Week 30 - More photos! (sorry not sorry)

Yes I sent out an entirely new email to include these pictures. You're welcome

1. Me strangling a chicken 

2. My hair looks cool

3. Corn dog casserole mmmm

4. The district

5. This is Jean, our Brazilian friend :D

6. Conference!

7. Aunt Ellen

Also enjoy our flute video

Week 30 - A very eventful week

Wowza what a week! Tons of stuff happened so sorry in advance for the long email. I wish you all could just watch a long movie of all the things I've experienced here because missions are so fun!! But oh well. A brief summary will have to do. Here are some highlights!!

• On Monday the Barcklay family sent us home with way too much food. (like 5lbs of ham!) And we felt bad because most of it was just going to be thrown away. They even gave us paper plates and forks! On our way home I spotted a couple on the street with a sign asking for help, and although it was a little weird, we pulled over and gave them some food, and they were so grateful! When the lady saw us she said "Hey, you're the Sisters!" It turns out that we met her a few weeks ago at the food pantry where we serve! She's a member but hasn't been to church in a while, and wants to start coming back!! I'm so grateful I followed that promoting to pull over. Serving others makes me so happy!

• We started serving at this new place called Unity Gardens and it is such a cute place! We planted some trees and shoveled around some dirt and it was so fun!!! (Go look it up: Unity Gardens in South Bend)

• One of our friends dropped us saying "Sorry, I'm a Christian", because apparently we're not?? Kinda sad, but I still have faith in him

• Our friend Reggie is on date!! He was a guy that was taught a while ago but the missionaries lost contact. We felt prompted to call his number a few weeks ago, and now he's back on track! 

• We got a referral from some Elders in South Carolina! Someone they were teaching told their friend Martha how awesome the missionaries are, and Martha was like "Yeah I want that!" So we got Martha's number and she wanted us to come over the next day! She the sweetest lady and she is super excited about having us over :) We also gave her a Book of Mormon and she's started reading it!

• We met Bill! We were on a wild goose chase trying to drop off a Bible to an address that didn't exist, and It was very confusing but in the meantime we talked with this dude who was out sitting on his porch. He knew the lady who wanted the Bible so we gave it to him. We talked with him a bit, and asked if we could come over again to share a message. He was like "Sure, ok.." So we got our first appointment from tracting!! Don't tell President Page! (Jk).

• I got my covid shot! We were at Walmart today and over the intercom they announced "Free covid vaccines!" A few people didn't show up I guess and so Sister Black and I got the last two.  

• Now for the biggest miracle!!

On Tuesday we had some lessons fall through so we went to a park to study. We noticed this one guy who passed by, but he had headphones in so we didn't say "hi" like we usually do. He passed by us again and smiled at us, then he passed by us a third time, and we chatted for a bit. He seemed like he really wanted to ask us something, but we didn't keep a conversation, and he walked off. Oh well. After a minute we looked over, and we saw him on a bench close by, staring at us! It was maybe a little creepy but we felt ok about him, so we decided to casually pass by again. And we started a good conversation! His name is Brad and he is so awesome! He asked who we were and what church we go to, and said he has questions about if there is meaning to life and how to find happiness! We gave him our number to talk later, and he actually texted us first, saying thanks for reaching out! We met up the next day and had an awesome lesson, and he had a ton of great questions! We gave him a Book of Mormon and he's cruising through it super fast! We've now had 3 lessons with him and he even came to the church to watch general conference with us!! (It was a wee bit awkward since it was just us and the Elder missionaries, but it was great!) Brad is so awesome and so open minded! I've never seen anyone progress that quickly. He is super grateful that we met too. But I'm pretty sure he's actually a member and he's just pranking us. More to come with Brad!

Speaking of, I hope you all enjoyed conference!!! It was great. 20 new temples?? So cool! I love being a part of this wonderful church and I especially love sharing it with others! Just like President Nelson said, no other message brings this much joy or peace. 

Love you all!! If you made it this far you deserve a gold star! And let me know if you don't want to be on this list anymore lol. 

Have a good week!!

- Sister Wride

Week 29 - Davie the rabbit

Olá! Tudo bem?

