christmas eve!

hey fam!! it was SOOO good to talk to everyone :) i just love you guys so much. when i was saying goodbye, i realized that the words "i love you" just don't cut it...they just couldn't express how much i love you all. it's hard to pack it all into 40 minutes so i hope everyone got to say everything they wanted. here are pics of my christmas eve with the wellborns and then us in our christmas pj's! (we loved them...polka dots are sister burch's fave)

christmas day pics!

here are a few pics from christmas day! i should've taken more, but oh well. the pics of me are kinda bright but it's me with all your gifts! (oh i still haven't gotten the other package yet --- annie, don't worry about it!! it will come and it will be more fun, two christmases :) i loved everything! everything was perfect. we're going to go get a pizza today!! (oh and mom, i have no idea what i want for my birthday because i got everything i needed!! i'll be thinking)

christmas day cont

then here are some pics of the day's activities. first, seeing the llamas with [B] and [O] hahaha. hilarious. you probably had to be there, but what a kick. [O] is the cutest even though she doesn't smile in pics. i think there's a pic with [B] in it on sis burch's camera. and then there are a couple pics of me helping the gustin kids (our ward mission leader's family) putting together a lego star wars ship. SWEET. i love legos now. maybe that's what i want for my birthday (kidding mom). they are the cutest kids. my first week back in the glacier park ward, i overheard one of the little boys saying "dad!! sister gibbons is back!!!" priceless. but yeah that's all the pics i took. sorry not too exciting. i want to see pics of your day!! you should send more photos :)

the sad news

so yeah, the sad news of the week is [P] didn't get baptized :( she went with her mom for christmas and her mom won't bring her back and wont' let her be baptized :( it just about broke our hearts, but all we can do is pray for her. it's out of our hands. on the up side, [D] is getting so close!! i can feel it. he's been asking his wife about the temple so we had a lesson on eternal marriage and asked if he'd prepare to be sealed to his family. he didn't say yes, but then he opened up a LOT more than ever. he really has had spiritual experiences in the past, and i know if he just humbles himself to pray, and makes that decision, he could be baptized like THAT. it was a great lesson because i truly felt the spirit guiding us. i have a good feeling. i just keep praying his heart will be softened!! i think the highlight of my mission would be to see [D] baptized and then to drive back up here in a year to see the [S’s] sealed. i feel like he's the reason the Lord sent me back to maple valley. the next day, sister [S] said, "so what did you think about the missionaries last night?" "i've been thinking a lot...they gave me lots to think about" "so when can i count on you getting baptized" "i need just a little time" which is more than he's ever said!! sister [S] was just beaming at church. she feels it's close too. ah it's the best.

well i love you all so much!! thanks for making it a wonderful christmas for me! don't forget to sing auld lang syne!! i'll think of you all, lots of love,

liz

i'm dreaming of a white christmas!

hello!! thank you so much for the christmas cd's (LOVED THEM) and the wonderful emails (although i do want to hear about the winter formal from the dude himself...hint hint haha). sounds like everyone is doing great!! merry christmas everybody!!! (merry christmas mr potter!!) i have to admit that i can't believe christmas is this week, it is rainy and GREEN here. haha so different than what i'm used to. it is gorgeous though! we had like a PINCH of snow a couple weeks ago but that was it. roll around in it for me :)

so we are having a white christmas is one respect!! we had 2 baptisms yesterday ([B] and [E]) and we have another on sunday. the Lord is blessing us with miracles!! here are some pics:

**[E] is an AMAZING 17-yr-old. she was not in the best situation in north carolina, and decided she wanted to do more with her life. so she decided to move up here to live with her aunt who is a member. she said she wanted to go to church and 3 weeks later she's in white!! she has an incredible testimony and will touch many lives. she had family drive up from california and utah so it was a happy happy occasion :)

**[B] started meeting with missionaries when i was 12 years old!!crazy huh?? in the past bit he's stopped smoking and drinking. his wife [O] is the sweetest woman (speaks mostly spanish). she has been a member for 17 years and said it has always been her dream for [B] to be baptized but she didn't know if it was possible. needless to say it was a happy happy day.

