Now I Know What A Goldfish Looks Like

Okay, so random people haven't been staring at us all week, but it'll make sense. And let me tell you, a goldfish's life is really quite boring.

Last Monday, we had a big snowstorm here again. Winter is now officially here and will never leave. It's SO cold. But yeah. It snowed. Joy. While we were at the post office sending home our Christmas packages for our families, the man in front of us turned around and asked, "Are you Mormon?" We excitedly told him we were, to which he responded, "I hate Mormons. I HATE them." Both Sister Jensen and I were a bit in shock, trying to come up with what we were going to say while the whole Post Office froze and turned to see what we would respond when the man said, "Nah, just kidding. I'm LDS." Haha man it was terrifying! I had no idea what I was going to say! But it has got me thinking of what I would say in that situation. Sadly, it probably will happen sometime on the mission. Also on Monday, we had a sweet dinner appointment with a couple where both are active, but the husband is not a member. He's come most every week for 3 years now, and just isn't baptized. But we're working with him. He's super legit. He's in his 70s, and reminds me of a grandpa figure. So that's nice. I have a lot of Minot grandparents now. Everyone loves the missionaries! (Except for the Anti's, of course).

Tuesday I didn't feel very well, but we had a lot of great things happen. We got the information needed so we can set up a booth at MSU (Minot State University), the college here, and so we're going to be doing that on Thursday (hopefully it goes well!), and we got to meet with Eastman, Karen & Brian, and also Danielle &Anthony. It was a nice, full day! We had really great lesson experiences with all of them. It was super great.

Wednesday, I woke up sick. Headache, sore throat, and stuffy nose. Not fun at all. So I slept in that day, we went to Walmart to get me some more Emergen-C and stuff, went to District Meeting (which was AWESOME, but role playing not so much due to my head internally exploding), and then I slept most of the day. Being sick as a missionary is not very exciting at all. 

Once it hits -30 degrees, we are home bound unless we have a appointment, then we go to the appointment and promptly return home. (We also have to let our District Leader know when we leave and when we get back). So Thursday, Friday and Saturday we were home bound because it was between -30 and -40 degrees with windchill. Windchill is the killer. Thursday, we studied a lot, helped Sister Noel with things she needed to get done around her house (service is another thing we can do, and it works out great because we live with members!), and then we had our Relief Society Christmas EVening that night, which was great because it was so nice to get out of the house.

Let me also chime in that missionaries who have cars have a protocol when backing up. The driver obviously drives, and the passenger (which is me at this time), stands back outside the car and directs the car when it is safe to go. Let me just say that when it is -35 out there, backing the truck is awful. After 15 seconds, you're shivering and your nose hairs are already frozen. It's so cold. But anyways, so Friday it was -40. Again we were stuck in. We went to lunch with Sister Noel at a place similar to Blue Lemon, and it was super good. We also served her by helping her decorate her Christmas tree. It was fun. And we got to see the sun through the windows. Up in our apartment, the windows leak cold air, so they're always covered by curtains so keep the cold outside, so it's very dark up there always. Haha. Friday was better because we got to go help volunteer at the Salvation Army again, and we had a dinner appointment. (Oh yeah, and the highlight of Friday was that I could taste food again!) We were able to go teach the Mullikins and it went well. The next morning at our ward Christmas Party, Karen came even though Brian and the kids didn't. It was great! They're progressing!

Saturday was our Ward Christmas Breakfast. Michelle and Carson came from the Salvation Army, and they both really loved it a lot. They loved the people, the ambiance, and the joy that is there. At the end we gave them a church tour, and ended up teaching them the Restoration in the Chapel. Carson was really touched and asked for a Book of Mormon! We gladly gave it to him and committed him to read a chapter. We also gave Michelle a Book of Mormon. It was such a neat experience. Michelle has a son who is in the MSU String Quartet, and had a concert thing Saturday afternoon. Sister Jensen and I really felt like we needed to be there for it, so we could meet him and all that, but there were 3 songs being played that aren't Sacrament meeting approved. So we called President. He gave us permission, told us we obviously needed to go and that we "weren't just going so we could record those songs to listen to them in our apartment later", so we went. And it was awesome. No big anything amazing happened, but we did get to meet him, which was what we needed. He's had questions about the Church in the past, so this is the perfect opportunity. We have a dinner set up with Michelle, her son and husband with a member family tomorrow. It's going to be like the best thing ever! That night, we also got to go out to dinner with the Noels. We went out to eat, went to Starbucks for hot chocolate (I know, so rebellious of me! Getting the cops called on us, getting drinks at Starbucks....I'm more rebellious now than I was before my mission!), and then we went to the Christmas lights at Oak Park. They weren't really even comparable to Temple Square, the trees weren't lit, it was just like light displays, but it was as close as we can get here in Minot, so it was fun. 

