a quickie!

hey guys!! i don't have very long since it's transfer day! Sister M is getting transferred :( We won't find out officially for a few hours, but i'm 99% sure Sister G is coming here with me! The only other option would be Sister L (no one else is getting transferred) so either way i'll have a repeat which would be fun either way! we had the most amazing experience yesterday, Elder Kikuchi of the Seventy came and spoke to our mission. The spirit was incredibly strong, and he made some profound promises to our mission. I felt so inspired to make these last six weeks the most amazing and fruitful of my mission. I know our area is FULL of people ready to accept the gospel if we just have the diligence to go find them. I am really excited to consecrate my whole self (Omni 1:26) to the Lord for these final weeks i'm here. I have random moments where tears start to come (like now! haha i'm such a dork) when I think about the end of my mission. Last night I laid in bed thinking, and heard a plane fly overhead. That was almost me! I know that I was supposed to stay. (but don't worry, of course i am excited to see you all again!!) C will be baptized Sunday at 7 pm! She is so ready, and i am so excited. the saddest part of the transfer is that sister M will miss it, but bro S (the member fellowship) is confident he can talk president larkin into letting sister M come back for it haha. we will see. I am finally going to send some pictures of the past few weeks (secretly i lost the camera and i was terrified to tell you and then i prayed like enos about it and no joke, the Lord led me to it, cool story actually...but no worries, i have it now!) since i don't have much more time, popsy - have so much fun in ukraine! i meet ukrainians daily and they are such kind people...jonathan - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! can't wait to have you give me an eye exam one day...everyone else - i love you!!! (oh mama, the allergies are still kinda bad....i think my PMG is growing mold haha seriously it smells like mold, maybe from the rain? and i wonder if i'm allergic to that...kinda funny huh?) ok i want to send pics so i gotta run!!! sorry this is the craziest email EVER! LOVE YOU ALL!!!

sister gibbons

pics!

hello!

hey everyone!! sounds like everyone is settling down in their new surroundings :) crazy how life changes huh? mission time is really crazy...at the same time, i feel like i JUST got here, and then i also feel like i never lived before haha. i'm sure once i get home, it will all seem like a dream. but i'm trying to drink in every minute!! it's been a little rough this week because i've been SO congested. i can't decide if it's a cold or allergies...because it's been like 2 weeks...which makes it appear like allergies...but sis larkin checked the pollen counts and they're not high...and my allergies have been minimal my whole mission so you wouldn't think they'd act up unless the pollen counts were high! anyway...so that was a little frustrating. so hopefully that goes away soon. but it's just been an amazing week! C is doing so great! we made her a quit smoking gift bag with pics of Christ (we got to go to Desert Book when we went to the temple on Tuesday), scriptures to hang up in her room and car, gum, jolly ranchers to suck on, and my ipod to borrow so she can listen to inspirational music in the car (she usually only smoked in the car when she's driving around for work. so yeah, she LOVED it and she's doing great! her kids are doing great too and would love to be baptized, but their dad is not in favor yet. we're praying for that. if i hadn't decided to stay another transfer, i'd miss her baptism! so i am so grateful. i know it was the right thing.

we just found out that elder kikuchi is going to speak to our mission on monday morning, so that'll be awesome! (speaking of...next week is transfers so p-day is tuesday...just a heads up) i have no idea what president will do at transfers. i doubt he would move me for my last transfer, but i'm not sure if sister M will stay. we'll have to see!

well i feel REALLY lame, but honestly i can't think of anything else to tell you! sad huh?? SO much happened it seems but sister M can't think of anything to say either haha. lots of crazy tracting experiences. last night this guy went ON and ON about how God is just energy and when I pray I'm not actually talking to him. I made sure he knew that we really DO talk directly to God when we pray. there are some crazy ideas out there. I'm so grateful for how simple the gospel is. even children can understand. yet there is SO much to learn. whatever level we're at, we can learn more.

