Happy

Just a little rain storm.

The crew.

Franklin, West Virginia.

email 9.23.13

My dearest family,

I did get your package, and I am so so so so sorry about tasha.  I may have even shed a tear in your behalf.  She was a good little guy.  I hope you are all feeling better!  And I hope you don't accidentally get a new dog...!  And yes, I do have a credit card, thank you! 

Tell Aunt Julie thank you for the beads, we have already busted them out, its even a little therapeutic...its fun to have a little something to mix life up. 

This week has been all kinds of happy! 

We got to go on a little trip through the mountains to West Virginia!  We have two sets of Elders who serve in Franklin West Virginia, and the had set up a booth at a festival that was going on, and of coarse they wanted sister to come up and be the face of the church.  So we took the opportunity and it was so much fun.  It is just this tiny little town, filled of hicks, and giant pig cookers.  We had a wee of a time.  We took turns sitting at the booth and just walking around the festival talking to everyone.  We even helped them find some potential investigators.  Also we had a downpour rain storm for about 20 minuets, which was all kinds of fun.  It was fun to switch it up a little. 

On Saturday we had the baptism of Sandy Delfin.  She is nine years old, and just the sweatest.  Her mom and sister are both members too.  Naturally we had a full meal after the baptism, and it was just perfect.  She was so happy.  We are so happy. 

On Sunday I gave my first real live talk in sacrament meeting, in spanish.  It was nuts!  It was about the Book of Mormon, and it was a whole ten minuets long, and I was so nervous.  But I did it!  It was cool to be able to see that I actually could do it, I mean I'm no pro, but I am saying something!  Also I got to go to primary on Sunday, which was the best ever.  We now have three recent converts in Primary, and we were thinking they needed a little support.  Mostly I just wanted to do sharing time and of coarse singing time.  I thought about you the whole time Dad! 

We are still eating lots of hispanic food, not as much as other weeks, but I have had a few tummy aches this week.  Mostly we just have been blessed with some really awesome investigators.  We have had so many opportunities to share the gospel, it is the best ever.   Ramon and Maria came to church again, and loved it.  They are the cute ones with a scooter.  They also invited us over for dinner this week, which always means they love us, so we are excited for that. 

This week I have been studying in the end of Alma.  Sometimes the war chapters are hard for me, but I started obsessing over the 200 stripling warriors.  I don't have my scriptures on me, but I think in chapter 57 it says that they fought desperately.  I love the wording there.  Sometimes I feel like that, that I am just fighting desperately.  They talk about how they had never learned to fight, but they keep their covenants, followed the commandments, and had faith.  I think that is so perfect for what I am doing here, right now.  Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what I am doing, and I am just trying desperately to do whats right, to go where I should, to speak spanish, to have faith, to keep being obediant, whatever it may be.  But just like them, my parents taught me to always have faith, to always trust that as long as you are doing what the Lord asks you to do, you will be able to do what you need to do.  Sometimes its hard to do, but I have been able to find comfort in the fact that I can put my all in, and he will make up the rest. 

I love being a missionary.  I am so happy.  I love Virginia.  This morning we went on a hike, and it was the best ever.  I will send pictures.  I love you all very much.  Thank you for being the best ever! 

xoxo Hermana Myer

email 9.16.13

Family!

It is always so good to hear from all of you.  Alyse and Chad- Thank you for the letter and all the pictures.  Everything looks really good, I am glad that you guys had mom and dad there to help you out!  Luke and Kenna sound like you are having quite the adventures starting new schools and trying to figure out your new lives!  That is just so fun.  

This week has been the BEST.  We have had so many opportunities to share the gospel and teach people who are just so prepared.  In the beginning of the week we has sisters meeting.  It was so fun, I got to see my friends from the MTC, and sister Rosen, and Sister Olsen, so there is nothing better than that.  They had all these mini classes on strength for women, in all the different ways we can have it, spiritual, physical, communication, even make-up.  Always gotta throw that last one in there for kicks.  Also they fed us 100 different kinds of salad for lunch, it was the best.  

We also had the sister training leaders come and stay this week, which was all sorts of interesting.  For some reason our sister training leaders got switched to english ones, so it was pretty much just me pretending to speak spanish all day.  Also it was car fast, so we rode the bus. Quite the adventure.  It was good though, it showed me how much I could really do with my spanish!  I did a million contacts, taught 2 lessons, and also chatted with everyone.  We have some Cuban investigators, and they are super hard to understand.  We just passed by, but I ended up talking to her for a whole 30 mins, and understood the whole conversation, it was the best!  

