FIRST: I got my HAIR CUT today. No, Rach, it's not as good as when you do it... people here also make you pay extra for a wash and dry. (Is that normal? Am I just spoiled?)
BUT, nonetheless, I am grateful. And the lady that cut my hair was really nice :) And had purple hair. So what's not to love? Haha. Sister Tcheou was getting her's cut, so I thought, "Well, Rach can always fix it when I get home if it goes badly. " Haha. But it didn't. It's pretty good :) And it's healthier now and I don't feel like I've been electrocuted anymore :) #Bonus
MONDAY. Allll the appointments CANCELLED for Monday night. (We originally had 2!) But, it was okay. 'Cause instead we got to see Brian and Jo :) And they will always and forever make me the happiest of happy.
So...bonus.
TUESDAY. The miracle! We had District Meeting. And then we went to visit Sister Maher to return a pot she had given us with some food a few days before. As we were talking with her, she was saying, "Sisters, hmm... I really wish I had someone for you to
teach!" (Golden words to a missionary's ears from a member) ...and then: "Ah! Wait! I do!" A lady named Robyn. She found Robyn when looking for a different house on the street, and instead knocked on Robyn's door! Haha. They became friends, and now WE'RE friends with Robyn as well. Love her to pieces. We're excited to continue getting to know her too. :)
WEDNESDAY. A GOOD DAY of tracting, and dinner with the Heaps', and RAIN. Lots of RAIN. (That was most of the week though, so ya know. #NZWinter Yes, transitioning out of winter ...ish.)
THURSDAY. Kaukapakapa! To visit the Heta's! Harper Heta is a MIRACLE CHILD! I hope to have one like her one day. She's an inspiration to all, and clearly loves learning and knowledge and all the things. She's 8 (well, now she is. It was her birthday when we went over!). But - due to an unfortunate accident while doing a backflip, Harper is now paralyzed from the hips down. Apparently it's not a permanent thing - but she's still got a bit of time ahead of her, and a lot of faith and blessings ahead. Anyhoo. Harper has been thinking about getting baptized, but still isnt' sure (her mum's a convert of about 4 years ago). SO - she has ALL THESE QUESTIONS. She literally wrote out her own "mind map" of "Things I wanna know about God" — so now we're on a journey to answer the questions for her, and teach her the rest of the lessons so she can continue learning while she's not super able to come to church. Their family is adorable, and we're so excited to be teaching them. (We're ALSO grateful that we have the amount of km's we do for the car...'cause Kaukapakapa is pretty far out from Torbay. Ha.)
SECOND MIRACLE of Thursday: James and Scho. Sister Lemalu and I had met James (a referral) quite a while back - but it's been hard to catch the family since. But Tuesday night we had caught Scho, and she said we could come back around Thursday night. Fun fact: they've HAD the discussions before, and Scho says they still actually read the Book of Mormon! So... Interesting things. We're excited to see how things continue, especially since she said she would love to have us come around - it's just a struggle with time (always). Everyone has crazy busy lives. But - MIRACLE. Love.
FRIDAY. Visited Jo, helped her in getting down and re-arranging some things in her garage, and found a lizard in her house. (Ha.) –Which I had to warn Sister Tcheou of before she saw it, as....she strongly dislikes them. :P
SATURDAY. Warkworth! And BUCKETS OF RAIN! Still good. People not super home, 'cause...well, school holidays have now started. But all is well. We did still have a miracle moment of a family that let us in as we doorknocked an area! Cass was the girl's name. She goes to a baptist church, and her mum is JW. But they let us in and we talked with Cass for a good while, sharing different beliefs and whatnot. She wasn't super interested in learning or "becoming mormon" (ha) but still said she'd have a read of a pamphlet. :) Love open minded people.
This night was also our Hibiscus Ward Talent Show (yes, both wards decided to make their activity this month a talent show. Haha). And it was grand :) Lots of talent here in North Shore!
SUNDAY. Was a CALMING day. Also a BUSY-AS day. Seriously. We ran alllll over the place. But it was good. Met some LA's we haven't been able to catch, and met the MUM of one of our referrals. (Still not the referral yet, but her mum said that she would be excited to see us when we do catch her.)
My quote at the beginning of this email also comes from Sunday. Our lesson in Relief Society (given by my dear Sister Amende) was on Elder Holland's "Tomorrow the Lord Will do Wonders among You" talk from last conference. FAVOURITE. Peace, calm, love. Why? 'Cause it definitely brought back the feelings that I felt and the memories of sitting next to Sister Anitema in Henderson as we watched that BRILLIANT talk. Relief.
It's funny how something as simple as a quote or a memory can bring back such feelings of peace. Heavenly Father just keeps bringing them back to me lately, and for that - I'm very grateful, and very aware of Him always watching over EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. Truth :)
Anyhoo. I'll stop with all the words. (Ha)
But I love you all, and I hope you're having a most beautiful beginning to fall, as I make my beginnings into spring here! Woop!
Alofa tele atu!
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
Showing posts with label storms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label storms. Show all posts
Friday, September 30, 2016
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
I Love Mission Life!
[Just before Sister Ottley wrote this email she received devastating news in another email about a dear friend of hers she went to high school with, that had, unfortunately, overdosed and passed away this week. So she was struggling to write.]
I'm struggling to find words today now.... so we'll see how this goes.
FIRST: I hope Neen, Hannah, and Josh had HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
SECOND: Mum. I found out Sister Lott is trying to SURPRISE her mum with getting home earlier than expected.... So if you somehow ever come in contact with her.... maybe don't tell her when we're coming home? Haha. (Obviously, I'm not one that can keep secrets like that from my mum. ;)
THIS WEEK has been filled with moments of happiness, meeting new people, and getting to be companions with my dear Sister Lott again – even if it was only for one day :)
MONDAY: A lesson with the Kumar's. They'll never cease to make me laugh. Explosions of JOY everywhere with that family! The Plan of Salvation was a fun one to teach with them, and we're excited to continue with the Gospel of Jesus Christ tonight.
TUESDAY: A beautiful afternoon with Jo – getting spoiled with food, and helping her out in washing windows around the house.
This week we'll be doing gardening :)
WEDNESDAY was one of those days where most of our plans definitely didn't actually go the way we had planned. However, they worked out just how they needed to! We were able to visit with our dear Maiema—who in turn asked me to say the opening prayer at her wedding that weekend! (Wha!?) Her fiance, Kometa, isn't a member, so we had a little service at our chapel this weekend. They're the cutest. And I'm so happy for them :)
The rest of the day folllowed with us dropping in to see Branden and his mum (yes, It's BrAndEn, not Brendon). So, we don't actually have 2 Brendon's like I said we did last week. Different spellings. Ha. His mum, Sandra—who originially we had planned to see earlier in the day—most likely when Branden wouldn't have been home, was also there due to a different appointment she'd had cancelling. So we were able to see the both of them! We chatted a bit, and then set an appointment for Friday, as Branden had to go to Cadet training.
And then began .... TRADE OFFS :)
My dear Sister Lott [MTC companion] came to Torbay, and we were able to spend a day together on THURSDAY! It's also fun being with someone who's served in your area before—getting new insights as to what they did before, who they met, and who you could possibly go back to. It was also PRICELESS to see the member's faces when I brought her in with me. Haha. "What are you doing back here!!??" Loved it :) Love my Lott. Miss her heaps :) Good thing we'll have an entire plane ride to fully catch up when we come back home together. Ha!
FRIDAY: A beautiful lesson with Branden. It's exciting teaching someone who's SO KEEN TO LEARN. And so willing as well. He's ready for anything that comes at him, and for that, I'm grateful :)
SATURDAY was full of lots of activities. First, the baptism of Maria Luiza Santana—a little 8-year-old girl in our ward. We were invited to help, and we brought Philip along :) Then, Maiema and Kometa's wedding, AND finally, the Torbay's "Got Talent" ward activity :) LOTS of things! But we LOVED all the things!
SUNDAY followed with our Fast Sunday due to the stake changing it because of our Father's Day last weekend. Ha. I bore my testimony. I cried, knowing that this ....could potentially be my last Fast Sunday in Torbay (as the next Fast Subday we'll be in Hibiscus, and then it's transfers....) And apparently that was shown in my testimony with people coming up after asking, "Wait - are you leaving!?" Hahahaha. Fail on subtle-ness on my part :P
I LOVE my mission life. It's still weird that I"ve been out this long. But I'm grateful. I LOVE LEARNING, and I LOVE the PEOPLE. I LOVE MY ever-growing FAMILY AROUND THE WORLD :)
Life is grand - LIVE it up my friends :) Because, it's the only one we've got!
Love you lots! Hope you have a brilliant week, and I"ll catch you next week! :)
Ofa lahi atu,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
I'm struggling to find words today now.... so we'll see how this goes.
FIRST: I hope Neen, Hannah, and Josh had HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
SECOND: Mum. I found out Sister Lott is trying to SURPRISE her mum with getting home earlier than expected.... So if you somehow ever come in contact with her.... maybe don't tell her when we're coming home? Haha. (Obviously, I'm not one that can keep secrets like that from my mum. ;)
THIS WEEK has been filled with moments of happiness, meeting new people, and getting to be companions with my dear Sister Lott again – even if it was only for one day :)
MONDAY: A lesson with the Kumar's. They'll never cease to make me laugh. Explosions of JOY everywhere with that family! The Plan of Salvation was a fun one to teach with them, and we're excited to continue with the Gospel of Jesus Christ tonight.
TUESDAY: A beautiful afternoon with Jo – getting spoiled with food, and helping her out in washing windows around the house.
This week we'll be doing gardening :)
WEDNESDAY was one of those days where most of our plans definitely didn't actually go the way we had planned. However, they worked out just how they needed to! We were able to visit with our dear Maiema—who in turn asked me to say the opening prayer at her wedding that weekend! (Wha!?) Her fiance, Kometa, isn't a member, so we had a little service at our chapel this weekend. They're the cutest. And I'm so happy for them :)
The rest of the day folllowed with us dropping in to see Branden and his mum (yes, It's BrAndEn, not Brendon). So, we don't actually have 2 Brendon's like I said we did last week. Different spellings. Ha. His mum, Sandra—who originially we had planned to see earlier in the day—most likely when Branden wouldn't have been home, was also there due to a different appointment she'd had cancelling. So we were able to see the both of them! We chatted a bit, and then set an appointment for Friday, as Branden had to go to Cadet training.
And then began .... TRADE OFFS :)
My dear Sister Lott [MTC companion] came to Torbay, and we were able to spend a day together on THURSDAY! It's also fun being with someone who's served in your area before—getting new insights as to what they did before, who they met, and who you could possibly go back to. It was also PRICELESS to see the member's faces when I brought her in with me. Haha. "What are you doing back here!!??" Loved it :) Love my Lott. Miss her heaps :) Good thing we'll have an entire plane ride to fully catch up when we come back home together. Ha!
FRIDAY: A beautiful lesson with Branden. It's exciting teaching someone who's SO KEEN TO LEARN. And so willing as well. He's ready for anything that comes at him, and for that, I'm grateful :)
SATURDAY was full of lots of activities. First, the baptism of Maria Luiza Santana—a little 8-year-old girl in our ward. We were invited to help, and we brought Philip along :) Then, Maiema and Kometa's wedding, AND finally, the Torbay's "Got Talent" ward activity :) LOTS of things! But we LOVED all the things!
SUNDAY followed with our Fast Sunday due to the stake changing it because of our Father's Day last weekend. Ha. I bore my testimony. I cried, knowing that this ....could potentially be my last Fast Sunday in Torbay (as the next Fast Subday we'll be in Hibiscus, and then it's transfers....) And apparently that was shown in my testimony with people coming up after asking, "Wait - are you leaving!?" Hahahaha. Fail on subtle-ness on my part :P
I LOVE my mission life. It's still weird that I"ve been out this long. But I'm grateful. I LOVE LEARNING, and I LOVE the PEOPLE. I LOVE MY ever-growing FAMILY AROUND THE WORLD :)
Life is grand - LIVE it up my friends :) Because, it's the only one we've got!
Love you lots! Hope you have a brilliant week, and I"ll catch you next week! :)
Ofa lahi atu,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Faith
FAITH is a funny concept. "Believing in things that we can't see," but which we KNOW to be true.
It's something I've never really struggled with in my life, 'cause...I'm just like that? Ha. I don't know. But it's interesting. I never knew that there would be MORE things in life that would help me build faith. Well - I guess I knew that, but... didn't expect it because faith has always come so easily to me.
Sorry, I'm rambling. My Point: It's been a FAITH BUILDING WEEK! And I'm okay. Ha. Living, breathing, still standing. It's just been a struggle week :P
Our week began with getting to know a few members—some that we had already met—getting to know them better, and others we met for the first time.
Then TUESDAY hit, and I was suddenly....just very sad. :( And I couldn't figure out why. We had district meeting and I made it through, but I knew that everyone knew something was wrong, by the amount of times people asked me, "Are you okay?" or "Are you sisters happy?" I felt bad. But I sucked it up. Then we went to visit Sister Rapata ahd help her sort through some old family documents for family history purposes, but it turned into more of a "Sister Ottley is stressing out and all I want to do is cry" session instead. So Sister Rapata just talked with us and helped me calm down. We ended up going to the Sunset Sister's flat after that, 'cause, well I didn't want to scare people away with all the tears, and we weren't far from their flat. We stayed there a bit, and the Zone Leaders, Elders Summers and Cowley, came to give me a blessing (talking all about having faith and that my Heavenly Father loves me). We stayed at the Sister's flat for a bit after that, and Sister Taylor brought over a jar of Nutella and a spoon for me to make things better (ha) —and then we had a BRILLIANT call from Gina (a recent convert) saying, "I'm home alone tonight! Come over!" Blessing of a girl!
