Monday November 25 2013

Just hit my 2 month mark...What??

TALOOOOOOFA.

well just another crazy week in arizona filled with surprises. Let's see... Last monday night we taught a lot of less active families. mostly the temple presentation (did i tell you all about that? i think i did last week...?) Tuesday we had District meeting where we do more training and roleplayes... i'm starting to enjoy role plays - they help me so much!  they always show me what i know and mostly what i don't know or what i dont know how to say correctly... so thankful for that!  i'm learning to rely more and more on the spirit when teaching lessons - it all comes down to teaching the people, not teaching a lesson. 

Then one of the cats on the 'farm' hissed at me... i hissed back, naturally. ;)  then i ran away haha!

I got to bear my testimony in Samoan tuesday night with the family that fed us dinner. :) i like that.   wednesday we were out all day in this one neighbor hood visiting less actives, part members, potential investigators, and active memebrs.... so yes, everyone.  we parked the car and walked. it was great because we had opportunities to OYM (open your mouth) with people on the street.  we talked to about 4 high school kids.... that didn't go as well as others... let's just say that i was talking to this kid who had scream-o music blasting in one ear and his oppinion is that all religion is the same... so i basically butchered an answer and i got nervous (he kinda scarred me) and basically i told him that he needed to come unto Christ and follow the commandments... WHAT? yes i embarrassingly called a highschool kid to repentance in the middle of the road........... (the MOST embarrased)  that is NOT what we do... seriously i just wanted to be under a rock after those words came out of my mouth......  sis collins just laughed and told me that that is the only way we learn.  so i've Learned this week to NEVER call people to repentance becasue all you get is you feel like is a fool and he looks at you like you have three eyes. -_-

Thursday morning we helped a 90 year old man in our ward lay winter sod in his front yard. that was fun! I really enjoyed being able to do some yard work.  Brother Pugmeyer is so sweet and definitely does NOT seem NINTY years old!  And on Thursday I finally memorized the missionary purpose in Samoan, feeling good!  And Our dinner canx so we went to olive garden and had soup and salads.... the waitress was really nice and very curious about the church. we talked a bit, but left her our number and a mormon.org card with the tip.  hopefully she calls!

IT has been really raining Thursday, Friday and Saturday... nothing soaks up the rain, so there are giant puddles everywhere still... some flooding too.

Friday we had Elder Bruce D. Porter (who is doing a mission tour) came and spoke to us (about 1/2 the missionaries in our mission) in the morning.  He stuck to the basics of faith, baptism, repentance, and the holy ghost.  all great insights tho!

THEN friday night i got a call from president nattress that i'd be transferring in the morning.  I guess one of the sister's that i flew out with didn't want to do the mission anymore, so she went home and president saw that we no longer needed a trio, so he sent me about 10 minutes down the road to be companions with sister Kemmerer.  She is great, lots of fun and energy.  She is 19, left for her mission in august, so she knows a bit more than i do.. but we are both definitely new and trying to figure things out together.  she is from New Hampshire and reminds me a lot of megan conrad. so that's awesome! :)  We live in an apartment with two other sisters.  Right now we cover only one ward - the stone crest ward in the queen creek stake, but there is talk of us taking over another ward this week... so LOTS of people to get to know and new dynamics to adjust to.  The apartment is nice... i have to sleep on the top bunk.... its not that bad i guess.

what was hard about this transfer is that i was just getting settled into the cottage (JUST put my pic collage on the wall that morning) and i was getting attached and connected with the members of the ward and even the Less actives and such.... and to sister collins and Sister wallace. This ward, for the two days i've had to get to know them... is so different.  definitely more average income families - not the ritzy people in the last ward. but NO ONE lets us in thier home! Even the members! They say they are busy and that they dont know when we can even schedule a time to come and share the temple video!  saturday was discouraging and so was sunday for the most part.... ON THE GOOD SIDE - in this ward we have investigators!  one is named Adam.  He is 17 or 18 and lives with a family where the mom is less active, and her two other sons (both in their 20s) living at home with her.  They all smoke, but Adam is pretty interested...i'm still getting to know him though.  He was supposed to come to church yesterday but didn't. that was a bit of a disappointment because we know he got work off.... :( We will keep working.  The whole household wants to go to the mesa temple and see the christmas lights as well as the visitor's center and see the joseph smith movie. we are hoping to go with them sometime friday.

our other investigators are a couple, tom and karina.  Karina is catholic and Tom believes in God most days. haha they both have AMAZING faith and i LOVE being a part of their learning process.  Tom has many doubts about things in life, and so we are trying to help with that along with other things.  Again - still getting to know them, BUT we stopped by randomly last night and they were home! So they let us in and had time for a lesson!  We taught the first half of the plan  of salvation! I was a missionary, and it was awesome!! I didn't to a ton of the teaching, but i did say some things, and it was really cool!  THAT motivated me to keep working hard in this area, so we hope to continue with them on wednesday this week.