**these baptisms were both in the Lake wilderness ward. they hadn't had a baptism in TWO YEARS! so the members were all excited as well

did I already send you a pic of our Jesus tree? so we have this cute little tree decorated in pass along cards and i can't remember if i sent you this picture so here ya go.

also did you ever get that picture from that guy? it's hilarious.

also a funny pic after we went grocery shopping last week, the juice escaped its bag and rolled to the back of our HUGE trunk (did i tell you i drive a 2010 malibu?? we're cool that dat) and our arms were too short to get it so i crawled in. good times.

so yeah, [P] will be baptized on sunday!!! she is HILARIOUS. did i already tell you this story? (sorry if i repeat things) "why are all those boys walking around?" "they're passing the sacrament...we eat the bread and water to remember Jesus Christ" "and just the boys pass it?" "yep" "that is so WEIRD" haha. also "so [P], how did you like primary?" "it was okay, except they made me come up to the front of the room and they all sang this CREEPY song and pointed at me!!" ah she kills me. cutest girl.

we get to eat one meal with members on christmas day, so we're eating with the [S’s]!!! so excited. the rest of the day (10 - 7) we visit people and share a christmas message). christmas eve is normal day except no tracting and we're in by 7. thanks in advance for the packages!! you are so good to me. oh about calling, i think i will just call a little after 7 pm on christmas day (my time...so would that be 8 your time??). is that too late for you? that way we can use our cell phone (free night minutes). write me back and let me know if that works because i could always do another time if you would prefer. we're pretty flexible. it's just harder to call in the morning because we can't use our cell phone and most people don't want you at their house on christmas MORNING. of course i could buy a phone card and use the allens' phone early in the morning maybe. but then the bosters may not be there. anyway let me know!

well hey fam!

turns out i have a few minutes to email. i am EXHAUSTED haha. i was exhausted from the week already and then we walked around seattle for 6 hours. so worth it though, so fun! but yeah i'm just exhausted because the work is going so well! which is so good. [E] is getting baptized this saturday! her interview is tonight and she is just solid. what an amazing woman. she's 17, had the hardest life in north carolina and made the decision to move up here to live with her aunt because she wanted to change her life. we all know the gospel is the best way to change lives! i just adore her. [B] needs to be interviewed by president moffat, so his date is up in the air right now. what a sweetheart though. he collects postage stamps and since we always admire them he gave us some to start our own collections :) he's been taught by missionaries for YEARS and is finally progressing. he hasn't smoked for a week and a half!! [P] is also scheduled to be baptized a few days after christmas!! she has had such a hard life and is just the smartest kid. so hilarious though. "[P], how did you like primary?" "it was pretty good...EXCEPT! they called me to the front of the room, and then they all sang this CREEPY song and pointed at me!" ...the hello song. hahaha hilarious. so yeah the work is crazy busy.

sister burch is crazy awesome. i just adore the people here so it's awesome to be back. we bought $20 worth of christmas decorations at dollar tree. tacky yet amazing. we even jazzed up the $1 wreath with fake poinsettias. good times. oh and one of our bishops lent us his fibre optic christmas tree! we didn't have any ornaments so it's decorated with pass along cards with christ on the front. i LOVE it! have two wards makes it crazy busy!!! we go to both wards on sunday but we have to split up because they overlap. with PEC meetings and such, we're at church from 7:30 til 2pm, and then we proselyte and teach from 3 to 9. sundays are exhausting!! some pics of our seattle tour!

hey!

hey fam!! thanks for all the emails...i just eat them up :) i'm glad you all had fun celebrating james' birthday etc. have fun decorating the tree tonight!! i've decorated one tree so far and we get to help sis streight on wednesday!

so yeah, it's awesome to be back. the glacier park ward has been so cute, welcoming me back! they make me feel very loved :) our area also covers the lake wilderness ward now! i'm trying to get to know everybody, which takes time, but they all seem great. we have 2 people on date to be baptized in the lk wilderness ward: [B] (older man trying to stop smoking...he's been clean for 2 days!) and [E] (cutest 17 yr old from north carolina. she just moved in with her aunt - member family - to change her life. she'll be baptized in 2 weeks!