...And I'm sadly going to cut you off there in the way of details, 'cause... today's been a crazy day with everything that we've needed to accomplish. Ha.
WEDNESDAY was trade-offs and I went to Panmure again, but this time with Sister Anderson :) Lovely times. And ...just a blessing to get away from my area so I could stop stressing for 24 hours. It's not the area really, it's just...my head. My perfectionist side struggling because I don't know how to please everyone and because we don't have anyone to teach and I MISS THAT SO MUCH. Basically... There was a lot of crying this week. Mum, remember the night before I left and I was all packed (thanks to the girls) and all that jazz - and I just started bawling for no apparent reason? Yup. Very similar.
So SUNDAY I was just....struggling. Because Saturday we had spent most of the day tracting and i learned that rich people just scare me. Ha. And that Orewa (Hibiscus area) is just...FULL of very rich people! (I'm convinced that this area is to help me get used to what's considered a "normal-size" house back home. Haha.) And It was just hard. Good, but hard. And Sunday I just wanted to cry all day, bascially. It's like I'm slowly coming to realize that it's just not possible to fully please everyone. And I know that it's part of the mission life and part of life in general - it's just....hard for me to accept. I even got to a point on Sunday when I texted Sister Taylor (in Sunset Ward) asking what it was like to have depression. 'Cause.... I just couldn't make myself stop crying. Ridiculous. I just felt silly. And then Elder Summers called and I cried more 'cause we weren't going to the "come and see" - ha. [You can't go without an investigator.] But then he made me laugh-cry - so, better? improvement? Ha. Anyhoo. We were able to go to dinner at the Maire's home Sunday night, and then over to Brother and Sister Niu to do a member lesson with them. And THAT was just a blessing from above, 'cause it....was needed. It was a HIGH that I needed! A teaching high. And I was HAPPY.
So.... happiness overcomes all things. It's true. This is just my time to learn about faith and how to balance woring with everyone and all the things :)
Life is good. Things move on :) We'll find someone to teach soon :) I know that even within these crazy rich-people places, there ARE SOFT HEARTS.
It has been a fun P-day today, a nice outlet and just... time to be with the Zone. We went lazer tagging :) So tell the peeps I'm sorry for not replying to emails. I've printed some that I didn't get to read for later. I've only glanced through your email mum, but basically you're always in tune with the things I need. Don't worry. I'm good. I have HEAPS of missionaries around me that are...very supportive of the Sad-Sister-Ottley whenever she shows up ;) Haha. And PRIESTHOOD BLESSINGS. They're just wonderful!!
Also, a talk EVERYONE should listen to that Sister Gila and I have been listening to today... It's by Brad Wilcox, and ...i'm not sure what it's called. But he talks about "hanging around with the Book of Mormon" and tis' hilarious!!
LOVES! I love you all, and I hope you have a most beautiful week :)
Ofa Atu,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
It's something I've never really struggled with in my life, 'cause...I'm just like that? Ha. I don't know. But it's interesting. I never knew that there would be MORE things in life that would help me build faith. Well - I guess I knew that, but... didn't expect it because faith has always come so easily to me.
Sorry, I'm rambling. My Point: It's been a FAITH BUILDING WEEK! And I'm okay. Ha. Living, breathing, still standing. It's just been a struggle week :P
Our week began with getting to know a few members—some that we had already met—getting to know them better, and others we met for the first time.
Then TUESDAY hit, and I was suddenly....just very sad. :( And I couldn't figure out why. We had district meeting and I made it through, but I knew that everyone knew something was wrong, by the amount of times people asked me, "Are you okay?" or "Are you sisters happy?" I felt bad. But I sucked it up. Then we went to visit Sister Rapata ahd help her sort through some old family documents for family history purposes, but it turned into more of a "Sister Ottley is stressing out and all I want to do is cry" session instead. So Sister Rapata just talked with us and helped me calm down. We ended up going to the Sunset Sister's flat after that, 'cause, well I didn't want to scare people away with all the tears, and we weren't far from their flat. We stayed there a bit, and the Zone Leaders, Elders Summers and Cowley, came to give me a blessing (talking all about having faith and that my Heavenly Father loves me). We stayed at the Sister's flat for a bit after that, and Sister Taylor brought over a jar of Nutella and a spoon for me to make things better (ha) —and then we had a BRILLIANT call from Gina (a recent convert) saying, "I'm home alone tonight! Come over!" Blessing of a girl!
...And I'm sadly going to cut you off there in the way of details, 'cause... today's been a crazy day with everything that we've needed to accomplish. Ha.
WEDNESDAY was trade-offs and I went to Panmure again, but this time with Sister Anderson :) Lovely times. And ...just a blessing to get away from my area so I could stop stressing for 24 hours. It's not the area really, it's just...my head. My perfectionist side struggling because I don't know how to please everyone and because we don't have anyone to teach and I MISS THAT SO MUCH. Basically... There was a lot of crying this week. Mum, remember the night before I left and I was all packed (thanks to the girls) and all that jazz - and I just started bawling for no apparent reason? Yup. Very similar.
So SUNDAY I was just....struggling. Because Saturday we had spent most of the day tracting and i learned that rich people just scare me. Ha. And that Orewa (Hibiscus area) is just...FULL of very rich people! (I'm convinced that this area is to help me get used to what's considered a "normal-size" house back home. Haha.) And It was just hard. Good, but hard. And Sunday I just wanted to cry all day, bascially. It's like I'm slowly coming to realize that it's just not possible to fully please everyone. And I know that it's part of the mission life and part of life in general - it's just....hard for me to accept. I even got to a point on Sunday when I texted Sister Taylor (in Sunset Ward) asking what it was like to have depression. 'Cause.... I just couldn't make myself stop crying. Ridiculous. I just felt silly. And then Elder Summers called and I cried more 'cause we weren't going to the "come and see" - ha. [You can't go without an investigator.] But then he made me laugh-cry - so, better? improvement? Ha. Anyhoo. We were able to go to dinner at the Maire's home Sunday night, and then over to Brother and Sister Niu to do a member lesson with them. And THAT was just a blessing from above, 'cause it....was needed. It was a HIGH that I needed! A teaching high. And I was HAPPY.
So.... happiness overcomes all things. It's true. This is just my time to learn about faith and how to balance woring with everyone and all the things :)
Life is good. Things move on :) We'll find someone to teach soon :) I know that even within these crazy rich-people places, there ARE SOFT HEARTS.
It has been a fun P-day today, a nice outlet and just... time to be with the Zone. We went lazer tagging :) So tell the peeps I'm sorry for not replying to emails. I've printed some that I didn't get to read for later. I've only glanced through your email mum, but basically you're always in tune with the things I need. Don't worry. I'm good. I have HEAPS of missionaries around me that are...very supportive of the Sad-Sister-Ottley whenever she shows up ;) Haha. And PRIESTHOOD BLESSINGS. They're just wonderful!!
Also, a talk EVERYONE should listen to that Sister Gila and I have been listening to today... It's by Brad Wilcox, and ...i'm not sure what it's called. But he talks about "hanging around with the Book of Mormon" and tis' hilarious!!
LOVES! I love you all, and I hope you have a most beautiful week :)
Ofa Atu,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
He Prepares a Way
It's been a good week :) Lots of things happening. And ....lots of words to explain it all! Haha.
THE WEEK BEGAN with the usual –MONDAY emails, printing photos, and shopping. However, we did get some news to "mix up" our week a bit! "Stern talkings" from President Balli. Not directly to us, but we got a text from our District Leader with the hashtag of #PresidentJustRebukedUsInDistri
Anyhoo. Monday night we had a visit with I. :) It had been a bit since we had seen him, so it was good. Really good, 'cause we had received a message from him the previous Saturday, basically saying he wouldn't be at church because of some disturbing things he'd found out about the church and he couldn't bring himself to come. — Aka, these are the moments where you just want to yell at Satan for pulling out stupid things to throw off the minds of the people you love so much! Anyhoo. We visited, and he shared with us what was going on. Apparently there was a man up north somewhere that was caught and is being put on trial for... attacking 13 young girls. :( But - the part about it that really threw Ivan through a loop (and is once again a good reminder that "satan can get into the mind of ANYONE") is that this man was associated with the Church – some sort of higher leader, like a bishop or something I believe. Either way, I just came to us saying, "How could this man go and do something like THAT, when he's a MEMBER OF THE CHURCH, and supposed to be leading these people around him and representing this gospel?"
Honestly, I don't remember much about what we said. But - I DO know that the ponderise scripture I had chosen last week was TRULY sent from Heavenly Father—along with the verse before—both which I'd actually chosen to write down as my personal ponderize scripture.
34 O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.
35 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 until 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 4:34-35
I shared that with I, and Sister Hobbs and I talked with him about how Satan can truly get to anyone, and that's why we have to continually be building ourselves up. I also shared with him that I know it can be hard to get through times like that when people know you're associated with the Church and so they judge you, based on the actions of other people (relating it to the Seminary principal at LP that was discovered to be having an affair with a student when I was in high school). So... it's interesting how puzzle pieces of life continually fit into place of "why I experienced that one event at that particular time" — so that it could come into play in my life NOW, and I'd be able to share it with someone else in need. – If that makes sense at all. I just LOVE that everything happens for a reason! Even if that thing doesn't really make sense until 5 or 6 years later! All the experiences and challenges we have help us so we can become stronger and help others along our way!
The other brilliant thing about this night with I? Our Sister Training Leaders had just returned from South Auckland, and brought with them a letter that Sister Gila had written to Ivan. Thank goodness we remembered and brought it to his house that night, because when we got back home Ivan texted saying that Sister Gila (she was one of the original Sisters that started teaching Ivan) had given him this KILLER quote....
"When Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future, because he has none!" —Author Unkniwn
So... The Holy Ghost works in miraculous ways. :) There's no way Sister Gila could have known what was going on in Ivan's life to know that he would have needed that letter from her and that little quote at that EXACT MOMENT. It's just brilliant! I love it :)
After Monday night with Ivan and the Spirit that testified to us all that we can overcome anger and be comforted by the Spirit, TUESDAY was filled with MIRACLES!! We stuck to our plans that we had made Monday night, as close as we could ('cause, sometimes it's difficult without a car), and even though most of the actual people we had down to visit weren't home, there were OTHER PEOPLE placed in our path around the areas we were sent to. Therefore, we not only met, but surpassed the goals we had set for ourselves that day! #Brilliant #FeltSoGood
Mainly, I think the "sweet-AS" part of the day began with the fact that we thought we had District Meeting, when in reality.... we apparently didn't. HaHa. So... therefore we had nothing planned for the morning! But –blessings come through the Spirit to those that want to teach! Sister Hobbs texted one of our potentials, Vale (Vah-lay), who we've been trying to meet with for a while now. And: Miracle – she was FREE! So, we rushed our little selves over to her house, met her and 2 of her children, and were able to teach the Restoration to her. She's super keen and open and it's just brilliant. I honestly think that if we hadn't THOUGHT there was District Meeting, that we wouldn't have ended up at her house! And: She's now officially a new investigator for us!! So... the Lord blesses us with new investigators when we're seeking! :)
The day continued with some tracting around different areas, and meeting Sue, Yaman, and Lina. :) (Who's name instead turns into "Linda" every. single. time. I write it down. Haha.) We met Sue in the afternoon, and she told us we could come back later, as she was busy making dinner for her husband. Yaman invited us in for a cool drink (it was a crazy hot day), and ALSO told us we could come back. And then Lina :) - was our last full visit of the night. We knocked on her door around...7:30ish? Originally looking for someone else – but she came to the door, invited us in, and gave us watermelon and a cool drink. We found out she goes to the AOG (Assembly of God) church, but... also seems rather open to other faiths. She said her dad (?) was Mormon when she lived back in Samoa, and, well... that just helped us in realising we could go back. I don't think either of us felt it was the right time to share a lesson or even bring out any pamphlets, but we did say a prayer, which touched her in some way that we're not certain. The Spirit was definitely present, and she gave us hugs with tears in her eyes as we left :)
So... a miracle day. The Lord places people in our paths that need uplifting with the Spirit, and... we're excited to return and see them all again. :)
WEDNESDAY: Service at the Frosts :) #NewTools
We've purchased our OWN gardening tools now, 'cause there's been a few people that have mentioned maybe letting us come help in their gardens! So... we decided it was a worthy investment – no longer having to rely on other people having tools for us to use :) The rest of the day resulted in biking a lot of places, and dropping by to visit Ester & Jader & their daughter... who's name I sadly can't remember right now. But they're the cute little Brasillian family in our ward. It was definitely a message sent from God to visit them, 'cause... they have now moved away :( Down to Gisbon. LUCKILY it wasn't until yesterday (Sunday) that they actually moved, so we got to see them a few days before their new adventure more "South" begins! Jader got a job down there, so... there they go :) But we got to have a last conversation, a little message, and a picture :) Good times! We're sad to be losing our way of learning some Portugese though!
