"Green & GROWING, or Brown & DYING." Sister Valette in Torbay Ward mentioned this quote yesterday in her Sacrament Meeting talk, speaking about Self-Reliance. So I've had it stuck in my head since then. And I love it. 'Cause.... it kind of reflects the things I've learned over the course of my mission. If we're working toward SOMETHING—studying, learning and GROWING, we're STRONG AND GREEN and happy—facing the sun, and holding strong, regardless of what comes our way. But ....if we let our guard down—if we don't take care of ourselves—get lazy and droopy, we become brown and dying.... It's all about FAITH. ACTION. and keeping a positive attitude about life.
I LOVE learning. Even if you're like me and it seems slow at times, to actually get things STUCK in your head enough to EXPLAIN them to others, it's still all worth it. And it brings spice and new things to life. It's great. Little by little. That's how things go :)
So. Adventures of the week.
Last MONDAY. Zone P-day. We went to Laser Strike again :) I really quite like Laser tag now. Haha.
Leave it to the Elders to make me like something that I'm still....really bad at.
Haha. It's exciting though. Running around, trying to not get distracted by the lighting fixtures they use in the maze.... #LightingNerd #Forever
But then, part way through our laser strike happiness,
President Balli called! Perfect timing too—right in between games.
Haha. He's great :)
He surprised me with different news than we'd been given earlier in the day from the
assistants — my new companion would be coming to us THAT day around 6pm. Not Tuesday.
So the Sunset Sisters—since they were in a better place to be able to go pick her and another sister up from the mission home—went and got them. We met at their flat in Browns Bay to take my companion. Her name is Sister Tcheou (che-oo). It's a French name. I thought it was pronounced "chew" last week, but that's because no one really knows how to actually pronounce her name. Haha. She's from Tahiti, speaks English and French, and she's been out just over 10 months. Always new adventures with new companions :) We got her settled into the flat, and helped Sister Lemalu finish packing that night.
TUESDAY was pretty full-on busy. District Meeting, good-byes to my Lemalu, and then running around like crazy people with our little trio for the day. Visiting people in Hibiscus—seeing Linda and Rochanna—and running back to Torbay to get Sister Lemalu's things to bring her to the mission home.
And then there were SURPRISES at the mission office and mission home :) First: The CLEMENTS. Elder and Sister Garth are off back to Austrialia, so the Clements will be taking over their job in the office. A shock for them and everyone up north, as they didn't know they'd be taking over until that week! But they're going to be grand, and now I'm closer to them and get to see them! Blessings and exciting things :)
THEN – at the mission home, who else came running, chasing after our car as we went to turn around? My dear SISTER POINTER!! Hahaha.... She's adorable, and I'm glad I got to see her one more time before she was off on her new adventures going home :)
The rest of the day was spent getting to know Sister Tcheou as we made visits around Torbay, had some dinner, and then went to MCM.
WEDNESDAY. Visits, meeting new less-actives that I hadn't met yet, dinner with Bex Maire in Hibiscus, and some Volleyball. And just to initiate her into the group, my poor companion accidentally got a volleyball to the FACE. But she's okay, so we're all good. It was kind of a shock for all though!
THURSDAY. Same bit as Wednesday, going around meeting people I hadn't met before either, as well as some lovely potential investigators—one man named, Chris, who says he's "kind of Atheist at the moment," but he still loves learning about other religions and things. So he took a pamphlet! He's also already read the Book of Mormon before. So there's that. We're excited to go back to visit him. Some of the kindest people I've met on the mission have been Atheist! Seriously.
Dinner at the Rapata's, as always, but with a spin this time. When we got to the house their power had been out for a few hours, so Tina took us out instead. Spoiled. It was a great time with Tina, and a blessing and an informative time for me about my companion, because Tina asked her about her background and everything.
FRIDAY. Weekly Planning. Sickness.
Tuala's, Santana's, and Elli :) Sickness = my body's been doing that thing again where everything I eat makes my stomach upset. So there's that. But we're fine. I'll be fine :)
SATURDAY we found out that Brendon (our musician, rocker investigator) has apparently flown the coop to Europe! So.... there's down one investigator until October. Ha. But all is well :) We'll find more!
SUNDAY was my beautiful day in Torbay of learning and peace.
Here's the main thing this week: Learning that even when things change—and you're TERRIFIED of that change—it always works out the way it needs to. It's allllll about having faith in the Lord. Because HE'S the one that really knows what's going on, and what needs to happen. Even though I've gotten significantly more used to change over the last year of my life, I still don't love it — but I've been blessed with the things I've been able to learn and grow in, whether it be because of certain companions, or areas, or people I've come in contact with. Life is crazy. And it goes SO fast.
Anyhoo. I hope you all have a most LOVELY week back home. Life is grand. Build your foundation on Faith in Christ, and all will work out :)
Love you all heaps!
Alofa tele atu!
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
Showing posts with label Zone-Pday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zone-Pday. Show all posts
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Friday, May 27, 2016
Chasing Rainbows
Winter is FINALLY settling itself in, here in my beautiful Aotearoa. I think NZ is actually a bit worse than Utah sometimes - in the sense of being one season one day and then another the next! We've jumped from about 20 degrees to .... less than that - basically overnight! So... pretty cold. But it could also be the fact that I think my body has just acclamated nicely to the tropical weather. So....winter when I get back may be a struggle. Ha.
Anyhoo. The PLUS side to the winter settling in is the fact that it's been RAINING ALL THE TIME. And therefore, there are BEAUTIFUL RAINBOWS! Sister Gila and I, on our way down this morning were literally chasing rainbows—MASSIVE AND VIBRANT RAINBOWS!! Let's be real. It'll never get old.
I LOVED HEARING ANGELINE'S VOICE. Allllll the happy :) And I have indeed received my package now. So, THANK YOU! It's definitely a beautiful little package of sunshine and happiness! It was so sad to hear about her car though :( I felt so bad! And I'm pretty sure the missionaries she met were actually my Sister Training Leaders, O'Reilly and Anderson! Haha. So - small world!
It's been a good week :) Things always look up. The work is still a bit slow, but we're getting to know our members better and better each day, and I know that the investigators WILL COME. Just lots of searching and finding those beautiful prepared souls :) Also, I realized that since I've been in this area I really haven't done many crafty/arty things, other than putting together the map on our wall of the area. So....that's something I'm trying to put in a little more of in the week—my little outlet to bring out my happy creative side! :)
After our brilliant Zone P-day last MONDAY—Laser tag running around, excitement—I was ready to go. So apparently I just need more laser tag in my life. We met some members we hadn't met before (after getting lost on the way to their house....we reallyyyyyy need to get a new map. Ha. #OutDated And we had a FHE/birthday celebration with the Niu family. Love them so much. I also learned a little more POI. I'm obsessed with the Poi life. I just wish I was better at it. Ha. It'll come. I'm learning how to do a butterfly poi! It's exciting :) (Thank you, my dear Aejah Masiasomua for teaching me my first few things.) (Whanau: I can't remember if I've explained Poi....but I'm sure if you YouTube "New Zealand Kapahaka" you'll come up with HEAPS of dances with poi.) [Although Poi is a wallpaper paste-like food in Polynesian cultures, Poi is also a form of dance where weights on the ends of tethers are swung through rhythmical patterns. It is rooted in the culture of the Maori people of Aotearoa, a.k.a. New Zealand, who dance with poi poi in traditional ceremonies.]
OH. Also: Sister Taylor, in all her brilliance, came up with making zone/MISSION hoodies. And I love it. SO MUCH. We're going to see if she has enough fabric to put our names on the bottom as well—but for now it's "NZAM" (New Zealand Auckland Mission) on the back and the pocket on the front—made in "SWEET AS" MAORI FABRIC. Love. All the love!