This week was great! We had lots of lessons fall through (per usual) but we contacted lots of people and we saw some cool miracles!

One of which, is that Jean has started to take the missionary lessons!! Jean is the guy from Brazil that we've been teaching English to. We've been tag-teaching him with Sister Steele, and he's super fun. And recently he's expressed lots of interest in the gospel!! We were looking for the missionaries near him so we could get him a Bible, and it just so happens that Sister Seegrist is over his area, the ONE other Sister Missionary who speaks Portuguese!! There are no coincidences! So they will be taking over, and although I'm kinda sad to give him up, it will be great :) 

We've had lots of member lessons this week! It's so fun to meet people and talk to them, especially people who are different than me. I've definitely felt my love for others grow since being on a mission! 

My highlight for the week was definitely going to the Barclays. They have lots of animals in their house, including a dog, a bunny, two guinea pigs, and three children. (Jk.) But it was so fun! When I pet the bunny it licked my arm like a dog and it was probably the happiest moment of my entire life!! The little girl kept handing us the guinea pigs, and they got hair and poop everywhere. The white pig (who I'm pretty sure has PTSD) peed on Sister Walstad, so I took it and it peed on me and on the couch. Meanwhile Brother Barclay pulled out his bagpipes and played "Praise to the Man" and it was super loud! I loved it haha. It was one of those moments that's so chaotic and different, you can't help but laugh. 

Another one of those funny moments was at Sister Kempf's house yesterday. The Elders came along, and we were uncomfortably squished together on the couch, and her dog was jumping all over and licking everything, and he nearly licked all the makeup off Sister Black's face! Sister Kempf sang some songs for us and she talked about what she's been studying, and I look over and Elder Strong was passed out asleep! Hopefully she didn't feel too bad... 

I think it's funny sometimes how members treat us missionaries so nice. We usually don't even know them, but they always say hi to us, they love having us over, and they always feel obligated to give us food and treats. They treat us like celebrities, when in reality I'm just a 20 year old girl with a name tag! 

It's true though, I've noticed that every missionary has a glow about them. It's all the spirit! We really do have a special calling, and I love being a small part of it! The church is true. 

Also I hope you all excited for conference!! Go watch it it's gonna be awesome

Anyways.. Amo vocês!! Tchau tchau :D

- Sister Wride

1. This is Davie. He's super chill! The Barclay kids could pick him up and use him as a weapon in a pillow fight, and he wouldn't even flinch.

2. Look at how cute my little siblings are

3. An interesting meal from the Moody family: beef ravioli topped with broccoli, peppers and croutons. Not bad!

4. Exchanges!

Week 28 - In-person lessons!

Olá! 

We received exciting news this week that we can now teach in people's homes!!!!! It's been SO nice. It's so much easier to connect with people! And unlike a zoom meeting, it's harder for people to ghost us when we're at their door. The downside is though that we have to be more prepared for lessons. I don't have a lesson plan in front of me, and we can't whisper or give each other cues on what to do next. 

But it's been so awesome! I definitely prefer being in-person. The members got a little excited and now all of our evenings are booked. So many people want us over - I feel kinda famous 

There are a few members that want us over every week! I love it, but we kinda don't have time for that haha. We still need to teach non-members. 

One of our regulars is Aunt Ellen, a cute blind lady who loves talking with the missionaries. She has little nicknames for each of us: "Sunshine girl", "Little Tootsie Roll" and "My Mel-o-dy". She has a wall full of pictures, and a whole photo album full of her missionary friends, even though she can't actually see any of them. She told us her story of how she went blind (Sister Walstad was pretty grossed out haha) and she showed us her custom made fake eyeballs that have a tweety bird and Sylvester the cat imprinted on the back them. She's funny. 

We also visited Sister Kempf this week! She is super sweet. She has the strongest testimony and was so excited to have us over - she got all dressed up for it. (Pic attached) And now she wants us to come over every Sunday. She sang some songs for us on piano, and she talks in this really cute old black lady voice: "I pray to my Heavenly Father all day, and when I run out of words, I sing!", "Some people, they get addicted to drugs and alcohol. But when I was 10 years old, I got addicted to my Heavenly Father! He he he!"