We have this cute older couple from the Dominican Republic who ride the scooter, Maria and Ramon, and we got to teach them a couple of times this week, and they came to church again!  Also we passed by for daily contact, and Ramon said I looked really "elegant"  in my skirt, too funny.  We love them!  

We also started teaching two men this week, different occasions, but we found them both just walking down the street, who both are set with baptismal dates.  Juan is this happy little guy from Puerto Rico, and as soon as we got finished teaching authority, he asked when and how he could be baptized with it.  Carlos is from the Dominican Republic, and when we first met him he was cutting hair in his apartment and yelled for us to come it.  He told us that in his country he had a lot of "friends" who were mormon...these friends just happened to be little guys in white shirts and ties that ride bikes.  Yes, it was the missionaries.  He told us that he just moved here and he knows that our church is the right one, he has been experimenting with others, but they are "empty".  They both came to church on sunday!  It was the best.  

This week I have been thinking a lot about a simple way to be happy.  It keeps coming back to doing what Jesus would do, always.  Which can be hard at times.  But for whatever reason all week I just kept coming back to "what would Jesus Do?".  I have been able to be involved in people's lives, who are really struggling.  These people have trials that I never even knew existed, sometimes I get sad when I try and think about how I really don't have any material ways to help them.  And in the moment it seems like material things are what they need.  But in reality I have the best present in the world, I have the gospel, and all I can do, and all I need to do is share it with them.  I know how they can be happy, I know the answer!  Heavenly Father really loves every single one of his children, he wants them all to have the blessings that they deserve, I just have to open my mouth!  I feel so lucky to be here, to be able to do that every day! 

I love you all very much!

xoxo Hermana Myer

FIESTA

Darlin and Yuleili: we taught them about missionary work and we make them do a fake day in the life of a missionary, it was so much fun!

Christian, he is the most unreal.

The Fiesta! She hand braided all the streamers, too funny.

Hemrana Flor, really enjoying herself!

email 9.9.13

Mi familia-

Thank you for all your letters, I love to hear what is going on in normalish life!  It sounds like school has started, and I hope that by now things have calmed down!  Mom, I was dying laughing in the library about the proposal thing for Ryan, that is seriously too funny, I wish I could have seen the whole thing. 

This past week has been pretty good, a little crazy as usual.  Both me and my companion are sick, so that sometimes throws a wrench in things, but its all good.  

Saturday was the FIESTA of a lifetime.  It was for a 9 year old in our rama, Christian, and Mirna has been planning it since we arrived for the first transfer in Harrisonburg.  Needless to say, it was a fiesta to remember.  She went all out on everything, it was ninja turtle themed and there was even a pinata!  They had literal buckets and buckets of food, and naturally the whole rama was invited.  It was so much fun, and we also had three investigators there, which was the luckiest ever.  Also before the fiesta Hermana Flor asked us if we could help her hand make tortillas for the party, which is the best because the are SO GOOD.  Its really easy to do actually, you just use this press thing.  And good news, my tortillas puffed up in the middle when they were on the stove, which means that I am ready to get married, so thats a relief.

Church was so good yesterday!  We have the two cutest investigators, Maria and Ramon.  We found them outside a members house about a week ago.  They were hopping on a scooter to go on a date (they are probably in their 60's), so naturally I had to strike up a conversation.  They are from the Dominican Republic and they are the nicest ever.  We have taught them twice and she gets it, she totally understands and said that she will be baptized when she knows.  Whenever we stop by for daily contact they are always blasting latino music and dancing and they are just the cutest.  They came to church yesterday!  She was really concerned about coming to church because they only have the scooter but she wanted to wear a dress, but I told her I used to do that all the time, and waaawhooo, they came!  They only stayed for sacrament meeting, but baby steps!  

This month our whole mission is studying sacrifice.  President Wilson made us these little packets with talks and study materials.  I have learned so much, and realized the importance our sacrifices to the Lord.  The only thing that we as humans really have is our will, so when we sacrifice our will the Lord, he blesses us.  I think it is as simply as that.  As I was reading one of the talks (dont remember which one) I kept thinking about you Mom and Dad, and all that you sacrifice not only for the church but for our family.  Thank you for always being such good examples to me!  