yeah so great things are happening! it was fun to come back here because i didnt' feel new and so the transition has been really easy. sis burch is easy to get along with! she has the sweetest testimony. love her.

it's been super cold, but beautifully clear and green! we got a TINY bit of snow...but more like frost hehe. it's been so dry i've loved it. getting ready for rainy season. well that's about it!! i love you all so much....merry christmas :) be careful with my ballet slipper and harp ornaments ;) haha. oh and please, don't put that gross green stuffed grinch ornament on the tree. hideous haha. LOVE YOU

sister gibbons

some pics I never sent!

hey thought i'd send some pics while i'm waiting for sis burch

GOODBYE RENTON!!!

hello family!!! i just ate up your emails today :) thanks so much for being such faithful writers. i'm glad you all had a great thanksgiving! I had a wonderful holiday as well....i'll give you more details in a bit. some business first though...THANKS FOR THE PACKAGE!! I loved it :) the rolls and pumpkin bread were amazing! sis bush also said to compliment you on the rolls, mom. she ate about half of them when we were on an exchange . . . the little nativity is so cute!! and i'm glad to have the sweaters. thank you thank you!

mama, loved your newsy email as always. i love hearing the details! i would LOVE christmas CD's. as long as they are religious christmas songs then they're good. you don't have to stick to motab. as long as it invites the spirit and helps me think about the Savior, anything goes.

pops and dude...i LOVED the pic of your race! how fun to run together :) i'll do one with you both after the mish if you'll let me! i'd love it.

annie, so fun to hear from you again! . . . i'm glad you get the day after christmas off, that'll make for a nice long holiday! i think of you often. it will be so fun to compare mission experiences. i know you understand what i'm up to more than anyone! love you

bosters, LOVE the blog posts. bames sounds like quite the character. i realized it's his birthday this week! it's transfer day, so i won't have time to get anything off for him, but i want to try and send some videos next week. sorry they'll be late, it's just been so crazy! tell him i love him :) also jen, your pictures are great! you are getting good!

okay now as you have already noticed i've been transferred!!! it's SO HARD TO LEAVE AREAS! ah i've never done well with moves, but it is ROUGH on the mission. i love these people so much! i was SHOCKED. i really was so sure i was staying in Renton. when i heard my name in the voicemail, my jaw just dropped. it's all good though, i know the Lord needs me in my new area, and i am totally at peace with it and excited. but it's still hard! they had me bear my testimony in the maplewood heights ward to say goodbye and i just broke down at the pulpit. haha how embarrassing. i bet they don't get that with elders!! i will also miss sis yura so much. she goes home to mongolia in january, so who knows if i will ever see her again. that was a hard goodbye. i'll attach some pictures of my goodbyes. one of the other reasons it was so hard is because of how well the work has been going in just the past 3 weeks! we put three of the [D]’s on date for baptism (dec 26) this week: [T], [L], and [A]. they are so prepared! [L] is especially golden, just hungry for the gospel. it's hard not to see them through, but i know they are in good hands. we also found a family from Moldova this week. [S] came to church and stayed all three hours! he is a sweet man...always waves goodbye and blows kisses as we drive away. his english is very limited, but we have some members that speak russian and romanian that will help teach. sis yura and i taught people from seven different countries together!! the past 4 months in Renton have been amazing. i've learned so much and grown as a missionary. The Lord really knows what he's doing when he puts us in certain places at certain times. even now i'm tearing up as i type because i love those people so much! i'm so grateful to be a missionary. it's like in Alma 26 when he says "i cannot say the smallest part which I feel." that chapter will always be a favorite and really is how i feel about my mission so far.

Now i know you're all wondering where i am...well i must tell you that i was even MORE shocked about that than about leaving Renton. i am back in maple valley!!! CRAZY HUH?? sister burch is my new companion. sis bush trained her in maple valley after i left! she is very sweet and i know it will be great. one difference is that we now cover two wards!! so it will be a little different than before. well i have to log off but i'll log back on and send some pictures. love you all!!

lizzie

ready for pics!

ok first an older pic: sis yura and i took over some sparkling cider to celebrate with mona and her sister janae because they won a $1000 gift card at best buy!

next, sis bush and i with my first zone leader elder revoir! he went home yesterday. he is a champ! i've met such wonderful elders. this was at the half mission thanksgiving activity. so fun. we played football and volleyball and chatted etc

next, the burches (and friend ben who is always there) brought us a christmas tree the day after thanksgiving! isn't that so nice! we ate with them on thanksgiving (we also snacked with like 4 other families) and they are just the kindest people. sis yura and i had fun decorating it!

goodbye pics!