Sunday (yesterday), was the first day that I actually felt mostly normal. Which is always a good thing. I can actually breathe now when I sleep! Woohoo! Choir practice was super fun, Church was Church-y, we had a lot of non-members there, potential investigators, and a few less-actives, too, so it was a good, solid Church time. Only 2 more weeks of 3pm church! The Christmas Devotional was awesome! It's interesting now that it's not the "First Presidency Christmas Devotional", but it was cool to hear from different people. Elder Nelson's talk was awesome. Christmas time is the best!! We also got to help yesterday in Mission Prep. It was so weird to be the missionary in that class, and not the one preparing for a mission. Time flies! But at the same time, I feel like I've been out 6 months already. So much happens every day.

I know it doesn't seem like being home bound was boring, but what I didn't include was the tons of time where we looked at each other and said, ".........Well, what else can we do?" ".......I don't know." "Oh, okay." ".........................." "...................................................................................." "Any ideas of what we could do?" ".............Nope." "Oh. Me either." "................................................................................." Yep. That's what a lot of it was. Poor goldfish. It's boring not having anything to do.

I love you all and am hoping that you are enjoying the warmth there because it is FREEZING here!! 

The Lord is great!

sister leslie.

Michelle at the Salvation Army.  We love her to death!

 

Mill Hollow (where I worked over the summer) dance move.  10 year olds are so weird!

 

I Must Have Chugged The Fountain Of Youth, Because Apparently I Still Look 14

First off, 24 days to Christmas! Let it begin!

 

Tuesday was great. We got up to Newburg again (The dinky town that has the "mall"), and were able to visit with a less-active there. We got to know her more and she actually works in Minot, so we're going to be able to see her more, which will be great. Also on that day, we got to talking with Michelle at the Salvation Army, asking what she believes and stuff, and we were able to give her a Plan of Salvation pamphlet that she could read so she knows what we believe in. The thought that there was a pre-mortal life or where she came from before this life had never occurred to her before. That was so unexpected and awesome to be able to share that with her. 

Wednesday wasn't that exciting. We had an awesome district meeting that talked about teaching for commitment on the doorstep and how the commitments are the same that we leave with people, regardless of how long we are teaching them. Whether it be 3 minutes or 45, we should still be committing them to read and pray about the Book of Mormon (depending on what lesson/approach you are using). Such a good district meeting. We had an appointment with Mandy again on Wednesday, but she ended up not showing up, which wasn't too surprising, but still disappointing. We just know this gospel will help her and are sad when she doesn't fully understand that. We're also going to try to get a story about us in the local newspaper, so that would be fun and exciting. We'd be famous! Ha,ha not really, but it would be super cool. We also got to go help at the Salvation Army for about an hour, too. We really love serving there. And this took us by surprise, but within like 3 hours of each other, 3 of our dinner appointments cancelled on us, so we ended up only having 1 dinner appointment for Thanksgiving. Which we were relieved, because we didn't know how we were going to eat 4 separate dinners. 

Thursday was Thanksgiving (#obvi), and it was a little different than the Thanksgivings I'm used to. We still woke up at 6:30 and did our regular morning routine, had lunch, did weekly planning like we do every Thursday, then went to our dinner appointment with a great family in the ward

 

 

It was so fun to be able to share that day with this super fun family, although I did miss my family and friends at home. How were Thanksgiving Games? I thought of you all playing Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride while eating clam dip and ruffles and all those yummy things. I was there in Spirit. But it was a cool experience to be able to share in another family's traditions. The mother of this family is convinced that I am 14. No joke. And she doesn't see me as a hashtagger. 

