've got a full semester of education classes coming up... and did I mention that I got a SWEET grant and scholarship that is paying for it all? Thank heavens... There's no way I'd be able to pay for school and be able to live away from home without it. Thanks again, Obama!
YouTube video of the week: So I had a friend post this on FB the other day, and it has had me laughing ever since! I wish I was vocal as this little lady about what I want... haha. Then again, if I ever was, I'd probably only get the same response she did. Haha, either way... HILARIOUS.
I should add that I had my mom watch this, and the first thing she said was, "That is awful that the mother is egging this on." Is it bad that I know I'll do stuff like this all the time when I'm a mom?
MOVING OUT: So I'm moving to Bountiful in 2 weeks, and I hate how much work goes into moving ... Too many things to sign, fill out, and PAY. My poor bank account is already so sad looking, but I know it's only gonna get worse as the year progresses. However, I'm SOOOO excited to be moving in with such great people! My cousin Connie has always been such a great friend to me, and someone that I always wanna be around. It'll be kinda weird to be around her almost 24/7, since we usually only see each other about 2-4 times a year, but it's definitely a change I'm excited for! Emily Richardson has been a good friend since junior high, and we lived together down at Snow when I was down there. She was always a role model for me, because she's such a good person who helps me want to be better ... but in a very down to earth way. And Liz Richardson is Em's little sister, who I coached my first year at Davis, and I totally love to death. I'm gonna be with a bunch of great girls who I'm hoping to learn a lot from.
Summer Classes: So this summer, I had to take a class so that I can graduate by next spring. It's a writing class. With an AWESOME teacher. Sure... I had assignments, I had books to read, I had to go to class almost every week... But the great thing about this summer class was how CHILL the teacher was. He wanted everyone to get an A, and he said everyone would, just as long as we showed up and did all the assignments (notice that there is no ON TIME added at the end of this sentence). So although my dad has gotten on me a few times for not being more motivated with this class, and waiting so long to get my final paper done (which is AWESOME btw if you're interested in WWII and Indonesia....), but that's what great about my class. I don't believe I could've spent my $800 on a better class :)
Fall Classes: And that leads us to the new school year starting in less than a month. CRAZY! I've got a full semester of education classes coming up... and did I mention that I got a SWEET grant and scholarship that is paying for it all? Thank heavens... There's no way I'd be able to pay for school and be able to live away from home without it. Thanks again, Obama!
YouTube video of the week: So I had a friend post this on FB the other day, and it has had me laughing ever since! I wish I was vocal as this little lady about what I want... haha. Then again, if I ever was, I'd probably only get the same response she did. Haha, either way... HILARIOUS.
I should add that I had my mom watch this, and the first thing she said was, "That is awful that the mother is egging this on." Is it bad that I know I'll do stuff like this all the time when I'm a mom?
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
hee hee....ia, saya pasti agak TRUNKY sekarang.... :P
well...i don't have much time cuz i took it all making sure we're set for next week, but in short, this last week has been pretty good.... we had goals as a district, and last week i said i was sick of us having goals but then never really trying to accomplish them, so this week if we all reached them, i'd take us out for lunch....i can honestly say that we all worked a lot harder this week, and we all reached the goals, and so friday we're going out to eat as a district. YAY!!! we had to get 2 new investigators, 2 lessons with a member, and find a new place or way to proselyte. it was good.
sister indira or effendi has been SOOO great this last week...i see a whole new light in her now that's she's decided to come back to church. she came on sunday, sat with the members, then after church hung around with them and ate lunch together....she's also been trying to help her family get more involved, inviting them to different activities and coming herself (she came to english class on thursday with her youngest son who came to my elementary class). she's so awesome....i seriously have come to love her SOOO much, and wish i could stay here as a regular member just to help her stay strong...but i guess i'll hafta do that from afar.
one of our new investigators was yesterday, and woman and her husband (who actually just happened to come home when we were talking about joseph smith). we had a nice (haha....) conversation about prophets, and the husband agreed to read the book, and decide for himself if the "fruits" of joseph smith prove him to be a prophet of God or not. with so many of our investigators, they don't go anywhere with the gospel (the interest level just IS NOT there...), but i love them all, and they love me too...which makes it hard when i wanna talk about the gospel, and they switch right back to obama....ya. i'm pretty sick of obama. but that's what's hard about leaving... i feel like all i've given them is a few minutes to talk to a bule....but what they really need is KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE RESTORED GOSPEL!!! ya...mom and dad, you'll see what i mean later.
we FINALLY met with vivi again, and i have some worries with her...not exactly with her testimony, just with how things are at home. i know it's hard for her to live with her mother-in-law, and that sometimes makes it hard for her to really want to focus on learning (she wants to learn for herself, not her m-i-l). but mom n dad, you'll meet her yourselves too. her stomach looks like kel's :)
bro paulus was a bit of joke last week. we had a member come with us to discuss the WofW, but as soon as we started talking about it, he came up with all kinds of reasons why that WASN'T something that jesus REQUIRED from us. it was a super hard lesson, especially cuz my comp "lost the spirit" and refused to say anything the whole time, so it was just me trying to help him. i dunno how much longer missionaries can work with him if he has an attitude like that...which i plan on telling him this week.
