Midway

So, did you know that this week is my midway point of my mission? It is. It seems a little weird. I was writing a friend in a letter that until I realized I was at the halfway point, it seemed like time was ticking up. Now, suddenly, it is ticking down, and it feels like time is running out. I only have 9 months to see the progress in my area that I want to see. I only have 9 months to do this work, and I only have 9 months to get where I want to be. It seems so painfully short.

 

On that note, let me share some things from this week. It was sunny and in the mid 60s on Sunday! It was beautiful, and I even ditched the tights. It was glorious. And then this morning it was about 6. So, you know, opposition in all things, I suppose. And yes, the tights are back. Yesterday it was ridiculously windy, and I am reminded how the dust bowl must have been. It kind of makes my allergies go nuts. Anyway, when it was lovely and sunny, we were about to have dinner when we got a call from a member to come to a nearby apartment complex, where people were playing sports. So we went and ended up using our dinner hour to play a little football in our skirts! Don't worry, we were decorous in our behavior. It was pretty funny, though. "Sister May! Catch!" I can't run that fast in a skirt, folks, so I did not catch. Sigh.

 

Speaking of sports, we had a great game night! We have a game night every Saturday to help the members fellowship one another and to give them a chance to invite their non-member friends. We had the best turnout we've ever had and there were several less active members who attended and a couple of non-members, so it did just what it was supposed to do. I love it when we have a lot of folks attending things, especially when they bring their friends. It is so much more fun that way!

 

We continue to try to find people to teach, and it continues to be difficult. It's hard when people don't even want to try it out. We have so much that others don't have. But they often feel like they already have it all. They feel comfortable. They feel like they don't need any more. Or that there can't be any more.

 

We've had a moderately working furnace for a couple of months. Then, this last week, it finally went kaput. So we had to call repair people and get them to fix it, so now we live in a balmy 70 degrees, instead of 62. I mean, technically, 62 is livable, and we weren't getting hypothermia. But it was kind of cool. And 70 is soooo much nicer. And what we were supposed to be having anyway. Maybe that's like people without the gospel: They think they are fine at 62. They don't feel the need to stretch for anything more. But when they finally reach 70, they realize what they have been missing. They just need to call the repair people to come in and make it what it should be!

 

We also had interviews with President Weston this week, which is always good. I like talking with him. It is always amusing, and it feels good to get his advice and suggestions, and to hear him tell me that I am doing okay most of the time.

 

I don't know if there is anything else of major importance at this time, but just know I love you all, and I love hearing from you! Have a great week and I will write again next week!

 

Love,

Sister Loradona May

Amazing Subject Line Here (My creativity has flown, folks)

Church yesterday was fantaaaastic! I work with the YSA Branch, right? And normally we have between 10-15 people at sacrament meeting. Well, the Stake President asked all the Bishops in the Stake to attend our branch and bring their YSA types with them. And we had close to 80 people there! It was cool! Seriously, it was awesome. We had a couple of investigators there, and that was awesome, too. We have one who is taking it slow, but I'd rather have a slow, lasting conversion rather than a quick one that maybe doesn't sustain itself. Even if I won't be here when he decides to be baptized, I'm okay with that. I don't want him to do it for me--I want him to do it because he has been converted and believes.

 

Our Branch President is pretty cool. He tells some of the coolest stories, and I want to relate the one he shared yesterday. He spoke of going with his brother-in-law to play basketball on an outdoor court in L.A. It was the kind of thing where if your team won, you stayed on the court and the losing team rotated off and you faced a new team. He said they watched for a while, and it was a rough game: no one called fouls, and you just played on. And he noticed that one team dominated and just stayed on the court. He watched them, and there was one guy who, while one team was leaving the court and the next was coming on, he would dribble around, and then make a shot and say, "Okay, the ball's yours. We're one up." If you tried to protest that the shot didn't count, that you hadn't started, he would say, "The game has started." President Crockett then said, "The game has started. And it's on." So what are we going to do about it? He went on to talk about how the time is now, not later, to get in the game, to repent, to change, to make a game plan. And that it is righteousness that is unique in the world, not wickedness. Wickedness looks the same, and ends up the same. The actual phrase he used (which I wrote down because I liked it so much) was "Wickedness always devolves into the banal." It's goodness that stands out. So be good, because that will make you a much more interesting individual! I have decided that I need my own Pocket Crockett (patent pending) so that when I am down, I can just pull him out and have him say pithy and uplifting things to me.

