January 21, 2014

Here's the latest email from Sydnie!

Hey!

It's crazy the difference in the temple activity here and in Utah. They are really making a huge push for people to go to the temple, but they also don't have any walk-ins and it's just not open as much as other temples, especially in Utah. It's a big adjustment to really small temples and how they work.

I am amazed that I am still in Plattsmouth too! I also have set a record, but just in Plattsmouth! I have the record for a Sister Missionary serving here the longest. Haha. I love it though! The longest that a sister has been in an area is 11 months and it was her Greenie area too.

This week we had a really cool experience. After finding out I was here again, I was excited but honestly I wasn't really sure why I was here again, and what I was supposed to do here. We were meeting with a less-active sister and she has a really horrible situation. Her husband (who is a baptized member) is now completely atheist and is super against the Church or anything to do with God really. He won't even let their kids talk or listen to anything about God. And he hates us coming over and we stand outside when we do so that their boys don't hear anything (even when it's so cold). But we were talking to her and she was saying that we were her saving grace that we always come at the worst times but it's the times when she needs us most. Then she went on to say that it was us specifically that helped, that we weren't allowed to leave until this mess with her husband was able to get sorted out! She said that we specifically have helped her so much and we always have the thing that she needs to hear. It was really amazing! And really made me realize that I need to be here for some reason. I might not know what but Heavenly Father does. It was such a testimony builder for me that He knew that I needed something to show me why I am here still. It was amazing! He really does answer our and others' prayers! So cool!

After that and some other experiences, we decided to really make our focus on the less-actives in the ward. To really try and see as many as possible each week. When we told our ward mission leader, he said that that is exactly what this ward needs. It was a really cool week!

Thanks for the support, love you!

January 13, 2014

Here's this week's email! Enjoy!

Thankfully we are both feeling better! I guess it comes with the territory of being with so many different people each day. We get what they have. Thankfully, it was only a 24 hour thing and we have been back to work all week! It thankfully won't be as cold this week!!! They closed school here too with the - 30 to -50 with windchill that we had last Monday. But there are a lot of people her that are from Minnesota and they were saying that they very very rarely cancel for cold. It's pretty rare here but not as much as Minnesota.

We had transfers this last week and I am still in Plattsmouth! It's so crazy! I really wasn't sure if I would be staying or going. I have been here for a really long time but I am training so I wasn't really sure what would happen but I am still here. I love it here, it's just weird seeing some people literally be in a different area or with a different companion each transfer and I have just stayed here my whole mission. I was thinking about it last week and I have served here longer than I have even lived in some wards. It's cool though because I feel like I have been able to get to know people so much better being in an area this long, and I just feel like part of the ward.

Other than that, nothing too crazy this week. We have just really been trying to at least get a hold of all the less-actives on the ward roster, and we have been pretty successful with it. We have contacted almost everyone! It's been really helpful, even if they are not interested at least now we know, and we can focus on those less-actives that want to come back or are on the path to returning. We really have been working a ton more with the less-actives. Sometimes it seems like even more than with our investigators. The bad news for the week was that Jenny isn't investigating the church anymore. She just said she felt like she needed a break, that we had taught her all that we could for right now. She said she would still read the Book of Mormon but she needed time. I am thinking that it is good for her because she will really have the chance to think and get the answer for herself. I am also not sure if she really wants the answer right now. She wasn't really acting on the things that we were teaching her, other than to read the Book of Mormon. But I am hoping this gives her a chance to feel what its like to not have the Spirit in her home as often and to really think on the things that we have taught her. I think eventually she will get baptized maybe just not her time right now. We did say that we would still keep in contact and that before either of us gets transferred. We will say goodbye to her and check up on her occasionally. It's sad but we can only do so much and then they have to choose what they will do, and I know that she will get her answer eventually.

Thanks, have a great week! Love you guys!

January 6, 2014

Here's this week's email! Enjoy!

Hey!

I am feeling better from the flu, but now we both have colds. When we meet with so many people we just pick up what they have. Sometimes it is really hard to talk to people at the door, just because we are trying to talk about religion and it's something that is so close to peoples' hearts. It's not the most effective finding method but we don't get as many referrals from the members, so we sometimes need to do that. Funny story: this week while we were tracting I had my scarf around my mouth and nose to breath into to keep warm. We talked to someone for a minute and I went to put my scarf around my mouth and nose again and it had ice on it. They are saying this is the most extreme weather that Nebraska has had in the last 50 years. So glad that I get to be a part of that. Lol. Today the high is 0 with wind chills from -30 to -50. And yesterday it was about - 20. We are just trying to make appointments as much as possible and trying to run from the car to the house. They considered cancelling church yesterday. Since it is just our ward building it isn't used as much and takes a long time to get completely heated. There was a family that brought in their own space heater for their classroom yesterday! It was hilarious. We have had some interesting experiences with the cold.

We had a lesson with Jenny this week and her progress is slow but she is progressing! This week we got her to commit to be baptized when she gets an answer to her prayers that this is right. Now our big hurdle is getting her to come to church. I think that she knows that it is true and she just can't recognize it.

We celebrated New Year's Eve with our trainer/ trainee meeting and it was super helpful. They basically separate trainers from their trainees and, at least for us trainers, we all just sit down and say what we are having trouble with and we help each other as a group. It sounds really cheezy but it is so helpful.  We had to go to Sioux City for it (about 2 hours away) and we had to wake up at about 5:30 am and meet the van to take us up by 6:45 am, so we were so exhausted that we went to bed even earlier than the 10:30 pm we usually go to bed. Super exciting New Year's Eve!  But the family that we had dinner with on the 1st were celebrating and we played games and had holiday food and celebrated then.

Thanks, love you guys!

December 30, 2013

Here's Sydnie's last email for 2013! Happy New Year!

Hey!

The rest of Christmas was fun for us. We had lunch with the Ormes and went to dinner at a member's house. They also had another member family there and we got to play Fact or Crap, which was hilarious. And when we got home Sister Reveillac had company, yet another family from the ward came over, and we all watched Ephraim's Rescue. It was a great day!

Sister Bynum is so sweet but you were totally right she is super shy. It sometimes feels like I am just pulling her along or that I have to pull information out of her. The other day I even got a little jokingly upset and had to tell her straight up "Don't give me any crap that you don't have any ideas. I know that you have great ideas and you just don't tell me!" It can definatly be a little frustrating, but she really loves the people and she is so nice.

I also can't believe that I am still in Plattsmouth! At this point, I am going for the record of being in a greenie area the longest. The longest I know of a sister being in her greenie area is 11 months. At this point, it will be so hard to leave when I do have to go. I have been serving  in this ward longer than I have lived in wards. Crazy, but I love it so much and if I could I would never leave. I know that eventually I will have to go, but it's all in the Lord's timing.

We did get sick. This last week I got the 24 hour flu and Sister Bynum got a sinus infection again, but we are both doing a lot better now.

We do have some new investigators. President Weston has challenged all of us to contact 10 new people a day, so we have been trying. Some days it just doesn't happen, especially with the cold, but it has helped us get more people to know about the Church even if they don't investigate. But we still are mostly working with less-actives. I think this area just needs the less-actives to become active before the focus is really 100% on new members. Jenny is still going. It seems like we take 2 steps forward and one step back. We will talk about something and then 2 weeks later she will have a question about it. But at least she is asking questions and she is still reading the Book of Mormon.

Love you guys!