TUESDAY we got some BRILLIANT news. Elder Jackson called as we were leaving the flat for District Meeting saying, "So, I'm retiring some of the cars in the mission, and yours is due to be retired! So after district meeting, we got a NEW CAR!! District Meeting was also exciting with a little surprise party for Elder Summers at the end for his birthday! Woo! #20 #SoLittle ;)
I had a headache for...most of this day. The struggle is real lately with the headache life. But... we're all goods! No worries. Life moves on. We also met another member family that we hadn't officially met yet and had the most DELICIOUS dinner with them. And then we dropped in to visit our dear Elli Duncan. I love her to pieces. Everyone is easy to love here though, so...there's that :) Ha.
WEDNESDAY was a blessing. Our Zone (or most of them) gathered together in Hibiscus to "blitz" our area. Aka: they came to our area and we split them into different areas to tract and help us find potentials! Each set of missionaries came away with at least one potential, so that was SUPER exciting :) We're going to be going back to contact them again this week to see where we can be of help. So...life is good. Blessings! That night we also had an exciting Relief Society activity in Hibiscus with the theme—"In Her Shoes." It was based on the scripture of D&C 18:10 ..."For the worth of SOLES is great in the sight of God." HaHaHa....I cracked up ;) Also, there was a story shared (not sure if it came from a talk or an Ensign or what?) called, "DROPS of AWESOME." ...And man, did I need it!! The activity was a blessing in SO many ways—also because we were able to help the sisters set up beforehand—which allowed us to get to know a LOT more of the ward as well as meet one of the potentials that we've been trying to track down for a while! (Still have yet to find her actual house - but it was exciting to meet her.)
Ward Activities. They're a blessing! :)
THURSDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!!!! I hope you had a most BEAUTIFUL day and that people spoiled you senseless ;) Haha. I was thinking about you all day long. Also: You'll be proud, because I taught Emma a bit more about oils. 'Cause...her email has apparently been struggling and she hasn't been able to look up your email yet. But soon. Or I may just print it off and give it to her so she can at least read the info she needs. Every Thursday is dinner at the Rapata's in Torbay which is LOVELY, and then MCM [Missionary Committee Meeting] with our wonderful WML [Ward Mission Leader] and Ward missionaries. Just love 'em all.
FRIDAY. Weekly planning, visited Emma and GAVE her a few oils... (so...I no longer have peppermint. But she needed it more than I do. And I also gave her my little bottle of wild orange.) It was quite hilarious to watch someone trying oils for the first time. She was so excited and felt like she was on a different kind of high! Haha. Love Emma so much :) We also tried to catch a few people at home, to no avail, but we were able to meet more members again. So it's just been a wonderful week of meeting members, showing them our love, and showing them WE ARE HERE. And also a member lesson with our dear Alesha and Aalyana Losefa. LOVE THEM.
SATURDAY. We had a MEAN lesson with Philip - and Maggie came. (He's our investigator that's been investigating since...2007 I think? Something forever like that.) And another Ward Activity helped us, once again, get to know more of the ward and meeting the people who could have some potentials to be taught! Aka: This week we've learned there are great amounts of potentials that fall within our areas. It's just about seeking them out and ...patiently looking for those that are ready. :)
SUNDAY Ssiter Gila and I Spoke in Torbay Ward, "introducing" ourselves....even though we've been here for 4 weeks and know....a good portion of the people in Torbay already. Haha. (Torbay's the smaller ward.) But it was good. And two former missionaries came to Sacrament meeting as well! Sister Dixon (Tammy) and Elder Manarangi (Gabriel)—and news: They're dating. Precious! Haaaaa.... Mission Love.
Anyhoo. Life is good. The rainbow always comes after the storm, and looking for the sunshine always brings about those that are prepared – or at least the finding of new little things we can do in the area to help!! I love it all :) New Zealand is beautiful, and I'm grateful to be here :)
Love you all, and hope you have a most beautiful week! —As you go into your spring/summer-ness.....and I go into freezing weather! Haha.
Ofa lahi atu
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
Anyhoo. The PLUS side to the winter settling in is the fact that it's been RAINING ALL THE TIME. And therefore, there are BEAUTIFUL RAINBOWS! Sister Gila and I, on our way down this morning were literally chasing rainbows—MASSIVE AND VIBRANT RAINBOWS!! Let's be real. It'll never get old.
I LOVED HEARING ANGELINE'S VOICE. Allllll the happy :) And I have indeed received my package now. So, THANK YOU! It's definitely a beautiful little package of sunshine and happiness! It was so sad to hear about her car though :( I felt so bad! And I'm pretty sure the missionaries she met were actually my Sister Training Leaders, O'Reilly and Anderson! Haha. So - small world!
It's been a good week :) Things always look up. The work is still a bit slow, but we're getting to know our members better and better each day, and I know that the investigators WILL COME. Just lots of searching and finding those beautiful prepared souls :) Also, I realized that since I've been in this area I really haven't done many crafty/arty things, other than putting together the map on our wall of the area. So....that's something I'm trying to put in a little more of in the week—my little outlet to bring out my happy creative side! :)
After our brilliant Zone P-day last MONDAY—Laser tag running around, excitement—I was ready to go. So apparently I just need more laser tag in my life. We met some members we hadn't met before (after getting lost on the way to their house....we reallyyyyyy need to get a new map. Ha. #OutDated And we had a FHE/birthday celebration with the Niu family. Love them so much. I also learned a little more POI. I'm obsessed with the Poi life. I just wish I was better at it. Ha. It'll come. I'm learning how to do a butterfly poi! It's exciting :) (Thank you, my dear Aejah Masiasomua for teaching me my first few things.) (Whanau: I can't remember if I've explained Poi....but I'm sure if you YouTube "New Zealand Kapahaka" you'll come up with HEAPS of dances with poi.) [Although Poi is a wallpaper paste-like food in Polynesian cultures, Poi is also a form of dance where weights on the ends of tethers are swung through rhythmical patterns. It is rooted in the culture of the Maori people of Aotearoa, a.k.a. New Zealand, who dance with poi poi in traditional ceremonies.]
OH. Also: Sister Taylor, in all her brilliance, came up with making zone/MISSION hoodies. And I love it. SO MUCH. We're going to see if she has enough fabric to put our names on the bottom as well—but for now it's "NZAM" (New Zealand Auckland Mission) on the back and the pocket on the front—made in "SWEET AS" MAORI FABRIC. Love. All the love!
TUESDAY we got some BRILLIANT news. Elder Jackson called as we were leaving the flat for District Meeting saying, "So, I'm retiring some of the cars in the mission, and yours is due to be retired! So after district meeting, we got a NEW CAR!! District Meeting was also exciting with a little surprise party for Elder Summers at the end for his birthday! Woo! #20 #SoLittle ;)
I had a headache for...most of this day. The struggle is real lately with the headache life. But... we're all goods! No worries. Life moves on. We also met another member family that we hadn't officially met yet and had the most DELICIOUS dinner with them. And then we dropped in to visit our dear Elli Duncan. I love her to pieces. Everyone is easy to love here though, so...there's that :) Ha.
WEDNESDAY was a blessing. Our Zone (or most of them) gathered together in Hibiscus to "blitz" our area. Aka: they came to our area and we split them into different areas to tract and help us find potentials! Each set of missionaries came away with at least one potential, so that was SUPER exciting :) We're going to be going back to contact them again this week to see where we can be of help. So...life is good. Blessings! That night we also had an exciting Relief Society activity in Hibiscus with the theme—"In Her Shoes." It was based on the scripture of D&C 18:10 ..."For the worth of SOLES is great in the sight of God." HaHaHa....I cracked up ;) Also, there was a story shared (not sure if it came from a talk or an Ensign or what?) called, "DROPS of AWESOME." ...And man, did I need it!! The activity was a blessing in SO many ways—also because we were able to help the sisters set up beforehand—which allowed us to get to know a LOT more of the ward as well as meet one of the potentials that we've been trying to track down for a while! (Still have yet to find her actual house - but it was exciting to meet her.)