#1: saying goodbye to the [D] family

#2: me with [C]...cute mongolian girl. i'm wearing her chuck e cheese birthday crown. yup i look cool

#3: sis yura and i teaching mongolians together for the last time (i know quite a few phrases now! they say my accent has improved hehe)

#4: me with the stuckis! he is our ward mission leader and he is AWESOME. he didn't really smile in the pic but he is my fav. ah the stuckis. their son josh is a riot "sis gibbons, has anyone ever told you you have the most adorable laugh?" "ah thanks josh, you are too nice" "i know, all the missionaries say that" haha. they fed us last night to tell me goodbye.

more goodbye pics!

#1: the argyles! they're the wintertons' cousins. small world!


#2: the burches! they always took such good care of us. love them

#3: the dalrymples!!

#4: so every time elder cox (our district leader for the past 4 months) asked if we needed anything, i said we just needed french fries. but he never got us any and it was a big joke. so last night they doorbell ditched us and left us french fries!! good memories :)

okay sorry i'm picture happy today!

#1: the allans! I'm so sad to leave them. i just adore them. they gave me a bag of M&Ms as a going away gift with a picture of Christ. they are the kindest people i've ever met. i will have to go visit them after the mission

#2: me and tia johnson! the bishop's daughter. she taught with us a lot! she's the one with the mission call

#3: sis yura and i...our last pic together!

#4: me and mona!

hola!

hey fam! sorry i'm late today...ah i am just pooped haha. we drove all the way to kent with [M] so she could go to the bishop's storehouse and it was a hilarious trip. we got pulled over by the cops and then the storehouse was closed when we got there!! sis yura was carsick and i was just trying my best to help [M] see the humor in it...she's had it rough recently and the storehouse being closed was the last straw for her i think. ah what a day. we just got back from playing basketball with the elders...i think i'm getting better at sports! who would've thought. all the things you learn on a mission :) THEN i got the laptop that took TWENTY MINUTES to load. haha needless to say i'm glad to finally be on ldsmail.net :)

well it was a fantastic week!! we're continuing to see miracles here. the biggest miracle is the [D] family! we knocked on their door on thursday, took [T] (the wife) on church tour on friday morning, met the husband and FOUR KIDS on friday night, then [T] and [L] (husband) came to church yesterday and LOVED IT, and we have a lesson with them in an hour and half where we will hopefully commit them to be baptized! the kids are between 12 and 20...the older teenage boys may be hard to convince to listen to us, so pray for them :) we're seeing miracles all over the mission and it's getting exciting!! i'm trying to learn more and more how to rely on the spirit because as i do, THOSE are the lessons that go well because it's the spirit that changes hearts! it's something i'm working on. when you really feel that the spirit is using you (instead of you trying to "use" the spirit), that's when you feel happy...you feel like a successful missionary :)

so yeah, transfers are next week! turns out sis yura decided to stay another transfer, so we really have no idea what will happen!! it always drives me crazy waiting to see what will happen.

I hope you all have a happy thanksgiving!!! no worries about me, like 5 families have invited us for dinner so i will be STUFFED! pray for me that i will be able to eat at every house hahaha. i'm going to send this off because i'm not sure when sis yura will be done and then we have to rush back home to eat some dinner. if she needs more time i'll try to write more. sorry this email is kind of short and random. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

sister gibbons

five minutes :)

okay i have 5 minutes! i might as well tell you a funny story...