She's cute. Sorry I'm not that good at mimicking her voice over text, you'll just have to imagine it. 

We also got a bomb threat this week!! I think I mentioned him already, but there's this crazy inactive member who calls us every day just to say "hi". It's kind of dumb, and not really worth our time so we've stopped answering, which has made him a little upset. I guess he also has some beef with the bishop because he sent us a voice recording saying that if we don't "impeach" the bishop, he's going to blow up the church building! Kinda funny

Other than that, we had some fun member lessons, we met some nice people in the park, our friend Tra is super confusing and is low-key flirting with us, we had a first lesson with Reggie and he's golden, and Verna was on date to be baptized on Saturday but it didn't happen because she's really bad at responding. 

Overall I just love being a missionary. I've learned so much about my Savior, and it's broadened my perspective so much.

Also Happy Birthday Elder Wride!!  If you aren't already on Ethan's email list you should go do that (even if you don't know him).

Love you all, and have a good week!!

- Sister Wride

Pictures!

1. Sister Kempf 

2. The Dowdile family

3. THE TREES ARE BLOSSOMING 

4. More ice cream

5-6. Family video calls

7. The Cramers

Week 27 - Lots of sunshine and lots of miracles

Olá tudo mundo! 

Dang this week flew by. We did a lot of messaging and calling, and lots of people were actually happy to talk to us! That's always nice! It's also been super warm lately so we spent a lot of time walking outside and sitting in parks. We got lots of stares and there were some awkward moments trying to say "Hi" to people. But a few of them came up and talked to us! I wish we could go tracting, and strait up ask "Hey, do you want to hear a message about Christ?" but also I'm kind of grateful that we're not supposed to, because talking with strangers is scary!

Cool miracle: On Saturday we went to a park and this little Ugandan family passed by, so we said "Hello!" and we started up a conversation! We introduced ourselves as missionaries, and the Dad said that he was a missionary for his church too which is cool. (He didn't have a nametag tho so I'm not sure how legitimate he is) We then had an awesome conversation about Jesus, loving one another, forgiving, scriptures, etc. and he told us a crazy story about how he was cured from blindness! He basically preached an entire sermon to us that lasted almost an hour. We didn't get to say much, but it was super awesome! We gave him our number and we agreed to talk later :)))

As I've gotten to know the people here and see their struggles and their concerns, I've realized more just how important this gospel is! It really is the key to solving their problems, they just have to see it. Whether or not they realize it, they need this church! They need the peace that comes from Christ, the relief that comes from forgiveness of sins, a knowledge of and the perspective that comes from a knowledge of Gods plan for us. Us missionaries aren't here to increase numbers of church members, we're here to make life better for people! I'm so grateful to be part of this great work. Although I'm only playing a very small role, I'm just grateful to be witnessing it first hand :)

Tenha uma boa semana!  Minha caixa de entrada está sempre aberta 

- Sister Wride

PICTURES:

1. Our neighbor randomly gave us a bunch of milk. She gave us another gallon the next day - ??

2. Photo credit: Sister Walstad

3. District P-day

4. Service

5. Guinea pigs!!

6. Me contemplating whether or not the cashier will see if I hid the guinea pig in my bag...

8-10. Funny conversations

Week 26 - 6 months in!

 Olá! 

I hit my 6 months tomorrow! That sure went by fast...

This week has been pretty slow though. Almost all of our lessons fell through. It's so weird how people agree to meet at a certain time, they confirm and say "yes, I'll be there!" And then they don't show up, with no explanation why... And there are SO many people who forget to respond to messages. Like, more than you would think. Oh well, that's just missionary work I guess. 

Other than waiting for our friends to join our zoom meetings, this week we also made some videos for our FB page (which took WAY longer than it should have), we visited Notre Dame University, and we got Instagram again! Since losing my position as a Social Media Specialist, I no longer had access to Instagram. But this week President Page rolled it out to all the YSA/Campus missionaries, so I got it back :) hehehe

We've been hearing news of nearby missions loosening up their Covid restrictions! (Such as having member meals in their homes, knocking on doors of people formerly taught, teaching in homes, etc.) Then yesterday we get a message from our zone leaders saying that President Page is having an emergency meeting to give us a big suprise!!!! We had our hopes up very high because obviously this had to do with things opening up! Either that, or the Second Coming is happening. We join the meeting, super excited for this big news, and President Page says... 