Ward Activities. They're a blessing! :)
THURSDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!!!! I hope you had a most BEAUTIFUL day and that people spoiled you senseless ;) Haha. I was thinking about you all day long. Also: You'll be proud, because I taught Emma a bit more about oils. 'Cause...her email has apparently been struggling and she hasn't been able to look up your email yet. But soon. Or I may just print it off and give it to her so she can at least read the info she needs. Every Thursday is dinner at the Rapata's in Torbay which is LOVELY, and then MCM [Missionary Committee Meeting] with our wonderful WML [Ward Mission Leader] and Ward missionaries. Just love 'em all.
FRIDAY. Weekly planning, visited Emma and GAVE her a few oils... (so...I no longer have peppermint. But she needed it more than I do. And I also gave her my little bottle of wild orange.) It was quite hilarious to watch someone trying oils for the first time. She was so excited and felt like she was on a different kind of high! Haha. Love Emma so much :) We also tried to catch a few people at home, to no avail, but we were able to meet more members again. So it's just been a wonderful week of meeting members, showing them our love, and showing them WE ARE HERE. And also a member lesson with our dear Alesha and Aalyana Losefa. LOVE THEM.
SATURDAY. We had a MEAN lesson with Philip - and Maggie came. (He's our investigator that's been investigating since...2007 I think? Something forever like that.) And another Ward Activity helped us, once again, get to know more of the ward and meeting the people who could have some potentials to be taught! Aka: This week we've learned there are great amounts of potentials that fall within our areas. It's just about seeking them out and ...patiently looking for those that are ready. :)
SUNDAY Ssiter Gila and I Spoke in Torbay Ward, "introducing" ourselves....even though we've been here for 4 weeks and know....a good portion of the people in Torbay already. Haha. (Torbay's the smaller ward.) But it was good. And two former missionaries came to Sacrament meeting as well! Sister Dixon (Tammy) and Elder Manarangi (Gabriel)—and news: They're dating. Precious! Haaaaa.... Mission Love.
Anyhoo. Life is good. The rainbow always comes after the storm, and looking for the sunshine always brings about those that are prepared – or at least the finding of new little things we can do in the area to help!! I love it all :) New Zealand is beautiful, and I'm grateful to be here :)
Love you all, and hope you have a most beautiful week! —As you go into your spring/summer-ness.....and I go into freezing weather! Haha.
Ofa lahi atu
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Oyster Pearls!
[To all of you wonderful Kiwi family and friends, who hang in there each week with Kenzie's incredibly long, detailed letters, we LOVE you. Thank you for sharing her life and for the meaningful influences you have been. This one is SHORT! Plus TRANSFERS are coming this week! Reply with your GUESSES!!]
OYSTER PEARLS!
This may be a quicker email than usual, as we have Zone P-day today - so.... less email time :P Ha.
But ....TRANSFER WEEK! What? Another one? How!? Also: Today's my 10-month mark. WHA>???? Time is speeeeeeeding past my dear whanau. I can't even believe it. And I know I say this every time I hit a new month mark, or possibly every week, but... it's true. It's just crazy in my mind.
Elder Le and I were talking last night about how fast time goes - and sometimes we have to look back through old pictures to realize, "Oh yeah! That really was a thing!" It's allllll like a DREAM sometimes!
Anyhoo. It's been a grand week :) ... Significantly better than last week. And also great insight in learning about how to set goals, and put them in a VISUAL form that acutally... makes me remember them :) Haha. 'Cause that's one thing I've realized on the mission... and in my life in general. I'll make goals - but then....>I forget about them. Ha. But I've made artsy things to make me less forgetful now, and I'm just excited!
MONDAY was pretty normal. It was SUPPOSED to be Zone P-day, but... due to mixups with people getting flu shots, and then not, and whatever... it was postponed. But it's okay! It just means we get a grand day today! Also, we experienced a miracle Monday night when visiting with Kokea, Paua and family. We were on our way to their appointment after our p-day dinner, and realized.... we didn't have enough copies of the Book of Mormon on us for the whole family. We debated between being late and getting the Book of Mormons or just going without them. And man - are we glad we went back! Ha. We messaged Kokea to tell him we'd be a bit late, which he was all goods with — his family is super chill. It's nice. Them we ran back to the flat, grabbed alllll the BOMs and went to Kokea's. We had a little catch-up moment, and then Kokea asked how long we were going to be there that night. We said we had another appointment (which was actually cancelled) - but we also just didn't want to take up their whole night. But he surprised us when he said, "Oh - it's fine. My cousin is just on his way back from work, and HE wanted to be here for the lesson too!" And that's when we realized the miracle connection. (Originally we were worried that he didn't really want us there! Ha.) Nope! It was just 'cause someone else wanted to hear the gospel too! :) Brilliant!
Anyhoo. So - this is where the blessing came from our appointment with the Papali'i's being cancelled came in - 'cause instead we were able to wait for Kokea's cousin to get back, and shared the message of the Restoration with ALL of them! And MAN is he KEEN. I LOVE people who are searching. They're just golden, and intent and REAL in their learning. Anyhoo. We had a brilliant, spirit-filled lesson and testimonies of Christ and the ways we are helped in our lives through prayer and study. And we committed them all to begin reading the Book of Mormon. Oh - also: plot twist. We found out Paua (the wife) is actually a member! She said she was baptised back when she was in intermediate school. So... fun things! Their family is just so lovely though. We're excited to see them again :)
TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY were spent visiting, getting help from Alisha to choose a song for our Sister's Conference (because Sister Anitema was asked to do a musical number), MCM, ward council, and all the fun :) Ah - and companion study with Elders Hunter and Raymer. Haha. Always a joy with those two!
And THURSDAY. Sister's Conference. Aka: Like another "Time out for Women" thing - but with just the sister's of our mission :) LOVE. Apparently they've started doing this once a year. So that's fun :) And uplifitng and happy. The theme for our conference was "We Need Women Who..." - based on a talk Elder Nelson gave last October conference ("A Plea to My Sisters"). And Sister Balli put a visual symbolism to it of how we can all become pearls. Pearls are made layer by layer over the course of 10-15 years in an Oyster - thus, likened to how we all become pearls little by little by doing things that please our Heavenly Father. I LOVE visuals and all the exciting things :) A brilliant day. :) Also: I got to see all my Sisters. Aka: O'Reilly, Pointer, Hobbs, Boiteux, Lott, Christiansen... All the peeps :) OH. And to go along with the theme of our pearls - a poem called, "The Oyster," which, fun fact: Sister Donnaldson actually showed to Sister Hobbs and I two transfers ago! Haha. We laughed with each other when they started reading the poem. Love it!)
I love Sister Conference things - 'cause, while there are pieces of council that are like, "You can be better at doing this!" There's also just a lot of "You're great. Keep up the good work." And it just gives... a better sense of peace and less anxiety in life during moments of feeling like a failure.
Anyhoo. Life is good :)
SATURDAY I overcame a fear—ish. Ha. More like - the Lord blessed me in an unexpected way. Last week when I told the story about the Singh's and how I was stressed and felt like a failure and then we were late and Sister Singh chewed us out so I stopped talking.... yeah? Yeah. So... just thinking about her, let along being in her presence, stresses me out now. Like... really anxious. But Saturday was a blessing. We had an appointment with them and Rachit. So there was lots of preparation so I would have a line of focus to go to, even though we've taught the Restoration SO many times. But - when we got to their house, Sister Singh (Joy) was nowhere to be seen.... just her sister and their parents and the boys. We taught the lesson and during the last... 5 minutes?ish - Joy came out. She had been asleep 'cause she wasn't feeling very well that day. Sad that she wasn't feeling well - but also a blessing for me because.... my anxiety of teaching there went away! So... the Lord definitely blesses us in different little ways. He KNOWS each and every one of us, and blesses us in the way that is needed. At all times :)
That's....the main events of my week :) Little miracles, and lots more to come. Just... praying that I get to stay in Henderson a bit longer..... the anticipation of transfers kind of kills me. I dont' wanna leave... Struggles :P Haha. But all's well :) I'll let you know what happens next week! Reply to mum with your guesses! ;)
Anyhoo. I must be off :) Tell everyone I"m printing and reading their letters over the week and I'll attempt to reply to ALL the things next week :) I miss you and LOVE you all, and I hope you have a most MARVELOUS week full of miracles and happiness! :)
Ofa Lahi Atu,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
The Oyster
Author Unknown
There once was an oyster
Whose story I'll tell, Who found that some sand
Had worked under his shell.