so have i told you about the new mongolian family we're teaching in federal way? well we had a lesson with them at 4 one day, right after our lunch/dinner break. we werent' sure how bad traffic was going to be so we planned to leave at 3. i was SO hungry, so i grabbed this leftover chicken and ate it quick. turns out we got to fed way 30 minutes early, so we decided to treat ourselves to chipotle! we got the amazing HUGE burritos and i just inhaled it...ate the whole thing. ah i was feeling so stuffed and very content. we headed over, walked in their apartment, sis yura spoke to them in mongolian, turns to me with a worried look on her face "they made us food"....oh they gave us these HEAPING plates of food. i was already SO SO FULL. hahaha i was just forcing down forkful after forkful but i'd only made it through about half of it. meanwhile they're speaking in mongolian, i'm not understanding a word. [G] turns to me and says in english "sorry it's not delicious!" oh i felt awful because he thought i didn't like it. so i force down more. oh my gosh i didn't think it was physically possible for me to fit any more food in there. THEN they bring out this platter full of fruit. oh i did not want to eat those bananas, but i did :) haha then i sat there for over an hour while sister yura taught in mongolian, feeling SOO sick haha. i was trying so hard not to fall asleep too because i had NO idea what they were saying!! haha it sounds worse than it was the way i describe it :) they're a really sweet family and they have a date to be baptized!

well i gotta run! no worries, i'm not fat yet :) love ya!!!
lizzie

miracle week in renton!

hey fam!! thanks for your emails :) sounds like life is very happy in holladay. if i weren't so sure i was where i'm meant to be, i'd very much wish to be with you all!

well i only got a one hour computer this week so i'm going to try and type fast! it really has been a miracle week in renton. the Lord has blessed us SO much. so here we go!

miracle #1: [D] set a baptismal date! her goal is december 12. there is still a ways to go because she is still very confused and torn (about baptism as well as other craziness in her life...satan is definitely working on her) but i know she needed to exercise her faith by setting a date. i have felt very strongly that she will be prepared and know without a doubt that she has found the truth if she does her part! i'm praying my little guts out for her. i think the hardest part about the mission is how much you come to love these people, yet you cannot MAKE them do anything...even if you KNOW it is what is right, what will bring them joy in the long run. they have to figure it out for themselves. i know my heart will break if she turns away...so pray that she will have the faith and diligence to get her answer!

miracle #2: elder perry and president moffat have promised us that if we have 20 lessons a week (that includes lessons to investigators with members present, lessons to recent convert or less active members, and lessons to members seeking referrals) we will baptize monthly. sounds good to me :) our PEC has been SO supportive and determined to help us reach our goal. our average has been 15 a week, but this week we got TWENTY-THREE! it was awesome. SHWEET

miracle #3: we got a referral from headquarters that said he wanted a bible (sometimes we're not AS excited about those because lots of times they just want a bible...not any message about the restoration ya know?) but we showed up to give him his bible and he said "no, i want the book of mormon!" he also asked us if he could come to church with us next week...uh YEAH! we have a church tour with him tomorrow!

miracle #4: we were tracting on saturday and we were COLD. we meet this guy from ukraine on a walk. we talk to him about the gospel and offer to take him on a church tour. he said, "how about right now?" SURE! so he followed us to the church, we were able to find last minute fellowship, and we gave him a church tour! yesterday we got him a russian book of mormon and he said he'll come to church with us this week. miracles!

miracle #5: we had taught this mongolian girl named [L] back in august up at UW. she moved and we lost track of her. BUT on wednesday we got a call saying she was getting baptized on friday and president said we could go!! it was a beautiful occasion :) i'll attach pics!

well i'm loving life. lovin the mish. lovin renton. lovin all y'all!! gotta run!

sister gibbons

hola familia!