 

We had a good week--not as good as I could dream for, but it was good nonetheless, and I am excited, because the university is back in session this week, and so that means students are baaack! Yes! We may actually catch people at home now! Holidays are lovely, but they really put a cramp in my missionary work. Stop celebrating, people! Bah humbug! :)

 

I almost forgot! Transfers were this last week, and... nothing happened. I'm still in Kearney, and will be for the next 6 weeks. I love you all and I will write again next week!

 

Love,

Sister Loradona May

Christmas

So, Christmas was good, if weird.. It was great to talk to my family! Technology has made talking with family so awesome, but I am glad it only happens every so often. It makes me miss people and realize that I don't see them as much as I want. But it was still great--especially seeing all of the babies! I love them and they are so cute! I am mildly sad that I don't get to see them when they are still cute and cuddly. Maybe in a year...?

 

(Insert story  here that she said could not go on the blog. If you want to here the story you will have to ask me personally).

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming. And I'm pretty much out of time for writing today--I'm sorry! I love everyone and I love the letters, photos, and presents you all sent! They made my day! I love you all and I wish I had more to report about. Oh! Someone we've been wishing would come to church for a long time finally came yesterday! It was good. Maybe next week I'll have a lot more to report.

 

Love,

Sister Loradona May

Merry Christmas!

Okay, folks. I have kind of squandered my time today (no judging! I'm just slow today), so this letter may be short. But first things first: It snowed last night! It looks super pretty. And it's already kind of dirty looking on the roads. But on the ground it is lovely! And it is crazy because on Wednesday this last week, it was 70!!!! I know! This morning, however, it was 10. Easy come, easy go.

 

We had our Christmas Zone Conference this last week, which was great. It is always great to see my mission president and his wife, and I love seeing them. One of the other missionary's mom knitted all of the sisters slippers, so we each got a pair of knit slippers! I love them and they are red. I might be wearing them every chance I get. I also received Christmas packages from Mom and from Jill and Cliff. If anyone else sent anything, then they will be New Years' gifts, because that is the next time I see anyone from Omaha and the next chance to receive interesting items. Then again, maybe that's all I get, in which case, let me tell you now: I love you and I love my gifts! I haven't opened them yet, but if it was unwrapped (the tights and the scarf) then yes, I have already put it to good use. If it was wrapped, then I put it on the end table in our apartment to stare at longingly. I love presents! Especially wrapped ones!

 

We have a dinner with members on Christmas Eve, so yes, I am being cared for. Are the missionaries in the wards where you are being taken care of? Invite them over on Christmas day or Christmas Eve, or any time this week. Tell them they can teach you a lesson and you will give them hot cocoa. Believe me, this is a hard time to try to get in with people at times, and even if the members just occasionally invite the missionaries over for 30 minutes and let them teach a short lesson, that would be a delightful respite and something the missionaries would be eternally grateful for. That is the best, truly.

 

We've done a lot of caroling this week. The best was with the YSAs for our FHE on Tuesday. One of the YSAs reeeeeally likes to sing. Just belts it out. And on O Holy Night, he goes, "Okay, I'm taking the solo." So he starts to sing, and none of us do, and then he stops and says, "What happened? Why didn't any of you sing? I still need back up singers!" Oh, heavens! What a funny guy. But it was so much fun, if cold. We are doing a little more caroling tonight, and maybe tomorrow? Who knows. Our plans for tomorrow kind of changed, so who knows what we will do.

 

The YSAs are all gone, the University is closed, and we are still here, Sister Muasau and I. We are a little stymied as to what to do. I mean, this isn't really the home base for much of our age group. Oh well. We shall figure it out. 

 

In the meantime: Christmas! I get to call (Skype? Google Hangout? Something) home, and that will be cool. We will get to spend much of the day with the other Sisters in Kearney, and so that should be fun. We also get to see members and basically help others feel the spirit of the holiday.

 

Anyway, Merry Christmas! I love you all! I love your letters, your packages, and your... everything! I will keep working hard!

 

Love,

Sister Loradona May

Picture! And THAT'S NOT ALL!