The night then followed with going to Ward Council, and then some walking through neighborhoods to talk with people. The thing that kind of ...saddened me, and definitely Sister Hobbs was a little miscommunication that I think went on between us and Brother Tu'tai (the 2nd counselor in the bishopric). During Ward Council, the question was brought up: If we were bringing members with us to visit people like Ivan and the Burgess boys, now that they're baptized? Alas - we haven't been. So, we took that into our notes, and brother Manukia piped up saying he'd come to Ivan. Then - because we had also mentioned we used to bring the Elders along with us before his baptism, they questioned why we brought the Elders instead of someone from the ward. We explained (or tried) that it was because when we got here —being double shifted in—we were given a note from Sister Blanchard that the Sunnyvale Elders came to lessons with Ivan - so Elder Christiansen KNEW Ivan. We didn't yet know him. We also didn't know the Ward yet. So when we got here, we continued bringing the Elders so Ivan would feel comfortable with someone he knew while he got to know us. Makes sense, right? Yes. However, like I said, there must have been a miscommunication somewhere along the line, because Wednesday night we got a call from our dear Elder Saulo (Zone Leader) asking if there was a reason "why we were bringing the Elders to lessons instead of ward members." Again, we explained to him what it was like in the beginning before we knew people, and that it's different now. Then we asked where he got this information, and apparently Brother Tu'tai had CALLED our Zone Leaders. So... here's the thing that was confusing to me about this. Obviously not the fact that Brother Tu'tai was concerned about things in the ward and he wanted something to change ... But the fact that at the end of Ward Council he shook both mine and Sister Hobbs' hands and didn't mention anything to us!
So... we suddenly felt like we'd somehow lost Brother Tu'tai's trust. We don't know how, exactly, but he's been rather "off-ish" with us lately - "correcting" us for things we're not PERFECT at, but... also in not coming straight to us with his concerns.
Anyhoo. So... any ideas/suggestions on how we can better become friends with and build a better trust relationship with Brother Tu'tai again (even though we're not sure where we lost it?) would be greatly appreciated! :) Happily, his wife seems to be just fine with us! In fact, she talks to us more than she used to! So, I don't know where we lost trust with him.
And then - to top off Wednesday night, I learned a great lesson of patience and humbling myself to deal with .... disorganization. Haha. The STL's called, asking if we could go on Trade-offs!...... The next day. #LastMinute #WeHadPlans #IWasExcitedForThatNextDay #IWouldBeLeavingOurArea #IGotFrustrated
Honestly, this was sadly the first time I've lost my patience that fast. And I realised (again) how much I don't like change. But... prayer is beautiful, and Heavenly Father helped me calm down and to love the STL's, despite the last-minute-ness of EVERY TIME they want to do a tradeoff.
THURSDAY began with Zone Training! And it was good. We talked about lesson plans, study plans, and keeping to a study plan in order to accomplish reading and studying certain things throughout the mission. This... was very good for me. Ha. As I now have an idea of how long it's going to take me to read all the things I want to this year :)
After Zone Training, because the sisters were already driving us around and we were about to start our tradeoff anyway, we went out to lunch – they all went to KFC, but I said, "Nah" cause... I'm just done with eating out in general... but whatevs. So they told me about this place called "Tank" which was across the car park – aka: kind of like a super posh version of Zupas. Ha. It was really nice actually, and my stomach appreciated the cleanness of a salad again. :)
My Trade-off was with Sister Fornaro in their area (again). (Sister Fornaro is my "grandma" - aka: my trainer's trainer. So it was fun to actually spend some time with her.) Aaaaaand... I got to drive! 'Cause, see - there's something with Austrailian's and their drivers licenses — they "expire" after a year of being in NZ, and therefore, they can't drive anymore. Whereas - Americans, we're able to get a New Zealand license after so long of being here! Woot! Still don't really understand why, but, hey, I'm not complaining!
My day with Sister Fornaro was filled with learning about how to make TWE more effective, how to gain more confidence, and staying motivated - even when my companion isn't. So... it was a good day. Regardless of the mini "fit" I threw the night before (seriously though - I wasn't happy at the last-minute-ness. Ha.) It turned out to be a blessing of a day. And I honestly know that came through the power of the prayers I kept saying that I"d be able to calm down, humble myself, find my level of patience I KNOW I have, and learn the things I needed to learn. It worked! And it was grand! :)
Ah, and the fun TWE moment of the day? Meeting Craig, whose main question not only humored me, but took me by surprise: "If there's a God, why would He create Dinosaurs? When were they here? And why would He choose to create big monsters to roam the earth?" LOLsss... Things I've never thought about. Or- not in that way at least. #AlwaysJustThoughtTheyWereCool #DinoLove
FRIDAY morning was the usual. Planning for the week. Lunch. And then out! And we got to see SENTOSA again! (Bahai faith family.) And this time we got to meet her 18-year-old daughter, JASMINE. We found some similarities within our beliefs (like... everyting, really), which helped us to build a stronger relationship with them. And a funny thing, apparently last week Sentosa's girls saw us walking down the street and when they got home they said, "Mum! We saw your friends walking down the street today!" Haha. So we told them that next time they should yell out to us! Love them. So much. Ah, and a fun thing we learned... Jasmine IS SEARCHING. She's not yet actually "declared" herself as a Bahai yet. So... we taught them a bit more about the Book of Mormon, and gave Jasmine her own. And she started reading it - literally right in front of us!! Haha. #Excitement :)
We visited the Burgess/Fiatau. (Did I ever mention that we found out the boys last name isn't actually Burgess?) Ha. They're under their dad's last name - Fiatau. Confusing things. #PartnerLife We just love seeing them. They're so excited no matter what lesson we're teaching, and they're ....so keen to learn. They'll truly be a grand part of helping their family come back to Church :)
We also got to see Michelle & Chanel Harder, and met a man named MARCUS. A YOUNG father - who was straight up with us, saying he was going down the street to sit on the corner and try and make some money for his family for the weekend before he starts his new job...today! ( Monday). He shared with us how much he LOVES his family and how he's intending to raise his children in a good way, away from the crazy things in this world. Soo... we asked if they were people he would want to be with forever. He said, "yes." We gave him a pamphlet. And we will probably now be tracting the street he said he lives on... or just praying he actually calls us. Haha. Love this work :)
And - a little funny thing from the night to show the cuteness and goofy-ness of my very British companion. As we were walking home (we walk through a petrol station, instead of going around - 'cause, well, it's faster), the music from One Direction - "What Makes You Beautiful" - was playing above our heads, and in my head I thought, "Ah - I have a very happy companion right now" - and SURE ENOUGH. When I looked over at her, she was staring at me with this goofy-looking smile and wide eyes of excitement! Hahahahaha! #British #Obsessed #OneDirection Love it :)
Ah. And one more. HaHa moment. As we continued walking down the street, there were two guys across from us getting out of their car. We waved and said, "hello!" One guy popped his head out of the car and said, "Hey! Where are you girls off to tonight?" Then, as we answered, I heard his friend mumble, "Dude, they're Mormons," after which the guy takling to us said, "Oh, uh... well, we're just going here to drink some beers!" Haaaaaaaa.... #ChangeOfThought. But whatevs. It brought another laugh to the night for both of us.
#LongEmail #IWriteTooMuch #IDon'tKnowWhat'
SATURDAY started as a beautiful, sunny morning - so we biked out to Garelja. Our appointment unfortunately... got cancelled. Aka: She wasn't home. So, instead we dropped by Marion's. And we finally caught her at a good time to help her put together some shelves (I GOT TO USE TOOLS AGAIN!). HAPPINESS. And we started helping her clean her house... Welp. That was a feat. Ha. 'Cause... Who's a hoarder? Ohhhh yup. Marion's a hoarder. Didn't know that until we saw ALL of her house (well... most of it). And it's really not even that big of a house. But... she's got a LOT of stuff. So we're going back this week to help out again... and hopefully bring a member to help us make her focus on things while we just attack the house. #CleaningProjectCommence #LizWouldDie ...Also this was the moment I became insanely grateful for all those times when I was little and Liz would help me clean out my room saying, "Do you need this? Okay. Where are you going to put it? You don't have a spot? You can't keep it." Hahaha
Since that took... significantly longer than we had expected, we decided to grab a quick lunch from the Gull petrol station, so that we wouldn't be late for our appointment with Anthony & Kids. Aka: Less-active family - though, we're no longer sure which ones living there are actualy the less actives. We had a fun little lesson with the kids though - while the adults were there, but clearly not interested in joining us. Whatevs. Anthony and Christina enjoy our little gospel games :) And Anthony's cute little "I'll come to church next week, I promise!"
As we left their house it started sprinkling... just a little. But... as we rode (yes, we were indeed still biking) from Imperial Place, to an entirely diferent part of our area - Tirimoana - it definitely decided to RAIN. ALL OF THE RAIN! SOAKED. But... only half of us. 'Cause our backs were covered by our bags, and because we were sitting - our butts didn't get any of the water either! But the front half of us was definitlely more than wet. Haha. By the time we got to our dinner appointment at Sister Jones' we were laughing hysterically at how wet we were, and stood outside for a bit to drip and wring out our skirts. We had a lovely time with Sister Jones, and were also grateful to not be in the buckets of rain pouring outside. Although, as we went to leave her house, the rain picked back up again. Ha. She offered to drive us somewhere, but we decided to just bring our bikes home, dry ourselves off a bit more, and make sure our bikes wouldn't rust and whatnot. #SuperSoaked
And that was the majority of our night. We ended up making phone calls for people who needed rides to church and things - which was good. 'Cause it got both Ivan and Marion to church on Sunday :)
Sunday wasn't a "normal" church day for us — we instead had an Area Conference :) – At least, that's what I'm calling it. Ha. But it was like a little piece of home, because it was a broadcast from Salt Lake! Elder Pearson (South Pacific Area President) spoke to us, as well as Elder Craig Christensen, Tad R. Callister, Cheryl A Esplin, and Elder Quentin L. Cook :) — WE thought it was goign to be Elder Christofferson from certain things he said to us when he came to our mission conference, but... alas. All goods though. It was a lovely meeting - basically talking about going back to the basics and fundamentals of the Gospel. Church, Pray, Read, and allowing the Spirit to work in your life. It was grand. :) And also fun to spend a little time with the Masiasomua's again (they picked us up for the meeting, and we sat with them). We had a lesson with the Donaldson's again this night - and they're just lovely. We're sad that our lessons with them are coming to a close though. So... hopefully we'll find another time we can still visit them on a regular basis.
Summary: This week we worked hard, accomplished and surpassed goals, and got closer to achieving others than we have in the past. Miracles were seen, lovely people were met. And, we have new people to teach :) Love it all. Also - I've been out 8 months. Is that just really weird for anyone else? Haha.
I hope you all have a most brilliant week. Remember to say your prayers and read from the scriptures every day—because I know that as you do, and as you ask for help in specific things in your day Heavenly Father blesses you with that help. And it's truly divine! :)
Much love and happiness and joy! :) I love you all HEAPS!!
Arohanui,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
"Never give up on anyone. And that includes not giving up on yourself." —President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
THE WEEK BEGAN with the usual –MONDAY emails, printing photos, and shopping. However, we did get some news to "mix up" our week a bit! "Stern talkings" from President Balli. Not directly to us, but we got a text from our District Leader with the hashtag of #PresidentJustRebukedUsInDistri
Anyhoo. Monday night we had a visit with I. :) It had been a bit since we had seen him, so it was good. Really good, 'cause we had received a message from him the previous Saturday, basically saying he wouldn't be at church because of some disturbing things he'd found out about the church and he couldn't bring himself to come. — Aka, these are the moments where you just want to yell at Satan for pulling out stupid things to throw off the minds of the people you love so much! Anyhoo. We visited, and he shared with us what was going on. Apparently there was a man up north somewhere that was caught and is being put on trial for... attacking 13 young girls. :( But - the part about it that really threw Ivan through a loop (and is once again a good reminder that "satan can get into the mind of ANYONE") is that this man was associated with the Church – some sort of higher leader, like a bishop or something I believe. Either way, I just came to us saying, "How could this man go and do something like THAT, when he's a MEMBER OF THE CHURCH, and supposed to be leading these people around him and representing this gospel?"
Honestly, I don't remember much about what we said. But - I DO know that the ponderise scripture I had chosen last week was TRULY sent from Heavenly Father—along with the verse before—both which I'd actually chosen to write down as my personal ponderize scripture.
34 O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.
35 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 until 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 4:34-35
I shared that with I, and Sister Hobbs and I talked with him about how Satan can truly get to anyone, and that's why we have to continually be building ourselves up. I also shared with him that I know it can be hard to get through times like that when people know you're associated with the Church and so they judge you, based on the actions of other people (relating it to the Seminary principal at LP that was discovered to be having an affair with a student when I was in high school). So... it's interesting how puzzle pieces of life continually fit into place of "why I experienced that one event at that particular time" — so that it could come into play in my life NOW, and I'd be able to share it with someone else in need. – If that makes sense at all. I just LOVE that everything happens for a reason! Even if that thing doesn't really make sense until 5 or 6 years later! All the experiences and challenges we have help us so we can become stronger and help others along our way!
The other brilliant thing about this night with I? Our Sister Training Leaders had just returned from South Auckland, and brought with them a letter that Sister Gila had written to Ivan. Thank goodness we remembered and brought it to his house that night, because when we got back home Ivan texted saying that Sister Gila (she was one of the original Sisters that started teaching Ivan) had given him this KILLER quote....