time is getting short.  i will let you know that the holidays in the states are much harder than i thought they'd be... i get homesick when i think too much about it, so i'm trying to think of other things and stay busy.  We are eating thanksgiving lunch with a family from the ward. don't know them. so we shall see!  ummm yeah. so pres natress expects us to go out and proselyte on thursday! :(  i hate being the annoying missionary who is asking to come in their home when you know they don't want you there but feel obligated to... so thursday should be interesting.  everyone uses the holidays as excuses....... that makes it hard.  but we will do our best!

Miss you! Love you all! i hope you have a great week!

 Sis Wallace, Sis Collins, Sis Camilletti

 Arizona sunset

Current companion Sis Kemmerer!

Nov. 18, 2013

Subject: First Week in Arizona... it's been a bit rough

Hey!

so I get off the plane and it is 95 degrees. WHAT? haha so strange... it cooled down since and is only in the 80s most days.. pretty nice actually!

New INFO:  I am in the town of Queen Creek, AZ!  It is about 20ish minutes away from Gilbert! dont know what direction.... i get so turned around here without mountains to my side..... haha.  i'm in the Ranch Ward in Queen Creek... not sure what stake... sorry.  and i have two comps this transfer.  Sister Collins is from Naperville, IL - been in AZ for a year now and is really nice - she and i get along pretty well and she is a great trainer to me. she makes me better each day!  Sister Wallace is from Austin, TX, and has been out about 4 or 5 weeks.. she is also a visa waiter going to Rio Dijanero, BRASIL (Yeah i know i spelled that wrong, but you get the idea haha).  She is about 5 foot nothin - really tiny haha. and is a little harder to get a long with only in the since that she is a bit of a worry-wart. she keeps us on task which is good, but i also feel like she could relax a bit - i'm worried she is giving herself an ulcer.  She is a great missionary though and is very helpful becasue she knows the queen creek area better than sis collins and i.  this is a new area for sis collins. so the hard part about last week and and i'm sure this week too will be getting familar with the area and the people and our area book needs some serious help.  organization is key with the area book when we have no clue about the town or people.  We currently have NO investigators :( BUT we have many potentials we are going to visit this week as well as a TON of less active and part member families we want to work with.

the main focus of our mission right now is the GILBERT TEMPLE.  we basically are going to each member family's home, showing them this video (mormon message: why mormons build temples (and) blessings from the temple) and then we testify of the temple to them, then ask for their testimonies, then ask them if they know of any one in the area who would benefit from seeing this (obviously non-members)  we then set a followup with them.  basically we are trying to find investigators through the gilbert temple.  the open house is from january 18 thru feb 15th  or something. so we are inviting AS MANY AS POSSIBLE to it! fun huh!?  I enjoy it, but it is all still really new.

let's see.....

well tuesday after i met with President Nattress (YES he and his wife are JUST as nice as they seem!) i... well.... lost it.  i got really overwhelmed because i flew with 14 other people and about 12 of them weren't visa waiters and were all part of the same district at the MTC and were best buddies. so even all day tuesday i felt like a loner and just wanted so badly to be in NZ! so i lost it and cried in the bathroom of the stake center for probably an hour.. (sorry thats pretty depressing haha)  tuesday night we stayed with a member family near by (they split us all up with many families).  i stayed with the Bently family and they were awesome!  Cute kids, and the oldest was 12. she left me and my temp. comp sweet letters in the morning when we got up.  those letters meant a lot to me. she said i was her hero! WHAT? so cool!

then wednesday i got my two new comps and we jumped right into visiting the members and sharing the temple video.

Then Thrusday during comp study i broke down agian... see a pattern? haha. so with comp study we do a lot of reciting such as D&C 4, our missionary purpose and two other pages from PMG (Preach My Gospel handbook).. THAT was all new to me and the other two just left me in the dust and on top of that i had felt like a burden to them so... i lost it. yay..... but after i got my feelings out i felt much better, and our relationships grew. and good news... i haven't cried since! woop!

So yeah.. this transition has been tough for me to say the least.  i now know what to expect, but also miss sister pe'a a ton!  i'm trying to be diligent and obediant here. tyring to find out why i'm supposed to be here, but it's been REALLY hard.  Each day does get better tho!