Friday, we got to go to Surrey, a neighboring city and go invite all the less-actives there to invite them to our ward Christmas party on Saturday. Should be a lot of fun. I hope a lot of people come. We got to teach Danielle and Anthony again and it was a good lesson. Not our best, but we did help them understand some more principles of the gospel, which is what we're here for, so it was great. They're funny, Danielle turned to us halfway in the lesson and professed, "You know, Sister Jinsin (that's her accent) has a face of pure innocence, and Sister Lezlie (accent again), your face just looks like a princess face." I don't really know what it means, but it was funny all the same. We also go to set up our Christmas tree and everything, just like I do at home! (Except this tree is fake, 2 feet tall and pre-lit). But, considering the circumstances, I think we did pretty good. We even made a Christmas countdown paper chain that is mighty fine. The Noel kids like to help us rip off a link each day.

Saturday we traveled all over. We went to Newburg again and visited that less-active and also tried to contact our referral we got, but she wasn't home. Next time. We were driven out there by a member who is super awesome. She took us out to lunch after to Big Time Bistro, which is a super good sandwich place, but, being a missionary, it was hard to concentrate. They planned it so every seat in the place could have a clear vision to a TV, and playing on those TVs were music videos from past and present music. Some of them were very inappropriate and it was a bit awkward, but what can you do? Grin and bear it, and stare at your food, your comp, or the member. Haha. #mishprobs We also made it to Surrey and Burlington, all before a baptism. We were movin' all over the place that day. We got a lot done, though. We had a lesson cancel on us, but not to fear! We will get in with them this week! 

And yesterday, Sunday, Danielle and Anthony were at church again, making it 4 times total and 3 times in a row, so they are now considered active! It is so cool to watch them progressing and building their testimonies and helping them understand the gospel more. We're having dinner with and teaching them on Tuesday--oh wow, that's tomorrow! Time flies when you're a missionary. Seriously. Before church, we went tracting in Surrey. A little background, we've been having problems with making goals for the day and then not pushing ourselves to get those. SO Saturday night, we decided we were going to make our goals happen. We put down that we wanted 2 daily contacts (where you pray with, leave a commitment to, or share a principle with someone you have never before seen or met), and as we went tracting, we only got to 12 homes, but we got 4 potential investigators and 9 daily contacts! Our daily contact goal for the week was 5! We blew it out of the water! It was such a testimony builder to me. The Lord is great. :)

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and really got the time to reflect on what you have to be grateful for. I would invite all of you to pray prayers of simply gratitude both individually and as a family for one week. As you reflect on only things you are grateful for and don't ask for anything, you are going to find that you have to look inside each day to find different things that you are grateful for. After the 2nd day, it will be harder because you've already gone through your grateful list. Look deep into each day and you will find small, and even large  blessings that otherwise may have been overlooked. I feel to promise that if you will do this, your families and relationships will be strengthened, and you will feel the love God has for you and every member of your family. I have seen the blessings of doing this in my life and know it will be a great experience. I would like each of you to comment on this blog post before next Monday at 9am MST and let me know your experience with it. I would love to hear! 

I am so grateful for my great family and friends, but especially for the Lord and all He has done for me. I am so glad I have the opportunity to be here on this mission right now, inviting others to come to Christ. I know that this is the true Gospel and the Lord loves each and every one of you. 

Until next week,

sister leslie.

 

Me with the adorable Eleanor (the youngest of the family that we live with)

 

Christmas Decorations in our apartment with snowflakes and everything

Sunshine, Steak and Frozen Nose Hairs

WOW! What a week! So much to write!

     Last time we talked, Zone Conference had not yet occurred. But now it has and I am here to tell you it was AMAZING! I wish you all would have been able to go. The focus was on teaching for commitment and it was so great. My mission president is the best. Towards the end of the conference, he talked about Apostasy and how it happens personally before it happens in a group of people. He talked about how even Church members are able to lead us into Apostasy and how we need to be wary even of them (of course not the First Presidency, Quorum of the 12 or 70, or any of the General Auxiliaries, but some members can influence us to make decisions that could potentially lead us into a state of personal apostasy). I thought it was interesting that he talked about that, but it makes sense. There are some things members tell us here, that while they mean the best, aren't fully true. So we all just need to be wary.

Me and Sister Anderson.  I just love her so much!  She's amazing! 

 

     The day before Zone Conference, last Monday, it was our P-day and not serving in Bismarck we didn't know what to do. So we took pictures in front of the temple. We were doing the "High School Musical jump" and all of that using a timer. (Yeah, it was cold.) At this time, a man came up and offered to take a few pictures for us, and we got some great jumping ones. Only later did we realize that had been the temple president. Oh snap. How embarrassing!