"When Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future, because he has none!" —Author Unkniwn
So... The Holy Ghost works in miraculous ways. :) There's no way Sister Gila could have known what was going on in Ivan's life to know that he would have needed that letter from her and that little quote at that EXACT MOMENT. It's just brilliant! I love it :)
After Monday night with Ivan and the Spirit that testified to us all that we can overcome anger and be comforted by the Spirit, TUESDAY was filled with MIRACLES!! We stuck to our plans that we had made Monday night, as close as we could ('cause, sometimes it's difficult without a car), and even though most of the actual people we had down to visit weren't home, there were OTHER PEOPLE placed in our path around the areas we were sent to. Therefore, we not only met, but surpassed the goals we had set for ourselves that day! #Brilliant #FeltSoGood
Mainly, I think the "sweet-AS" part of the day began with the fact that we thought we had District Meeting, when in reality.... we apparently didn't. HaHa. So... therefore we had nothing planned for the morning! But –blessings come through the Spirit to those that want to teach! Sister Hobbs texted one of our potentials, Vale (Vah-lay), who we've been trying to meet with for a while now. And: Miracle – she was FREE! So, we rushed our little selves over to her house, met her and 2 of her children, and were able to teach the Restoration to her. She's super keen and open and it's just brilliant. I honestly think that if we hadn't THOUGHT there was District Meeting, that we wouldn't have ended up at her house! And: She's now officially a new investigator for us!! So... the Lord blesses us with new investigators when we're seeking! :)
The day continued with some tracting around different areas, and meeting Sue, Yaman, and Lina. :) (Who's name instead turns into "Linda" every. single. time. I write it down. Haha.) We met Sue in the afternoon, and she told us we could come back later, as she was busy making dinner for her husband. Yaman invited us in for a cool drink (it was a crazy hot day), and ALSO told us we could come back. And then Lina :) - was our last full visit of the night. We knocked on her door around...7:30ish? Originally looking for someone else – but she came to the door, invited us in, and gave us watermelon and a cool drink. We found out she goes to the AOG (Assembly of God) church, but... also seems rather open to other faiths. She said her dad (?) was Mormon when she lived back in Samoa, and, well... that just helped us in realising we could go back. I don't think either of us felt it was the right time to share a lesson or even bring out any pamphlets, but we did say a prayer, which touched her in some way that we're not certain. The Spirit was definitely present, and she gave us hugs with tears in her eyes as we left :)
So... a miracle day. The Lord places people in our paths that need uplifting with the Spirit, and... we're excited to return and see them all again. :)
WEDNESDAY: Service at the Frosts :) #NewTools
We've purchased our OWN gardening tools now, 'cause there's been a few people that have mentioned maybe letting us come help in their gardens! So... we decided it was a worthy investment – no longer having to rely on other people having tools for us to use :) The rest of the day resulted in biking a lot of places, and dropping by to visit Ester & Jader & their daughter... who's name I sadly can't remember right now. But they're the cute little Brasillian family in our ward. It was definitely a message sent from God to visit them, 'cause... they have now moved away :( Down to Gisbon. LUCKILY it wasn't until yesterday (Sunday) that they actually moved, so we got to see them a few days before their new adventure more "South" begins! Jader got a job down there, so... there they go :) But we got to have a last conversation, a little message, and a picture :) Good times! We're sad to be losing our way of learning some Portugese though!
The night then followed with going to Ward Council, and then some walking through neighborhoods to talk with people. The thing that kind of ...saddened me, and definitely Sister Hobbs was a little miscommunication that I think went on between us and Brother Tu'tai (the 2nd counselor in the bishopric). During Ward Council, the question was brought up: If we were bringing members with us to visit people like Ivan and the Burgess boys, now that they're baptized? Alas - we haven't been. So, we took that into our notes, and brother Manukia piped up saying he'd come to Ivan. Then - because we had also mentioned we used to bring the Elders along with us before his baptism, they questioned why we brought the Elders instead of someone from the ward. We explained (or tried) that it was because when we got here —being double shifted in—we were given a note from Sister Blanchard that the Sunnyvale Elders came to lessons with Ivan - so Elder Christiansen KNEW Ivan. We didn't yet know him. We also didn't know the Ward yet. So when we got here, we continued bringing the Elders so Ivan would feel comfortable with someone he knew while he got to know us. Makes sense, right? Yes. However, like I said, there must have been a miscommunication somewhere along the line, because Wednesday night we got a call from our dear Elder Saulo (Zone Leader) asking if there was a reason "why we were bringing the Elders to lessons instead of ward members." Again, we explained to him what it was like in the beginning before we knew people, and that it's different now. Then we asked where he got this information, and apparently Brother Tu'tai had CALLED our Zone Leaders. So... here's the thing that was confusing to me about this. Obviously not the fact that Brother Tu'tai was concerned about things in the ward and he wanted something to change ... But the fact that at the end of Ward Council he shook both mine and Sister Hobbs' hands and didn't mention anything to us!
So... we suddenly felt like we'd somehow lost Brother Tu'tai's trust. We don't know how, exactly, but he's been rather "off-ish" with us lately - "correcting" us for things we're not PERFECT at, but... also in not coming straight to us with his concerns.
Anyhoo. So... any ideas/suggestions on how we can better become friends with and build a better trust relationship with Brother Tu'tai again (even though we're not sure where we lost it?) would be greatly appreciated! :) Happily, his wife seems to be just fine with us! In fact, she talks to us more than she used to! So, I don't know where we lost trust with him.
And then - to top off Wednesday night, I learned a great lesson of patience and humbling myself to deal with .... disorganization. Haha. The STL's called, asking if we could go on Trade-offs!...... The next day. #LastMinute #WeHadPlans #IWasExcitedForThatNextDay #IWouldBeLeavingOurArea #IGotFrustrated
Honestly, this was sadly the first time I've lost my patience that fast. And I realised (again) how much I don't like change. But... prayer is beautiful, and Heavenly Father helped me calm down and to love the STL's, despite the last-minute-ness of EVERY TIME they want to do a tradeoff.
THURSDAY began with Zone Training! And it was good. We talked about lesson plans, study plans, and keeping to a study plan in order to accomplish reading and studying certain things throughout the mission. This... was very good for me. Ha. As I now have an idea of how long it's going to take me to read all the things I want to this year :)
After Zone Training, because the sisters were already driving us around and we were about to start our tradeoff anyway, we went out to lunch – they all went to KFC, but I said, "Nah" cause... I'm just done with eating out in general... but whatevs. So they told me about this place called "Tank" which was across the car park – aka: kind of like a super posh version of Zupas. Ha. It was really nice actually, and my stomach appreciated the cleanness of a salad again. :)
My Trade-off was with Sister Fornaro in their area (again). (Sister Fornaro is my "grandma" - aka: my trainer's trainer. So it was fun to actually spend some time with her.) Aaaaaand... I got to drive! 'Cause, see - there's something with Austrailian's and their drivers licenses — they "expire" after a year of being in NZ, and therefore, they can't drive anymore. Whereas - Americans, we're able to get a New Zealand license after so long of being here! Woot! Still don't really understand why, but, hey, I'm not complaining!
My day with Sister Fornaro was filled with learning about how to make TWE more effective, how to gain more confidence, and staying motivated - even when my companion isn't. So... it was a good day. Regardless of the mini "fit" I threw the night before (seriously though - I wasn't happy at the last-minute-ness. Ha.) It turned out to be a blessing of a day. And I honestly know that came through the power of the prayers I kept saying that I"d be able to calm down, humble myself, find my level of patience I KNOW I have, and learn the things I needed to learn. It worked! And it was grand! :)
Ah, and the fun TWE moment of the day? Meeting Craig, whose main question not only humored me, but took me by surprise: "If there's a God, why would He create Dinosaurs? When were they here? And why would He choose to create big monsters to roam the earth?" LOLsss... Things I've never thought about. Or- not in that way at least. #AlwaysJustThoughtTheyWereCool #DinoLove
FRIDAY morning was the usual. Planning for the week. Lunch. And then out! And we got to see SENTOSA again! (Bahai faith family.) And this time we got to meet her 18-year-old daughter, JASMINE. We found some similarities within our beliefs (like... everyting, really), which helped us to build a stronger relationship with them. And a funny thing, apparently last week Sentosa's girls saw us walking down the street and when they got home they said, "Mum! We saw your friends walking down the street today!" Haha. So we told them that next time they should yell out to us! Love them. So much. Ah, and a fun thing we learned... Jasmine IS SEARCHING. She's not yet actually "declared" herself as a Bahai yet. So... we taught them a bit more about the Book of Mormon, and gave Jasmine her own. And she started reading it - literally right in front of us!! Haha. #Excitement :)
We visited the Burgess/Fiatau. (Did I ever mention that we found out the boys last name isn't actually Burgess?) Ha. They're under their dad's last name - Fiatau. Confusing things. #PartnerLife We just love seeing them. They're so excited no matter what lesson we're teaching, and they're ....so keen to learn. They'll truly be a grand part of helping their family come back to Church :)
We also got to see Michelle & Chanel Harder, and met a man named MARCUS. A YOUNG father - who was straight up with us, saying he was going down the street to sit on the corner and try and make some money for his family for the weekend before he starts his new job...today! ( Monday). He shared with us how much he LOVES his family and how he's intending to raise his children in a good way, away from the crazy things in this world. Soo... we asked if they were people he would want to be with forever. He said, "yes." We gave him a pamphlet. And we will probably now be tracting the street he said he lives on... or just praying he actually calls us. Haha. Love this work :)
And - a little funny thing from the night to show the cuteness and goofy-ness of my very British companion. As we were walking home (we walk through a petrol station, instead of going around - 'cause, well, it's faster), the music from One Direction - "What Makes You Beautiful" - was playing above our heads, and in my head I thought, "Ah - I have a very happy companion right now" - and SURE ENOUGH. When I looked over at her, she was staring at me with this goofy-looking smile and wide eyes of excitement! Hahahahaha! #British #Obsessed #OneDirection Love it :)
Ah. And one more. HaHa moment. As we continued walking down the street, there were two guys across from us getting out of their car. We waved and said, "hello!" One guy popped his head out of the car and said, "Hey! Where are you girls off to tonight?" Then, as we answered, I heard his friend mumble, "Dude, they're Mormons," after which the guy takling to us said, "Oh, uh... well, we're just going here to drink some beers!" Haaaaaaaa.... #ChangeOfThought. But whatevs. It brought another laugh to the night for both of us.
#LongEmail #IWriteTooMuch #IDon'tKnowWhat'
SATURDAY started as a beautiful, sunny morning - so we biked out to Garelja. Our appointment unfortunately... got cancelled. Aka: She wasn't home. So, instead we dropped by Marion's. And we finally caught her at a good time to help her put together some shelves (I GOT TO USE TOOLS AGAIN!). HAPPINESS. And we started helping her clean her house... Welp. That was a feat. Ha. 'Cause... Who's a hoarder? Ohhhh yup. Marion's a hoarder. Didn't know that until we saw ALL of her house (well... most of it). And it's really not even that big of a house. But... she's got a LOT of stuff. So we're going back this week to help out again... and hopefully bring a member to help us make her focus on things while we just attack the house. #CleaningProjectCommence #LizWouldDie ...Also this was the moment I became insanely grateful for all those times when I was little and Liz would help me clean out my room saying, "Do you need this? Okay. Where are you going to put it? You don't have a spot? You can't keep it." Hahaha
Since that took... significantly longer than we had expected, we decided to grab a quick lunch from the Gull petrol station, so that we wouldn't be late for our appointment with Anthony & Kids. Aka: Less-active family - though, we're no longer sure which ones living there are actualy the less actives. We had a fun little lesson with the kids though - while the adults were there, but clearly not interested in joining us. Whatevs. Anthony and Christina enjoy our little gospel games :) And Anthony's cute little "I'll come to church next week, I promise!"
As we left their house it started sprinkling... just a little. But... as we rode (yes, we were indeed still biking) from Imperial Place, to an entirely diferent part of our area - Tirimoana - it definitely decided to RAIN. ALL OF THE RAIN! SOAKED. But... only half of us. 'Cause our backs were covered by our bags, and because we were sitting - our butts didn't get any of the water either! But the front half of us was definitlely more than wet. Haha. By the time we got to our dinner appointment at Sister Jones' we were laughing hysterically at how wet we were, and stood outside for a bit to drip and wring out our skirts. We had a lovely time with Sister Jones, and were also grateful to not be in the buckets of rain pouring outside. Although, as we went to leave her house, the rain picked back up again. Ha. She offered to drive us somewhere, but we decided to just bring our bikes home, dry ourselves off a bit more, and make sure our bikes wouldn't rust and whatnot. #SuperSoaked
And that was the majority of our night. We ended up making phone calls for people who needed rides to church and things - which was good. 'Cause it got both Ivan and Marion to church on Sunday :)
Sunday wasn't a "normal" church day for us — we instead had an Area Conference :) – At least, that's what I'm calling it. Ha. But it was like a little piece of home, because it was a broadcast from Salt Lake! Elder Pearson (South Pacific Area President) spoke to us, as well as Elder Craig Christensen, Tad R. Callister, Cheryl A Esplin, and Elder Quentin L. Cook :) — WE thought it was goign to be Elder Christofferson from certain things he said to us when he came to our mission conference, but... alas. All goods though. It was a lovely meeting - basically talking about going back to the basics and fundamentals of the Gospel. Church, Pray, Read, and allowing the Spirit to work in your life. It was grand. :) And also fun to spend a little time with the Masiasomua's again (they picked us up for the meeting, and we sat with them). We had a lesson with the Donaldson's again this night - and they're just lovely. We're sad that our lessons with them are coming to a close though. So... hopefully we'll find another time we can still visit them on a regular basis.
Summary: This week we worked hard, accomplished and surpassed goals, and got closer to achieving others than we have in the past. Miracles were seen, lovely people were met. And, we have new people to teach :) Love it all. Also - I've been out 8 months. Is that just really weird for anyone else? Haha.
I hope you all have a most brilliant week. Remember to say your prayers and read from the scriptures every day—because I know that as you do, and as you ask for help in specific things in your day Heavenly Father blesses you with that help. And it's truly divine! :)
Much love and happiness and joy! :) I love you all HEAPS!!