i don't know why i put the subject in spanish. maybe because my district leader is a spanish missionary so i say hola on the phone every night hehe. ANYWAY! HELLO FAM! i always love reading your newsy emails :) this week everyone was accounted for except JOSH!!! come on dude, i'm already missing your senior year, you've gotta keep me updated :) give me the dirt hehe. so popsy is it official you're going in march now? i'm sad for you that it was cancelled...that darn swine flu. we all got the seasonal flu and swine flue vaccines this week so we were lucky. i guess there's a shortage of the swine flu shot, but safeway came right to the stake center for us. isn't that nice? the Lord takes care of us. i'm so glad sister ray emailed you that pic! could you email it to me now? hehe she can't email it straight to me, but i want to see it. i just adore the ward here. the rays are a favorite. her husband is in iraq until january and her daughter cosette is quite a character. i want to bring you all up here after the mish! it's only like a 16 hr drive i think :) this week i told the allans i'd bring you to their place if we ever come up here. it is GORGEOUS right now. so many trees and beautiful colors! i love it. it's not too cold yet, but getting rainy. it's also getting dark at like 5:00 now! since we tract from 5 to 7 it's like pitch dark (no worries mama there are streetlights and the Lord protects us hehe) and people give us funny looks. but we just remind them that it is only like 6:00. everyone seems to hibernate in their houses during the winter months here. you definitely have to get used to not seeing the sun since it's overcast all the time. one morning, we were studying and the sun started to come through the blinds and sister yura said, "sister gibbons! god loves me! last night i prayed that we would see the sun today!" hehe God certainly does love us :)

well we've had a crazy busy week!! we had zone conference on thursday which is always a favorite. sadly we did not win the gold plates (we waxed it even though it was rainy! the allans pulled their car out of the car port so we could do it under there. apparently this time they put more emphasis on the interior, and our supplies box was "cluttered" and "unorganized" haha. the spanish elders won, but elder wilson forgot to switch the gold plates, so our car still has them! haha funny). zone conference was AWESOME. we received training on how to plan better, and now that we've implemented it i can already tell a difference in our work. when we actually plan like preach my gospel tells us to (go figure) then we're better able to prioritize our time. President Moffat (love him) talked to us about putting away our "strange gods" and consecrating ourselves more fully to the Lord. he reminds me of dad in a way because he knows all the old testament stories and finds great applications to our own lives. he read the story of joshua with us when the people took one step into the river and then were able to walk through on dry ground. the book of joshua is sweet! josh, you should read about your namesake, he's the man. i actually felt very humbled during the conference and had specific ways that i can more fully separate myself from the world, put away "strange gods," and serve with all my heart might mind and strength. i've made specific goals and so far have been able to carry through. i already feel a difference, i have the spirit more and it's guiding us! it's hard work giving yourself to the Lord, definitely a lesson i need to learn. pray for me that i'll be able to keep it up :) i think all of us missionaries felt humbled and it bonded us together. i absolutely love the missionaries i serve with. it's so cool to see this training ground for the priesthood holders (and a few sisters of course) of the church. i now understand how the amazing men in my life got to be where they are. josh, be excited for the mission. it will change your life. there is an amazing talk by president holland that he gave in the MTC...you know elder holland, passionate! i can hear him saying so passionately "my mission means EVERYTHING to me." and i'm starting to feel the same way. obviously it's not the right path for many sisters, but I KNOW i was meant to be here. it's hard. i have a long way to go, but i am so happy and i feel the Lord refining me. i have felt chastened on a few occasions because i can be better than i am. but i always feel such an outpouring of love at the same time. what a perfect heavenly Father. he doesn't let us stay mediocre. he chastens us and tries us, but it's all done out of such perfect love. a great example of parenthood. anyway now i'm just babbling. but zone conference was awesome.

another treat, we got to hear from Elder L. Tom Perry the very next day!! all the missionaries from both the Tacoma and Seattle missions were there. Probably over 300 of us. Elder Walker of the Seventy first stood and said, "Now missionaries, the missionary department has issued a policy that we are not to shake hands with the swine flu going around. but today we're under the direction of Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and he says we are!" we went row by row and he shook all of our hands!! so cool! there was hand sanitizer at the end of the line hehe. Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy was also there and shook our hands. Sister Yura was the first in our line of sisters (all 8 of us sat together, so fun) and Elder Perry asked where she was from, and then said "are you going home to Mongolia after your mission?" "yeah" "good, THEY NEED YOU THERE, WE DON'T NEED YOU HERE" haha he was very emphatic. so true though, these countries where the gospel is young need strong members. then as the rest of us went through, he said "ah a great spirit here among the sisters" and then Elder Clayton asked if I was related to Larry Gibbons. so cool to then hear them speak! They're a lot funnier when it's a small group and not general conference. they told us that within our two missions (only an hour and a half drive to get from the top of ours to the bottom of theirs) there were 4 stakes in 1966. now there are 32! and this is just the beginning they said! apparently growth of the church in the US has been flat for years, but this year it's started to increase. every month has been up about 15%, and then september was up 20%! definitely an exciting time to be a missionary :) what struck me most was elder perry's enthusiasm and optimism for the work. it made me excited as well. he spoke to us mainly of being good companions. we truly must be more concerned about THEIR success as a missionary than our own. of course as we learn to be selfless in that way, we ARE successful missionaries. i think this goes for other relationships as well, such as marriage. we must be more concerned about the other's happiness than our own, and this in turn will make us happy. anyway, we were deeply fed :)