well maybe i'll think of something in the next few minutes. sorry i feel like my letters are more and more lame haha. LOVE YOU ALL!

sister gibbons

hello again!

hey everyone! the weeks are zooming by so fast i can hardly believe it! it seems like every week there is some kind of big news from home! popsy, i'm so excited you get to go to ukraine again! you wouldn't believe the huge ukrainian population in this area. they have these big ukrainian churches with thousands of members. in fact, the other day, we discovered a whole neighborhood of ukrainians! they all bought their lots and built their houses together. it's hard with a population like that because they want church in their language and we don't have a ukrainian branch. although if we could just get a few to listen, we'd have enough for one! also (sorry random mission news haha!) our zone leaders baptized a marshallese family and now their teaching all of their friends. 10 committed to baptism on sunday! it's so cool to see the diversity in the church here. i love it. (oh random comment...josh, that's so cool elder B is in your chem class! he's hilarious. he was my zone leader and then an assistant to the president. tell him hi for me! you should ask him about the time i tripped in front of the whole zone conference and he wouldn't stop laughing. good times) (oh ps...dude, so cool that you're going to go on your mission sooner! i think that's AWESOME. i can't wait til you get your call. we should have companion study together over christmas break to get you ready haha!)

well as for our week, it's been awesome!! lots of success. C is still on track. she's down to 2 cigarettes a day (she was smoking 12 a day a little over a week ago!) we're going to have a big party saturday night (with cupcakes) because that's when she's going to be completely off! it's so fun to see her family grow. keep her in your prayers...she works full time (more than 40 hrs), is pregnant, and is a single mom taking care of 4 kids. i don't know how she does it! it's so cool though, she had spiritual experiences, couldn't deny it, wanted that spirit with her always, made up her mind to get baptized, and isn't turning back. i feel like we're just moral support...she always makes up her mind before we even ask!

I also got to do 2 exchanges...the first was with sister G in maple valley! it was so weird to be back. just walking into the apartment brought back so many memories! and driving down maple valley highway brought back 10 1/2 months of memories...essentially my whole mission flashed before me. we were able to have a sweet lesson with the S’s. i walked in the door and burst into tears very unexpectedly! D had come home early from work because he heard i was coming. mama S was sitting in her pj's on the couch, recovering from cancer surgery. i think that's what brought the tears initially. oh how i love these people...the S’s and hundreds of others. i've already planned like 4 roadtrips back to see various temple ordinances, etc. i hope some of you will get to come with me and see this beautiful place. in fact, this morning i was reading in mosiah 18, about the waters of mormon and how beautiful they were in the eyes of those who came to know their Savior there. and i think that's the reason this land is so beautiful to me. ah shoot, now i'm starting to cry in the library and i'm getting some funny looks. in an hour we're heading off to the Seattle Temple for my last time as a missionary! another beautiful place to me. i've decided that in my future home i will have pictures of mt rainier and the seattle temple, to remember what i've learned here. anyway...

i also had an exchange with the puyallup sisters. (speaking of puyallup...have i told you that the puyallup native americans used to own my whole area and now parts of it are a reservation? we have the puyallup tribal housing complex and that's were we found some of the investigators we're teaching now! they are sweet people) anyway, i was in bonney lake with sisters L and F yesterday. it was very sweet to be with sister L again and sister F (japanese) is always a joy . . .

i should start bringing my journal (ps, i haven't missed a day yet! grandpa gibbons would be proud...although i do have to write the next morning sometimes, but at least i have every day recorded) to the library to remember the awesome experiences we have. when i'm here typing i can't always remember. well i'm going to send this off and type my president’s letter. if any ideas come i'll write again in a minute.

i love you all so much!!

sister gibbons

a crazy week!