Arohanui,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
"Never give up on anyone. And that includes not giving up on yourself." —President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Thursday, January 21, 2016
TALOFA, MY DEAR WHANAU!
The beginnings of learning Samoan! Talofa means "Hello" in Samoan, btw! Ha. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully a little Tongan will get in there as well!
But, back to the Maori life: Sister Joseph's mum speaks Maroi FLUENTLY. So....She said she could teach us :) And also that she would translate a testimony for us! BRILLIANT.
THIS WEEK has definitely had it's ups and downs...and really just moments of not moving at all!! But, all is well :) We move forward and hope for better things to come!
MONDAY was filled with the usual. Email, Shopping, ah - and GIANT spiders while cleaning. #ReallyThough. The daddy-long-legs here are HUGE. And they show up magically in corners without you ever noticing them anywhere else! It's crazy. AH! And I got my first LAVA LAVA! Aka: A wrap-around-skirt/piece of fabric thing that islanders wear around home. And it's great. I also found fabric for the day I find someone to make me a Puletasi!!!! It's red, black and white. (Surprise! I'm still the same person.)
That Monday night we met up at Ivan's with the Elders, as he wanted to have dinner with us as a "thank you" for all we've done.... ha. Silly Ivan, it's not us – it's you and the Lord ;) But it was fun to hang with him and share a message with him AS A MEMBER. Excitement :D
TUESDAY we had district meeting, during which we found out a new policy (which we think may be world-wide, since hearing from different missions having the same rule now) about Transfer Meetings. They're not happening anymore. :( We understand why, and I know it really will be better in the long run – but it's just a little sad. Clarification: On transfer days, we used to get together and have a little meeting/council from President and Sister Balli, and testimonies from other missionaries. But now, there will just be time enough to transfer your stuff to a different car and then off to the area! It'll be good. I just enjoyed the council from other people part!
Anyhoo. It rained, and the elders (Le and Christiansen) came over to FIX my bike! Yay! – Something was loose, making the gears STRUGGLE in the life of changing. And then we got out and walked to Starforth. (Wanna stalk how far that is Pop?) ...It was very wet. We generally don't bike in the rain – cause, well, it could be dangerous... But yes. very wet. And cold. But all is well. Then the Butlers came and picked us up for a visit, and then dropped us off to visit the Donnaldsons, who had told us to come by at church on Sunday. The Donnaldsons are adorable. We had dropped by earlier in the transfer to meet them, but they were busy with family being over, so we didn't get to say much. We didn't think much of it and just said we would come back later! But... alas, we never actually went back, not because we didn't want to, but because we just got busy getting to know others! So.... we think they felt bad and wanted to let us know that they wanted us to come over! Ha. We felt bad on our part too for making them feel that way though! Anyhoo. They spoiled us. Sister Donnaldson came out with a bag of presents saying, "We wanted to have you over to open these for Christmas, but our crazy lives took over!" Haha. So... she gave us presents. And it was the most wonderful of miracles for that day. Why? She gave us PAMPERING things.. I.e: Pedicure things – which was a blessing because of how much our feet HURT after being soaked with rain allllllll day long. She's a gem :)
WEDNESDAY was back to a bit of GARDENING at the Frost's :) Their garden/yard is coming along nicely. (I knew you'd laugh at me and gardening at some point mum! Haha.) But yes – even though I'm still definitely my jumpy, I-hate-bugs self, I do indeed LOVE getting my hands in the dirt and clearing out weeds! Even though it's difficult here sometimes, because weeds are just as cute as plants! (I.e. Little daisies are weeds here!) I must say though, we also love getting to know them and little Avery a little bit more each time we visit, so it's exciting :)
We got out that afternoon, with intentions of visiting many many people on our potentials list — and ended up meeting maybe... 3? Haha. But it was still nice. BECAUSE we met a man named Colin. He's an older man, loves model airplanes and seems to be a bit bored. Haha. He has kids, but the wife is no longer in the picture — he didn't really talk about her much, so we're not sure what happened there. I'm also honestly not entirely positive just how interested he is in the church, but he invited us to sit on his deck, have a drink, and talk for a bit. We discussed many different things about different religions, and how his daughter has been a missionary of sorts for her church. He even expressed being happy with his life – but searching, in a way. So.... we'll see how things continue with him :) We gave him a pamphlet. So... we'll see :) I have hopes!
After that, we had a lesson with Ivan and the Elders, where we had the Elders talk about the priesthood – in prep for Ivan getting the priesthood! One thing that TRULY touched me, was as Elder Christiansen talked about the Melchezidek Priesthood he talked about how he was "challenged" in a way to have the first blessing he gave be to his mum. Cutest? YES. Why else cute? 'Cause he got a little choked up. I also did. 'Cause... the Priesthood is just amazing. We're SO SPOILED to have it in our lives. And I think sometimes... I know I've definitely taken that power for granted. But... it was just a great moment. This is the other thing that's fun for me – watching the Elders who ARE so much younger than me (well – not SO much, but – ya know...5-6 years. ...weird), who have this true and wonderful understanding of the power they can hold if they're worthy of it. And he GOT that it was dependent upon the Spirit and his faith to speak through the Spirit in giving blessings. So- I loved just realizing that and seeing how it's changed Elder Christiansen's life in that way.
Then, Ward Council :) Love my ward. They're just lovely. Our first Ward Council here in Henderson Valley, and there was talk of hopefully us having a new WML soon? We'll find out! :)
THURSDAY – a bit more gardening! This time though, it was at our own flat. Sister Hobbs wasn't feeling well, so we stayed in. But we also went and sat in our yard for a bit of fresh air - and pulled a few weeds in our adorable little garden while we were at it! Have I mentioned that we have an adorable little backyard? 'Cause... we do :) (I'll take pictures.) And....hopefully one day you'll see before I'm transferred away from Henderson. Hahaha. #Paranoid ... and also because I forgot my SD card converter again in order to actually put pictures up on the computer :P Sorry Whanau!
Thursday night we did manage to make it out to visit the family who had put us down for dinner though — the Millers. And it was grand. Why? Well, one – just because they're wonderful people. But two – because I found yet another mutual-lover of all things herbal and natural! Shardeen Miller (its a daughter and her father that are in the home) had invited her friend over for dinner as well, and she started sharing different herbal things she'd found to help her dad – and then I got involved too, as they realized I knew about the super power Vitamin C packets and all the things they were talking about as well. Hahaha...I was laughing hysterically at myself inside. But, mum, you'd be proud — I taught them about Essential Oils. And Colloidal Silver. Hahaha. Silver was something Shardeen I think had just started researching – so she asked if I knew what it was, and what I used it for. The thing I suddenly realized was, "What DON'T we use it for?" Ha. #Truth? #IThinkSo. So... it was exciting. Also because more natural/herbal things is what Sister Hobbs really wants to get into as well. So – when we got home that night, she made me pull out all the vitamins and oils and things I had so she could take more of a look. I laughed, and did, and told her the few things I could. And this also helped me to realize the things I've been neglecting, and I've now repented and started taking things that help me again. (Ha)
FRIDAY we had weekly planning. Which I was grateful for ... as then, it was me that really didn't feel well. It was good having the morning to calm my body down before we walked to Edmonton to visit Rosanna (a less active) and her boys. Funny story with that? Rosanna's a character. She seems to really enjoy talking with us, and last time we visited she told us how she wanted us to come by and keep teaching her boys lessons. She also claims that she goes to Lincoln Ward, because "it's closer" than Henderson Valley. –However, we really think she just doesn't go. 'Cause... we've never heard about her from anyone else!! Anyhoo. It was interesting Friday because as we sat talking and catching up with her, she was really open. Then, as we went to pull out our scriptures for a message, she said, "Ah! Let me go get my boys!" So, she brought them in, we met them (Patrick – 10 years old, and Leo – 14 years old) and we talked with them a bit. Then, as we went to actually read the scripture, she said, "Ah! I'll be back – I forgot about something in the other room. I'll leave you here with the boys." ...What? Rosanna! No! This is for you too! Ha... But we continued talking with the boys, reading Alma 37:37, and talking about prayer. Then, once we finished the scripture, said bye to the boys, and were about to leave – Rosanna shows up again! Imagine that!? Runs away from the lesson. #Classic. So... we'll be figuring out little ways to get things actually to her :) Fun times.
That night the Butlers had the Elders and us over for dinner. I helped Conan in the kitchen cleaning up the messes he made in the kitchen while his mum was in the shower (ha). OH. AND CONAN. Ah. He just... loves to make me miss my lighting life. Ha. So – for Christmas? or something one year – his dad helped to get him a small lighting console so he could start doing free-lance things and just learning to programme and whatnot. So, this week he had downloaded a free version of "Capture" (a lighting visualiser) onto their Mac, and he programmed a little light show/concert for show. He makes me SO happy. I really want him to come to BYU one day. For. Reals. AND. And... they've got kittens. Cutest. EVER. Bowie and Zoe (Bowie in memory of David Bowie.... Which brings me on a rant.... WHAT'S WITH THE CELEBS DYING THIS WEEK? I mean, ALAN RICKMAN TOO? TEARS. OF SADNESS.) Anyhoo, they SPOILED us more than they should have (they really don't have that much money, but we had a lovely time, and shared happiness and joy in their company. Sister Butler even dropped us off on a street in our area afterwards.
That was also the night that I started feeling like we had just been insanely lazy this week. "Have I Done Any Good" just kept popping into my head. The idea of laziness this week is sad - but also kind of true in different aspects. Also, not as true as I was making it out to be in that moment, now that I think back. But... it was just a hard moment for me. I think back to when I was in the north and I felt like I was always going, always doing, and I haven't felt that during all of this transfer. But – I know my Saviour is here. I know how I need to better myself and our missionary work, and I know the blessings that come from it. I just need to get myself better physically in order to bless the lives of others spiritually! (Thank you for the lighter weight garments. They are more comfortable, and will help me to want to be healthy so you don't have to keep sending me things!) Also, I'm determined that I will NOT put on the 20 kg. everyone does, 'cause that's just ridiculous. Anyhoo. Just side thoughts.
SATURDAY was a day of sickness. I woke up with a headache that just got worse as I sat in lit rooms. So in the flat most of the day it was. But – we still managed to make it out that night to visit a family and our dear Salu (a less- active we met on the street in the beginning of the transfer). I just love making new friends and relationships with the people here. They're all so sweet and just lovely people. I'm 'spoiled-as,' man ;)
SUNDAY we had SORE FEET. Which – was honestly a good thing. Because of the whole lazy-feeling thing that had hit me. But before the sore feet part there was Church. ______GOT THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD. WOOT! It's so fun watching him as he makes these different steps within the church. Because you just see the glow that pops in his eyes, and the ways in which it strengthens and gives him confidence! Joys :)
Then we had dinner at the_______ (and they made Maori bread! MISSED IT). And afterwards, as we walked around a part of our area we hadn't yet been to (aka, where our sore feet came from) we met a lovely couple – Reza and Zahra. They're muslim, and the sweetest couple we've met in a while. They talked to us for quite a while and thanked us for the work we do in helping people to know the Lord. Also: Reza definitely, kind of, hit on Sister Hobbs and her cute England-self. Hahaha. Yes, in front of his wife! So... that was sad, and funny. I also found out that Sister Hobbs has also previously been 'proposed to' by a Samoan man on the mission!!!! Lol!!!!
So... It's been a good week. A slow week, and a struggle week, but a good week. It's mostly been headache life this week. Sometimes to the point of my head hurting by opening my eyes... And I get this weird cold and hot feeling all over. So... fun times! My headache comes and goes – but, I know it'll eventually just go. It's all goods. And it's alll worth it for finding new people and planting seeds along the way :)
And mum, our family is very fortunate and definitely closer BECAUSE of all the trials you've been through — defintely not "in spite of." I know for me, growing up, and even now, – people ask, "Has that been hard for you?" And, while, yes – it's always going to be hard to watch my mum go through things that I don't want her to, and things that I just always want to take away – I also just found myself fortunate. Because I always had a mum that was AT HOME. I had friends that never knew if their mum would be home as they went home from school – or if they would be alone for the day. And not only that, but I have the greatest example there could possibly BE for patience and enduring! You're always so positive and have a beautiful light, giving that light to our family to endure to the end :) It's beautiful, really!
The gospel is beautiful, and simple and just... exciting. I love it all :)
I hope you have a most WONDERFUL week at home, and that there is much joy and brightness in your adventures :)
P.S. I got a package from SISTER PAUL. Please THANK HER for me. She sent me a card and a cute scarf! All the love! I miss your ward heaps and I hope all the Sisters there know how much they're loved by me!
Ah: And Fun fact? Today (Monday) = 7 months. Also: 200 days since I entered the field (aka: Not including the MTC/limbo days before being in my area). Crazy? Yes. :D Life flies at ya fast!!
Arohanui,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
But, back to the Maori life: Sister Joseph's mum speaks Maroi FLUENTLY. So....She said she could teach us :) And also that she would translate a testimony for us! BRILLIANT.
THIS WEEK has definitely had it's ups and downs...and really just moments of not moving at all!! But, all is well :) We move forward and hope for better things to come!
MONDAY was filled with the usual. Email, Shopping, ah - and GIANT spiders while cleaning. #ReallyThough. The daddy-long-legs here are HUGE. And they show up magically in corners without you ever noticing them anywhere else! It's crazy. AH! And I got my first LAVA LAVA! Aka: A wrap-around-skirt/piece of fabric thing that islanders wear around home. And it's great. I also found fabric for the day I find someone to make me a Puletasi!!!! It's red, black and white. (Surprise! I'm still the same person.)