This morning I was reading my patriarchal blessing and something in it made me think of the story of Esther.  So I decided to read that.  I forgot how much I love her!  She is such a good example of courage, and standing up for who you are.  I hope that I can have as much faith as she did and stand up for what I know to be true.  Not only that but not be afraid to be myself.  I figure there is not use in being a missionary robot...because who wants that?  

This week has been good, I have been about to learn alot about myself and about how I am fitting in to this missionary life.  It is all good stuff!  Thank you for everything!  I love you all very much.  

xoxo mana myer

Labor Day

Darlin and Yuleili

This is Flor, she is a member in our ward and she is obsessed with missionaries. We love her too, and she makes the best tres leches on the planet. She has already taught us how to make popusas, which are the best and she has invited us to come make tres leches this weekend. BEST.

email 9.4.13

Mi familia!

Hola!  Monday was Labor day so the library was closed, and yesterday we had appointments all day long, so Wednesday it is!  All is well in Harrisonburg, glad to see you guys didnt think I was dead!  Anyways as always so much has happened, and it sounds like you guys have been really busy too!  

Kennas room looks so cute!  You need to write me a letter and tell me all the details, how was church and classes and the scoot and mostly my beloved provo?!?  And I need pictures of Chad and Alyse's new house, I will cut you some slack, but I always look forward to those...hint hint.  Tell me everything!  

Mom, how are you feeling now that the craziness is over?  Recooperating?  House feel empty?  I hope youre okay, you should get a massage or something...that's what I would do.  You're still going to that gym right?  

Dad, Thanks for the pictures, that looks like the very best of times!  Also thanks for being the best dad ever.  

Alright so the past week and a half has been craziness.  Last week we had transfers, and the very sad news is that Hermana Olsen left us for Mechanicville.  It was hard for us.  We did have a set of sisters move into our apartment and another set put in a new apartment, so that is fun.  It is good to have some new people to mix it up.  Actually we got a lot of new people and they created a new zone. Elder Burbank left too, he was in the spanish branch with us, but he had been here for 9 months...so it was his time.  So that was sad too.  But the start of a new transfer feels good.

We had Darlin and Yuleilis baptism on Saturday, and it was the best.  It was a little bumpy, but the most important thing is that they were baptized.  And pretty much the whole rama was there.  It was so much fun, everyone brought food and stayed after for a long time.  We even had an investigator there, Ever.  He is the best.  The look on their faces after they came up, were priceless, they were just beaming.  I love them so very much!  

We had an awesome miracle this week too.  We received a reference from someone in Waynesboro, it was for a members boyfriend who only speaks spanish.  So we went to knock the door and the member answered the door but it was really awkward and she didn't want us to teach him...so we decided might as well knock a few doors and see whats around there.  So the next door we knock and this cute little hispanic answers the door and before I could say "somos misionaras..." he was like "PASEN ADELANTE". (come in).  I was a little taken aback, but hey why not.  So we start chatting and he tells us that he has been in America for 2 months and has been praying to find a church to go to. His name is Paulo and he is from El Salvador and he said that there are a ton of LDS churches where he is from and so he knew we must be good!  YES, we are, we just have to help him know why now!  We had the first lesson with him and taught him about the restoration.  He had a ton of questions, which was a little scary for me, but hey thats better than none.  When he said the closing prayer he asked for Heavenly Father to open his heart and to be able to know as he reads if the Book of Mormon is true.  What more could we ask for?  He rocks.  

Anyways this week has been crazy, all good, but crazy.  I have been working on forgetting about myself, and boy is that harder than I imagined.  I realized how much of my thoughts were on myself, even if I was thinking about a lesson that we had with someone all I was thinking about is what I said and if my spanish was understanble, and yadda yadda yadda!  I felt so silly, but it is hard to switch your mindset completely.  Sometimes I find myself making excuses like "thats just they way I am"  or "thats how I do things"  or "thats how I feel", but really I am nobody, without my Savior, so why would I try to be different than him?  Just a thought.  Trying to be more Christ-like, trying to love more, trying to understand more, mostly just trying to be a good human.  

Thank you for your letters, I love to know what is going on in your lives!  You are the best ever!  

xoxo Hermana Myer!