Just one little grain,
But it gave him a pain.
For oysters have feelings
That are very plain.
Now, did he berate
The harsh working of fate
That left him in such
A deplorable state?
Did he curse the government,
Call for an election,
And claim that the sea should
Have given him protection?
No! He said to himself
As he lay on a shell,
Since I cannot remove it,
I think I'll improve it!
Well, the years passed by,
As years always do,
Till he came to his destiny,
Oyster stew!
And the small grain of sand
That had bothered him so,
Was a beautiful pearl
All richly aglow.
Now this tale has a moral;
For isn’t it grand,
What an oyster can do
With a small grain of sand?
And what couldn't we do
If we’d only begin
With some of the things
That get under our skin.
OYSTER PEARLS!
This may be a quicker email than usual, as we have Zone P-day today - so.... less email time :P Ha.
But ....TRANSFER WEEK! What? Another one? How!? Also: Today's my 10-month mark. WHA>???? Time is speeeeeeeding past my dear whanau. I can't even believe it. And I know I say this every time I hit a new month mark, or possibly every week, but... it's true. It's just crazy in my mind.
Elder Le and I were talking last night about how fast time goes - and sometimes we have to look back through old pictures to realize, "Oh yeah! That really was a thing!" It's allllll like a DREAM sometimes!
Anyhoo. It's been a grand week :) ... Significantly better than last week. And also great insight in learning about how to set goals, and put them in a VISUAL form that acutally... makes me remember them :) Haha. 'Cause that's one thing I've realized on the mission... and in my life in general. I'll make goals - but then....>I forget about them. Ha. But I've made artsy things to make me less forgetful now, and I'm just excited!
MONDAY was pretty normal. It was SUPPOSED to be Zone P-day, but... due to mixups with people getting flu shots, and then not, and whatever... it was postponed. But it's okay! It just means we get a grand day today! Also, we experienced a miracle Monday night when visiting with Kokea, Paua and family. We were on our way to their appointment after our p-day dinner, and realized.... we didn't have enough copies of the Book of Mormon on us for the whole family. We debated between being late and getting the Book of Mormons or just going without them. And man - are we glad we went back! Ha. We messaged Kokea to tell him we'd be a bit late, which he was all goods with — his family is super chill. It's nice. Them we ran back to the flat, grabbed alllll the BOMs and went to Kokea's. We had a little catch-up moment, and then Kokea asked how long we were going to be there that night. We said we had another appointment (which was actually cancelled) - but we also just didn't want to take up their whole night. But he surprised us when he said, "Oh - it's fine. My cousin is just on his way back from work, and HE wanted to be here for the lesson too!" And that's when we realized the miracle connection. (Originally we were worried that he didn't really want us there! Ha.) Nope! It was just 'cause someone else wanted to hear the gospel too! :) Brilliant!
Anyhoo. So - this is where the blessing came from our appointment with the Papali'i's being cancelled came in - 'cause instead we were able to wait for Kokea's cousin to get back, and shared the message of the Restoration with ALL of them! And MAN is he KEEN. I LOVE people who are searching. They're just golden, and intent and REAL in their learning. Anyhoo. We had a brilliant, spirit-filled lesson and testimonies of Christ and the ways we are helped in our lives through prayer and study. And we committed them all to begin reading the Book of Mormon. Oh - also: plot twist. We found out Paua (the wife) is actually a member! She said she was baptised back when she was in intermediate school. So... fun things! Their family is just so lovely though. We're excited to see them again :)
TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY were spent visiting, getting help from Alisha to choose a song for our Sister's Conference (because Sister Anitema was asked to do a musical number), MCM, ward council, and all the fun :) Ah - and companion study with Elders Hunter and Raymer. Haha. Always a joy with those two!
And THURSDAY. Sister's Conference. Aka: Like another "Time out for Women" thing - but with just the sister's of our mission :) LOVE. Apparently they've started doing this once a year. So that's fun :) And uplifitng and happy. The theme for our conference was "We Need Women Who..." - based on a talk Elder Nelson gave last October conference ("A Plea to My Sisters"). And Sister Balli put a visual symbolism to it of how we can all become pearls. Pearls are made layer by layer over the course of 10-15 years in an Oyster - thus, likened to how we all become pearls little by little by doing things that please our Heavenly Father. I LOVE visuals and all the exciting things :) A brilliant day. :) Also: I got to see all my Sisters. Aka: O'Reilly, Pointer, Hobbs, Boiteux, Lott, Christiansen... All the peeps :) OH. And to go along with the theme of our pearls - a poem called, "The Oyster," which, fun fact: Sister Donnaldson actually showed to Sister Hobbs and I two transfers ago! Haha. We laughed with each other when they started reading the poem. Love it!)
I love Sister Conference things - 'cause, while there are pieces of council that are like, "You can be better at doing this!" There's also just a lot of "You're great. Keep up the good work." And it just gives... a better sense of peace and less anxiety in life during moments of feeling like a failure.
Anyhoo. Life is good :)
SATURDAY I overcame a fear—ish. Ha. More like - the Lord blessed me in an unexpected way. Last week when I told the story about the Singh's and how I was stressed and felt like a failure and then we were late and Sister Singh chewed us out so I stopped talking.... yeah? Yeah. So... just thinking about her, let along being in her presence, stresses me out now. Like... really anxious. But Saturday was a blessing. We had an appointment with them and Rachit. So there was lots of preparation so I would have a line of focus to go to, even though we've taught the Restoration SO many times. But - when we got to their house, Sister Singh (Joy) was nowhere to be seen.... just her sister and their parents and the boys. We taught the lesson and during the last... 5 minutes?ish - Joy came out. She had been asleep 'cause she wasn't feeling very well that day. Sad that she wasn't feeling well - but also a blessing for me because.... my anxiety of teaching there went away! So... the Lord definitely blesses us in different little ways. He KNOWS each and every one of us, and blesses us in the way that is needed. At all times :)
That's....the main events of my week :) Little miracles, and lots more to come. Just... praying that I get to stay in Henderson a bit longer..... the anticipation of transfers kind of kills me. I dont' wanna leave... Struggles :P Haha. But all's well :) I'll let you know what happens next week! Reply to mum with your guesses! ;)
Anyhoo. I must be off :) Tell everyone I"m printing and reading their letters over the week and I'll attempt to reply to ALL the things next week :) I miss you and LOVE you all, and I hope you have a most MARVELOUS week full of miracles and happiness! :)
Ofa Lahi Atu,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
The Oyster
Author Unknown
There once was an oyster
Whose story I'll tell, Who found that some sand
Had worked under his shell.
Just one little grain,
But it gave him a pain.
For oysters have feelings
That are very plain.
Now, did he berate
The harsh working of fate
That left him in such
A deplorable state?
Did he curse the government,
Call for an election,
And claim that the sea should
Have given him protection?
No! He said to himself
As he lay on a shell,
Since I cannot remove it,
I think I'll improve it!
Well, the years passed by,
As years always do,
Till he came to his destiny,
Oyster stew!
And the small grain of sand
That had bothered him so,
Was a beautiful pearl
All richly aglow.
Now this tale has a moral;
For isn’t it grand,
What an oyster can do
With a small grain of sand?
And what couldn't we do
If we’d only begin
With some of the things
That get under our skin.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Think Big!
E pe heana a koe?(How are you?)
Kel te pai! (Very good!)
#LearningMaori
#ExcitingThings
Yesterday and the day before, my answer to that first question was the following:
Kei te mawiwi ahau (I am not well.)
and
Kei te nge nge ahu (I am very tired.)