That Monday night we met up at Ivan's with the Elders, as he wanted to have dinner with us as a "thank you" for all we've done.... ha. Silly Ivan, it's not us – it's you and the Lord ;) But it was fun to hang with him and share a message with him AS A MEMBER. Excitement :D
TUESDAY we had district meeting, during which we found out a new policy (which we think may be world-wide, since hearing from different missions having the same rule now) about Transfer Meetings. They're not happening anymore. :( We understand why, and I know it really will be better in the long run – but it's just a little sad. Clarification: On transfer days, we used to get together and have a little meeting/council from President and Sister Balli, and testimonies from other missionaries. But now, there will just be time enough to transfer your stuff to a different car and then off to the area! It'll be good. I just enjoyed the council from other people part!
Anyhoo. It rained, and the elders (Le and Christiansen) came over to FIX my bike! Yay! – Something was loose, making the gears STRUGGLE in the life of changing. And then we got out and walked to Starforth. (Wanna stalk how far that is Pop?) ...It was very wet. We generally don't bike in the rain – cause, well, it could be dangerous... But yes. very wet. And cold. But all is well. Then the Butlers came and picked us up for a visit, and then dropped us off to visit the Donnaldsons, who had told us to come by at church on Sunday. The Donnaldsons are adorable. We had dropped by earlier in the transfer to meet them, but they were busy with family being over, so we didn't get to say much. We didn't think much of it and just said we would come back later! But... alas, we never actually went back, not because we didn't want to, but because we just got busy getting to know others! So.... we think they felt bad and wanted to let us know that they wanted us to come over! Ha. We felt bad on our part too for making them feel that way though! Anyhoo. They spoiled us. Sister Donnaldson came out with a bag of presents saying, "We wanted to have you over to open these for Christmas, but our crazy lives took over!" Haha. So... she gave us presents. And it was the most wonderful of miracles for that day. Why? She gave us PAMPERING things.. I.e: Pedicure things – which was a blessing because of how much our feet HURT after being soaked with rain allllllll day long. She's a gem :)
WEDNESDAY was back to a bit of GARDENING at the Frost's :) Their garden/yard is coming along nicely. (I knew you'd laugh at me and gardening at some point mum! Haha.) But yes – even though I'm still definitely my jumpy, I-hate-bugs self, I do indeed LOVE getting my hands in the dirt and clearing out weeds! Even though it's difficult here sometimes, because weeds are just as cute as plants! (I.e. Little daisies are weeds here!) I must say though, we also love getting to know them and little Avery a little bit more each time we visit, so it's exciting :)
We got out that afternoon, with intentions of visiting many many people on our potentials list — and ended up meeting maybe... 3? Haha. But it was still nice. BECAUSE we met a man named Colin. He's an older man, loves model airplanes and seems to be a bit bored. Haha. He has kids, but the wife is no longer in the picture — he didn't really talk about her much, so we're not sure what happened there. I'm also honestly not entirely positive just how interested he is in the church, but he invited us to sit on his deck, have a drink, and talk for a bit. We discussed many different things about different religions, and how his daughter has been a missionary of sorts for her church. He even expressed being happy with his life – but searching, in a way. So.... we'll see how things continue with him :) We gave him a pamphlet. So... we'll see :) I have hopes!
After that, we had a lesson with Ivan and the Elders, where we had the Elders talk about the priesthood – in prep for Ivan getting the priesthood! One thing that TRULY touched me, was as Elder Christiansen talked about the Melchezidek Priesthood he talked about how he was "challenged" in a way to have the first blessing he gave be to his mum. Cutest? YES. Why else cute? 'Cause he got a little choked up. I also did. 'Cause... the Priesthood is just amazing. We're SO SPOILED to have it in our lives. And I think sometimes... I know I've definitely taken that power for granted. But... it was just a great moment. This is the other thing that's fun for me – watching the Elders who ARE so much younger than me (well – not SO much, but – ya know...5-6 years. ...weird), who have this true and wonderful understanding of the power they can hold if they're worthy of it. And he GOT that it was dependent upon the Spirit and his faith to speak through the Spirit in giving blessings. So- I loved just realizing that and seeing how it's changed Elder Christiansen's life in that way.
Then, Ward Council :) Love my ward. They're just lovely. Our first Ward Council here in Henderson Valley, and there was talk of hopefully us having a new WML soon? We'll find out! :)
THURSDAY – a bit more gardening! This time though, it was at our own flat. Sister Hobbs wasn't feeling well, so we stayed in. But we also went and sat in our yard for a bit of fresh air - and pulled a few weeds in our adorable little garden while we were at it! Have I mentioned that we have an adorable little backyard? 'Cause... we do :) (I'll take pictures.) And....hopefully one day you'll see before I'm transferred away from Henderson. Hahaha. #Paranoid ... and also because I forgot my SD card converter again in order to actually put pictures up on the computer :P Sorry Whanau!
Thursday night we did manage to make it out to visit the family who had put us down for dinner though — the Millers. And it was grand. Why? Well, one – just because they're wonderful people. But two – because I found yet another mutual-lover of all things herbal and natural! Shardeen Miller (its a daughter and her father that are in the home) had invited her friend over for dinner as well, and she started sharing different herbal things she'd found to help her dad – and then I got involved too, as they realized I knew about the super power Vitamin C packets and all the things they were talking about as well. Hahaha...I was laughing hysterically at myself inside. But, mum, you'd be proud — I taught them about Essential Oils. And Colloidal Silver. Hahaha. Silver was something Shardeen I think had just started researching – so she asked if I knew what it was, and what I used it for. The thing I suddenly realized was, "What DON'T we use it for?" Ha. #Truth? #IThinkSo. So... it was exciting. Also because more natural/herbal things is what Sister Hobbs really wants to get into as well. So – when we got home that night, she made me pull out all the vitamins and oils and things I had so she could take more of a look. I laughed, and did, and told her the few things I could. And this also helped me to realize the things I've been neglecting, and I've now repented and started taking things that help me again. (Ha)
FRIDAY we had weekly planning. Which I was grateful for ... as then, it was me that really didn't feel well. It was good having the morning to calm my body down before we walked to Edmonton to visit Rosanna (a less active) and her boys. Funny story with that? Rosanna's a character. She seems to really enjoy talking with us, and last time we visited she told us how she wanted us to come by and keep teaching her boys lessons. She also claims that she goes to Lincoln Ward, because "it's closer" than Henderson Valley. –However, we really think she just doesn't go. 'Cause... we've never heard about her from anyone else!! Anyhoo. It was interesting Friday because as we sat talking and catching up with her, she was really open. Then, as we went to pull out our scriptures for a message, she said, "Ah! Let me go get my boys!" So, she brought them in, we met them (Patrick – 10 years old, and Leo – 14 years old) and we talked with them a bit. Then, as we went to actually read the scripture, she said, "Ah! I'll be back – I forgot about something in the other room. I'll leave you here with the boys." ...What? Rosanna! No! This is for you too! Ha... But we continued talking with the boys, reading Alma 37:37, and talking about prayer. Then, once we finished the scripture, said bye to the boys, and were about to leave – Rosanna shows up again! Imagine that!? Runs away from the lesson. #Classic. So... we'll be figuring out little ways to get things actually to her :) Fun times.
That night the Butlers had the Elders and us over for dinner. I helped Conan in the kitchen cleaning up the messes he made in the kitchen while his mum was in the shower (ha). OH. AND CONAN. Ah. He just... loves to make me miss my lighting life. Ha. So – for Christmas? or something one year – his dad helped to get him a small lighting console so he could start doing free-lance things and just learning to programme and whatnot. So, this week he had downloaded a free version of "Capture" (a lighting visualiser) onto their Mac, and he programmed a little light show/concert for show. He makes me SO happy. I really want him to come to BYU one day. For. Reals. AND. And... they've got kittens. Cutest. EVER. Bowie and Zoe (Bowie in memory of David Bowie.... Which brings me on a rant.... WHAT'S WITH THE CELEBS DYING THIS WEEK? I mean, ALAN RICKMAN TOO? TEARS. OF SADNESS.) Anyhoo, they SPOILED us more than they should have (they really don't have that much money, but we had a lovely time, and shared happiness and joy in their company. Sister Butler even dropped us off on a street in our area afterwards.
That was also the night that I started feeling like we had just been insanely lazy this week. "Have I Done Any Good" just kept popping into my head. The idea of laziness this week is sad - but also kind of true in different aspects. Also, not as true as I was making it out to be in that moment, now that I think back. But... it was just a hard moment for me. I think back to when I was in the north and I felt like I was always going, always doing, and I haven't felt that during all of this transfer. But – I know my Saviour is here. I know how I need to better myself and our missionary work, and I know the blessings that come from it. I just need to get myself better physically in order to bless the lives of others spiritually! (Thank you for the lighter weight garments. They are more comfortable, and will help me to want to be healthy so you don't have to keep sending me things!) Also, I'm determined that I will NOT put on the 20 kg. everyone does, 'cause that's just ridiculous. Anyhoo. Just side thoughts.
SATURDAY was a day of sickness. I woke up with a headache that just got worse as I sat in lit rooms. So in the flat most of the day it was. But – we still managed to make it out that night to visit a family and our dear Salu (a less- active we met on the street in the beginning of the transfer). I just love making new friends and relationships with the people here. They're all so sweet and just lovely people. I'm 'spoiled-as,' man ;)
SUNDAY we had SORE FEET. Which – was honestly a good thing. Because of the whole lazy-feeling thing that had hit me. But before the sore feet part there was Church. ______GOT THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD. WOOT! It's so fun watching him as he makes these different steps within the church. Because you just see the glow that pops in his eyes, and the ways in which it strengthens and gives him confidence! Joys :)
Then we had dinner at the_______ (and they made Maori bread! MISSED IT). And afterwards, as we walked around a part of our area we hadn't yet been to (aka, where our sore feet came from) we met a lovely couple – Reza and Zahra. They're muslim, and the sweetest couple we've met in a while. They talked to us for quite a while and thanked us for the work we do in helping people to know the Lord. Also: Reza definitely, kind of, hit on Sister Hobbs and her cute England-self. Hahaha. Yes, in front of his wife! So... that was sad, and funny. I also found out that Sister Hobbs has also previously been 'proposed to' by a Samoan man on the mission!!!! Lol!!!!
So... It's been a good week. A slow week, and a struggle week, but a good week. It's mostly been headache life this week. Sometimes to the point of my head hurting by opening my eyes... And I get this weird cold and hot feeling all over. So... fun times! My headache comes and goes – but, I know it'll eventually just go. It's all goods. And it's alll worth it for finding new people and planting seeds along the way :)
And mum, our family is very fortunate and definitely closer BECAUSE of all the trials you've been through — defintely not "in spite of." I know for me, growing up, and even now, – people ask, "Has that been hard for you?" And, while, yes – it's always going to be hard to watch my mum go through things that I don't want her to, and things that I just always want to take away – I also just found myself fortunate. Because I always had a mum that was AT HOME. I had friends that never knew if their mum would be home as they went home from school – or if they would be alone for the day. And not only that, but I have the greatest example there could possibly BE for patience and enduring! You're always so positive and have a beautiful light, giving that light to our family to endure to the end :) It's beautiful, really!
The gospel is beautiful, and simple and just... exciting. I love it all :)
I hope you have a most WONDERFUL week at home, and that there is much joy and brightness in your adventures :)
P.S. I got a package from SISTER PAUL. Please THANK HER for me. She sent me a card and a cute scarf! All the love! I miss your ward heaps and I hope all the Sisters there know how much they're loved by me!
Ah: And Fun fact? Today (Monday) = 7 months. Also: 200 days since I entered the field (aka: Not including the MTC/limbo days before being in my area). Crazy? Yes. :D Life flies at ya fast!!
Arohanui,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Master, the Tempest is Raging
Literally. It's been CRAZY stormy here the last few days!! It's finally calmed a bit – yesterday just more misty rain. But it was insane for a bit! And our Zone usually forgets that we don't have a car. So... they say, "Ah! It's crazy! We got so wet!" ...You did? Oh really? Ha. Jokes. It's all fine :) Luckily both Sister Hobbs and I enjoy the rain. So it's all goods. :)
THIS WEEK has been filled with PUZZLE PIECES OF LIFE beginning to fit in, and just ... blessings all around. It's just made me think of those puzzles that you have a piece that you can't figure out for the life of you where it goes—and then suddenly it clicks. It honestly wasn't the most amazing or awe-inspiring week by all means, but it was filled with little things that have helped to build us in different ways. The jigsaw of life being put together, piece by piece!
So... when I last left off, it was p-day. Wanna know what we did? We went to a park :) Haha. I love how many little parks there are throughout Henderson. Little reserves on, what seems like, every street. And it's lovely :) But we played Ultimate Frisbee! ...Sort of. Ha. It lasted maybe 10 minutes. But I did play! Even though I still am definitely not coordinated in that way. The Elders just laughed – and I told them I had warned them! A Good day though. Ending with a bit of UNO with the District, and a few visits that night.