 

 

     I did find out also while at Zone Conference, there are 6 stakes and 1 district (a group of branches) in my mission. I'm pretty sure there's like 6 stakes in Bountiful! Weird. Elder Stewart got to bear his testimony at Zone Conference because this is is last one before he goes home. It's weird to be at the beginning of my mission when there's a lot of people around me at the end of their missions. It's an interesting perspective. We were also told that online proselyting is coming in the Spring! So that will be a new interesting thing. All missionaries will also be getting an iPad Mini. Times have definitely changed, and are continually changing!

     We got to go to Burlington this week, a suburb of Minot with one of the Relief Society sisters in our ward this week and were able to contact a lot of people in that area! It was really good to get out there and meet the people there. Afterwards, we got dragged to Lunch Bunch, where a bunch of Relief Society sisters pick a restaurant and go out to lunch together. This sister we went to Burlington bought us lunch at that, and it was really great that we went actually because about halfway through, a lady came up to us and asked us where the church building was and what ward she was in and all that. She had just moved here from Utah and recognized Sister Jensen and I as Mormons and so could ask us where she needed to go.  It was really cool to be able to help her.

 

     Also, have you heard about the Typhoon in the Phillipines? It's crazy! The story of the missionaries there is amazing.

 

Duhn duhn duhn......Wednesday we had our first blizzard. We got 7 inches of snow and the driving was HORRIBLE. 

 

 But we made it and the next day got sandbags for our truck so we don't fishtail anymore. It's nice. And so it is officially winter! On Thursday, we were tracting in our glorious boots, and the high for the day was -5. It was very exciting (not). It's going to be a chilly winter for sure. But yeah. So it officially feels like the holidays! Speaking of, we have 4 dinner appointments for Thanksgiving! 4!!! How are we going to do it? We still have no idea. Not a clue. So we're just going to roll from appointment to appointment. At least we won't starve!

Danielle and Anthony are doing much better this week. They're back to their normal selves, which is awesome. They're still off date, but still progressing. They were at church last night and also fed us dinner yesterday as well. They made steak and potato soup, both of which were really good. They're so funny. But we love 'em. They are so fun to work with.

At church yesterday, we had 5 people at church!! 3 investigators and 2 potentials. It was awesome. SO much better than last Sunday! Not even a contest at all. 

This week, we were visiting a less active member from Thailand and as we were leaving, I stood up to put my backpack on and suddenly she exclaimed: "Holy cow! You are the tiniest American I have ever seen!!" Haha I had no idea what to say besides "thank you", but I just thought it was cute. I won't be so small after Thursday. Ugh.

We also had a really good meeting with a part member family, which was a great experience. I think we helped him be more open and who knows, we might start teaching him! We'll see. 

And there you have it! It was a bit of a slower week, but it was still great. We had a lot of cool experiences. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! Have that attitude of gratitude! (Moroni 7:41! Gratitude leads to more hope and vice versa. It's an interesting cycle. Study it!)

 

Sister Miller and I at Zone Conference. We were in the same MTC Zone.

My most beautiful Christmas wreath that I made with my snowflake mustache. Boom.

(Because nothing says "Merry Christmas" better than a snowflake mustache.)



Love you all!

sister leslie.

The Week of a Thousand Emotions

Of course the week I have so much to write I have not enough time. We're in Bismarck right now for Zone Conference with our mission president and so we only get like 40 minutes of email time.

Karen, Brian and their family are progressing a lot! Church attendance we're still working on, but it's a process. They havent been active for 10 years, so we need to help them feel comfortable in Church again. But they're awesome. 

On Tuesday, we were walking in a scarier part of town that was very much affected by the flood. The only way to get where we were going was to take this creepy staircase up to Broadway, the super busy main road there. There was like old caution tape on it and stuff. It was terrifying. I prayed before I went up it. Goodness gracious. What we do to get to appointments on time. That night when we were teaching Danielle and Anthony, we talked about Faith and in the lesson we asked Danielle if she would like a priesthood blessing because she was going through a lot. She said yes and we were able to get her one. It was great. Very nice. The Spirit was there so strong. 