hello everyone!! thank you for all the wonderful emails. i love hearing from everyone and seeing pictures and feeling like i'm there :) the library is super crowded today, so i only have 26 minutes left! i will try to hurry. but before i tell about my week i don't want to forget to tell you how much i love you all!! being away, i realize how much you all really mean to me. i feel so blessed to be a gibbons :) (and of course shawcrofts and bosters are included)

well first off, the best news...a miracle! C.A. has a baptismal date! September 26th :) we had our first legit lesson with her on Saturday night. it's always hard to sit down and have it quiet with 4 kids ages 5 - 17 around, but we did it (well not THAT quiet, but good enough). then all 5 of them came to church and stayed all three hours. the teenagers went to the right sunday school class instead of staying with mom and they loved it. we were nervous about B enjoying it (she's the one that just moved back in) but she loved YW! the gospel principles lesson was just what C needed. anyway, lots of little miracles at church. then we went over that night for a lesson and B just opened up to us. she is sharp. she talked about wanting to change her life and how she's been praying this week and is much happier. then we were about to pray to start the lesson and C said "wait, first i want to tell you. i want to get baptized!" she told us of all of the little miracles that told her God wanted her to do this. she joked that if she didn't act on it, God would probably have to hit her on the head with a 2x4. she is AMAZING! she has 2 weeks to stop smoking, so keep her in your prayers!!! i really think it's possible that the 3 kids over 8 could join her that day, but we'll have to see what their dad says. anyway, it was another one of those moments where you know the Lord is in control, and I felt like an observer only. i feel so blessed to be a part of this.

well the crazy part of the week was that we had a lot of exchanges! we had a 4 day leadership training meeting with President, the assistants, zone leaders, district leaders, and hermana H and I. we were definitely outnumbered as the only sisters there (except for sister larkin and A larkin!). hermana H entered the MTC on the same day as me and she's the spanish sister trainer. we have secretly schemed about being companions one day, and this week our dream came true! we were comps from 10 - 4, tues through friday while our companions switched off proselyting in their area and ours. THEN after friday's training, we drove straight to maple valley for an exchange. i brought sister S back to dash point with me and we had a great exchange. (random note - do you remember sister G? her family doesn't write her at all...she's the only member. i was wondering if one of you would write her a letter. just introduce yourself, ask about her and ask about the work! don't ask her how her english is going though...hehe just trust me. anyway she's having a rough time and the more support the better. don't say i told you she's having a hard time though...you know what i mean. anyway it's just an idea i've had this week) poor sister M was shipped all over the mission this week. we're glad to be back together for a normal week!

the weeklong training was AMAZING. it's this new curriculum they're going to start teaching at the MTC in may 2011. it's still all out of PMG [Preach My Gospel], but the brethren chose 8 main areas to focus on. it was amazing! i learned so much about how to be a better teacher. it made me feel like i need another year out in the field to apply everything and master it, but i'll use it while i can :) i've already had amazinge experiences as i've focused more on teaching by the spirit and helping our investigators receive personal revelation. ah i wish i could just share everything about it but now i'm down to 14 minutes.

well again i love you all so much! i'm so happy here. it's definitely hard, but i feel like my eyes have just been completely opened on my mission. i have such a better understanding of the Savior. the more i learn the more i know i have so much to learn. i don't even know how to put everything in words anymore. well i better run. LOVE YOU!!

sister gibbons

what a busy week for our fam!

hello everyone! sounds like a busy week for everyone....we are all scattering across the country! thank goodness for technology to keep us connected :) i pray for you all wherever you are! I can't wait to see more pictures of the Bosters' new surroundings :) what a fun adventure. and josh is heading off to college! i cant' believe it! Anyway, i love hearing the updates each week!