saturday is homemaking, and i'm gonna teach how to make caramel :) hopefully it goes well. sunday, i'm "allowed" to go to sacrament, but then i hafta go straight to the airport to go to jakarta....and that's that. tuesday you'll be here, and this dream of mine for the last 1 1/2 years will be over....the dream i NEVER thought i'd dream. so many friends, so many experiences, so much joy, so much pain, so much growth....so much a better person. how does God do it? we think this time we give to Him is so much, but by the end, we're the ones begging for more time, for more growth....because we haven't quite become the person we want to ... there's still so much more growth needed! and yet...when all is said and done, we are what we have become, we are what we have allowed Him to shape us to become....and then the real test starts. the test of, "can you keep this up in the REAL world, where you DON'T wear a nametag and carry around the white handbook and have someone checking on your every move?" i remember elder holland talking in the MTC, pounding on the pulpit and into my heart that "YOU CANNOT COME HOME THE SAME PERSON YOU LEFT! IF YOU DO, THEN YOUR MISSION HAS FAILED!" well...i'm not the same person, so i guess that means my mission has been a success. i'm so grateful for it. for anyone pushing aside this opportunity, DON'T. it will be the best decision you'll ever make. there is nothing that will compare to the time you give to the Lord, there is nothing that will compare to the blessings you recieve, and there is NOTHING that will compare to joy you feel. SERVE THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, MIGHT, MIND AND STRENGTH, AND YOU WILL COME OFF CONQUORER! (is that a scripture? i know the first part is, but i think i made up the last part.... :P).
and that's that. peace out my friends and family.... i'll be seeing ya'll soon. dalam nama Yesus Kristus, AMIN!
~Sister Sara Hewlett
Indonesia Jakarta Mission, 2009-2011
sister indira or effendi has been SOOO great this last week...i see a whole new light in her now that's she's decided to come back to church. she came on sunday, sat with the members, then after church hung around with them and ate lunch together....she's also been trying to help her family get more involved, inviting them to different activities and coming herself (she came to english class on thursday with her youngest son who came to my elementary class). she's so awesome....i seriously have come to love her SOOO much, and wish i could stay here as a regular member just to help her stay strong...but i guess i'll hafta do that from afar.
one of our new investigators was yesterday, and woman and her husband (who actually just happened to come home when we were talking about joseph smith). we had a nice (haha....) conversation about prophets, and the husband agreed to read the book, and decide for himself if the "fruits" of joseph smith prove him to be a prophet of God or not. with so many of our investigators, they don't go anywhere with the gospel (the interest level just IS NOT there...), but i love them all, and they love me too...which makes it hard when i wanna talk about the gospel, and they switch right back to obama....ya. i'm pretty sick of obama. but that's what's hard about leaving... i feel like all i've given them is a few minutes to talk to a bule....but what they really need is KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE RESTORED GOSPEL!!! ya...mom and dad, you'll see what i mean later.
we FINALLY met with vivi again, and i have some worries with her...not exactly with her testimony, just with how things are at home. i know it's hard for her to live with her mother-in-law, and that sometimes makes it hard for her to really want to focus on learning (she wants to learn for herself, not her m-i-l). but mom n dad, you'll meet her yourselves too. her stomach looks like kel's :)
bro paulus was a bit of joke last week. we had a member come with us to discuss the WofW, but as soon as we started talking about it, he came up with all kinds of reasons why that WASN'T something that jesus REQUIRED from us. it was a super hard lesson, especially cuz my comp "lost the spirit" and refused to say anything the whole time, so it was just me trying to help him. i dunno how much longer missionaries can work with him if he has an attitude like that...which i plan on telling him this week.
saturday is homemaking, and i'm gonna teach how to make caramel :) hopefully it goes well. sunday, i'm "allowed" to go to sacrament, but then i hafta go straight to the airport to go to jakarta....and that's that. tuesday you'll be here, and this dream of mine for the last 1 1/2 years will be over....the dream i NEVER thought i'd dream. so many friends, so many experiences, so much joy, so much pain, so much growth....so much a better person. how does God do it? we think this time we give to Him is so much, but by the end, we're the ones begging for more time, for more growth....because we haven't quite become the person we want to ... there's still so much more growth needed! and yet...when all is said and done, we are what we have become, we are what we have allowed Him to shape us to become....and then the real test starts. the test of, "can you keep this up in the REAL world, where you DON'T wear a nametag and carry around the white handbook and have someone checking on your every move?" i remember elder holland talking in the MTC, pounding on the pulpit and into my heart that "YOU CANNOT COME HOME THE SAME PERSON YOU LEFT! IF YOU DO, THEN YOUR MISSION HAS FAILED!" well...i'm not the same person, so i guess that means my mission has been a success. i'm so grateful for it. for anyone pushing aside this opportunity, DON'T. it will be the best decision you'll ever make. there is nothing that will compare to the time you give to the Lord, there is nothing that will compare to the blessings you recieve, and there is NOTHING that will compare to joy you feel. SERVE THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, MIGHT, MIND AND STRENGTH, AND YOU WILL COME OFF CONQUORER! (is that a scripture? i know the first part is, but i think i made up the last part.... :P).
and that's that. peace out my friends and family.... i'll be seeing ya'll soon. dalam nama Yesus Kristus, AMIN!
~Sister Sara Hewlett
Indonesia Jakarta Mission, 2009-2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
astajin! waktunya hampir habis...
another week has come and gone...and holy crap, time really is just totally flying here. i have moments where i get all trunky and ready to go home asap, but then i meet with investigators or inactive members, and i think, "how can i leave you?" i also went shopping today, and again thought, "how can i leave this place? the prices are just TOO good!" haha...as long as i have an american wage coming into my bank account :P it's been a bit of a roller coaster week.
so i'm really realizing how many problems this world creates for members of the church...well, for people in general, but because of the knowledge we have, i think it means a LOT more to us....ok...so the wording in this is kinda awkward, but hopefully you know what i mean. last week we visited one member whose son dropped out of college and just sits at home all day until his gf calls and picks him up, and he lives off her, and the mom is so stressed cuz they can hardly afford food much less their rent....and yet she has a perfectly capable son who is too lazy to work. her and her husband work hard, but they are VERY humble people, and if you would add in a 3rd income, it would help them a ton. so she was crying about that while we were there, and my heart just broke for her...i wanted to help, but how do you change someone who doesn't wanna be changed? you can't. so we just tried to help her the best we knew how....