Friday we had a lot of cool experiences. We talked to Danielle in the morning and heard that they were having financial problems, so we called Karen, the couponing Queen, and she was able to get Danielle 20 flats of baby food, tons of diaper, wipe, and formula coupons, shampoo, soap, razors--everything they would ever need. It was awesome. Karen loved helping out and Danielle was very grateful. We went and taught Donna that day, and it was cool because she gave us 2 of the most delicious pieces of Apple Crisp I've ever had. And she promised us that if we call a few days before we go over next time then she will make us a homemade pumpkin pie that we can take home with us! Aww, yeah! It's awesome. She's great. That night Danielle even ended up feeding us dinner. We were in a lesson and we got a text. When we got out of the lesson, we read it: "Hope y'all are hungry cause I made y'all some food." Haha it was great. We ended up having 2 dinners that night. It was a lot of food. But I wasn't hungry anymore! We're always starving by the time dinner comes along.

On Saturday, we got to teach Shakeitha and Justin again, the 2 we taught a couple Sundays ago that was an awesome lesson. They committed to be baptized, just not on a specific date. So we will keep working with them. But they're on the right path! They say they already know it's true and that ever since they met with us, everything is working out and going right for them. It's so cool to see. Also on this day, we went grocery shopping because we're in Bismarck today and didnt have any food. And while there, we bought a Christmas tree! A 2 foot, pre-lit light. It's cute. I'll keep it for my next Christmas on the mission. Boom, baby!

Sunday, yesterday, was one of the hardest days of my mission. Sister Jensen agrees. Danielle and Anthony are no longer on date, but we will still be teaching them. They just have a few things they need to work on before they can be baptized. As much as it breaks my heart, It's what needs to happen. But it's still very hard for us. Plus, over the course of this week, we lost 4 investigators. But this is the Lord's work and so He is with us! We will not fail here in Minot! 

Studying General Conference talks this week has been AMAZING! Study them! You can get so much more from reading it verses watching it. So get the Ensign and start highlighting!

Love you all! Have such a great week!

sister leslie.

Eating the cookies the Achievement Day girls made for us

 

the wild turkeys that you see all over Minot

 

...and the Noel family! Who we live with! (little baby Elenore was sleeping, so there you go). 

 from L to R: Me, Sister Jensen, Ruby (Snow White, 4), Violet (6) , Jaymie (mom), Ivy (12), Mark (dad) and Oliver (9).

 

No Longer the Greenest Apple......

Last week, on P-day, all the Minot missionaries got together and played Apple Shmear, which is to take bad, older apples and play baseball with them, pretty much. Somehow we had a bat and everything. Apple bits were everywhere! Stuck in the fence, smashed into bits all over the lawn..haha it was funny. Until the cops showed up. I guess someone had filed a complaint that we were making a mess. Luckily, the cop was on our side and the elders weren't wearing their nametags to keep them clean, so the cop didn't know we were missionaries. Haha I never did such a crazy act before my mission. I guess why not in Minot, right? 

The highlight of the week happened on Tuesday. Remember our investigators Danielle and Anthony? Yeah, we got them on date! It was such a great lesson. We taught them the Plan of Salvation and it answered all of the many questions they had, especially Danielle. It was interesting, because the Spirit was so strong and their child Aiden was happily playing on the floor, when Danielle showed us a clip of the cartoon Dante's Inferno, which is something she was taught as a young Southern Baptist. In order to watch it, the children's parents had to sign a consent form, and having watched it I can now understand why. We only watched for about 3 minutes out of the hour and a half, but in that the Spirit totally left the room and Aiden started crying and I was terrified. To think that someone thought this was what happened after death was so humbling and sad to me. Even now when I think of that video, I get shaky and know that it is definitely NOT from the Lord. But the cool thing about it was, we were able to teach her that after death is a good place, full of light and joy, not a place of sorrow and darkness. She has 2 sisters waiting for her in the Celestial kingdom and it inspires her to be better, to make it up there. It was such a testimony builder for me of the Plan of Salvation. We taught them again on Friday, and they are so solid. The Spirit resides in their home and it's so cool to watch the Light of Christ come into their faces and help them grow closer together as a family. They're so excited that through the temple,  they can be a forever family. I love going over and getting to teach them. They are on date for December 14th.