As for us, the work was kind of slow this week. it seems we always get bursts of new people to teach but then our hearts break when they decide not to continue after a couple lessons. but that's just how missionary work goes! we are still falling more and more in love with C and her family. we still haven't been able to sit down and teach them a real lesson...it's been a crazy week for their family. they came with their neighbor friends (the S’s) to the ward BBQ and sat with us. we had a good chat about a lot of things and we got onto the topic of the restoration. the BBQ was winding up so we decided to continue that night at 8 pm. we went off to another lesson (actually a really cool one with a boy josh's age whose best friend just passed away...he's not sure if he believes in a god or an after-life...we didn't convince him yet but it was a sweet conversation) and then headed over there. when we drove up to C's her kids were waiting outside for us, very excited. we unrolled the windows and they said their mom had gone to pick up their big sister (she had run away from home, but called her mom to come home when she ran into some trouble...it's a LONG story....remember when i said that Bro S said C had been having spiritual experiences? well one of them was...she was trying to decide what to do about this wayward daughter. she asked bro S for advice and he told her to pray. at first she thought it was stupid, but she tried it and had an amazing experience where she felt god told her what to do) We said, "oh ok, well just tell your mom we came by and we'll call her to set up another time" but the 12-yr-old boy said "no we need your help to get ready and we want you to meet her!" So we ran inside where sister S was washing dishes and sister M and i folded laundry like crazy. hmmm i feel like i can't really explain why this was special, but it was just sweet...like they had taken us in as part of their family at a very pivotal moment for their family...when her 17-yr-old daughter came in, the little girls introduced us "these are the missionaries from our new church! HUG THEM!" haha we ended up shaking her hands and introducing ourselves. anyway, as sister M and i folded clothes, i said "are you ready to love her?" meaning this wayward daughter and sister M said "yes, i already do!" and i said "me too!" and i really did feel this overwhelming feeling of love for them. that's the best part of missionary work, when you feel about people the way God does. so yeah, hopefully more good news to come about the A family!

The only other good stories are really embarrassing ones. i was like a crazy person this week and did all kinds of stupid things. #1: i locked our keys in the trunk of our car as we were getting ready to go tracting. elder G had to drive all the way from bellevue with the spare key which wouldn’t unlock the trunk, but it would start the car. SO we had to take it to the dealership to get the keys out of the trunk haha. THEN we did an exchange with the Issaquah sisters (the very opposite end of the mission) and i left my wallet in their car!! the assistants had to bring it to me. i hate doing stupid stuff like that!!

anyway, i gotta run...there is only one computer that's free so sister M is waiting for her turn. but i love you all so much!!

sister gibbons

the news

well i loved reading your emails this week! it's a big week for the gibbons family! i got kind of emotional reading about it. big changes...josh ordained an elder and a move to san antonio. i can't wait to hear about the start of all these new adventures. i love you all so much!

i picked up sister M at the mission home and she is just a delight! she is from lehi, utah. her dad is pakistani (although he has passed away) and her mom grew up in the church in california. she is an amazing person...being the only active one in her family. she is very fun and outgoing and is picking up the work very well. i haven't been with an american for a while so it's kind of fun. we don't have to deal with the challenges of learning english so it's kind of different! I'm really excited because I get to go on exchanges with all the sisters this transfer for training. So i'll get to check up on sister H, G, and L and make sure they are doing well :) it will be fun.

We have had an AMAZING week here in Dash Point. We had a lot of success on the finding end! We had one miracle after another while tracting. We met a girl who was baptized in her teens but has hardly been active since. she's had a hard life. As we sat down to teach her a lesson, I felt prompted to ask her what she was searching for in life. (I'm not always so blunt as that). She simply said "purpose." We shared some scriptures and bore testimony that the Lord loved her and that she could find purpose and happiness. She kept saying "really?" so sincere. She told us she wants to come to church with her boyfriend and 3 kids, and that her sister, boyfriend, and kids would come too. They couldn't come yesterday but they are planning on coming this sunday! Then about 5 doors later, we taught a girl who is A's friend. She has been reading all kinds of religious books but not feeling like she was finding what she needed. Turns out her mom is LDS! We gave her a BofM, set up a return appointment, and she committed to come to church with A! Anyway, there are all kinds of stories like that this week. We've been talking to everyone we see and we meet the most amazing people. Also, we were supposed to teach C the Restoration yesterday (the one we had dinner with last week) but then she got really sick. I was a little discouraged, but then I spoke with her next door neighbor (the member who referred her) and he told me of some amazing spiritual experiences she's had over the past 2 weeks. She told him that at first she was coming to church because her kids were interested, but now she's coming for her. I felt the spirit so strong as I talked with him, I know C is prepared. I felt such love for her and I can't wait to teach her when she gets feeling better.