TUESDAY was a brilliant day. And the beginning to Sister Hobbs' and my adventures in the real and true TRACTING life. 'Cause, well... the "potential investigators" lists we have from previous missionaries are... well, old. Ha. Most of them were found 2-3 or even 7 years ago. So.... a lot of the people don't actually live in the homes anymore. But some of them have definitely come in handy and help! So – we decided we'd go to the tracting life in hopes of finding new people to teach as our investigating life with Ivan comes to a close... And it was grand. Because even though tracting may not ALWAYS be the most effective way of getting work done, it definitely is all up to your attitude. If you make it exciting – it WILL BE. So, Sister Hobbs and I tracted, and biked, and found some new potentials. We're going to be starting to return to some of the people we've found this week – so fingers crossed that they're truly interested and ready for a message! We're ready to teach some really for real lessons here! Ah – and also, in case you're wondering, I'm realizing that each area has a different "dominant" religion – or a couple, that people attend. Here in Henderson the main one we have seemed to find people attend is "Church Unlimited." It kinda looks like a Christian "rock" type religion? Not positive, but a lot of people seem to like it! –At least it's Christian, right? (Also Catholic. And Methodist. We've run into quite a few of them this week.) Anyhoo. We were also able to get to know the older girls in one of our member families – the Taumafai's. LOVE THEM. Names will come later on, as they have 6 girls, and they all look similar– so their names have now become mumble-jumbled in my head. Haha. But: Getting to know this family (they also brought us out to eat — Butter chicken! It's big here in Hendo) was a BLESSING this night. Why? Because there was a BAPTISM going on in Massey Ward — and we had invited Ivan along so that he could see what it was like before he has his own this week.
But: of course, Satan works his little works, and tried to keep Ivan from coming – making him stuck in traffic on the way back from the beach that morning, and then making him miss his bus that was going to take him to the stake center for the baptism that night at 6. But – no fear, the missionaries are here! Because we were with the Taumafai's, we could PICK IVAN UP. So we popped on over after dinner at the mall, grabbed Ivan, and went to the baptism. And it was a good night. Mostly because we learned what Ivan DIDN'T want for his baptism. Ha. He wants it as simple as it can be. Because the baptism we attended went for an hour and a half – which Ivan wasn't expecting. So, the rest of the night he just kept saying, "The buzz word is SIMPLE! I want a simple baptism! No frills." Haha. He's wonderful.
It was a blessing in more than one way attending this baptism though. Good to get Ivan to one – but also good for Sister Hobbs and me. The girl that got baptized (Emily) is part of a family that's gone through a few different struggles over the years. Her mum has been a member allllll her life (originally from California!), but struggled with different things—divorce and whatnot over the years. So, for Emily (14 years old) it was hard deciding whether to be baptized or not. But she made it, and they're wonderful. The reason I say this family is a blessing to us – is because they're oddly familiar to me. And this was only the 2nd time I had really met them (first being when we went caroling to their home on Christmas Eve as a zone). ...But, super familiar to me. And we were all INSTANTLY friends. Danielle (mum), Corban (16-yr-old boy), Emily (14), Eliza (11? 12?), and Oscar (the family dog) ...And there's more to come why they're such a blessing at this point in time for me :)
WEDNESDAY = more tracting. We met this lady tracting Wednesday morning, named Julie. And even though she super wasn't interested, we became great friends with her. How? HER HOUSE. The most COLOURFUL house I've seen in a lonnnnnnng time. Haha. And so we asked her about it - and she had all these pots with brilliant flowers, that were all decorated with tiles—mosaic-ified, and it was just beautiful. She even invited us in to show us what she was working on right then, and to see her backyard of colour Haha. So.... friends. We're probably going to go back. And I'm tempted to purchase one of her small flower pots.... even though I'm not entirely sure what I'd do with it. Or how I'd get it home in the end of things. Ah – and she also kept telling us she's "not an artist or even artistic" — hahaha. Funny funny people like that ;) We're excited to be friends with her.
THURSDAY. Last day of the year. Whaaaa? That's just insane. I still can't get over the fact that it's 2016 now. But it was a good day. But Also: A CRAZY HOT DAY. Really though. And guess who failed and ........ forgot sunscreen? Yup. You got it! It was me. All goods though. We're fine. Well...sorta. Ha. #Life. The day started off with Zone Training—really nice, and fun lessons taught. But then... kinda saddening for me once it became one of those days that was not quite as effective tracting. So...that was unfortunate. But, the Butlers had invited us over for "New Year's Eve" (the early version) – and our dear Zone leaders gave us permission to go over (since it's outside our area). Woot! We got to know their family a bit better, and.... then they also invited us over for Sister Hobbs' birthday SUNDAY night. Exciting things. We also think they miss having sisters a lot. Haha. They lived in a different ward for a long time with Sisters, and recently moved into Massey—with Elders. So... theres that.
FRIDAY. Well- remember the sunburn? I'm fairly certain I got a little bit of heat stroke.... But don't worry! I really am all goods now! Ha. I just... felt very narcoleptic Friday. 'Cause.... I literally couldn't keep myself awake! I ended up sleeping it off most the day and, yes – lathering myself in Aloe and Silver gel. (No worries – I do still take care of myself!) So... that began the new year! OH. AND it rained. RAINED. ALL DAYYYYY LONG. We think it was just a nice "cleanse" to the new year! Haha. Wanna know what else occurred to me that's funny? I was in an entirely different YEAR from you guys for a whole 20 hours!! CRAZY!
SATURDAY – more rain. Went out, and found that everyone told us that we "shouldn't be out in this!" Ha. True – but the work must go on! And it was good. We met a few potentials that we hadn't been able to catch before, and enjoyed the rain together. That night we got to go to the Masiasomua's for dinner. Blessings? Yes. It was a pre-birthday dinner for Sister Hobbs – with a delicious chocolate banana cake, aaaaand.... remember how I told you President Masiasomua is a Physio? (As in a physio therapist.... just incase your'e reading that as "psycho" instead of "physio" Ha.) Yes. He works in the brilliant art of "clicking" as they call it here. Anddddd clicked my back in a few places for me. He thinks it may be more muscle related though – soooo, he said next time we come back he'll actually help me work my muscles to like my bones in the correct spots again :) YAY! Blessings. Allllll the blessings. And he told me I had a lot of tension in my upper back — Sound familiar Brother Hayes? Hahaha. *No one is surprised*
OH. And... I've also decided that the best kind of guys I attract are the young ones. The REALLY YOUNG ONES ;) Haha. The Masiasomua's have a set of twins they're in the process of adopting – a girl and a boy. Almost 3-years-old. And.... Jason is the CUTEST little thing. We became instant friends. He was giving me hugs and kisses! Hahaha. It made me happy – like I have a little Bishop Himiona again! (President Himiona's youngest boy.)
And then. SUNDAY. SISTER HOBBS' BIRTHDAY! (The big 2-0 and no longer a teenager birthday!) Sister Hobbs has a deep love for "bunting" – aka: the little triangle-flag trim of sorts that you see hanging at birthday parties or stores and such? Know what I mean? So Saturday night I made her a "Happy Birthday Sister Hobbs" bunting for our window :) She was rather proud of me. Haha. Too cute. We opened presents and all the joy :) No food though – because, well, Fast Sunday. We also found out where the storms were coming from (or at least – we assume where they came from). There was apparently Cyclones in the Samoan and Tongan islands.... so we're thinking we must have gotten the after-shock of that (or something?).
Anyhoo. Things that help make sense: I learned that having 1 pm church is significantly easier for me in fasting. Have I ever told you that fasting on the mission has seemed to be more difficult than ever in my life? My body doesn't like walking and running and moving so many places with low bloodsugar. And I get crazy tired, really easily. So... that's been a new and fun adventure on the mission. But – 1pm was nice yesterday. 'Cause it seemed easier to have my body up and moving and tracting around in the morning, and then sitting in the afternoon when my blood sugar was super low.
We also got to teach Ivan, and go over the baptismal questions with him again before his interview and baptism this week! ...And this is the point where I would love to say "everything went great, and he's not freaking out, and he's just SO ready!" ...Only part of that is true. Ha. He IS just SO ready – he loves the teachings he's learning in the Church, he loves the idea and he's excited for his baptism, but.... we got to the question of "if you've ever commited a serious crime" ...And, well, at some point in his SUPER PAST life – Ivan did indeed, almost end up in jail. But – that's the thing. ALMOST. He didn't actually. So... he was a little gutted that was a question he would have to be asked, and got quite stressed out about it. :( We tried to help calm him down a bit, and we did – a bit. But... he was still stressing. He just keeps saying he's "just ready to get Saturday over with" ...he's sadly kind of a high-stress/anxiety man, which makes it hard to calm his nerves. So... there's been lots of prayer and fasting. He's also had difficult things with his great nephew being in the hospital this past week with seizures and the doctors not quite figuring out what is going on (sad face). We left him after our lesson, sad, but hoping all would be well. We found out after church that our WONDERFUL Brother Tuta'i (2nd counselor in the Bishopric and currently acting as our ward mission leader) found him leaving after Gospel Principles – and insead of letting him walk all the way home or catch the bus, he just gave him a ride. He talked to him on the way there and helped to calm him a bit more. OUR MEMBERS ARE BRILLIANT. So... Ivan is currently still stressing. And especially now since we have to push his interview back a bit so we can have an older Elder (one of President Balli's counselors) to conduct the interview because of the nature of that question... But: I have faith that everything will work out. Ivan TRULY is SOLID. There's been a little hiccup, but it's nothing we can't deal with. It's all going to be okay :) Ah – and the other thing that super hasn't been helping this week is the fact that his daughter, Grace, is out on Holiday visiting her grandparents. So.... we know he misses her like crazy.
...Also: Prayers would be appreciated for Ivan's mind to calm :) Much love :) <3
The continuing of Sunday was dinner at the Renner family's home – man, they can talk! As well as... the Butlers (as I said - they invited us over for Sister Hobbs' birthday night!) They came and picked us up on Sturges Rd. (the edge of our area – ha. (Have I mentioned that our chapel isn't even technically in our area?) The Butler's are wonderful. And... ready for the puzzle pieces that have fit into my time here even more? It was Danielle (Dani) and Corban that came to pick us up. On the way to the house, there was something mentioned about "concert lighting." ... I stopped them and said, "Wait. Corban. Do you do lighting??" YES. YES HE DOES. I GOT TO BE A LIGHTING NERD AGAIN WITH SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTOOD. So – part of that night was spent with me getting to know Corban a bit better and talking theatre and concerts and allllll the excitement. And ...I also kept telling him that he needed to come to BYU one day! Haha. 'Cause, well — they would want him. He knows HEAPS, (wayyy more than me) and it would just be SO great. Also: I have connections, so...as long as he works in school, he's definitely in ;) Haha. That night, Dani and Emily drove us home. And Dani started telling us how grateful she was for us, and how much of a blessing it was that I could talk lighting with Corban. She had been fasting and praying for not only Emily – with getting confirmed in church that morning – but also for Corban (because he hasn't come to church for quite a while now... I think maybe 2 years? That could be totally wrong. I feel like it was when he was 14 though). And she said that this could be a way to help him. #GRATEFULTHINGS. Another interesting thing Dani brought up is that lately (last 6-7 months) she's had this prompting that's "calling her back home" — as in, to California. And she told us that she's thinking it really may happen in the next 1-2 years. It's truly interesting where life takes you. And how moving forward brings blessings and puts you in places you wouldn't have imagined!
Cause: Here's another little tid-bit into my life that's finally clicked after this all happened last night and as I was writing in my journal. Toward the end of school, I was honestly bored. I loved it – because it was comfortable and I love the people and they made me soooo happy. But – I had also lost my desire to actually LEARN how to do lighting. I lost the 'want to learn' about how to put things together and fix things and truly figure out what would look best on stage in the way of design. And.... it was sad. But I realize that's also why I didn't know what I was doing once I got close to graduation. I didn't really want to do the things I loved anymore. So..... The mission is a blessing. Because I've already started missing and craving that life again (clearly), and last night was just... happy. I'm gaining that desire and want for knowledge again – and not only that, but to move forward and actually act on the things I learn.
Anyhoo. This email is forever long. Haha. But.... it's been a good week. We're still praying and hoping to find people who are ready – as Ivan getting baptised this week will result in us having no investigators! Good – and sad, all at the same time. But – we truly do have some nice potentials, and we're excited to go get'em ;)
Ah – and another random thought: I got the weirdest small sunburn of all time yesterday: Even though we weren't outside long – a burn that somehow reflected off my white shirt onto the very top of my shoulder right under my sleeve? Things that don't make sense. Haha. #Talented
But: It's time to move forward with faith, to let our light shine, and to just.... help where we can. Because that's where the people will be found :)
PONDER-IZE SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK:
"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, they whole body shall be full of light." —Matthew 6:22
My dearest Whanau, this gospel is beautiful. It's REAL and TRUE, no matter where you are in life or in the WORLD. And... it's just great :) I'm grateful that I get to meet and gain new family wherever I go, and that I get to share the message of our wonderful Saviour, Jesus Christ. He blesses and helps each and every one of us on our journeys in life, and helps us to put the puzzle pieces of life together. LOVE. ALLLL THE LOVE :)
I hope you have a most WONDERFUL week ahead, and that you find joy, wonder, and little miracles in each and every moment — even the hard ones ;)
Arohanui, (My Maori will never leave me.... Ivan started throwing out Maori words to us yesterday in church and I was insanely happy. And Sister Hobbs had no idea what was going on. Haha.)
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
THIS WEEK has been filled with PUZZLE PIECES OF LIFE beginning to fit in, and just ... blessings all around. It's just made me think of those puzzles that you have a piece that you can't figure out for the life of you where it goes—and then suddenly it clicks. It honestly wasn't the most amazing or awe-inspiring week by all means, but it was filled with little things that have helped to build us in different ways. The jigsaw of life being put together, piece by piece!
So... when I last left off, it was p-day. Wanna know what we did? We went to a park :) Haha. I love how many little parks there are throughout Henderson. Little reserves on, what seems like, every street. And it's lovely :) But we played Ultimate Frisbee! ...Sort of. Ha. It lasted maybe 10 minutes. But I did play! Even though I still am definitely not coordinated in that way. The Elders just laughed – and I told them I had warned them! A Good day though. Ending with a bit of UNO with the District, and a few visits that night.