other than that we've had other exciting things!! still no one on date for baptism but we're working on it. we did indeed have a church tour with a guy named [J]. he was very sincere and we're meeting with him again tomorrow. he was going to come to church, but a family emergency came up. hopefully we'll get him there on sunday and help him set a goal for baptism as well! another fun thing...i've been trying to be better at talking to EVERYONE. even though i always thought it was easy for missionaries to talk to everyone, we're timid sometimes. mostly just in the situations that aren't the usual. it's harder to chase someone down the street and invite them to learn about the gospel than to knock on their door hehe. anyway i've been praying for boldness and we had a little miracle. this older asian woman was walking down the other side of the street, but we ran over and chatted with her. her english was not good, but we found out she was vietnamese and were able to somehow communicate that we would come to her home with a vietnamese member of our ward on friday at 11. we went over and our member was chatting with her and it basically sounded like she was very buddhist and not interesting in our message (she was still really nice though!) but then her husband [K] came home...sweetest man! his english is a little better than hers and we were able to talk with him. oh i just love him...he was first teaching us some vietnamese (hard language!) and when i repeated back all that we had learned he said "ah you very intelligent" hehe what a compliment. anyway then we talked with him about God...that he is our loving Heavenly Father and that we are his children. that he has a plan for us. that we teach people this plan. he said he didn't understand everything, but that when we said the word "gospel" it made him feel very happy :) the spirit crosses language barriers! we're going back on tuesday with a vietnamese book of mormon and the member again. i hope we will be able to continue to teach him!! i love being a missionary!

well this email is super long. i can't really think of anything else to report at the moment. thanks again for the emails, i really feel like i know more now than when i was at BYU haha which is AWESOME!! can you believe i hit my 7th month mark this week???? WEIRD. when you only get 18 months it flies by. LOVE YOU ALL!! have a happy happy week!

lizzie

ps - the pics are from zone conference. a brand new missionary is 6 foot 5 so the elders wanted a picture of him standing and then kneeling next to me haha. good times

pps - no joke, i felt prompted to save my email to a word document before i sent it, and then it got erased before it sent! BUT i had it saved. God is good eh? hehe i HATE rewriting emails

my Halloween weekend

hey fam!! sounds like you all had a rockin' halloween :) i want to see pics of all the costumes! james' costume sounds adorable. and mom and dad, the "big pimpin' award" huh? that's impressive haha. we couldn't dress up obviously but here are some pics of our orange and black outfits for the day :)



the other pics are:
*me with tia johnson the day she got her mission call! she's the bishop's daughter (abby's age) and she goes teaching with us all the time. i just adore her and now she's going to the japan fukuoka mission in march! her mom is japanese and she's already fluent so she'll jump right in. it was fun to watch her open her call...brought back lots of memories from mine! her little brother is going to brazil and they report the same day. fun huh?

*now this weird fuzzy picture is to capture the worst day ever hahahaha. we had 5 appointments cancel in a row, including 3 church tours with new investigators. so we went to visit a less active woman who breeds westies...she has 9 dogs. they were ALL over us and i was COVERED in dog hair. that's what the picture is of...me covered with dog hair (even though you can't really tell) holding up 5 fingers for our 5 cancelled appointments. no worries though, we had a really great lesson with [D] that night...the spirit was strong and we got to the root of a lot of her concerns...it was AWESOME! that's totally how the mission...one little success overshadows 100 disappointments :)

i'm going to send another email with pictures of our zone pumpkin carving last preparation day...