well that's about it! oh hold up, one funny story for the week. we always try to pray with people and teach a lesson when we meet people tracting. we were talking to this girl named L (In high school) about prayer so we asked if we could pray with her. she had told us her name was L and her dog's name was G, but i mixed it up and thought HER name was G. so i said the opening prayer and kept praying for G! sister M was laughing and i had no idea why until i closed. sister M put her hand on my shoulder and said, "G's the dog" haha we laughed pretty hard. other highlights were tracting in 90 degree weather and making up limericks. good times.

also random, i don't know if ryan told everyone, but he knows a family in the ward here! he served in their ward in chile! small world huh??

well that just about wraps up another edition. i love you all so much and i can't wait to hear about texas!! i'm so grateful for the gospel...the constant in life. when you're built on the rock of Christ, no matter where you move, your foundation is the same. and it's the little things that keep us built on that rock. LOVE YOU ALL!

sister gibbons

pics and news!

hey guys!! i only have a couple minutes today because we have to head to transfer meeting. sister L is leaving me :( and i'm getting a new sister! all i know is she's from lehi, utah, but i'll meet her in a couple hours. it will be another new adventure! i'm glad i get to stay in federal way. i think sister L is heading down to puyallup to be in a threesome with sister H and the japanese sister. she'll be great :) well the best way to tell you the news in a short time is to send some pics!

us and O! he's the coolest guy i've ever met. the yellow clothing is the usual :)

me and some henry weinhardt soda from a member. kinda sketchy i know

us with the M's, a less active family we found together. now they are active and preparing for the temple :) we love them

us and some of the M/B family. they are from chile and one of our favorite member families!

us and the H's! the members we live with

district meeting, exchange, and zone conference

this is my district (a really awesome district this transfer), me and sister G (our last exchange! she goes home next week), and all the sisters that were at zone conference (the other 4 are spanish sisters and the little girl is A.L. ...the mission president's daughter...so cute). also! the new phone we got at zone conference...isn't it shnazzy?? SHWEET

the news!

hello hello! thanks for all the emails :) do i say that every week? probably, but i mean it every week. so you've had a sneak peak of our week through pictures! also from the lack of pictures, you probably noticed O didn't get baptized. kind of a crazy long story. he's still awesome and i still think he'll be baptized soon...he just needs to get sundays off still. he was actually interviewed and it went really well. we were going to baptize him even without sundays off (since he was so ready and has been waiting so long) but then we found out he goes to his old pentacostal church every sunday night (because he's off work by then). now we don't have anything against the pentacostals, but it seemed kind of weird to baptize him and then have him be completely active in another church. we thought it would be difficult to help him progress. SO we will see. we're hoping he gets a job driving school busses before the new school year starts! this week, R didn't come to church, but sister Ndid! (the one from germany) i hope she had a good experience...the testimony meeting seemed to focus on the pioneers a lot since the youth had just gone on trek...that's kind of different for a new person so we'll see.

so yeah, that was the main stuff investigator-wise. but it was a busy week with meetings and such! zone conference was yesterday and it was wonderful! one surprising/kind of sad thing though. so every zone conference, all the missionaries who are leaving before the next one bear their testimonies. up until now, we've been having zone conferences every transfer, but now they're changing it to a quarterly thing. SO the next zone conference is in november and they called me up to give my little farewell testimony! i was shocked and very sad to realize it was my last one. but i was glad to have a chance to bear my testimony, and even more glad i'm staying an extra transfer :)

ok i need to send this off but i'll be on for another 5 or 10 minutes!

love you all!!!!!!

sister gibbons