The members are really nice, and its definitely a more wealthy area for the most part. HUGE houses that we've been visiting.  There is also an area in our ward boundaries referred to as the "proving grounds"  i'll try to send a video.. but we LITERALLY  "offroad" to these members homes! so crazy!

my favorite moment with teaching people so far was on saturday when we met with a less active family - the Navarros.  they rarely come to church. and both are converts when they were in their 20s.  after bro navarro was baptized they got sealed with their kids in the temple. i found that THAT is why they've stopped coming to church... they didn't fully understand the temple.  So with knowing that,  i hope to help them come back to church.  i felt a connection with them, and hope to find success.  bro N was kind, and welcoming, sis N was very distant and sometimes short with us.  PRAY FOR THEM! :)

Bishop hatch is great and i love his family!  ALL are so fun!  He is a great bishop that will be very helpful with our missionary efforts.

ummm... yeah so we live kinda on a mini farm! cool, huh dad!?  we live in an annex to a member's home! its a cute little cottage! we have a study room, a room with our beds, a kitchen, a front/living room, and a laundry room! AWESOME! it really is nice - just the three of us!  I wake up to goats every morning "BAAAAAHH" - ing! :) sometimes funny, sometimes makes me grumpy ha! we also have chickens and roosters and turkeys and cows across the way a bit.  i like it!  and i'm so grateful we have a car and dont have to bike! :)

well today we got our eyebrows waxed... then went shopping and now i'm here emailing.  well i'm so happy to hear you all are well! sounds like topeka is treating you all well!

oh, and with lang study i get ONE hour a day... never enough. i try to say my prayers and do as much as i can... but i'll be honest... i feel like i'm losing bits of it. the cool thing is that some of the members ask for me to pray in samoan so they can hear it and im thankful for that.

oh, and i saw the hiltons wednesday! that was aweomse! then i saw their son... not sure which one... forgot. but he recognized me in the hall on sunday! very kind! i think he is in my stake!

I only have ten min left so here go my questions.... :)

how is family scripture study going?? where you all at?

mom, have you been able to read that list of scriptures i sent ya a little bit ago?

do you all like the ward?

what are yall's plans for Turkey day??

will you please pray i get my visa soon, yet in the lords time!? (being patient, but i DO want to get to NZ one day!)   and i wont find out when i go to NZ except the week before the next transfer.. so we will see. this transfer is only 5 weeks 'cuz of christmas, and the next one is 7 weeks....

logan! Mitch! Isaac! HI! miss you, love you! hope you're all happy!

man i love you all!

talk to you all again next monday!

Alofa taimi uma,

Sista Camilletti

Nov. 18, 2013

Subject:  Arizona!

Pictures first...

-gilbert temple is Beautiful! and HUGE! Seriously, breath-taking! It opens in January!

-we have goats in our backyard! more on them in the main email... :)

-the goats remind me of sparky and jack...

-our little house is so cute, and really nice! again, more on that in the main email

-we have a car! praise to the lord... what a blessing!

-only pic of me i've taken in AZ... sorry! I've been so busy, i forget to take pics here... AND believe it or not i have yet to take a pic with my TWO companions... yes i am in trio again...  i love them... most times. (:  so sorry about that. i'll work on it and send one next week. :)

Uh, Hello Again!!

Hi! SO.....

Literally 20 minutes after i signed off email, i went to lunch and was handed a reassignment slip from the travel office from my district leader. I know....

Turns out for whatever reason, my medical papers expired. (silly, I know.) So the kind lady at the travel office handed me my reassignment papers.... I started crying because I will not be going RIGHT to New Zealand as planned. REALLY BUMMED about that.... BUT in other news... I've been called to temporarily serve the Lord in the Gilbert Arizona Mission until my visa arrives!

Trying to stay positive.  I know the Lord has need of me in Arizona first before I get to New Zealand.  I have faith that there is a reason for this, and that I will be blessed if I work hard and faithfully.

I'll send the next email with my NEW Travel info.

143,

Sydney

NEW TRAVEL PLANS!!!!!

I NOW leave Tuesday Nov 12 from the MTC at 4:30am, my flight is from SLC at 8:40am, landing in Phoenix AZ at 10:20am.  Flight: Delta Air Lines DL 2463.

Tomorrow I will have my physical re-done at the Missionary Health Clinic at 9:40, then get my x-rays for the stinkin TB agian at the BYU Health Clinic.  PLEASE PRAY for these to go through this time!!!

Just so you know... I'm not the only one with this.  Elder Merideth and Elder Siufanua also got reassigned... Merideth is temporarily going to Fort Collins! and Siufanua is going to Houston TX South temporarily.  

So crazy!  But I'm doing okay.  I'll just be happy to leave the MTC.  Also PRAY I don't lose the language!  Just like sister Zippro... I'll be English Speaking....