Sickness, man. It gets ya. I used to never get sick! But, alas—a different lifestyle, climate, and food (and parasites?)—all go hand in hand in changing things within the body I guess. But all is well now, and we'll get to that in a bit :)
PONDERISE:
"Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen." —2 Nephi 4:35
AND... a quote of the week that I got from our "specialised training" this week:
"Don't let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities." —President Thomas S. Monson ("Living the Abundant Life" Ensign Jan 2012)
It's been a good week :) Regardless of getting sick—because the fact that we have prayer and the Priesthood within this gospel makes all things better. I can't imagine life without it.
MONDAY. Dude. The insanity but funnest of P-DAYS!! Emails, Shopping, then: Zone P-Day. "The Amazing Race: Henderson!" Haha. We had a grand time. We were split up into teams, given clues, and then GO! We ran around the church grounds and around Henderson (in cars) doing different tasks and competing against one another. All the excitement! The Samoan Sisters (Liataua and Pita) set it all up, and it was truly brilliant. We had to do tasks (and document with photos along the way) such as basketball shot-making (I let the other sisters do this one. Ha), getting our car washed, getting a picture on a slide in a park, pictures hugging mannequins at the mall, going to the bowling alley and getting one of us to get a strike, going to the Falefatu's house and doing the "Weet-bix Challenge" [where you try to eat as many dry Weet-bix—a popular breakfast cereal made from shredded wheat—as you can in one minute, without spitting it out or drinking water), ...and other things that aren't coming to mind right now. Haha. Basically, it was a super crazy exciting day. And.... we even came in second :) EVEN WITH BEING GIVEN A "ROAD BLOCK" - aka: One of the other teams got to sabatoge us to slow us down. The extra challenge given? To go to Mackers (McDonalds), get LARGE frozen drinks (luckily a "large" here isn't as big as at home. It's maybe the equivilent of a medium, if not a small drink at home....) and drink them while sitting at McDonalds. Aka: very fast! #BrainFreeze But... like I said, we still came in second. And just BARELY. We saw the red team just getting out of their car as we drove into the chapel... so by the space of a few minutes we were beat. But - it was all fun and games and exciting! :)
Sister Hobbs and I ended the night trying to find a few potentials in the area around the Masiasomua's home (we originally had a plan to have a lesson with them... but, alas: They ended up all having to work and whatnot). And...apparently it truly wasn't the right night for us to meet them. 'Cause most people weren't home. OR in the case of the main referral we were looking to find: We couldn't remember where the street was. So we called the Elders to look at a map for us. And...well, the directions that both sets of Elders gave us were the exact same, and ....were both incorrect! So we ended up going in a really large circle. Ha. But - all is well. We tried. And then we moved forward. We tried to find someone at this point to help us in getting home, because it would have taken... probably an hour and a half to walk home from that side of our area. But: alas, once again, no one we called in our ward was answering. So... we started walking! At about... half to 9, we were still on Sturges Rd. ...when who drove up? Sister Masiasomua :) She was on her way home from work. And this was a miracle moment when we all knew the spirit definitely works within us and all around us. Because Sister Masiasomua was telling us that normally she would have just stayed at work to finish up the few things she had left to do, but this night, she thought, "Nah - I'll leave it for tomorrow." And came home. #Blessings #LittleMiracles 'Cause... Sister Hobbs and I were exhausted. She graciously drove us home and we were able to plan and get ready for the next day in a timely manner, rather than an hour later than we would have wanted!
So... BLESSINGS!!
Phew. (A man that definitely smokes just came and sat down by me. Fun times!) #InternetCafeLife
TUESDAY. We had District Meeting! Then lunch. And ..cancelled appointments. *Sad face*. We met with a less-active, and with Ivan. Ivan is just wonderful. We were supposed to have dinner wtih the Sekona's this night, but - Sister Sekona was taken by sickness... so they purchased food for us and dropped it off. #ButterChicken #Spoiled And... we had our final lesson AND the interviews for Eli and Hakeian's baptism :) Yes, they passed, and yes, we had a wonderful lesson. They're just ....so fun! :D
Also: BUGS. They need to stop biting me. I have over 13 bites just on my left arm right now, 7 of which surround my elbow. We think they're all coming from my bed suddenly... and it got worse AFTER we sprayed the bed down with Permetherine on Tuesday. So...that's fun. Apparently it just angered, rather than killed the bugs this time around. I'm confused as to what makes them suddenly appear. It's fine. I'm over it. I apparently just need to start lathering myself in oils before I get in bed, rather than in the day when it would make more sense to get bitten. :P #TheBuggyLife
WEDNESDAY ...Sickness. Truly. I never got this sick at home. Or at least not as often as I feel sick here. But - we stayed in the flat at the beginning of the day - but still made it out for the night, attempting to meet some referrals - with one success! She wasn't able to talk with us then, but we did make an appointment for this week. So... good things :) We also met another member who lives in our area, but attends... Sunnyvale! (I think) Ward. Anyhoo. The Singh family. Apparently the sister of the Singh girl we met works at the MTC! I... honestly don't remember her. Haha. She was never one of my direct teachers. But I'm sure I'll recognize her when I actually see her again. They're a wonderful family :)
THURSDAY started out differently than usually - with weekly planning, because Friday we knew we would be in a training meeting with president.... So - we planned, and we went out. This time with COURTNEY from Sunnyvale Ward. OH she's adorable. She met a potential with us - Yami. He's... definitely an interesting potential! He's muslim - but still open to learning new things. Ah. And he doesn't blink. Ever. That's what kind of weirded me out about the whole situation of talking with him. Ha. Literally doesn't blink when he's lookin at you. Eyes WIDE open. So - it'll be fun to see where that goes. He WANTED a Book of Mormon to read though, so we'll see!
We also visited Aroha and her family, and went to the Millers for dinner. I feel like she always feeds us some sort of American-ish meal. Ha. It makes me laugh. This time it was burgers. Really good burgers though! And chocolate mousse. #Mmm
We had her drop us to Sturgess Rd. so that our dear Danni Butler could pick us up at the edge of our area and it wouldn't be so far for her to drive :) It was a good time with the family. We went over the Restoration, and I think it was good. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. I wish I could do more for them. They're the best people and make our lives so happy.
FRIDAY. "Specialized Training" Day at Sunset Chapel! It was a good training, it really was. We got together with Waterview and Harbour Zones and were just given some council from President and Sister Balli, and the assistants. Our dear Elder Hunter and Sister Cluff from our Zone also gave a talk! So that was fun. Ah - and Elder Clark, Saulo, and Peihopa sang a BEAUTIFUL verson of How Great Thou Art together. So, yes. I got to see Elder Clark again - and it was wonderful. I also met another Elder - Elder Fermanis. Haaaaaa. #BiggestFlirt #ElderWeAreOnAMission We had gotten there early—before the chapel was even open, so we were out chatting for a bit, and this is when I met Elder Fermanis. After he found out where I was from (he's from NZ), this is how the conversation went:
Elder Fermanis: "Are there any beaches in Utah Sister Ottley?"
Me: "Yes! ...Well, I mean, there's Bear Lake."
Elder Fermanis: "Is it nice?"
Me: "Yes!"
Elder Fermanis: "So - is that us?"
Me: *Silence, but thinking, "Wha?" *
Elder Fermanis: "Ah - but wait. we coudlnt' be alone. Hey, Elder Shannon! You're from Utah, do you know Sister Ottley?
* Elder Shannon, who I was talking to before Elder Fermanis, comes back into the conversation *
Elder Shannon: Yeah!
Elder Fermanis: Is Bear Lake nice?
Elder Shannon: Yes!
Elder Fermanis: Is it clear?
Elder Shannon: Yes!
Elder Fermanis: Ah - so is that all of us? Going to Bear Lake?
*And this is where Elder Shannon just kind of left me hanging... there with Elder Fermanis. Ha.*
Elder Fermanis: "Ah - so when do you go home?"