TUESDAY was a brilliant day. And the beginning to Sister Hobbs' and my adventures in the real and true TRACTING life. 'Cause, well... the "potential investigators" lists we have from previous missionaries are... well, old. Ha. Most of them were found 2-3 or even 7 years ago. So.... a lot of the people don't actually live in the homes anymore. But some of them have definitely come in handy and help! So – we decided we'd go to the tracting life in hopes of finding new people to teach as our investigating life with Ivan comes to a close... And it was grand. Because even though tracting may not ALWAYS be the most effective way of getting work done, it definitely is all up to your attitude. If you make it exciting – it WILL BE. So, Sister Hobbs and I tracted, and biked, and found some new potentials. We're going to be starting to return to some of the people we've found this week – so fingers crossed that they're truly interested and ready for a message! We're ready to teach some really for real lessons here! Ah – and also, in case you're wondering, I'm realizing that each area has a different "dominant" religion – or a couple, that people attend. Here in Henderson the main one we have seemed to find people attend is "Church Unlimited." It kinda looks like a Christian "rock" type religion? Not positive, but a lot of people seem to like it! –At least it's Christian, right? (Also Catholic. And Methodist. We've run into quite a few of them this week.) Anyhoo. We were also able to get to know the older girls in one of our member families – the Taumafai's. LOVE THEM. Names will come later on, as they have 6 girls, and they all look similar– so their names have now become mumble-jumbled in my head. Haha. But: Getting to know this family (they also brought us out to eat — Butter chicken! It's big here in Hendo) was a BLESSING this night. Why? Because there was a BAPTISM going on in Massey Ward — and we had invited Ivan along so that he could see what it was like before he has his own this week.
But: of course, Satan works his little works, and tried to keep Ivan from coming – making him stuck in traffic on the way back from the beach that morning, and then making him miss his bus that was going to take him to the stake center for the baptism that night at 6. But – no fear, the missionaries are here! Because we were with the Taumafai's, we could PICK IVAN UP. So we popped on over after dinner at the mall, grabbed Ivan, and went to the baptism. And it was a good night. Mostly because we learned what Ivan DIDN'T want for his baptism. Ha. He wants it as simple as it can be. Because the baptism we attended went for an hour and a half – which Ivan wasn't expecting. So, the rest of the night he just kept saying, "The buzz word is SIMPLE! I want a simple baptism! No frills." Haha. He's wonderful.
It was a blessing in more than one way attending this baptism though. Good to get Ivan to one – but also good for Sister Hobbs and me. The girl that got baptized (Emily) is part of a family that's gone through a few different struggles over the years. Her mum has been a member allllll her life (originally from California!), but struggled with different things—divorce and whatnot over the years. So, for Emily (14 years old) it was hard deciding whether to be baptized or not. But she made it, and they're wonderful. The reason I say this family is a blessing to us – is because they're oddly familiar to me. And this was only the 2nd time I had really met them (first being when we went caroling to their home on Christmas Eve as a zone). ...But, super familiar to me. And we were all INSTANTLY friends. Danielle (mum), Corban (16-yr-old boy), Emily (14), Eliza (11? 12?), and Oscar (the family dog) ...And there's more to come why they're such a blessing at this point in time for me :)
WEDNESDAY = more tracting. We met this lady tracting Wednesday morning, named Julie. And even though she super wasn't interested, we became great friends with her. How? HER HOUSE. The most COLOURFUL house I've seen in a lonnnnnnng time. Haha. And so we asked her about it - and she had all these pots with brilliant flowers, that were all decorated with tiles—mosaic-ified, and it was just beautiful. She even invited us in to show us what she was working on right then, and to see her backyard of colour Haha. So.... friends. We're probably going to go back. And I'm tempted to purchase one of her small flower pots.... even though I'm not entirely sure what I'd do with it. Or how I'd get it home in the end of things. Ah – and she also kept telling us she's "not an artist or even artistic" — hahaha. Funny funny people like that ;) We're excited to be friends with her.
THURSDAY. Last day of the year. Whaaaa? That's just insane. I still can't get over the fact that it's 2016 now. But it was a good day. But Also: A CRAZY HOT DAY. Really though. And guess who failed and ........ forgot sunscreen? Yup. You got it! It was me. All goods though. We're fine. Well...sorta. Ha. #Life. The day started off with Zone Training—really nice, and fun lessons taught. But then... kinda saddening for me once it became one of those days that was not quite as effective tracting. So...that was unfortunate. But, the Butlers had invited us over for "New Year's Eve" (the early version) – and our dear Zone leaders gave us permission to go over (since it's outside our area). Woot! We got to know their family a bit better, and.... then they also invited us over for Sister Hobbs' birthday SUNDAY night. Exciting things. We also think they miss having sisters a lot. Haha. They lived in a different ward for a long time with Sisters, and recently moved into Massey—with Elders. So... theres that.
FRIDAY. Well- remember the sunburn? I'm fairly certain I got a little bit of heat stroke.... But don't worry! I really am all goods now! Ha. I just... felt very narcoleptic Friday. 'Cause.... I literally couldn't keep myself awake! I ended up sleeping it off most the day and, yes – lathering myself in Aloe and Silver gel. (No worries – I do still take care of myself!) So... that began the new year! OH. AND it rained. RAINED. ALL DAYYYYY LONG. We think it was just a nice "cleanse" to the new year! Haha. Wanna know what else occurred to me that's funny? I was in an entirely different YEAR from you guys for a whole 20 hours!! CRAZY!
SATURDAY – more rain. Went out, and found that everyone told us that we "shouldn't be out in this!" Ha. True – but the work must go on! And it was good. We met a few potentials that we hadn't been able to catch before, and enjoyed the rain together. That night we got to go to the Masiasomua's for dinner. Blessings? Yes. It was a pre-birthday dinner for Sister Hobbs – with a delicious chocolate banana cake, aaaaand.... remember how I told you President Masiasomua is a Physio? (As in a physio therapist.... just incase your'e reading that as "psycho" instead of "physio" Ha.) Yes. He works in the brilliant art of "clicking" as they call it here. Anddddd clicked my back in a few places for me. He thinks it may be more muscle related though – soooo, he said next time we come back he'll actually help me work my muscles to like my bones in the correct spots again :) YAY! Blessings. Allllll the blessings. And he told me I had a lot of tension in my upper back — Sound familiar Brother Hayes? Hahaha. *No one is surprised*
OH. And... I've also decided that the best kind of guys I attract are the young ones. The REALLY YOUNG ONES ;) Haha. The Masiasomua's have a set of twins they're in the process of adopting – a girl and a boy. Almost 3-years-old. And.... Jason is the CUTEST little thing. We became instant friends. He was giving me hugs and kisses! Hahaha. It made me happy – like I have a little Bishop Himiona again! (President Himiona's youngest boy.)
And then. SUNDAY. SISTER HOBBS' BIRTHDAY! (The big 2-0 and no longer a teenager birthday!) Sister Hobbs has a deep love for "bunting" – aka: the little triangle-flag trim of sorts that you see hanging at birthday parties or stores and such? Know what I mean? So Saturday night I made her a "Happy Birthday Sister Hobbs" bunting for our window :) She was rather proud of me. Haha. Too cute. We opened presents and all the joy :) No food though – because, well, Fast Sunday. We also found out where the storms were coming from (or at least – we assume where they came from). There was apparently Cyclones in the Samoan and Tongan islands.... so we're thinking we must have gotten the after-shock of that (or something?).
Anyhoo. Things that help make sense: I learned that having 1 pm church is significantly easier for me in fasting. Have I ever told you that fasting on the mission has seemed to be more difficult than ever in my life? My body doesn't like walking and running and moving so many places with low bloodsugar. And I get crazy tired, really easily. So... that's been a new and fun adventure on the mission. But – 1pm was nice yesterday. 'Cause it seemed easier to have my body up and moving and tracting around in the morning, and then sitting in the afternoon when my blood sugar was super low.
We also got to teach Ivan, and go over the baptismal questions with him again before his interview and baptism this week! ...And this is the point where I would love to say "everything went great, and he's not freaking out, and he's just SO ready!" ...Only part of that is true. Ha. He IS just SO ready – he loves the teachings he's learning in the Church, he loves the idea and he's excited for his baptism, but.... we got to the question of "if you've ever commited a serious crime" ...And, well, at some point in his SUPER PAST life – Ivan did indeed, almost end up in jail. But – that's the thing. ALMOST. He didn't actually. So... he was a little gutted that was a question he would have to be asked, and got quite stressed out about it. :( We tried to help calm him down a bit, and we did – a bit. But... he was still stressing. He just keeps saying he's "just ready to get Saturday over with" ...he's sadly kind of a high-stress/anxiety man, which makes it hard to calm his nerves. So... there's been lots of prayer and fasting. He's also had difficult things with his great nephew being in the hospital this past week with seizures and the doctors not quite figuring out what is going on (sad face). We left him after our lesson, sad, but hoping all would be well. We found out after church that our WONDERFUL Brother Tuta'i (2nd counselor in the Bishopric and currently acting as our ward mission leader) found him leaving after Gospel Principles – and insead of letting him walk all the way home or catch the bus, he just gave him a ride. He talked to him on the way there and helped to calm him a bit more. OUR MEMBERS ARE BRILLIANT. So... Ivan is currently still stressing. And especially now since we have to push his interview back a bit so we can have an older Elder (one of President Balli's counselors) to conduct the interview because of the nature of that question... But: I have faith that everything will work out. Ivan TRULY is SOLID. There's been a little hiccup, but it's nothing we can't deal with. It's all going to be okay :) Ah – and the other thing that super hasn't been helping this week is the fact that his daughter, Grace, is out on Holiday visiting her grandparents. So.... we know he misses her like crazy.
...Also: Prayers would be appreciated for Ivan's mind to calm :) Much love :) <3
The continuing of Sunday was dinner at the Renner family's home – man, they can talk! As well as... the Butlers (as I said - they invited us over for Sister Hobbs' birthday night!) They came and picked us up on Sturges Rd. (the edge of our area – ha. (Have I mentioned that our chapel isn't even technically in our area?) The Butler's are wonderful. And... ready for the puzzle pieces that have fit into my time here even more? It was Danielle (Dani) and Corban that came to pick us up. On the way to the house, there was something mentioned about "concert lighting." ... I stopped them and said, "Wait. Corban. Do you do lighting??" YES. YES HE DOES. I GOT TO BE A LIGHTING NERD AGAIN WITH SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTOOD. So – part of that night was spent with me getting to know Corban a bit better and talking theatre and concerts and allllll the excitement. And ...I also kept telling him that he needed to come to BYU one day! Haha. 'Cause, well — they would want him. He knows HEAPS, (wayyy more than me) and it would just be SO great. Also: I have connections, so...as long as he works in school, he's definitely in ;) Haha. That night, Dani and Emily drove us home. And Dani started telling us how grateful she was for us, and how much of a blessing it was that I could talk lighting with Corban. She had been fasting and praying for not only Emily – with getting confirmed in church that morning – but also for Corban (because he hasn't come to church for quite a while now... I think maybe 2 years? That could be totally wrong. I feel like it was when he was 14 though). And she said that this could be a way to help him. #GRATEFULTHINGS. Another interesting thing Dani brought up is that lately (last 6-7 months) she's had this prompting that's "calling her back home" — as in, to California. And she told us that she's thinking it really may happen in the next 1-2 years. It's truly interesting where life takes you. And how moving forward brings blessings and puts you in places you wouldn't have imagined!
Cause: Here's another little tid-bit into my life that's finally clicked after this all happened last night and as I was writing in my journal. Toward the end of school, I was honestly bored. I loved it – because it was comfortable and I love the people and they made me soooo happy. But – I had also lost my desire to actually LEARN how to do lighting. I lost the 'want to learn' about how to put things together and fix things and truly figure out what would look best on stage in the way of design. And.... it was sad. But I realize that's also why I didn't know what I was doing once I got close to graduation. I didn't really want to do the things I loved anymore. So..... The mission is a blessing. Because I've already started missing and craving that life again (clearly), and last night was just... happy. I'm gaining that desire and want for knowledge again – and not only that, but to move forward and actually act on the things I learn.
Anyhoo. This email is forever long. Haha. But.... it's been a good week. We're still praying and hoping to find people who are ready – as Ivan getting baptised this week will result in us having no investigators! Good – and sad, all at the same time. But – we truly do have some nice potentials, and we're excited to go get'em ;)
Ah – and another random thought: I got the weirdest small sunburn of all time yesterday: Even though we weren't outside long – a burn that somehow reflected off my white shirt onto the very top of my shoulder right under my sleeve? Things that don't make sense. Haha. #Talented
But: It's time to move forward with faith, to let our light shine, and to just.... help where we can. Because that's where the people will be found :)
PONDER-IZE SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK:
"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, they whole body shall be full of light." —Matthew 6:22
My dearest Whanau, this gospel is beautiful. It's REAL and TRUE, no matter where you are in life or in the WORLD. And... it's just great :) I'm grateful that I get to meet and gain new family wherever I go, and that I get to share the message of our wonderful Saviour, Jesus Christ. He blesses and helps each and every one of us on our journeys in life, and helps us to put the puzzle pieces of life together. LOVE. ALLLL THE LOVE :)
I hope you have a most WONDERFUL week ahead, and that you find joy, wonder, and little miracles in each and every moment — even the hard ones ;)
Arohanui, (My Maori will never leave me.... Ivan started throwing out Maori words to us yesterday in church and I was insanely happy. And Sister Hobbs had no idea what was going on. Haha.)
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
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