9/19/13

Hey!!!

     First off I want to say HAPPY 50th TO THE BEST DAD IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

    Anyway, maybe I’ve said this before, but we are so spoiled in this mission!  Seriously, I don't know how else to describe it!  First off, this last Friday we had Zone Conference. It was at the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum.......it was awesome!  A lot of the conference was based on going back to the basics and doing all the “little things” and doing the things from the 12 week program, (a program used for your first 12 weeks as a missionary........self explanatory  haha but applying and using it for your whole mission, not just the first 12 weeks!  One of my favorite quotes that President Gillette used was, " The world would change human behavior, but Christ changes human nature."  I love that!  The AP's announced the theme for conference and so the day after Zone Conference started our 21 days till conference pump up!  We have little activities that we do every day to get us prepared and excited for conference!  I love my mission and all the sisters and senior couples in it!  They are all amazing and bless me so much.  President Seppi, (one of President's couselors) prepared a mission FHE for Monday night.  But actually, it was for like all day!  So Monday we had a progressive dinner with different members from the Seppi's ward.  I was blessed that I went to the home of the nicest couple in the whole world!  We had appetizers and we took a personality test, (the one where you find out what color you are) and she gave us all Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD's!  After that we went to the stake center in the park where we had a delicious dinner with a ton of food and then Cold Stone catered the ice cream......soooo good!  We played volleyball, frisbee and football, (actually only me and Sis. Cummings played football),  but hey dad and brad.......Elder Creer a senior couple in my mission told me I am super athletic and throw a football very well :)  I was very happy!  So, we were able to play outside for 2 hours and it was the best thing ever, to just be outside in normal clothes playing games!!  Then, how cool is this.......the guy who WROTE the personality test came and spoke to us!  He talked about the colors and everything about the different personalities.  It was soo fun and so interesting!  It was so funny to listen to the personalities of sisters.  Some sisters were laughing because it was “totally them” and some are like, “Ohhh that is so not me” and trying to deny it,  but it totally is them!  So 2 quick funny things;  Sister Finau is this girl from Tonga.......really dark skin and so pretty, and her color was “white”.........so she wanted to ask a question and it is a tradition in Temple Square that you stand up say your name and where you’re from.  So she stood and said, "I am Sis. Finau from Tonga, and I am white!" and all of us started laughing soooo hard!!!  I don't think I have seen Sis. Gillette laugh soo hard!!  Holy cow, so funny........now we all make fun of her!  Then this other Sister Jarrett from Hawaii stands up to ask a question, but forgets her question,  so she sits down, then stands up again, sits back down, stands up again, then sits back down and is like, “I am so sorry, I forgot my question..........and the speaker was like, “You’re a yellow!!”  We all just busted up again!  It was hilarious and the night was soo fun!

    On a more spiritual note!  I have really been trying to think so hard about what to teach this girl Karlie (19) and how to build her desire to learn.  She is the sweetest girl in the world and I had talked to her once, (she was a referral).   I thought she was just being nice and didn't want to tell me she didn't want to learn about the church.  But, then I called her this week and was just asking about how she was.  She said, “I was thinking a lot about you this week, so I looked up a couple Mormon Messages and watched them and was hoping you would call”.  She said, “I have had so much confusion about religion my entire life, and  I was actually wondering if I could ask you something? .........(she got soo nervous and I was nervous too), then she said, "Mindy, I was wondering if you could actually teach me all the lessons?"  WOW!!!!!!!!!  Seriously, it doesn't get better than that!  She is someone I care so much about and I didn't want to offend her.........but then SHE was the one to ask me!  So, now I am teaching her and I just love it!!   Miracles happen every day if we will just open our eyes!

    I love you all!  Thank you for everything and for the love and support that you all give to me! 

The church is true.

Love, 

Sister Marsh