Me: "December."
Elder Fermanis: "Ah... it's not meant to be."
Me: What?
Elder Fermanis: I'm coming to visit Utah - in October. And I LEAVE in December.
Me: *laughs* thinking - "Who does this Elder think he is?"
...And it continued through to the beginning of the meeting, with him trying to get me to come sit by him and whatnot. Haaaaaa. #ToughLuckElder #ProbablyThinksI'm19. It's truly classic to see Elder's faces when they find out i'm 24! Sadly, I didn't get to a point in the conversation that I could have told him that. Ah well.
Moral to the story: I'm on a mission. And I learned (more like, FULLY realised) in this moment that I do indeed have my head set IN THE MISSION - 'cause I had no idea what the flirting life was anymore. Lol. I did receive word from a Sister afterwards that he really is a good Elder and a great missionary - he just likes to "act" like that. Also - he's going home next transfer. Thus... there's gotta be some trunky-ness in there. Silly Elder. Oh. Wait. I have a maori word for that. Porangi Elder ;) (Silly, giddy, or "Blonde")
Ha. Life. Fun experiences meeting different kinds of missionaires. Ah - he's also Maori. I think Maori/Greek.
The Training Meeting was grand though. That's where my "THINK BIG" title and the quote at the beginning of my email came from.
"Don't let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities." —President Thomas S. Monson ("Living the Abundant Life" Ensign Jan 2012)
And... here's the thought that I got from this quote. It doesn't mean just not letting OTHERS convince you that you're limited in anything — but it's about not letting even YOURSELF convince you that you're not able to do anything. I thought of it this way because I've started realising that sometimes I think "this must be what this person is thinking about me right now, because that's how they're acting to me" ...if that makes sense. Sometimes I bring myself down by thinking about things I think others are thinking about me. And then I drive myself crazy, and it's never worth it.
So: YOU CAN DO IT! It's going to be a great year....or 11 months, almost now 10... of missionary work :) I can feel it!
Ah - and the Goal of Baptisms for the mission this year? Is 950. Last year we accomplished: 522. But... can we get 950? YES. Why? 'Cause it's just under 5 people per missionary. Psh..... TOTES possible! [Normally unlikely, but totally doable!] And, our Heavenly Father needs us to bring His children to Him. And I need my Kiwi, Maori, and Islander brothers and sisters in the Celestial kingdom, man. I love them all so much.
Continuing with the rest of Friday. We HAD an appointment set with a potential for after the training... but it fell through. 'Cause the training went a bit longer than we had intended, sadly enough. But... hopefully soon! We WILL get to meet Vale one day!
And this is the point in time when I ACTUALLY started feeling legitimately ill. As we were walking around, nope, BIKING around the area, and our appointment with Marion also fell through. So we stopped by the Leato's. They fed us, 'cause they love us, and I was grateful. However.... alas, it didn't help the sick feeling. It made it a lot worse. Probaby partially because it was Chinese takeaways (all of which here I'm beginning to gather are rather similar to "Panda Express" back home... the taste, at least, and... the fact that I can taste the MSG life.) Anyhoo. We made a last visit to Aroha Henare - whom I love, SO dearly, and then... we went home. Somewhat more slowly than I usually bike, but... my body was just done. Done done. I slept that night - but... definitely not well. I honestly felt like I was going to puke all night long, and literally prayed and talked to myself the entire night – that I wasn't going to throw up. (Yes, that's how much I hate it. Reasons I could never be bulimic!)
I didn't. But... I still felt absolutely disgusting and SO TIRED SATURDAY morning. But... we still got up and got ready and whatnot, 'cause, well, we had ELI AND HAKEIAN'S BAPTISM. #Win. :) So - like I said, I felt gross, and mostly pretty much everyone could tell. Luckily, they just kept asking if I was tired... rather than ill. So I guess that was good in a way! But - I honestly didn't know if I was going to make it - I knew I HAD to, 'cause - I wasn't missing the baptism! But... I was struggling. So, Sister Hobbs said a prayer for me that I would be able to make it through the next few hours. Anddd.... I did! :) Prayer is REAL, folks! Love it :) Ha.
So... Eli and Hakeian are adorable, and they're now baptised :) It was a fun baptism program with a lot of family surrounding and happiness. And... because I didn't know if I would be able to stand for longer than 5 minutes without wanting to pass out, our lovely Elder Hunter and Gulliver took over talking about the Restoration for us ('cause, that's what we do for baptisms while the baptised people are getting changed after the actual baptism).
Then - at the end of the baptism program, I had my head down on a bench, and the Sisters came over to figure out what was up - and then said, "We have 6 Elders here who could all give you a blessing." ... Yup. Done. Priesthood power is real. I think, along with SO many other things, I've learned this most on my mission. I received a blessing from Elder Hunter, annointed by Elder Saulo. And it was one of those miracle moments when I felt peace in a different way than I thought I would during the blessing. It was in the simplest of phrases. "Heavenly Father is proud of what you have done on your mission." ...It was one of those moments that I honestly hadn't fully realised it was an answer I was looking for - until I got the answer.
Heavenly Father looks out for us. He HEARS our prayers, and sometimes... He hears the things in our thoughts that we don't even realise we've been asking for!
The rest of SATURDAY was spent at the flat. 'Cause... like I said. Illness. I slept a lot, ate ...nothing, and just tried to not be exhausted. The Elders (Hunter and Gulliver again) loved us enough to bring over dinner - as Sister Hobbs had none, and... I was finally feeling up to some broth of sorts at least. What did they come over with? A pasta dish and soup for me—both homemade! #Spoiled and #Delicious I only had... like half a bowl... of the soup, but it was filled with veggies and happiness. Which made my stomach grateful for the lightness.
SUNDAY was better. Still stayed in during the morning time - as... my stomach still wasn't happy with the moving life, and I couldn't stand for long. I slept it off more and luckily was much better by the time church time came around. Eli and Hakeian were confirmed, and were given some pretty grand promises within their blessings. The Holy Ghost is cool, right? I just love it.
We went to the Joseph's for dinner - which was like a dinner from heaven. LIGHT, and like home. (Can you tell I'm getting sick of the heavy meal/meat life? ...I still like it, but... I think it's just become hard on my stomach.) Quiche, salad, and Maori bread. (Which I found out is made with a potato base, and a "fermintation" process, similar to Dad's yeast thing. So I'm excited to get that recipe :) Sister Jones (Sister Joseph's mum) has started teaching us Maori, and I"m defintiely excited for continuing lessons. :) She said she'll teach us a full prayer next time! Haha.
The rest of the night was spent trying to find some potentials again, and me struggling to push my tired body up hills. So, Sister Fischer lovingly picked us up, and dropped us at the flat so we could pick up my whiteboard and markers for the lesson we had planned for the Donnaldson's.
We love them, they make us happy. And we become better friends with them a little bit more aech time we visit. I just love all our ward.
I'm finally getting better. I actually got up and moved around like a normal person this morning - and... I'm insanely grateful. I hate being sick. It WILL be overcome though. We WILL find new people to begin fully teaching this week, and.... we WILL set someone new for baptism. Sister Hobbs and I have decided that for us, a goal of one baptism a month is definitely doable. And we're excited. We just have to work hard to find that golden one for next month ;)
Another quote I got this week that I really like:
"Sometimes FEAR SHOUTS SO LOUD in our ears, that it almost drowns out our FAITH. ... But God knows who we are. We cannot go anywhere that he cannot find us." —Emma Smith: My Story
IT'S TRUE! We have to let FAITH overcome the fear in life! :)
I hope you all have a most amazing week. I know that our Heavenly Father watches out for us in every move we make, and LOVES it when we talk to Him about anything and everything. Prayer is beautiful, our GOSPEL is beautiful, and Missionary Work is super exciting!
ALL THE LOVE, from your dear Kiwi Missionary —
Arohanui,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
Kel te pai! (Very good!)