I don't know how I did this, but I left myself very little time to write today. Sigh. I'm sorry! I don't know exactly what I'm doing for Christmas, but we do have a family that has invited us over and offered use of computers and whatnot, so that is cool. I will let you know as soon as I do what the parameters are for calling and when we will do it. Just let me know what your schedules look like of Christmas, and then we can coordinate.

 

This week was cooooold, and then it got above freezing and I was all, "Hey, it's tropical out here! Who needs a coat? Psh!" So that was nice. We also had a really cool contact where the girl was really interested in what we had to say, the idea of the gospel, but she's in the middle of finals and then she's going to be gone for Christmas. So "After Christmas will be better," she said. Wish us luck.

 

We went to Lexington for one day this last week to see some people. It went well, though none of them came to church on Sunday. That's okay. We're doing our job. We also had one girl we meet with feed us dinner the other night--she was adorable with it. And then we taught her a bit and she coaxed us into a little Uno before we left. It was fun, if unconventional. Serving in the YSA is definitely different than just about anything else. Sometimes it's strange, and has interesting perks. Like we get a luncheon every Sunday after church. Not a potluck--lunch. I feel like that is a very important distinction. It's very nice. It is usually something amaaaaazing and fantastic. Or sometimes the branch presidency pays for the branch to go to a dinner theater. It's a cool place to be. I love the folks here. They are fantastic and just so loving of everyone. Whenever we get a less active person or an investigator to an activity or church, the YSA branch members are super fantastic and cool. They just bring people in and love them. I think that's partially because they are a small group, so any new face stands out, and they just bring them on in.

 

Also, some fallout from the Gingerbread contest from last week: We got a text from one of the branch members: "Your creation is on display in the Student Union." So all of the houses/creations were in the Union. We just told him not to eat Baby Jesus, because that would be sacreligious (or sacrelicious?). Then he texted us: "Um, you are on the front page of UNK.edu." Apparently there is a whole photo gallery from the contest on there, though some people are not listed correctly in the caption. I haven't seen the photos, but a ward member forwarded one to me, which I sent to Mom. Enjoy! Otherwise, I'm sure you can go to the school website and see more photos. Weird, right?

 

Also, we have had a good week just being available for people who need us. Look around you for the people who need you. You never know where you might see them or find them! For example, Sister Muasau and I carried a couch up three flights of stairs in our skirts and all! Try it, you'll like it! Okay, you don't have to wear a skirt to carry a sofa, but look for people who need you. Hey, I love you all, and I love the letters you send. And the emails. And the photos. And everything. I wish I had more to report on, but it's cold, it's finals week, and then there's Christmas vacation. Pickings may be slim for a while. And that's okay. I truly love you and will write again next week!

 

Love,

Sister Loradona May

 

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful...

Well, not frightful, but it did snow, like,5 or 6 inches yesterday, and it has been ridiculously cold. No, not Canada cold, but it has been below 0 at night, and highs around 11 during the day. Though tomorrow it is forecast to be 37 for the high! I am a little excited about that one!

We are working despite the cold and the snow, and I have a testimony of my snow boots and my winter coat: "I know that this is a true coat..." Also, I am glad Mom sent me my Canada mittens--those Canadians know how to keep a girl's fingers warm! Though I still need to purchase earmuffs and a few other things. A sister in the family ward served in Chicago, and we asked her for advice, and she said, "Forget Pretty!" So I am not usually very fashionable or pretty. I wear, like, three pairs of tights, and she said, "Forget the tights. Go with leggings. No one can tell under your skirt and boots." So I am off to buy leggings today.

