Mission Mondays

                       Greenie!

First day meeting these two wonderful people!

I thought since I graduated I would have all the time in the world... well it hasn't happened yet. But I am wanting to try and start with more about my mission! So I will fit in time.

I was probably the most green you could get. (On the mission when you first get out in the mission field they call you green-you don't know anything but you think you know how it all should run down.) I was pumped, so excited and ready to go.
Nov. 1st I shipped off to my first area. (Before I left my mission President called my mom and told her happy birthday for me-with me there listening. What a fantastic and kind man! Wait until you hear more later!)

Sister Wolsey and I in our apt.

Off to Livingston Montana with my cluelessness to start what people call a mission. I met my first companion- Sister Wolsey. She was very nice and I really liked her. As time went on my greenie head was disagreeing with what was going on. I have absolutely nothing against her but we weren't working as hard as I wanted to. No need to go into those details but in my weekly letter to the mission president I explained my situation. He made a few calls to other people (you can't take a greenie's word for it for SURE!) and after a week and a half I was adopted. My birth mom (more mission lingo) was gone and my adopted mom in.

SISTER MICHELLE HANNA!

Isn't Hanna gorgeous?

The cool thing about this is my room-mate from college (Emily) was in the same ward back at her hometown. Before my mission I went to Emily's home with her and at church saw that Hanna was in Montana (No pun intended but she sure got that one a lot as it was a big fad at that time) I wrote her a letter and told her that maybe she will be my trainer. She didn't think anything of it because she was pretty green herself. But nevertheless SHE TRAINED ME! (at only 4 and 1/2 months!) On top of that all it was pretty much being doubled in. She didn't know the area, the people, any details. And being there only a week neither did I!

Hanna did this for me above my bed.

It goes without saying that Hanna was an AMAZING trainer. I am sure my greenie-ness came out at times but she was a great.
In my journal I said, "I got my new trainer and I LOVE her. Sister Hanna is ready and willing to work her guts out and I LOVE it!" I went on to say how much we did on the FIRST night she was there! I was so pumped.
As I skimmed through my journal I would constantly see "I love her."

Out working HARD!

My biggest struggle in this area was my naiveness and expectations of something else. As I said before I was very green. Coming from the MTC with Gabbart it was only called for. I rarely missed everything at home and just wanted to work but didn't know how to work hard and still live normal. I expected difficulties to just go away. That my companion and I would push them aside and work. This is NOT realistic but it is what I wanted. Later being transferred looking back I know I was too hard on companion, me and the mission as a whole.

Laughter an often occurance

Don't worry she isn't breaking rules... it is her
birthday.... and its rootbeer. :)

Although next week I will talk all about the area I can't go without saying that Hanna loves like no else. If someone was down God would send us their direction because Hanna had just the words to say to help them feel better. More on this next week.
Hanna and I laughed a lot. She has a great sense of humor and always would make me feel good. I still look up to her as she has such an amazing testimony. Her strength continues to buoy me as she has such a powerful testimony of this gospel. I love her and will always have a tender spot for my mission mom.

I LOVE YOU SISTER HANNA! Thanks for being such a GREAT Trainer!

Side note:

This will be mostly story for later but when I went to zone conference in this area President Fisher would constantly say, "I love you." Especially to the sisters. He was such a tender hearted man. BUT when I had a meeting with him at the very end he asked what's going on. I said this and that. Then he paused and said, What else? I knew what I was thinking but kept going around the topic. He asked me for a third time, What else?  I finally spilt it out and said, "when you say you love me.... I don't believe it." With a big long pause and tears in his eyes he said something that shocked me as a response. "Then I will continue to love you until you do." Those words still pierce me as I realize now the pain he felt when I told him those words. YES this man loved me... I just wouldn't let him in.