This past Saturday, on the 9th, we had the opportunity to go to the temple. We spent from 8:45am-5:00pm traveling and in Bismarck all for a 2 hour time in the temple. So be grateful that you have one so close. We drove down with a super cute family in our ward, and after the temple went to lunch with them before returning home. Yes, the temple is very small. A session only holds about 40 people, 20 males and 20 females, and the Celestial Room only has seating for about 10 or 12 maybe. Super small. But it has the same spirit there as any of the other temples do. It hasn't been too long since I've been to the temple, but it will probably be a long time until I get to go again. We get to go ever 3 months if we are in the Bismarck Stake, so I don't know where I'll be in 3 months. We'll have to see. But it was so neat to be there with my companion and ward members. It was interesting, Satan tried really hard to give us a bad day and to make us angry after we left the temple. It almost worked. But it didn't. 

Exciting news!! When we get new missionaries up here in Minot tomorrow, a car is being brought! A CAR! Which means that yes indeed! Each set of missionaries in Minot will have their own car! BAM! It will be so much better, especially with it getting cold. Ahh, so great.

And as of today, I am no longer the greenest missionary in the field! There are now missionaries in the South Dakota Rapid City Mission that have been out less time than me! WOOHOO! Glory glory hallelujah! It is so exciting! I can't even believe it. This transfer has FLOWN so fast! I can only imagine how fast my mission will go by.

Look up 2 Nephi 31:20. Read it. Then read it again, but put the word 'almost' in front of all the phrases. It definitely gives the scripture a whole new meaning. 

Next week I'll have more time, sorry! Love you all! 

sister leslie.

Sis. Jensen and I at the Bismark, ND Temple



District Meeting

 

Minot District with Sis. Sellers (far right)

 

Taking Candy from a Possessed Zombie...Just Another Day In The Life As A Missionary

I don't even know where to begin this week in writing home. SO much has happened!

 

Last week, I was terrified for exchanges (when you switch companions for a day) because I was the senior companion. My companion for the day, Sister Gordon, goes home in 2 weeks and so I know she knows this all a lot better than I do and was just freaking out. It's a scary thing. But it ended up being a really cool experience. We had a great lesson with Momoh about marriage and were pretty blunt with him about some of his concerns with marriage. But in the end, we committed him to talk to Jartu about this coming up January 15 as their wedding date. So hopefully that will work out and we'll be able to meet with them again soon! We also met Stephanie, who is the roommate of a referral we got and were trying to visit. She is so prepared to hear the gospel and was going to come to church yesterday, but got the flu (sneaky, Satan. sneaky...) so we will hopefuly be teaching her tonight and then she'll be coming to church this coming Sunday. She's awesome.

 

Halloween as a missionary is weird. It doesn't mean anything different for our schedules or anything, but at the same time who would want to meet with the missionaries on Halloween night? Hmm. SO it was interesting. It was a day full of service, both for the Salvation Army and a non-member lady who needed apples picked. Service always makes me feel good. But that night, the Noels (specifically Sister Noel) told us we HAD to come to the Halloween Party they were going to for a few minutes that night. So we did. Literally for like 7 minutes. HAha. It's not as fun being at a party when everyone is watching to see how missionaries act in regular social gatherings. On the way home, Sister Noel drove us to her friends house that aways gets super into Halloween. We had to go knock on her door to trick or treat and everything. And let me tell you, it was terrifying!! We knocked on the door, didn't think she was there so was about to go back to the car, but then in the window by the door we saw a corner of a nightgown appear, and then suddenly this possessed zombie (apparently from the Ring, a horror film) oozed out of the door. She said nothing, nor did she break her facial expression of horrifying blankness. Sister Noel made me go up to her and say "trick or treat", and then this lady put into my hand some candy while staring into my soul with the emptiest, blackest eyes you've ever seen anyone act before. Yeesh. It gave me the heebie jeebies. I should have gotten a picture with her, but I was too scared. I'm not afraid to admit that. So yeah. Gotta love fun stuff like that.

 

We also went on splits this week (where each missionary takes with them, in the case of a sister missionary, a laurel-aged young women or any other lady), and I got the opportunity to go to Danielle and Anthony's house with a young woman in the ward. It was an awesome lesson. The spirit was so strong and even though Danielle was asking a lot of hard questions, through the SPirit I was able to answer them and Lydia, the young woman with me, was able to bear such sweet testimonies of what was being taught. I was a bt nervous seeing as young women expect the missionaries to know what to say and all that, but I think I did okay. I might have talked just a little too much. But it;s a work in progress. They're progessing very well now.