then there's another member whose son has ditched school for the last 20 days....each of those days, she thought he was at school, cuz he'd leave for school in his school uniform, then come home around the usual time, and she had no idea til the principal called and started telling erik (the son) that if he kept up like this, he was a shame to Christianity, which made sis Indira just cry harder...now i'm working with him, trying to catch up on his english and math that he's missed so he can graduate his grade this year...and all because he was ashamed (holy crap my english is so bad...its malu in indonesian, but it has so dang many meanings in english i forget which one is best here!) because he didn't have books, but he was too shy to ask his mom for money to buy the books....but now it's all out in the open, and i think it's actually been good cuz it's really waken up his mom, who isn't active, and now she's decided to come back to church. she sent me a text this morning about how she usually wakes up and cooks breakfast and is just go-go-go all morning long, but this morning she woke up, prayed, felt really peaceful, then read from the scriptures which only helped, and then when her husband was getting ready to go to work, she asked him if he wanted to pray first, and he actually wanted to! so they prayed together for the first time in a LONG time. i got her text, and i literally screamed a little, and threw the phone to sari, saying READ IT, READ IT! haha. i was SOOO happy when i heard that. she's been away from the Lord for too long, and now her kids are getting to the age where she's REALLY gonna feel that. and she knows it. so now she's working to change it.
then ANOTHER inactive member has 5 kids under the age of 15, and we went to her house and SHE started crying because she gets no help from them, and she's basically a single mother (her husband is on another island working, and rarely gets time off to come home) with her own bread business that keeps her cooking and delivering ALL day, then she has to pick up and drop off her kids, and she was just EXHAUSTED. i felt so bad. her 2 oldest kids don't have the best of friends, and she never believes anything they say, she tries to help them but she says its just gotten to the point that she's better off not thinking at all, cuz if she thinks she just worries and then she can't take care of the younger 3....ugh. it's just a tough situation, with no help.
so then, the other day we were talking about the members in the branch, and how if they would help visit inactives, show they care, have a little Christlike love, a lot of our problems and worries as missionaries wouldn't be there cuz the members would take care of it. but they don't do ANY visits, so we have to deal with everything, and it's just ridiculous. this week, i actually wanna meet with the branch presidency and district president to discuss how to help us as missionaries....we spend so much time visiting inactives that go no where that sometimes it all just feels like it's for nothing. even if they do come to church once, they don't have any members that befriend them, so then they don't wanna come again. it's just....ya, a sad situation.
bro paulus was in charge of the activity for the priesthood quorum yesterday, and that just added to my frustration with the branch... he had a few people come and talk to him, but for the most part it was me and sari. THEN, before all the food was ready to go, everyone left to go play soccer....literally, EVERYONE, without any explanation. and we were all left wondering what was going on, and i don't think he was too impressed with it at all. not to mention that the new members (bro jon and sis pegi from sis rhondeau) were with the missionaries the whole time as well, cuz they have no friends in the branch either. it's just hard...no one even really TRIES to talk to anyone they don't know. i understand how they feel, but...at the same time, TALK! sometimes i think about getting a Temple here, and i think, if the work keeps going like this, it's NEVER gonna happen. anyone who joins immediately goes inactive, and then what? no progression. so ya...sorry, i've been pretty worked up about this the last few days.
we did get a new investigator this week who seems pretty cool. we're meeting again saturday. i told sari i think that was the best first lesson i'd ever been apart of. it was pretty good, and he had a lot of really good questions. hopefully he keeps the interest :)
anywho...this week i've been reading about Moses in the Old Testament, and it's funny how i've seen all the movies and stuff, but never actually read it all...it comes together a lot better if you read it :)
and that's my week...i love you all so much! ben, clean my car for me...and my room....and make sure my phone is still in good condition. cuz baby.....you're only getting one more email from me :P haha, loves!~
~Sister Sara
so i'm really realizing how many problems this world creates for members of the church...well, for people in general, but because of the knowledge we have, i think it means a LOT more to us....ok...so the wording in this is kinda awkward, but hopefully you know what i mean. last week we visited one member whose son dropped out of college and just sits at home all day until his gf calls and picks him up, and he lives off her, and the mom is so stressed cuz they can hardly afford food much less their rent....and yet she has a perfectly capable son who is too lazy to work. her and her husband work hard, but they are VERY humble people, and if you would add in a 3rd income, it would help them a ton. so she was crying about that while we were there, and my heart just broke for her...i wanted to help, but how do you change someone who doesn't wanna be changed? you can't. so we just tried to help her the best we knew how....
then there's another member whose son has ditched school for the last 20 days....each of those days, she thought he was at school, cuz he'd leave for school in his school uniform, then come home around the usual time, and she had no idea til the principal called and started telling erik (the son) that if he kept up like this, he was a shame to Christianity, which made sis Indira just cry harder...now i'm working with him, trying to catch up on his english and math that he's missed so he can graduate his grade this year...and all because he was ashamed (holy crap my english is so bad...its malu in indonesian, but it has so dang many meanings in english i forget which one is best here!) because he didn't have books, but he was too shy to ask his mom for money to buy the books....but now it's all out in the open, and i think it's actually been good cuz it's really waken up his mom, who isn't active, and now she's decided to come back to church. she sent me a text this morning about how she usually wakes up and cooks breakfast and is just go-go-go all morning long, but this morning she woke up, prayed, felt really peaceful, then read from the scriptures which only helped, and then when her husband was getting ready to go to work, she asked him if he wanted to pray first, and he actually wanted to! so they prayed together for the first time in a LONG time. i got her text, and i literally screamed a little, and threw the phone to sari, saying READ IT, READ IT! haha. i was SOOO happy when i heard that. she's been away from the Lord for too long, and now her kids are getting to the age where she's REALLY gonna feel that. and she knows it. so now she's working to change it.