#LearningMaori
#ExcitingThings
Yesterday and the day before, my answer to that first question was the following:
Kei te mawiwi ahau (I am not well.)
and
Kei te nge nge ahu (I am very tired.)
Sickness, man. It gets ya. I used to never get sick! But, alas—a different lifestyle, climate, and food (and parasites?)—all go hand in hand in changing things within the body I guess. But all is well now, and we'll get to that in a bit :)
PONDERISE:
"Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen." —2 Nephi 4:35
AND... a quote of the week that I got from our "specialised training" this week:
"Don't let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities." —President Thomas S. Monson ("Living the Abundant Life" Ensign Jan 2012)
It's been a good week :) Regardless of getting sick—because the fact that we have prayer and the Priesthood within this gospel makes all things better. I can't imagine life without it.
MONDAY. Dude. The insanity but funnest of P-DAYS!! Emails, Shopping, then: Zone P-Day. "The Amazing Race: Henderson!" Haha. We had a grand time. We were split up into teams, given clues, and then GO! We ran around the church grounds and around Henderson (in cars) doing different tasks and competing against one another. All the excitement! The Samoan Sisters (Liataua and Pita) set it all up, and it was truly brilliant. We had to do tasks (and document with photos along the way) such as basketball shot-making (I let the other sisters do this one. Ha), getting our car washed, getting a picture on a slide in a park, pictures hugging mannequins at the mall, going to the bowling alley and getting one of us to get a strike, going to the Falefatu's house and doing the "Weet-bix Challenge" [where you try to eat as many dry Weet-bix—a popular breakfast cereal made from shredded wheat—as you can in one minute, without spitting it out or drinking water), ...and other things that aren't coming to mind right now. Haha. Basically, it was a super crazy exciting day. And.... we even came in second :) EVEN WITH BEING GIVEN A "ROAD BLOCK" - aka: One of the other teams got to sabatoge us to slow us down. The extra challenge given? To go to Mackers (McDonalds), get LARGE frozen drinks (luckily a "large" here isn't as big as at home. It's maybe the equivilent of a medium, if not a small drink at home....) and drink them while sitting at McDonalds. Aka: very fast! #BrainFreeze But... like I said, we still came in second. And just BARELY. We saw the red team just getting out of their car as we drove into the chapel... so by the space of a few minutes we were beat. But - it was all fun and games and exciting! :)
Sister Hobbs and I ended the night trying to find a few potentials in the area around the Masiasomua's home (we originally had a plan to have a lesson with them... but, alas: They ended up all having to work and whatnot). And...apparently it truly wasn't the right night for us to meet them. 'Cause most people weren't home. OR in the case of the main referral we were looking to find: We couldn't remember where the street was. So we called the Elders to look at a map for us. And...well, the directions that both sets of Elders gave us were the exact same, and ....were both incorrect! So we ended up going in a really large circle. Ha. But - all is well. We tried. And then we moved forward. We tried to find someone at this point to help us in getting home, because it would have taken... probably an hour and a half to walk home from that side of our area. But: alas, once again, no one we called in our ward was answering. So... we started walking! At about... half to 9, we were still on Sturges Rd. ...when who drove up? Sister Masiasomua :) She was on her way home from work. And this was a miracle moment when we all knew the spirit definitely works within us and all around us. Because Sister Masiasomua was telling us that normally she would have just stayed at work to finish up the few things she had left to do, but this night, she thought, "Nah - I'll leave it for tomorrow." And came home. #Blessings #LittleMiracles 'Cause... Sister Hobbs and I were exhausted. She graciously drove us home and we were able to plan and get ready for the next day in a timely manner, rather than an hour later than we would have wanted!
So... BLESSINGS!!
Phew. (A man that definitely smokes just came and sat down by me. Fun times!) #InternetCafeLife
TUESDAY. We had District Meeting! Then lunch. And ..cancelled appointments. *Sad face*. We met with a less-active, and with Ivan. Ivan is just wonderful. We were supposed to have dinner wtih the Sekona's this night, but - Sister Sekona was taken by sickness... so they purchased food for us and dropped it off. #ButterChicken #Spoiled And... we had our final lesson AND the interviews for Eli and Hakeian's baptism :) Yes, they passed, and yes, we had a wonderful lesson. They're just ....so fun! :D
Also: BUGS. They need to stop biting me. I have over 13 bites just on my left arm right now, 7 of which surround my elbow. We think they're all coming from my bed suddenly... and it got worse AFTER we sprayed the bed down with Permetherine on Tuesday. So...that's fun. Apparently it just angered, rather than killed the bugs this time around. I'm confused as to what makes them suddenly appear. It's fine. I'm over it. I apparently just need to start lathering myself in oils before I get in bed, rather than in the day when it would make more sense to get bitten. :P #TheBuggyLife
WEDNESDAY ...Sickness. Truly. I never got this sick at home. Or at least not as often as I feel sick here. But - we stayed in the flat at the beginning of the day - but still made it out for the night, attempting to meet some referrals - with one success! She wasn't able to talk with us then, but we did make an appointment for this week. So... good things :) We also met another member who lives in our area, but attends... Sunnyvale! (I think) Ward. Anyhoo. The Singh family. Apparently the sister of the Singh girl we met works at the MTC! I... honestly don't remember her. Haha. She was never one of my direct teachers. But I'm sure I'll recognize her when I actually see her again. They're a wonderful family :)
THURSDAY started out differently than usually - with weekly planning, because Friday we knew we would be in a training meeting with president.... So - we planned, and we went out. This time with COURTNEY from Sunnyvale Ward. OH she's adorable. She met a potential with us - Yami. He's... definitely an interesting potential! He's muslim - but still open to learning new things. Ah. And he doesn't blink. Ever. That's what kind of weirded me out about the whole situation of talking with him. Ha. Literally doesn't blink when he's lookin at you. Eyes WIDE open. So - it'll be fun to see where that goes. He WANTED a Book of Mormon to read though, so we'll see!
We also visited Aroha and her family, and went to the Millers for dinner. I feel like she always feeds us some sort of American-ish meal. Ha. It makes me laugh. This time it was burgers. Really good burgers though! And chocolate mousse. #Mmm
We had her drop us to Sturgess Rd. so that our dear Danni Butler could pick us up at the edge of our area and it wouldn't be so far for her to drive :) It was a good time with the family. We went over the Restoration, and I think it was good. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. I wish I could do more for them. They're the best people and make our lives so happy.
FRIDAY. "Specialized Training" Day at Sunset Chapel! It was a good training, it really was. We got together with Waterview and Harbour Zones and were just given some council from President and Sister Balli, and the assistants. Our dear Elder Hunter and Sister Cluff from our Zone also gave a talk! So that was fun. Ah - and Elder Clark, Saulo, and Peihopa sang a BEAUTIFUL verson of How Great Thou Art together. So, yes. I got to see Elder Clark again - and it was wonderful. I also met another Elder - Elder Fermanis. Haaaaaa. #BiggestFlirt #ElderWeAreOnAMission We had gotten there early—before the chapel was even open, so we were out chatting for a bit, and this is when I met Elder Fermanis. After he found out where I was from (he's from NZ), this is how the conversation went:
Elder Fermanis: "Are there any beaches in Utah Sister Ottley?"
Me: "Yes! ...Well, I mean, there's Bear Lake."
Elder Fermanis: "Is it nice?"
Me: "Yes!"
Elder Fermanis: "So - is that us?"
Me: *Silence, but thinking, "Wha?" *
Elder Fermanis: "Ah - but wait. we coudlnt' be alone. Hey, Elder Shannon! You're from Utah, do you know Sister Ottley?
* Elder Shannon, who I was talking to before Elder Fermanis, comes back into the conversation *
Elder Shannon: Yeah!
Elder Fermanis: Is Bear Lake nice?
Elder Shannon: Yes!
Elder Fermanis: Is it clear?
Elder Shannon: Yes!
Elder Fermanis: Ah - so is that all of us? Going to Bear Lake?