This last week we've had our ups and our downs, but it is still going well. Sister Muasau received some not good news on Thursday (everyone's fine, but the news was disappointing for her), but then we headed off to the university to join a few other YSAs for a gingerbread house building contest. Before we started, someone asked if we thought we had a chance. I said, "I don't lose!" The school provided the graham crackers and frosting. Everything else had to come from us. We were assigned table 13--luckiest number ever, y'all! And we had 30 minutes to build our creation, which was supposed to be a manger scene. You guys, we were a little disorganized, and it was a little bit, um, messy. That's the nicest way I can put it. But we worked on it and made a little manger scene with gingerbread cookies as people. I gave Mary a halo. :) And then? Time was up. I looked around the room, and there were some cool ones: Hobbiton, The house from "Up" (there were lollipops coming out of the chimney!), and just some really neat things going on. And then they announced the winners: "Third prize goes to table thhhhhree!" We all totally thought they were going to say Thirteen. They did not. That's okay, we thought, we had fun. (Table three was Bilbo Baggins' house, by the way.) "Second prize goes to table 5!" That's it. We were out of the running. There was no way we were getting... "First prize goes to table 13!" ...Wait. What? We all burst out laughing and cheering. We were interviewed for the school paper, including that Sister Muasau and I were missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and we were in the group photo, with name tags and everything. The kicker? There was a first prize of $150. HA! I really, honestly don't think our creation was worth $150, but we were pretty creative with chow mein noodles for hay in the stable, and orange slices for the actual manger. So maybe that is what won it for us?

Moral of the story: when you feel a little low, you get the chance to make a gingerbread house and then win the contest! And then you feel better! Yay! So just look for those tender mercies of the Lord, and I am sure you will find them.

Love,

Sister Loradona May

And The News Is...

No, I'm not going to tell you right away! Because I am that mean and I do love torture! I will start with saying that we had a good week, and we were able to talk to some people and answer questions about the church and use the Book of Mormon to answer their questions about life, so that was a good experience.

 

Okay, I'll get to the part you all want to know. The last two times I have been transferred, I have also been training, and President Weston called before 7 am. So when 7 am came and went on Thanksgiving, I felt pretty sure I wasn't going to be training. Until about 7:45 when I am in the bathroom drying my hair and I hear a knock on the door. It was Sister Gulledge. "President's on the phone. He wants to talk to you." So I get on the phone and President asks, "Are you ready to train again?" Sure, I respond. "Sure," he repeats, and laughs. I guess "Sure" isn't the usual response? President couldn't say her name, so he spelled it for me: Sister Muasau. Interesting, I thought. And then the conversation ended. I turned expectantly to Sister Gulledge, because she had the look of someone who had been smacked on the head. "I'm training and opening the area to Sisters in Phillipsburg, KS," she says. HA! So, I'm still in Kearney, but with Sister Muasau instead of Sister Gulledge, who is now in Kansas. I might be a teensy bit jealous, simply because I wanted to get to all of the states in my mission, and I've only been to two. I'm still hoping for Kansas one day! And who knows about South Dakota...

 

So we went to Thanksgiving with the other Sisters at the Robinsons, the family where we bucked hay and cut up firewood. Sister Page and Sister Youngberg found out that Sister Youngberg was being transferred to Fairview, and Sister Call (who was with us in the MTC!) was being transferred from Fairview to Kearney. So basically, it was a straight switch. Thanksgiving was good! We spend the morning helping make dinner! And thanks to Mom, I was able to introduce the world (or maybe just Kearney) to the wonders of Tollhouse pie (thanks, Mom, for emailing the recipe to Sister Robinson!), and then we had dinner in the afternoon. We all worked together to make dinner, and a guy just returning to church joined us for the dinner, as well as a recent convert and his mom. It was a full, fun house. And then we went home so Sister Gulledge could pack and we could prepare for transfers the next day.

 

And then we went to the transfer point and got our new trainees! I learned that Sister Muasau is Samoan and you pronounce her name "Mwah-saow." So I traded in my Hawaiian for a Samoan. Poor President--he had so many missionaries coming in, I can't fault him for not knowing perfectly how to pronounce each name. I'm sure he'll get it figured out one day. In the meantime, she is from Midvale, UT, and she is a licensed massage type person. She is pretty cool, and she is just so excited to be a missionary. I love it!

 

On Saturday, we played soccer again, and again, I was reminded just how out of shape I am. Yikes! But, hey, it was fun, and we keep trying to get investigators to go with us. One day it will happen, I am sure.

 

On Sunday, I ended up playing the organ for both sacrament meetings. Somehow, I am now the de facto organ substitute. I don't know how that happened, especially since I am not particularly talented at it. Oh well, no one's ears were bleeding, so I'll take that as a boost to my ego.

 

But more importantly, one of our investigators came to church! And stayed the whole time! It was great and amazing and I love it.

 

I wish I had more to say and more time to say it in, but alas, I'm out of time. I love you all, and I'll write more next week.

 

Love,

Sister Loradona May