2/7/2022
To start off I would like to summarize my MTC experience.. one word would be AMAZING! I am so beyond grateful for the MTC, I truly can not express how much I loved it there. I was super nervous going there! Having to experience new things, being away from home and being away from my normal was scary. The second I walked in I knew it was where I was meant to be. The spirit spoke to me like it never had before. The spirit was in every room, in every action and every thought. Truly I didn’t know if he could be my constant companion but I know now he can be!
I loved my companion! We had disagreements here and there but we were able to talk and move on from them right as they happened. Sister Bevans truly was an amazing 1st companion! I have a deep love for my district and I think that’s why it was so hard to leave. Together we were able to learn and strengthen our testimonies. We were able to laugh and cry together. They truly were my family. It was hard to say goodbye to my real family but it was almost harder to say goodbye to these amazing people because of how much we changed together.. and who knows if I will ever see them again. Overall MTC was so worth the not so good food at times and the long days. I wouldn’t change my experience there for anything.
On Tuesday February 1st Sister Bevans and I decided to go to the temple as the last thing we did together. It was a special experience. During the session I asked my Heavenly Father to help me be comforted and have peace leaving the MTC and going to the field the next day. He did just that! I got my bags packed with no issues and I was at peace even though it was sad. I know He is aware of each and everyone of us.
Wednesday February 2nd was a HUGE day! We got up at 3:30 in the morning to get ready and to catch our flights. I had to say goodbye to my comp..
. I sure love her! Heading to the 1st bus, the travel department split me up from my 2 Elders (Elders from my district) I was hoping to travel to the airport with…which was a bad idea. They put most of the sisters alone with a ton of luggage.. we were all in agreement it was not the right idea. The one day it had to snow was the day I had to go rolling suitcases down the road to bus stops! BAD TIMING. If you can’t tell, traveling to the airport was by far the most difficult part of my mission so far. By some miracle I met someone on the train to Salt Lake and we talked a lot about life and some religion. It was actually quite cool! He was a miracle because he helped all the missionaries on and off the train and we learned a lot from him in the 20 min we had together. We couldn’t have done it without him. Once we got to the airport everything was easy. My bags were underweight and I was able to meet up with my group again which was nice.
President and Sister Nygaard were right there waiting for us 9 missionaries! They are the sweetest couple ever. I’m so happy they are my mission leaders. The rest of the afternoon consisted of going to the mission office to do the orientation/paperwork items.
Later that night I was able to join 2 sisters and go find some new people for about an hour. It was SO scary! But it got me very excited too. I got a door slammed in my face the 1st half day as a missionary so that was fun haha. All jokes aside, it was still a good opportunity. That night I stayed at the mission house with the other sisters. We were all anxiously waiting to see what area we were assigned to and who our sister training leaders were!
THE MOST ANXIOUS DAY YET, the 3rd! I met my trainer! She is so sweet! I love her already. She is from Canada and is 14 months out.. she leaves too soon 🙁 meet Sister Schmidt! We live in and have been assigned to Kuna Idaho this transfer. We live in a super nice and cute apartment with 2 other sister missionaries. I cover 4 wards in Kuna with Sister Schmidt of course.. but let me tell you the area is quite big. It takes us a while to get around. In all of my missions there are about 6 missionaries on bikes/walking and I am one of them. I did have to laugh a little though. I wasn’t as bummed as I thought I would be. It’s actually been a good way of getting to know Sister Schmidt.
Sister Nygaard said if we are not having fun then we are doing it wrong.. so Sister Schmidt and I have truly been diving into the work but enjoying it as well. Together a companionship goal was to make a miracle wall. Everyday we write down a miracle no matter how big or small. Then at the end of 6 weeks we will have a super special wall as a new companionship. It’s been a good way for us to reflect on our day and see God’s hand in our lives. I am here to testify that God is here for us to the smallest detail. I’m grateful we chose to do this so we can see those small things we would usually overlook.
Feb 5th was quite the day for us. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong.. but it has been a favorite day of mine. My phone isn’t working and we switched Sim cards about 40 times lol ( we share a Sim card)… it was rough getting it to even connect to wifi. We spent a long time fixing up bikes so we could actually get places ( took so long due to a bad pump). Then we couldn’t get google maps to work right and when we were ice cold we took a wrong turn… let me say it was not the best day but we grew so close and we truly laughed together this day. I had such a fun day because we turned these bad moments into good laughs. God is aware of the silly things that are truly frustrating and he allowed us to go with the flow and take this as an opportunity to enjoy every moment. Sister Schmidt and I were still able to accomplish some really cool visits with the limited time we had. God is aware of each and everyone of us.
Sunday was a pretty big day for me. I got up and felt so strongly I needed to share my testimony in my wards. I pushed it aside because I did NOT want to. An hour or so later Sister Schmidt told me she felt it was a good idea for me to be able to gain trust in our ward. I knew I needed to. After my testimony in my 2nd ward a 18 year old boy came to me and said this, ” I know you testify of Christ every single day but today you testified for me. I am getting ready to serve my mission and I needed your testimony. I know it is so hard to get up there and speak but you did so well. You touched many lives in our ward today and we are so grateful for our missionaries.” I was so touched by those tender words. I knew I was needed in that ward. I felt the spirit so strongly in those meetings and I felt I could continue onto another week through their spirit.
I saw God’s hand so clearly this Sunday, my testimony and gratitude were strengthened. We decided as a companionship to fast together for a new person to teach this week. The last few days have just been member/inactive visits. They were still good and still important but we felt we needed something more. We began our fast on Saturday night and fasted all day Sunday until dinner. I was so exhausted because I had so many meetings with not enough energy but fasting was so meaningful. Right before dinner we got a call from one of our bishops telling us someone in the ward has a new foster son who wants to learn more and possibly join the church! I was so excited and so grateful! We are so excited to teach this boy the missionary lessons. My testimony was strengthened, God has power, he knows our desires of our hearts and he loves us so dearly. He loves effort and will bless us. I know this.
Sorry it was so long this week… so much happened! My address is for my apartment:
1742 N. Madderlake Ave. Apt 3
Kuna, Idaho 83634