then ANOTHER inactive member has 5 kids under the age of 15, and we went to her house and SHE started crying because she gets no help from them, and she's basically a single mother (her husband is on another island working, and rarely gets time off to come home) with her own bread business that keeps her cooking and delivering ALL day, then she has to pick up and drop off her kids, and she was just EXHAUSTED. i felt so bad. her 2 oldest kids don't have the best of friends, and she never believes anything they say, she tries to help them but she says its just gotten to the point that she's better off not thinking at all, cuz if she thinks she just worries and then she can't take care of the younger 3....ugh. it's just a tough situation, with no help.
so then, the other day we were talking about the members in the branch, and how if they would help visit inactives, show they care, have a little Christlike love, a lot of our problems and worries as missionaries wouldn't be there cuz the members would take care of it. but they don't do ANY visits, so we have to deal with everything, and it's just ridiculous. this week, i actually wanna meet with the branch presidency and district president to discuss how to help us as missionaries....we spend so much time visiting inactives that go no where that sometimes it all just feels like it's for nothing. even if they do come to church once, they don't have any members that befriend them, so then they don't wanna come again. it's just....ya, a sad situation.
bro paulus was in charge of the activity for the priesthood quorum yesterday, and that just added to my frustration with the branch... he had a few people come and talk to him, but for the most part it was me and sari. THEN, before all the food was ready to go, everyone left to go play soccer....literally, EVERYONE, without any explanation. and we were all left wondering what was going on, and i don't think he was too impressed with it at all. not to mention that the new members (bro jon and sis pegi from sis rhondeau) were with the missionaries the whole time as well, cuz they have no friends in the branch either. it's just hard...no one even really TRIES to talk to anyone they don't know. i understand how they feel, but...at the same time, TALK! sometimes i think about getting a Temple here, and i think, if the work keeps going like this, it's NEVER gonna happen. anyone who joins immediately goes inactive, and then what? no progression. so ya...sorry, i've been pretty worked up about this the last few days.
we did get a new investigator this week who seems pretty cool. we're meeting again saturday. i told sari i think that was the best first lesson i'd ever been apart of. it was pretty good, and he had a lot of really good questions. hopefully he keeps the interest :)
anywho...this week i've been reading about Moses in the Old Testament, and it's funny how i've seen all the movies and stuff, but never actually read it all...it comes together a lot better if you read it :)
and that's my week...i love you all so much! ben, clean my car for me...and my room....and make sure my phone is still in good condition. cuz baby.....you're only getting one more email from me :P haha, loves!~
~Sister Sara
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
waktunya GILA!!! hampir sampai....
holy crap, another week has come and gone...and yet klapten feels like a month ago, haha. we went to klapten, which is in between solo and jogja, and sis sari got to be with her family, even though her immediate family had all already gone home. i think it was good for her, and especially good for her family to see her, to meet me,and to get a TINY feel for what she's doing. she doesn't say much to them,mostly cuz they just don't care and don't really listen, so it was kinda weird for me...oh, and btw, I'M SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE A FUNCTIONAL FAMILY AND TO BE SEALED IN THE TEMPLE AND HAVE THE BLESSINGS OF THE GOSPEL IN OUR FAMILY! her family is seriously...quite disfunctional. it's pretty ridiculous. there's absolutely no spiritual foundation, which makes it hard for anything else to become a foundation thats good....cuz there is nothing. but it was good for me to get a feel for her life, and why she is the way she is.
this week has been a lot of cancelled appointments, and mostly dealing with members and their problems (loneliness, school, money, etc)...i'm not gonna lie, it's been a bit of a headache since we got back last saturday....but yesterday we did find a potential investigator, and have an appointment to go back to teach (we accidently met (long story for later), and actually wanted to teach yesterday, but the dad wasn't there, so i opted to wait til he'd be there...but then we were gettin ready to go, he showed up and wanted to know what we had to share with them...it was pretty awesome, but time was a huge problem so we made the return appointment).
mom was asking about the investigators from a few weeks back...2 of them have a mom in hong kong who joined, and they're willing to meet and listen,but it's hard to get them to read....and last week they couldn't meet. another couple looked really awesome in the beginning,but now i feel like they're avoiding us...so we'll see what happens (the wife already told us she'd heard rumors about "the mormons")...the other couple was who we wanted to meet with yesterday, but then ended up with their neighbors (the "accidents" above), and the other lady is super far, and we've tried meeting once but she couldn't, and since we just haven't had the time. we've also been meeting with this one lady who's husband died just a few months ago, but she's muslim and doesn't understand ANYTHING, and so it's just super hard to get anything across....and i also feel like she just wants to meet cuz i'ma bule...so that doesn't help much. we've basically just gotta keep finding people....we're on a bit of a dryspell these last few weeks being outta town, but this week we've gotten a few good leads, so i'm hoping next week will especially pick up.
so what have i learned this week? saya punya keras kepala, dan terlalu keras atau diam dengan orang lain sampai mereka marah sama saya. ugh...kampret. haha. translate that :P ya, basically things are getting harder and harder to focus on...i'm really starting to understand the word "trunky" but i'm still working on being focused...it's just hard with other people kinda pushing me to want to go home faster. lol. no worries,nothing huge, just....ya, that feeling of being ready. and yet i still have a few weeks. connie wrote about this feeling...where you feel guilty cuz you wanna go home so bad,but you know you should still wanna serve....haha, at least i have her and megan's experiences so i know i'm not alone. but i just hafta humble myself, and stay focused. that's what i gotta do.....so that's what i'm gonna do.
anywho, thanks for everything, i love you all, i hope all is well, i pray for you all every day,and know that the Lord will protect you! be safe, loves~
~Sister Sara
ps sorry dad.... i sent the letter but forgot to write, happy bday!