 

So on Saturday, we had our first Family MIssion Day. It went very well. I was pleased. It was a bit rocky because it was the first one, but it was great to get to know the members more and better while and to help them become more involved in member missionary work. I got to work with 2 families, and it was so much fun. We're going to start doing one every month. Boom, baby! Later that day, we also got to meet Fay, a cute older lady who is good friends with DOnna. We get to go help her rake leaves and such on TUesday, and I'm so excited. It'll be great for sure.

 

On Friday, Sister Noel was running Sister Jensen and I to a service activity and also her kids to school. We made it 2 blocks and then we realized we had no more gas in the car. Not any. Luckily we coasted into the gas station, only to find out that the gas tank was on the other side of the car. SO after working with a defective gas can and using some random guys' help, we made it back on the road. I now understand better how to use a gas can. Life skill mastered. Now I hope I never have to use it.

 

Daylight Savings Time is always a glorious time. Escpecially when you wake up in the morning, look at your phone and then realize that it's 5:36 and then you remember about DST and so get to go back to bed for an hour! Ahhhhhh, that's the best.

 

SUNDAY. The time when you find out if your investigators are going to be progressing investigators or not. The time when everything becomes very real. Yesterday, Sister Jensen and I were at the church from 9:15am to 6:20pm. Mandy came to church!! She came for Sacrament Meeting only, but she still came! She's progressing!! WOOHOOOO! We also got dropped by our first investigator. Her name is Alaina and we only taught her once. It's way sad that she dropped us, but we kinda sensed it coming. We can't force people to accept the message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. When we got to our Sacrament Meeting at 3, we were greeted by Morgan, a super cute 3 year old with "SISSER MISHIMARIES!!!!" SHe came up and hugged us. Haha her mom says she refers to us as her "big sisters" to all of her firends and is so proud that we have been to her house. It's so cute! This week I'll try to get a picture with her. :) Also in that sacrament meeting was Danielle and Anthony with their son. Hole cow! They came! 3 investigators at Sacrament Meeting and 3 progessing investigators!! How awesome! Danielle even bore her testimony in Sacrament Meeting and it was powerful. SHe shared how she gained faith in Christ and how much she was grateful for Sister Jensen and I. I almost started crying I was so happy. Ah. She participated a lot in the other classes, too. Maybe a little bit too much, but we'll work on it. At least she isn't shy. PLUS, we got 2 NEW INVESTIGATORS yeaterday!! Read below for the story.

 

This last week, I've been a lot more homesick and I've really been struggling to focus and keep my act together. It was definitley the hardest week for me on my mission so far.  I understand that it's natural to miss home and to get used to the new life of a missionary, but I even found myself thinking that I wanted to go home, which terrified me. Of course, I didn't want to go home, but I realized how much I'm mission out on at home and how life continues, even though I'm not there to participate in it, and it freaked me out.  I've been praying a lot this week to feel comforted and to feel that where I need to be is on my mission, because I know this is where I need to be. Yesterday, Sister Jensen and I went and taught the Restoration to a couple that Sister Jensen found while doing splits this past week. The lesson was led so strongly by the Spirit and we were able to teach it in unity. They had never before heard of Joseph Smith, and they didn't know anything about the Book of Mormon except for the name of it. It was so amazing to see the Spirit teach them as we were there, being the Lord's mouthpieces. In that lesson, I felt that this couple is one of the reasons I'm in Minot, one of the reasons I'm on my mission. I knew that was the answer to prayer that I had needed in order to again let go of all my fears and really trust in the Lord. I am again focused and getting over homesickness much faster and I am so glad that I was able to again have the confirmation that the Lord knows me and what I'm going through.

 

Whatever it is, I know the Lord can and will help you through it if we will only reach up to Him. KNow that I am so happy here and love the people and all the experiences that I'm having. Lter today, I get to play Apple Shmear with the other "mishimaries" here in Minot. So that will be exciting if we don't freeze. The wind is howling today and I think that with the windchill it's around 15 degress, maybe a little less. Be grateful for the warm weather in Utah.

 

The work is working!

sister leslie.

 

Scandinavian Culture Center Horse thing

 

so many jobs here! So much money!

 

bubble thing at the halloween party

 

our halloween costumes: spot the difference!

 

Family Mission Day: Elder Larsen, Elder Stewart, Brother Fife

(just released Ward Mission Leader) and Sister Jensen and I.

We share the ward with these Elders.

Llama Herders and Burritos

This week has been not as great as last week, but there will still a few exciting points. 