"Since the weather is so warm tomorrow, you can do a district P-day!" 

I'll be honest, I was a little disappointed. President Page hyped us up way too much. That's a nice suprise I guess, I was just expecting something a lot cooler. 

(sigh) It's ok... There are some times when I'm grateful that we can't go into people's homes. Theres this one guy in the ward who calls us every day just to say "hi" or to update us on whatever random is going on in his day. He also sends us these weird voice recordings of him singing about scrambled eggs. He's kinda weird. He really wants us to come over, but lucky for us, we're not allowed to! 

One emberassing moment: We we're teaching our friend Tim about the spirit world, and read to him Alma 40:11-12. I zoned out for a second and forgot what we were doing, so I read on to verse 13 

Being on a mission has definitely helped me see how imperfect I really am. I thought I was pretty solid before, but since being here, having companions and studying a lot, I've realized how much I need Christ's atonement. I'm sure if I could fully see how unclean I am compared to God, I would just give up. So instead, God gives us just what we need to make that next step. He opens our eyes little by little, "line upon line, precept upon precept". 

Another scripture I love:

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27)

I make a lot of mistakes, and I am far from perfect, but I'm trying to be better! I'm so grateful for our Savior and that he always gives us that chance to change and improve! 

Love you all, and have a great week!!

- Sister Wride

Pictures:

1. We've been eating way too much ice cream lately

2. In case you're wondering, that's not a booger, it's a pistachio

3. More of Notre Dame University

4. Touchdown Jesus

Week 25 - South Bend 😎

Oi tudo mundo!

This week was great! It's been super different to be in a new area living with two people I've never met before. My companions are Sister Walstad (Black hair) and Sister Black (Blonde hair), and they're very sweet.The first few days have been pretty awkward because we're not used to each other, and we're all kinda quiet. But we're opening up more, and we're getting along great! 

I love South Bend so far! Some areas are a little sketchy, but I love the river, the little towns, and crusty houses. Seeing new places is just so fun. 

This apartment is definitely a downgrade from my last one. (I miss the couches) Its a lot smaller, it and it sometimes smells like weed. 

We're a YSA ward and a family ward, and I already love the members! They give us meals a lot, which I appreciate because food is definitely my love language. 

The best part is that we have a ton of people to teach! We have several lessons every day!!! There are a lot of people and I barely know anyone, so I won't bore you with details on all of them. In Lafayette we didn't get to teach the lessons that often (it was mostly doing Bible studies and being Hoosiered at). So it's super nice to actually go through them and teach about the Restoration and Gods plan for us. We also get a ton of online referrals (Almost one every day!). Not too many respond, but it's still awesome. I love being a missionary :)

Sister Blacks Birthday was this week! It was kind of pitiful tbh. She's stuck with two people she just met, and we were in church meetings all day so she couldn't even call her family. (But also I guess we aren't supposed to? oops.) 

We didn't know it was her birthday until the night before, so we didn't really do anything. We made a blueberry muffin casserole thing, stuck a candle in it and sang her a very awkward "Happy Birthday", and called it good. It was Probably the worst birthday she's had, but it was she seemed content, so that's good. 

Lastly, here's some spiritual enlightenment for today: 

"Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy" - 2 Nephi 2:27

Remember that you are here to be happy! The purpose for this journey on earth and your entire existence, is for you to have joy! Joy doesn't mean we are free from trials, it means we have that hope and perspective that comes through Jesus Christ and His gospel. 

As President Nelson says, "The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives." (Go listen to that talk, it's really good. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/10/joy-and-spiritual-survival?lang=eng )

Anyways I think that's all for this week, but I hope you all are doing well! Feel free to email me, I always love to hear what you are doing. 

Tem uma boa semana! Tchau!

- Sister Wride