Date
March 14, 2016
Area
Farmington, Utah
Companion
Sister Bonzo
What a weeeeeeeeeeeeek folks!
As per usual it has been crazy good, really hard, super fast, and
overall pretty dandy! I miss you guys like crazy, but I think it helps
a lot that I was away at school for a while before I came because even
though I miss your guts, I'm totally fine!! And happy!
The highlight of my week was getting to go to the temple!! We went to
the bountiful temple and it is sooooooo prettyyyy!! It was such a good
experience. I feel like I have come a long way with understanding the
temple and really am starting to appreciate it by going like I never
thought I would! I still have a ways to go but mostly I just really
try to focus on the spirit there and I just feel really good. It was
actually really cool because after our session me and sister Payne
were still chatting about life and stuff in the celestial room and I
just felt so much peace and familiarity in a weird way too. Me and
Sister Payne were defiently meant to meet each other, j have no doubts
about that. It was a really cool experience.
Speaking of sister Payne, this week we went on exchanges and the
separation anxiety was so real hahaha I was sooooooo nervous! So she
went to Bountiful and I stayed here to lead the area and like okay I
know I've been here a month but like also I still don't even know our
address so I was crazy nervous. My companion for the day was one of
our sister training leaders and her name is Sister Ursaga. She is from
the Philippines, about 4 foot 10, and I'm not gonna lie to you
sometimes I had no idea what she was saying because of her accent. Mad props to
people who learn a new language on their missions. Oh, and she's 28,
did I mention that? So ya...freaking out!! But it actually went crazy
well!! She made me food for breakfast and lunch and I felt like a got
a little taste of dads mission because she gave me rice at both meals
and I was so done with that by the end of the day hahaha but honestly
I can't even complain. It was super sweet of her to do it and she just
really helped me a lot with some of the things I've been working on!
She is SO BOLD. Like I mean we were "praying on someone's doorstep who
didn't really want us there but said yes anyways" bold and it was
awkward and uncomfortable a lot but it taught me a lot and we actually
had some really good discussions with people regardless of the
awkwardness it took to get there.
And the end of the day the coolest thing to happen to me yet since
I've been here happened!! So first I'll back up to the other super
mega miracle that happened in Thursday for a little background: so
Thursday I was really discouraged. Like I mentioned in my last email I
have been having a lot of anxiety about being in the right places at
the right time and trying so hard to focus on where the spirit is
telling me to go. I felt like I had kinda worked through it but then
we had this training from President on Wednesday about only teaching
people who are really prepared to hear the gospel and not just going
down a list of names that people give you. He was telling us to pray
about those lists of names and that we would be directed. And I felt
really discouraged because I felt like I've been praying my heart out
to relieve those kinds of promotings that missionaries talk about and
like I dunno I just had nothing. I didn't feel anything and I was like
what on earth am I doing wrong? So I just said a prayer and said
"Heavenly Father, do you know how hard I'm trying? Just let me know
that you know". So we went about our day in Thursday and I was trying
to just keep going and long story short we ended up at the house of
this lady who we've been trying to contact for a while but who isn't
ever home. We didn't feel any crazy big prompting but we ended up
there nonetheless. And Oh my gosh she is wonderful. She's been through
some crazy stuff, she's an RM but her husband was dealing with a lot
of mental and emotional challenges after war and her whole marriage
fell apart and she lost her family and basically she's been living
alone for a while now and just having a crazy hard time. And we just
talked and talked and talked and the spirit was so strong!! And she
ended up telling us that just that day she had texted her sister to
ask her to pray that some new people could come into her life that
could help her and she knew that us coming was God answering her prayer.
I CANT EVEN TELL YOU HOW HAPPY I WAS! God answered her and my prayer
that night. And even crazier, I felt super prompted to share the talk
"forget me not" with her and before I even said it she told me she
felt prompted to share a book with me and get this... It was the same
talk written in book form from Deseret book. God was just answering
our prayers through each other and if that's not the coolest thing and
if that doesn't tell you how real the gospel is then I don't know what
else does. And Wednesday were going back to have Chinese food with her
and I love that lady, lemme tell you. I love this place ahhhhh.
Okay so then fast forward to friday (omg this email is a novel
already) I was out with sister Ursaga and we were kinda lost (lol Utah
and their grid system) and as we were walking we passed this guy
burning some stuff behind this fence. And we just walked past and
suddenly I got his really subtle but obvious feeling like you have to
go talk to that guy. So I was like ya know what I'm just gonna act on
this whether it's a prompting or not, better safe than sorry right? So
we go back and he's not there anymore, and sister Ursaga is like okay
let's go then! And I'm like AHHHH no I don't know why but we have to
wait, so as awkward as it was, we did hahaha. So eventually he comes
back and I played it totally cool and like asked if he could give us
directions and the somehow I started talking to him about if he was a
member of the church and he said he wasn't and then I asked him if he
had met with missionaries before and he said "ya a lot. They just
always give me that book and that's about it" and I few jokes later
and chatting it up, before I knew it I set up an appointment with
him!!! I WAS SO EXCITED!!! I couldn't believe that I had finally had
it happen! I also realized that the feeling I had was not the first
time. I've been feeling like that a lot and didn't even realize it was
the spirit telling me what to do and guiding me completely. Guys, I
was so excited. It was the best feeling. We are gonna see him on
Tuesday so I will keep you posted!!
Okay and then just real quick a funny story before I end! So remember
Aura kid? He one that told me I had the gift to see spirits too if I
practiced? Hahaha so creepy. Anyways so after a dinner appointment
Tuesday we got a Referal to go to this one house. So we head over
there, knock on the door, and guess who it was.... Aura kid!!!
Hahahahaha we both just looked at each other like oh no. He was a
hoot...again. We were just talking to him and it was odd as expected
but then out of no where he starts staring at this car across the
street and like is so obviously not paying attention to us and then
he's like "one second". So he's gone for a minute and then when he
comes back, He has a friggin gun in his pocket!!! And I was like
"uhhhhhhhhhh" and he was like "don't worry it's not real, but that car
doesn't know that" OHMYGOSH. I'm now realizing maybe I shouldn't have
included this story in the group email for mom to read. Don't worry
though, it was fine!!!! Anywho, we left and it was kinda funny.
Okay folks have the best week ever!!! I love you guys so much!!! And
miss you tons and tons!!!
Sister Youngblood
Captions for photos:
-Bountiful temple with my twin/companion! Seriously everyone thinks we look like twins
-Our District! minus a couple
-Cat photo: When Satan don't want you teaching and preaching here
-Kim & cat: Closest I'll come to getting a parasite in Utah
-Sister Ursaga