I'll try and get back on later tonight and check in with you all so reply when you can today! 

Love you!

Sister Syd

the one with elder siofanua is the proof the sisters won.. he just wanted to be on our team haha

The BIG group pic is ALL the Samoan speaking missionaries!  LOTS HUH!?  a few of the teachers are in that pic... front row is 2 elders, bro hansen, bro. tolley, and bro. priday, then 2 elders.(from left to right)

I'm gonna try to get a pic of Bro duke and Bro Blaser so you can have a faces to my main teachers!

Hello all!

So i'm not as organized with my thoughts this week.. so sorry in advanced.  Seriously P-days here stress me out... i love attending the temple, but it is in the middle of the day and takes 3 hours.  scheduling is stressful i guess... plus having to start packing and getting things ready to go for MONDAY is also adding to my stress.  I might be short in my message today....

I'm so happy to hear you all got moved in successfully! I'm glad you like it there!  You all sound happy!  Glad you all like the schools and area! Makes me glad!

I'll start by answering your questions from the last DE (dear elder) from you....

-I'm SO EXCITED to go to New Zealand.  Its all starting to get real... this mission thing. :)  Mentally I'm ready to go... physically i started packing today and i will have a little package to send back to you can you send me a dear elder asap with the house address just to make sure i have the right one. packing stresses me out, you all know that. 

-Hearing all your voices will be great too!  I hope to hear as many as possible but i know the boys have school too.... :(  i'll do my best to speak samoan and MAYBE Sing to you.. .haha i might get nervous.  I can speak to you all, but it will be slow, forming sentences is something i can do, but it takes a little while for me.  i'll do my best though!

-travel details... yes i can weigh my bags.. they have a scale that hangs form the ceiling with a hook on our floor of the residence.  I weighed my 'messy, packed' bags and i should be okay... i was at 45 for one and right at 50 for the other so obviously i'll be making sacrifices this weekend to free up some space and weight..... meh wish mom was here to help me do this.. again. :)

Thank you for the backpack! It will be very helpful!  

DAD, WHEN did austin come creep on me?!? haha! That made me laugh!  I wonder which lesson it was.... glad i didn't see him though... i probably would have messed up and flustered... ha ha. 

Oh, random.. i meant to tell you last week but forgot... here is funny story for you all....

A few weeks ago we got two districts learning tongan to come to the MTC.  The following sunday we all were on our sunday walk to the temple and i was near a fountain with my soas when one of the elders (he is Samoan going to tonga) came up to me and said the following...  "Hey my companions bet me 20$ i wouldn't come talk to you, so i'm talking to you." i said, okay thats fine. we introduced each other, then he said he had to say something specific to me and i said, alright.. go for it! this is was he told me... "Has any one told you you look like the Book of Mormon.... cause You're the BOM!"  HA!  I laughed pretty hard.... definitely didn't see that one coming!  So there you go - Logan, mitch, isaac, you now have a new pick up line to use.  Also it definitely wasn't appropriate, but still funny.  The funnier part was watching him return to his companions.... Sis Pe'a said that the fact I was a palagi/white girl, learning their language, that i should expect that kind of stuff a lot.... great.... hahah..... at least you all will get good laughs at it!  

LOGAN!  EMAIL ME! DEAR ELDER ME NO LATER THAN SATURDAY!  Anything after saturday i won't get.... maybe in NZ But i dont know about that yet....  I wanna know how you're doing, how living with the karlsons is going, and your life overall!

We had to say good bye to sis lasike yesterday morning at 6 am!  :(  it was really hard to say goodbye!  I love that girl so much, and am gonna miss her!  She will be an amazing missionary in Hawaii!  And she is warmer than us... :) lucky her!

Yesterday in class with brother duke we played a game to review grammar and vocab... the sisters won. :D  2 sisters vs 5 elders.... booo ya!  Bro duke said he'd bring us a prize, so we will see what it is.. he said it'd be something you can't get at the MTC... so probably a Dr Pepper or something haha... i'm just happy i have bragging rights for a few days. ;]

Sunday it finally snowed for the first time, and i'm pretty sure sis pe`a jumped about 15 feet across the classroom to the window. ha!  it was her first experience with snow so that was fun to watch her!  i was just cold, but it was fun to have snow too haha. all the polys (polynesians) were fun to watch in the snow actually haha.

I'll send another email with more pics!  don't worry!  But i think thats it for my week! I love you all so stinkin' much! Miss you lots too!  I'll call you monday! be ready!!!!  Will i get to talk with dad too!??!? Logan? Mitch? Isaac?

Love ALWAYS and ForEVA!

Sister Syd.