this week has been a lot of cancelled appointments, and mostly dealing with members and their problems (loneliness, school, money, etc)...i'm not gonna lie, it's been a bit of a headache since we got back last saturday....but yesterday we did find a potential investigator, and have an appointment to go back to teach (we accidently met (long story for later), and actually wanted to teach yesterday, but the dad wasn't there, so i opted to wait til he'd be there...but then we were gettin ready to go, he showed up and wanted to know what we had to share with them...it was pretty awesome, but time was a huge problem so we made the return appointment).
mom was asking about the investigators from a few weeks back...2 of them have a mom in hong kong who joined, and they're willing to meet and listen,but it's hard to get them to read....and last week they couldn't meet. another couple looked really awesome in the beginning,but now i feel like they're avoiding us...so we'll see what happens (the wife already told us she'd heard rumors about "the mormons")...the other couple was who we wanted to meet with yesterday, but then ended up with their neighbors (the "accidents" above), and the other lady is super far, and we've tried meeting once but she couldn't, and since we just haven't had the time. we've also been meeting with this one lady who's husband died just a few months ago, but she's muslim and doesn't understand ANYTHING, and so it's just super hard to get anything across....and i also feel like she just wants to meet cuz i'ma bule...so that doesn't help much. we've basically just gotta keep finding people....we're on a bit of a dryspell these last few weeks being outta town, but this week we've gotten a few good leads, so i'm hoping next week will especially pick up.
so what have i learned this week? saya punya keras kepala, dan terlalu keras atau diam dengan orang lain sampai mereka marah sama saya. ugh...kampret. haha. translate that :P ya, basically things are getting harder and harder to focus on...i'm really starting to understand the word "trunky" but i'm still working on being focused...it's just hard with other people kinda pushing me to want to go home faster. lol. no worries,nothing huge, just....ya, that feeling of being ready. and yet i still have a few weeks. connie wrote about this feeling...where you feel guilty cuz you wanna go home so bad,but you know you should still wanna serve....haha, at least i have her and megan's experiences so i know i'm not alone. but i just hafta humble myself, and stay focused. that's what i gotta do.....so that's what i'm gonna do.
anywho, thanks for everything, i love you all, i hope all is well, i pray for you all every day,and know that the Lord will protect you! be safe, loves~
~Sister Sara
ps sorry dad.... i sent the letter but forgot to write, happy bday!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
ini akan agak pendek...
uh, k, so this is gonna be super short...sorry mom, i'm not even gonna have time to return your email. sis sari just came over to me bawling as i was reading everyone's emails, and apparently her grandpa (who was basically her father) died last week while we were in Solo...and she lives about an hour from solo, so she's a bit upset, and got permission from Pres to go home...so she's lettin me email ya'll real quick, and then we'll be heading there...that'll be a fun nightime trip :P haha, jk, but really, i feel bad....she hasn't had the easiest family life, which is why i think she likes this church so much, and i know this is a huge blow for her.
but, to put things in for this week...solo was nice, i REALLY liked riding bikes, but it's not where i'm at, so it's just like whateverlah. we got home friday, and friday night i played ball, came home exhausted and forgot to take my contacts out, and the next morning my left eye was KILLING me, and pres thinks i scratched something...so i took some pills for that, have worn glasses every day since, and it's getting better every day. DON'T WORRY MOM!!! i still have both eyes, and i can still see outta both of them just as crappy as before :P lets just say i can't wait to start wearing contacts again.
last night was practice again, but i didn't wanna play without contacts, so we just went to watch...but they ended up doing some dancing thing for their warmup, and so i have video of me learning out to hiphop dance in a dress during basketball practice....ask amy if that would EVER fly in utah? lol...i think not, but i AM in indo, so whateverlah.
there's not much else to talk about...not much time either. i'm trying to be a good comp and not take too much time...so sorry, i love you all so much, and hope all is well at home! loves~
~Sister Sara
ps kel, i'll start looking around for those lantern things....i liked them loads too, she had them hanging in our house til the night before she left, then she took them. loves!
but, to put things in for this week...solo was nice, i REALLY liked riding bikes, but it's not where i'm at, so it's just like whateverlah. we got home friday, and friday night i played ball, came home exhausted and forgot to take my contacts out, and the next morning my left eye was KILLING me, and pres thinks i scratched something...so i took some pills for that, have worn glasses every day since, and it's getting better every day. DON'T WORRY MOM!!! i still have both eyes, and i can still see outta both of them just as crappy as before :P lets just say i can't wait to start wearing contacts again.
last night was practice again, but i didn't wanna play without contacts, so we just went to watch...but they ended up doing some dancing thing for their warmup, and so i have video of me learning out to hiphop dance in a dress during basketball practice....ask amy if that would EVER fly in utah? lol...i think not, but i AM in indo, so whateverlah.
there's not much else to talk about...not much time either. i'm trying to be a good comp and not take too much time...so sorry, i love you all so much, and hope all is well at home! loves~
~Sister Sara
ps kel, i'll start looking around for those lantern things....i liked them loads too, she had them hanging in our house til the night before she left, then she took them. loves!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Berada di Solo! ciyaaaa....