*And this is where Elder Shannon just kind of left me hanging... there with Elder Fermanis. Ha.*
Elder Fermanis: "Ah - so when do you go home?"
Me: "December."
Elder Fermanis: "Ah... it's not meant to be."
Me: What?
Elder Fermanis: I'm coming to visit Utah - in October. And I LEAVE in December.
Me: *laughs* thinking - "Who does this Elder think he is?"
...And it continued through to the beginning of the meeting, with him trying to get me to come sit by him and whatnot. Haaaaaa. #ToughLuckElder #ProbablyThinksI'm19. It's truly classic to see Elder's faces when they find out i'm 24! Sadly, I didn't get to a point in the conversation that I could have told him that. Ah well.
Moral to the story: I'm on a mission. And I learned (more like, FULLY realised) in this moment that I do indeed have my head set IN THE MISSION - 'cause I had no idea what the flirting life was anymore. Lol. I did receive word from a Sister afterwards that he really is a good Elder and a great missionary - he just likes to "act" like that. Also - he's going home next transfer. Thus... there's gotta be some trunky-ness in there. Silly Elder. Oh. Wait. I have a maori word for that. Porangi Elder ;) (Silly, giddy, or "Blonde")
Ha. Life. Fun experiences meeting different kinds of missionaires. Ah - he's also Maori. I think Maori/Greek.
The Training Meeting was grand though. That's where my "THINK BIG" title and the quote at the beginning of my email came from.
"Don't let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities." —President Thomas S. Monson ("Living the Abundant Life" Ensign Jan 2012)
And... here's the thought that I got from this quote. It doesn't mean just not letting OTHERS convince you that you're limited in anything — but it's about not letting even YOURSELF convince you that you're not able to do anything. I thought of it this way because I've started realising that sometimes I think "this must be what this person is thinking about me right now, because that's how they're acting to me" ...if that makes sense. Sometimes I bring myself down by thinking about things I think others are thinking about me. And then I drive myself crazy, and it's never worth it.
So: YOU CAN DO IT! It's going to be a great year....or 11 months, almost now 10... of missionary work :) I can feel it!
Ah - and the Goal of Baptisms for the mission this year? Is 950. Last year we accomplished: 522. But... can we get 950? YES. Why? 'Cause it's just under 5 people per missionary. Psh..... TOTES possible! [Normally unlikely, but totally doable!] And, our Heavenly Father needs us to bring His children to Him. And I need my Kiwi, Maori, and Islander brothers and sisters in the Celestial kingdom, man. I love them all so much.
Continuing with the rest of Friday. We HAD an appointment set with a potential for after the training... but it fell through. 'Cause the training went a bit longer than we had intended, sadly enough. But... hopefully soon! We WILL get to meet Vale one day!
And this is the point in time when I ACTUALLY started feeling legitimately ill. As we were walking around, nope, BIKING around the area, and our appointment with Marion also fell through. So we stopped by the Leato's. They fed us, 'cause they love us, and I was grateful. However.... alas, it didn't help the sick feeling. It made it a lot worse. Probaby partially because it was Chinese takeaways (all of which here I'm beginning to gather are rather similar to "Panda Express" back home... the taste, at least, and... the fact that I can taste the MSG life.) Anyhoo. We made a last visit to Aroha Henare - whom I love, SO dearly, and then... we went home. Somewhat more slowly than I usually bike, but... my body was just done. Done done. I slept that night - but... definitely not well. I honestly felt like I was going to puke all night long, and literally prayed and talked to myself the entire night – that I wasn't going to throw up. (Yes, that's how much I hate it. Reasons I could never be bulimic!)
I didn't. But... I still felt absolutely disgusting and SO TIRED SATURDAY morning. But... we still got up and got ready and whatnot, 'cause, well, we had ELI AND HAKEIAN'S BAPTISM. #Win. :) So - like I said, I felt gross, and mostly pretty much everyone could tell. Luckily, they just kept asking if I was tired... rather than ill. So I guess that was good in a way! But - I honestly didn't know if I was going to make it - I knew I HAD to, 'cause - I wasn't missing the baptism! But... I was struggling. So, Sister Hobbs said a prayer for me that I would be able to make it through the next few hours. Anddd.... I did! :) Prayer is REAL, folks! Love it :) Ha.
So... Eli and Hakeian are adorable, and they're now baptised :) It was a fun baptism program with a lot of family surrounding and happiness. And... because I didn't know if I would be able to stand for longer than 5 minutes without wanting to pass out, our lovely Elder Hunter and Gulliver took over talking about the Restoration for us ('cause, that's what we do for baptisms while the baptised people are getting changed after the actual baptism).
Then - at the end of the baptism program, I had my head down on a bench, and the Sisters came over to figure out what was up - and then said, "We have 6 Elders here who could all give you a blessing." ... Yup. Done. Priesthood power is real. I think, along with SO many other things, I've learned this most on my mission. I received a blessing from Elder Hunter, annointed by Elder Saulo. And it was one of those miracle moments when I felt peace in a different way than I thought I would during the blessing. It was in the simplest of phrases. "Heavenly Father is proud of what you have done on your mission." ...It was one of those moments that I honestly hadn't fully realised it was an answer I was looking for - until I got the answer.
Heavenly Father looks out for us. He HEARS our prayers, and sometimes... He hears the things in our thoughts that we don't even realise we've been asking for!
The rest of SATURDAY was spent at the flat. 'Cause... like I said. Illness. I slept a lot, ate ...nothing, and just tried to not be exhausted. The Elders (Hunter and Gulliver again) loved us enough to bring over dinner - as Sister Hobbs had none, and... I was finally feeling up to some broth of sorts at least. What did they come over with? A pasta dish and soup for me—both homemade! #Spoiled and #Delicious I only had... like half a bowl... of the soup, but it was filled with veggies and happiness. Which made my stomach grateful for the lightness.
SUNDAY was better. Still stayed in during the morning time - as... my stomach still wasn't happy with the moving life, and I couldn't stand for long. I slept it off more and luckily was much better by the time church time came around. Eli and Hakeian were confirmed, and were given some pretty grand promises within their blessings. The Holy Ghost is cool, right? I just love it.
We went to the Joseph's for dinner - which was like a dinner from heaven. LIGHT, and like home. (Can you tell I'm getting sick of the heavy meal/meat life? ...I still like it, but... I think it's just become hard on my stomach.) Quiche, salad, and Maori bread. (Which I found out is made with a potato base, and a "fermintation" process, similar to Dad's yeast thing. So I'm excited to get that recipe :) Sister Jones (Sister Joseph's mum) has started teaching us Maori, and I"m defintiely excited for continuing lessons. :) She said she'll teach us a full prayer next time! Haha.
The rest of the night was spent trying to find some potentials again, and me struggling to push my tired body up hills. So, Sister Fischer lovingly picked us up, and dropped us at the flat so we could pick up my whiteboard and markers for the lesson we had planned for the Donnaldson's.
We love them, they make us happy. And we become better friends with them a little bit more aech time we visit. I just love all our ward.
I'm finally getting better. I actually got up and moved around like a normal person this morning - and... I'm insanely grateful. I hate being sick. It WILL be overcome though. We WILL find new people to begin fully teaching this week, and.... we WILL set someone new for baptism. Sister Hobbs and I have decided that for us, a goal of one baptism a month is definitely doable. And we're excited. We just have to work hard to find that golden one for next month ;)
Another quote I got this week that I really like:
"Sometimes FEAR SHOUTS SO LOUD in our ears, that it almost drowns out our FAITH. ... But God knows who we are. We cannot go anywhere that he cannot find us." —Emma Smith: My Story
IT'S TRUE! We have to let FAITH overcome the fear in life! :)
I hope you all have a most amazing week. I know that our Heavenly Father watches out for us in every move we make, and LOVES it when we talk to Him about anything and everything. Prayer is beautiful, our GOSPEL is beautiful, and Missionary Work is super exciting!
ALL THE LOVE, from your dear Kiwi Missionary —
Arohanui,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
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