We got a great service opportunity this week. We were prompted to go to the Salvation Army here and so we decided to go on Tuesday. When we got there, we set up 4 hours a week that we would come and volunteer. They were so grateful. But then Sister Jensen was inspired to ask if they needed help now. The lady in charge was almost brought to tears as she explained everything that still needed to be done. We were more than happy to come help and so for the next 2 hours we made bags of food for their pantry customers and also Thanksgiving bags for those who don't have much money.  It was an amazing experience. We knew that we had been prompted there. And even though we didn't get a chance to share the gospel or anything, we still were able to share our testimonies through service. I love serving there.

The week didn't really get exciting until Friday. We were finally able to meet Momoh (Jartu's boyfriend) and make an appointment to meet him the next day. We got to meet with an active member and her non-member mother and it was awesome. I don't think much will come out of it regarding the non-member mother, but it was still an awesome opportunity to get to visit with her and get to know her a bit more. We were also able to meet with a less-active family, the father of which received the Medal of Honor this February (you can see a spotlight of him if you look up Game 1 of the World Series. His name is Clint. It's an amazing story.), and they're super unified together. But unfortunately, they haven't been to church in a long time and don't really have any desire to. We're going to continue working with them, and hopefully some good will come out of it. They're a little hard on the outside, but we'll help them to the best of our abilities. 

But Saturday. That was a crazy day. In the morning, we went up to Newburg with some members. Now Newburg really is a po-dunk little town in the middle of nowhere. There are maybe 100 people that live there, the gas station has one pump (that looks like it's from the 20s) and it would take all of about 30 minutes to tract the whole thing. We went there because we had some appointments with some less active members, but both ended up getting cancelled, so we got to go to the Newburg Mall. We thought this was weird, too: A mall for 100 people? But indeed, they have one! In it, they had the Pastor's office (there was a Lutheran Church there that is HUGE. Don't know why they need one that big), the barbershop, the coffee shop, the insurance agency, and "Paula's Pretty Things" all surrounding a table covered in a plastic tablecloth with chairs surrounding it. It was great. We have a picture in front of the "mall". (Oh, and Newburg is an hour away from Minot). When we got back to Minot, we got to go meet with Momoh, and the lesson went really well. After the lesson, we were just getting up to leave when Moijama (Let me explain the living situation: Eastman and Moijama are married and have 2 kids, Zayzay and Ifa. They are less active. Jartu and Momoh, girlfriend and boyfriend, live with them. They are investigators) asked us if we would like some African food (asking it like if we were to say no it would break her heart), so we said yes, even though we were still full from eating only an hour before. We asked for a little bit. When she brought us the food, she brought us full plates full of this..food. It was this brown and green sludge looking stuff over rice. I put my man pants on and started to eat. It was actually pretty good, considering everything. But after the 3rd bite, I couldn't taste anything because my mouth was on fire. It was so spicy!!! They said it was very mild compared to what they usually eat, and I was mortified. Anyone who knows me knows I am not a fan of spicy food. At all. But what could I do? I just put my face down and ate it, sweaty and crying all the way. My mouth burned for the next 3 hours, no lie. Goodness gracious. So I survived it. I can now proudly say that I survived Nigerian good. Bam. 

This Saturday, we're (All 4 missionaries in this ward) doing a Family Mission Day. This is when we assigned 8 families to come to the Church and to create a Family Mission Plan on how to do member missionary work and what are some ways we can share our testimonies. Then we're going to do service with them. It should be a way cool opportunity to get to know the members more and to jump start the members in getting more involved in missionary work. I made a sweet powerpoint for it. I'll let you know next week how it ends up going.

My aha of the week: Christ is the meridian of time. AM and PM are symbolic of the world before and after Christ's birth. How? AM stands for 'Ante-Meridian" and PM for "Post-Meridian". (Thank you, Jesus the Christ.) I don't know if that's cool for anyone else, but it was a lightbulb! moment for me. 

Sister Jensen and I decided to dress up today, so here are pictures of our glorious costumes. Thoughts? She's a burrito and I'm a rock. And then in the next one I'm a Llama Herder and she's the Llama. Baha. Never a boring moment here. 

I am thinking of all of you! I love you all so much! Remember, the Lord never gives us anything we can't handle!

Sister Leslie

Getting dressed to go outside (it was 19 this morning!)

Me and Sister Jensen

Nice, new (and warm!) boots and coat

The Human Burrito

The Rock

The Llama and Llama Herder

Newburg, ND