Well, right now i'm sitting in a warnet in solo...we found out last friday that sari and i were being called to Solo, along with my DL and surabaya's DL, to go to a training meeting with these 8 principle things. today was the first day, and it was pretty good. i always learn a lot, but then you leave the meetings, get back to regular life, and sometimes just flat out forget what you SHOULD be doing, and go back to old habits. however, i'm hoping with sari here with me, we can BOTH work on becoming better at making sure we follow as much of these things as possible, so we can become more effective missionaries. i'm here with sis, so it's been fun to catch up with her...we really haven't talked like at all in the last almost 6 months, but it's been amazing how different our experiences have been, and yet the emotions have been the same. i told her there were so many times i just wanted to call her or lani and just bawl, and she started laughing, and was like, "me too!" haha....but we're both glad to be out of our nerakas.
so....drumroll please....i've never been one to really freak out about numbers, cuz mine always seemed so low and if i thought too much about it it just made me putus asa, but last week sari and i had 7 new investigators! the weekly goal for the mission is 2 every week, so we basically rocked the mission last week (words from elder hall in the office :P). of course this week, we're not in malang for 4 of the 7 days, and one of the other days we're gonna be spending getting ready for our movie night...so we'll only have had 2 days this week to follow up on all these people, but i think we'll get to the most important ones. i love actually being able to work!
vivi didn't end up moving to bali...everything fell thru, so she's still here, and now we're just waiting for their marriage certificate to go thru, and then she'll be set! i was pretty excited, actually, to see her still around :) i also got an email from raz (i got permission :) telling me that her mom finally knows she's learning about the church, and it's a slow process, but she's slowly getting used to the idea, and she thinks in a few months she'll be able to get baptized! she's also working on getting her boyfriend interested, so that was fun to hear.
i've been on the phone a lot this last week with the new elders down in bandung, as they're switching the sisters with elders there (ya...sisters alone there was NOT a good idea), and so they've been following up on all my investigators, and it's just breaking my heart to hear that nobody wants to learn anymore....apparently after i left, no one was interested. i just hope it was my enthusiasm and love for them and for the gospel that kept them learning with me, and NOT that i was a bule....i was a bit disappointed yesterday, but they also asked me for good proselying ideas, and so now they're gonna try a few things that i wasn't able to do while i was there...i'm just glad i'll get to go there one last time to talk to the elders and follow up with things there.
well, we got a whole bunch of new investigators, but most of our other investigators have been falling like flies...hopefully with these new investigators, we'll get someone that's really, truly interested in learning. i have REALLY high hopes for this sweet old couple that we met when i was buying material to make me clothes...the wife has been christian her whole life, but the husband just admitted to being christian 2 years ago, but hasn't been baptized yet cuz he doesn't wanna offend his buddhist mom....so the wife is all excited that someone can explain the bible and christ to her husband, and then she likes even more that SHE'S learning right along with him. she's so cute...she said her kids were worried about her learning from the BofM, and so she asked, "once i start reading from the bofm, am i going to be led astray? i've heard it'll only lead me astray, but once i start reading i won't be able to get back on the right road again." haha...i flat out laughed. she's so cute, straightforward, and innocent. it's funny to me how people will tell others not to read the bofm....but thats just satan's plan to keep people from knowing the truth. 2 other new investigators are sisters who's mom lives in hong kong, and joined the church up there and is begging them to learn about the gospel here. the older girl is in college, about 20 and catholic, and the younger daughter is muslim and 15...so it's gonna be interesting teaching the 2 of them, but i'm happy to help the mother. hopefully we have a good effect.
well, i'm about outta time...i love you all so much! hopefully all is well at home, and you're all making good decisions and buyin lots of baby stuff :) sampai minggu depan! loves~
~Sister Sara
ps. sis says hi, btw :)
ps. sis says hi, btw :)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Pembaptisan tdk ada, tapi masih baik2 saja :
well i only have 15 minutes to write this, so it's gonna be quick...first, CONGRATS KEL AND ZAK! sweet action jackson! i'll start looking for little girls clothes now...i have a few ideas :) 2nd...the baptism didn't happen on saturday. wednesday night when we got home, sis lie informed me that sis zizi had minorly mentioned that vivi and her husband weren't officially married yet...they'd just done the church blessing thing, but hadn't gone thru the civil stuff, and that it'd all been cancelled because of vivi's dad not wanting to approve the marriage....well, the next day we canceled all plans for the baptism, and vivi went to go talk to her dad (apparently she had no idea, sis zizi hadn't told her), and it wasn't her dad's letter, it was some letter from the Pak RT, or kinda like mayor of their neighborhood, who hadn't been notified or something, and so THAT was why their paperwork hadn't gone thru, and ya...blah blah blah, a whole bunch of other things i don't quite understand, but basically she's done with all the lessons, and she'll be our investigator in Bali from now on, and as soon as their marriage license goes thru, she'll be able to get baptized in bali. so it's all good and well :)
bro paulus...we had a nice talk the other day, and after i asked him how serious he was about learning, he admitted that it's hard for him to read the BofM cuz his mind is on so many other things (money...) right now. we discussed and decided to meet once a week with him from now on, and we'll see how things go...i know if he became serious about reading, he'd find what he's looking for....but he's just too preoccupied. but i was grateful for his honesty. he liked the story of Lehi's vision
we have 2 new investigators, and they're pretty cool. we'll see how things go there. we're still working on our friend stella, who was super busy last week, but hopefully we'll find time to meet this week. things are good, busy....and i'm exhausted, but loving actually doing stuff! right now we're on our way to teach a new english class, so we'll see how that goes....busy busy busy! anywho, thanks for everything from you all, i love you so much! have a good one~
~Sister Sara
this week has been busy...what i like about sis sari is that she'll go out and work. Its been a LONG time since i've been this tired. we started basketball at a university called Universitas Brawijaya, about 20 minutes from our house. the team is a LOT more competitive than in bandung (there's like 20 girls on the team, whereas in bandung there was like 5 that would show up to practice). friday i just scrimmaged with them, and was lucky enough that i hadn't lost too much of my touch (altho i'm REALLY gonna hafta work on my 3 again when i get home...after i airballed one, there was no way i was gonna shoot again). tuesday i practiced with them, but their warmup is SUPER long and they start late, so i only really had time for like 2 drills with them before i had to go. but it's fun...i love being able to play again! mom and dad, we'll be here on a friday, so i think i'll play while you're here, and you can meet the team. they're super cute.
bro paulus...we had a nice talk the other day, and after i asked him how serious he was about learning, he admitted that it's hard for him to read the BofM cuz his mind is on so many other things (money...) right now. we discussed and decided to meet once a week with him from now on, and we'll see how things go...i know if he became serious about reading, he'd find what he's looking for....but he's just too preoccupied. but i was grateful for his honesty. he liked the story of Lehi's vision
we have 2 new investigators, and they're pretty cool. we'll see how things go there. we're still working on our friend stella, who was super busy last week, but hopefully we'll find time to meet this week. things are good, busy....and i'm exhausted, but loving actually doing stuff! right now we're on our way to teach a new english class, so we'll see how that goes....busy busy busy! anywho, thanks for everything from you all, i love you so much! have a good one~
~Sister Sara
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
satu minggu - langsung pembaptisan....jadi begini di amerika selatan?
well...let's not waste any time. THERE'S GONNA BE A BAPTISM ON SATURDAY! lol. crazy, right? ya....i thought sis zizi was crazy too, but then...ya, it kinda just works out. so there IS a story behind this, please, let me tell it.
sunday we followed up with vivi (i was wrong last week with the spelling...it's not fifi) and answered questions that she still didn't understand about the restoration, then we set an appointment to meet up tuesday. monday night, sis lie got a text saying that vivi only wanted to meet the next sunday, so we didn't think we were going, then we got a text from vivi tuesday morning asking if we were coming or not, and so i called and we decided to still go...we went in the morning (angkots stop there at 5 so we go in the mornings so we arent rushed), got there, and sis zizi was like, we're moving to bali next week, and i want vivi baptized before then...to which i immediately replied, there's NO way. she JUST learned the restoration. she's not ready for it! but she pushed a bit, so i felt like, what the heck, we'll try for the Plan of Salvation, and depending on how that goes, i'll base my decision (it's always the missionaries that decide whether a person is ready or not). so we gave the lesson....and she was INCREDIBLE. she understood everything. she had a lot of sincerely good questions, and after we explained, she understood. and to be quite honest, i think now she understands Christ better than before, because the PofS gives a more DEFINITE reason for needing Him. and after that lesson, we set the date for saturday, then she'll be confirmed at church sunday, and next week they'll head to bali. which means that this week is totally gonna center on vivi. i called and talked to the branch president, and he's ready for it, and then when i called the new DL, he was like, ok no problem, but you hafta MAKE SURE she's really ready and you're not just looking for a baptism (which i was kinda offended at, cuz he obviously doesnt know me, but then i it's true...some people are like that), so then we decided what the heck...today for Pday, all us missionaries went to her house, and we taught following the prophet and tithing....and it was another AMAZING lesson. sis zizi left so that the missionaries could see that it really is vivi that wants to learn and be baptized, and i know the other missionaries were impressed by her. i'm not gonna lie...these lessons without sis zizi there stuffing everything down her throat are A LOT more effective, and we can really see her TRUE desire to know. so it's been cool....when they get to bali, there's a small branch that meets regularly there, and sis groberg was saying that they're looking at making a branch down there so that tourists don't have to search too hard to go to church while they're in the area. i think vivi will become a really strong member there, especially with sis zizi there to guide her (sis Zizi got a job down there for herself, vivi, and vivi's husband - sis zizi wants them independent within a year or two so she can serve a mission). it's been a crazy last 2 days, but it's pretty cool, too. i guess now i know how missionaries in south america feel, getting baptisms within a few weeks...here it's usually at least 4-5 months, but usually longer. yay!
in other news, we had 2 investigators to church on sunday, vivi and stella, the 16 yr old that we just started teaching. stella is pretty cool - when we talk about different things in the church or our beliefs, she's always like, "i've always wondered about that..." and then saturday night when we met, she had a few questions that were hard for us to answer cuz it's really something she herself needs to find out for herself, but then at church i went with her to sunday school for the kidders, and sis zizi taught and actually answered a whole bunch of the questions that stella had asked the night before....so we were all happy about that. we're trying to meet up tonight, but so far i haven't gotten a response from her...but ya, she's super cool. we went to her house last week, and guess what? her cousin in law is a bule, and i was again reminded of how rude bules are. he just ignored us, even though we were in the same room, and it was pretty rude. but whateverlah....the important thing is that i don't become a rude bule when i get home :P
oh, in other news...pres groberg a few weeks ago told elder meek that he wanted me to search for some service to do using basketball at one of the local universities...so last week we went to one, but they never called me back, so we tried another one, and i think this one might be it. we went to the practice last night, but being the RETARD that i am, i forgot my bag at our house (and only thought, crap i forgot socks, before i realized that i'd forgotten the entire bag....seriously, dodol.), so the coach was kinda like, uh i dunno if i can trust that you know what you're talking about or not before i see you play, and i was like, ya i know...so friday we're gonna try again, and see if he'll trust me more after that. he wanted to know if i wanted to PLAY with the girls, or if i wanted COACH...i told him i love to play, but i'm also old and fat and outta shape now, so i dunno how long i can last. he laughed...hopefully he doesn't judge me. but i really am excited to get back to playing. after i talked to the coach, one of the boys team players came and talked to me about the jazz....i almost fainted, i was so excited! and it wasn't john stockton (i've met a few that know john stockton), it was DERON WILLIAMS! and CARLOS BOOZER (i was quick to tell him i don't like boozer...)! and THAT ASHTON KUTCHER LOOK-ALIKE! omigosh....i seriously died and went to heaven. afterwards, sari wanted to know what we'd been talking about that kept me smiling the whole time, and i said BASKETBALL! the UTAH JAZZ!!!!!! lol....she didn't believe me at first. but ya...i'm a simply girl to please, especially for any jazz loving guy :P
last week was zone conference...pres groberg was sick, and kinda outta it, then within the first 10 minutes sis groberg was shivering like a new born puppy that was born in the snow, and so it was kinda one of those totally chillax shindigs cuz there wasn't anyone really taking control. oh...and i got to give my final farewell testimony. needless to say, kinda weird, but whateverlah. it was good.
and ya...this week i haven't studied a whole bunch on my own, except a bit from genesis...man alive, the life back then was SOOO weird. the only thing i've really gotten from it thus far is TO BE OBEDIENT. cuz that's when the blessings will really come :) i know that is true, and since i'm outta time, i love you all, be safe, and LOVES!~
~Sister Sara
~Sister Sara
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Rekan baru, dan pekerjaan terus maju :)
Well....it's been a week. haha. not much happened before Sister Sari got here on Friday - we went and picked her up, and then the other sisters went to teach an english class, and we got lost in the center of the city looking for a grocery store, HAHA. yup....that's what happens when you put 2 new people together (especially without a cell phone :P). sister sari is a pretty straight-faced person, who's darn focused on the work....and just goes right in and does the work, which i like. i didn't even have time to explain how to try and contact people with her, cuz she started talking to people herself. she joined the church in Hong Kong, and for 6 years has been used to the hong kong mission....which is WAY different than the indonesian mission. but because they're so strict, she's super strict, and actually has a hard time seeing the rest of us just chillax in the nice, indonesian way (which...before i never thought i was too much of a chillax person, but i guess indo's gotten to me more than i knew....). it's been different trying to get out of my indo habits to get right with her strict orderness, but she's also pretty patient with me, so that's good.
another fun story was our lesson with Fifi, who is muslim and just married an inactive member (the marriage that happened on Christmas Day), but who's mother in law joined the church in hong kong before coming back home, and basically has devoted her life to learning about the gospel (she's about 55 yrs old, and she actually was working on putting her papers in to serve a mission, but then her son came home, after about a year where sis zizi didn't know where he was, with this girl and they had to organize the wedding pretty fast and stuff....), and now sis zizi (pronounced, seesee) is pushing for fifi to get baptized.
today we're going to buy material for me to make my kebaya! i still dunno what color to get, but it's gonna be pretty. what have i learned this week? that ALLL our experiences are to prepare us for experiences that will come, so that we will be able to bear those hardships better than we would've been able to otherwise. i know the last 14 months have prepared me for the patience and knowledge that i've needed and will continue to need with sis sari and our investigators. crazy how patient i've gotten...i really do feel like a COMPLETELY different person as far as my level of patience here (altho it could still get better, i'm sure). but...it's true. tomorrow we head to surabaya for zone conference, so that'll be fun to get together with other missionaries and learn more about how i can become a better missionary (cuz now i can actually apply what i learn :P). I LOVE YOU FULL!
~Sister Sara
ps sorry kel, happy bday last saturday, and ben happy bday 3 weeks ago. i send ya'll letters, but always forget while i'm on here...so sorry! but know i love you :)
anyways...so that girl we taught last night is TOTALLY awesome. she's from manado, and she was totally freaking out, "WHAT!?!?! what is this kitab (holy book)? how come i've never heard of it before? can i read it? what?... it's can tell me about what happens after death?" ya...she's 17! and come to find out, after the lesson, she literally lives down the street from us...literally, down the street and around the corner, and BOOM! you're at her house. so cool....we're gonna walk to church together on sunday :)
another fun story was our lesson with Fifi, who is muslim and just married an inactive member (the marriage that happened on Christmas Day), but who's mother in law joined the church in hong kong before coming back home, and basically has devoted her life to learning about the gospel (she's about 55 yrs old, and she actually was working on putting her papers in to serve a mission, but then her son came home, after about a year where sis zizi didn't know where he was, with this girl and they had to organize the wedding pretty fast and stuff....), and now sis zizi (pronounced, seesee) is pushing for fifi to get baptized.
oh, and another investigator that we met my first week here, sari and i FINALLY went to meet him (we were an hour late, cuz we went to a member's house first and that went long, and he was NOT happy about that... "westerners are ALWAYS on time"...which again reminded me that i have some bad habits from the last 14 months here...), and he'd WRITTEN down all his questions that he had for us! it was awesome. most of the questions were pretty typical and good (who is joseph smith, what was his background like, what year was the BofM published, etc...), but he did ask about polygamy which was fun to answer (he pulled out scriptures from the bible about being married to only one person, and trying to a little bible bashing in a nice, more welcoming way), but that's one that i myself still have a hard time explaining (like i understand it...but to explain that? impossible without a testimony first), so ya...begitulah. but it was good. i really feel like our teaching pool is getting more and more effective. and all 3 of these people said they'd come to church on sunday, so COOL!
bro paulus is funny...we read the joseph smith and oliver cowdery account of when they recieved the aaronic priesthood from john the baptist, and he was just silent... which never happens....and then he explained that he needed to read it a few more times to fully understand it ("maybe a problem with the translation or something..."), so this week he's gonna go read it again in his forest that he works on, and next week we'll go over it again. haha. he really does just make me happy. AND he's selling me FRESH MILK which is actually GOOD, and not the crappy gross stuff that they sell in the stores here. so i'm happy with that :)
today we're going to buy material for me to make my kebaya! i still dunno what color to get, but it's gonna be pretty. what have i learned this week? that ALLL our experiences are to prepare us for experiences that will come, so that we will be able to bear those hardships better than we would've been able to otherwise. i know the last 14 months have prepared me for the patience and knowledge that i've needed and will continue to need with sis sari and our investigators. crazy how patient i've gotten...i really do feel like a COMPLETELY different person as far as my level of patience here (altho it could still get better, i'm sure). but...it's true. tomorrow we head to surabaya for zone conference, so that'll be fun to get together with other missionaries and learn more about how i can become a better missionary (cuz now i can actually apply what i learn :P). I LOVE YOU FULL!
~Sister Sara
ps sorry kel, happy bday last saturday, and ben happy bday 3 weeks ago. i send ya'll letters, but always forget while i'm on here...so sorry! but know i love you :)
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