Transfer Ahead! November 4, 2013

This week was pretty exciting! We found a couple of new investigators and had some fun! On Tuesday we taught Angie, and Brother Becker came with us. That was the first time he'd ever come out with the sister missionaries! Go us! On Wednesday we spent over 2 hours just walking around in this one neighborhood and talking to a TON of people. It was ridiculous but I loved it. We also taught a new investigator that day. Her name is Penelope and while we were there her friend Ernesto walked in. Ernesto speaks really fast and was really excited to see us. "Oh, you missionaries? You share the word of God? I need the word of God today man, I'm so stressed out." He helped us move Penelope's couch out to the curb and then started asking if we knew what scripture he had been looking for. He started to describe it and I went "Wait, I read that this morning!" It was Luke 11:13 - "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?". Ernesto was blown away. He asked me to read it again and again, and he asked if he could bow down as I prayed. We were like, "Uh, no, how about we all kneel and pray together." It was a little weird, but super amazing because that really opened the door for him to want to meet with missionaries too! He lives in another ward, so we passed him on to those missionaries.

On Halloween, we did service at the food bank because they called in desperate need of help! So we did that, then we taught Angie again, but this time we gave her roommate a Book of Mormon. Melanie (roommate) always sits in and listens to our lessons, so we figured she was ready. Then we went to a member's home for Halloween dinner! We were there for SO LONG, but it was okay because we weren't supposed to be out unless we had set appointments anyways (which we didn't). We helped the teenage son decorate/dress up his car to look like a pinata, we made pizza and "monster finger" breadsticks... fun all around.

On Friday, we got some very sad news... Sister Noakes is leaving the Grand Junction 1st ward :( Yep, I'm outta here! Sister Masima will be follow up training someone she came out with (they'll be training each other). I'm not training this transfer, and I have NO IDEA where I'm going. Ahh, mission life. Anyways, I'm pretty bummed about it but I know that the Lord needs me elsewhere (If only because somewhere around 20 different people have told me so. Hahaha.) So then on Saturday, we had to go to a training on training for Sister Masima, run by President and Sister Murdock. I showed Sister Murdock our newspaper article and she was so excited! We taught a couple of people that day as well. We had fast and testimony meeting on Sunday, and all the missionaries in our mission were doing a mission fast, which was really cool. And, Angie came to church!! We were so excited, since she promised last week and didn't come. She stayed for all 3 hours and really liked it. All four of us missionaries bore our testimonies, and the ward always appreciates that. Oh, and in elder transfer news - Elder Austin is staying and training a new missionary, and Elder Jacobson is leaving and becoming a zone leader somewhere out west.

So that was our week! Eventful if a little sad.

Love you all SO MUCH!

Sister Noakes

I asked Sister Noakes about the singles ward sister that she often does service with; Sisters Cope and Joslin are staying in the single's ward. They're pretty bummed because they'll be there over Thanksgiving. Hahaha. (They don't get fed terribly often in the single's ward, ya know.) Some other sisters are moving around but I don't think I've really mentioned any of them to you. If I end up in GJ 5th ward, I'll live like 3 doors down from the single's ward sisters though. Hahahaha. Who knows!!

Asked her if she wanted me to dig out her Christmas stocking (which I made years ago, it's a counted cross-stitch stocking based on The Nutcracker, which we love. I would love to have my stocking!! I'll mail it back to you post-Christmas :)

OH! So yesterday I bore my testimony, right? I started it off by saying "I'm Sister Noakes..." etc. ANYWAYS, after sacrament this lady I don't recognize comes up to me and asks me if I'm from Washington. I say yes and I'm trying to remember if I said that in my testimony or what. Hahaha. The next thing she asks is "Do you know Jen Throolin?" Immediately I go "YES! I love Sister Throolin!" This lady introduces herself as Lori Jacobson, and she just moved into 1st ward from 2nd ward, where the Throolins used to live. Apparently Sister Throolin told her to keep an eye out for a sister missionary named Sister Noakes from Kennewick. We talked for a couple of minutes and I am just amazed at our small Mormon world. The craziest part to me is that if they had started coming to this ward one Sunday later, they never would have met me or seen me! Timing is everything!

Love you!!!

These pictures are me and Kaleigh. Kaleigh is in 1st ward and is leaving for the Russia Vladivostok mission on January 1st! She's pretty awesome and has been coming out with us to lessons. (Kaleigh was also mentioned in the newspaper article in the Grand Junction Sentinel a couple of weeks ago.)

So, one of these is me and Angie and her roommate Melanie. (Angie has the long grey hair and Melanie has the long brown hair.)

Another is me and the Greens! They're the best. Brother Green is in the bishopric and we had dinner with them last night.

And the other is me and the Stacys. Brother Stacy is the EQ president and we've been teaching his family for practice like we were doing with the Beckers. Their kids are TOO CUTE. Parker, the one in glasses, just started passing the sacrament a couple of weeks ago and we love watching him do it in his little suit. Hahaha. Too cute.

A couple of pictures of me and the Beckers! Gotta love that family. Too adorable and sweet.

And me and Sister Larson!

(Sister Larson has taken the sister missionaries under her wing. I really appreciate her being a second mom to my sweet Sarah!) I'll miss Sister Larson too! But she'll always know what I'm up to since she's friends with you! She gave me some advice last night: 1) Look down when I walk (so I don't trip/fall) 2) Be careful on ice and 3) Marry the right person. Hahahaha. I just love the combination of advices.

Sarah and her companion, Sister Masima.

Emails from September 23, 2013

MOMMACITA!!!!! Okay sorry about not emailing last week, I was on for a while but never got an email from you??? Who knows. Sorry. ANYWAYS. (Found out later on the mail system just got overwhelmed and there were problems delivering email all over the place.)

TRANSFER TIME!!! Yeah, Sister Jensen is leaving me. AND I'M TRAINING A NEW MISSIONARY WHAT THE WHAT. Okay here's the story. So usually missionaries don't start training until they finish their 3 month/2 transfer training program. Obviously I've only been out 6 weeks/1 transfer. Friday night is the night that President would call about training. Sister Jensen and I are at a barbecue at the Becker's and when we leave around 7:15 we check the phone and see that 2 of Sister Jensen's old companions and the singles ward sisters have all texted us about calls from President. We find out that Sister Cope (serving in the singles ward/came out with me) is TRAINING and that Sister Quist is being transferred (she's been here for like, 9 months in the same ward lol). So Sister Cope is freaking out but since they had been called at like, 5:30 I figured I was in the clear. HAHAHAHAHA. Sister Jensen and I finish up the night and come home, we plan, it's like 9:45 (which is phone quiet hours), we're so good. No way President is calling. HAHAHAHA. It's 9:58 and the phone starts buzzing. I pick it up and start shaking "SISTER JENSEN PRESIDENT IS CALLING?!?!?!!" "WHAT?? ANSWER IT!!" So I answer and President Murdock asks me to train and "Yes, of course I will" spills out of my mouth and WHAT AM I DOING I'M TERRIFIED. Well I'm excited but, like I said, Sister Jensen is leaving soooo now I'm in charge of a baby and the area and I HAVE BEEN OUT FOR SIX. WEEKS. But the Lord isn’t going to give me anything I can't handle. Also, I'm pretty sure this is the Lord's way of making me be a better missionary. hahahaaha. Basically I don't know what to do with myself. But anyways. Address is the same, yada yada yada.

More about our week: we have two new investigators!! One is a woman in her forties who's been wanting to meet with the missionaries for a while and we finally managed to find a place in her busy schedule. We taught her about the Holy Ghost and she LOVED it. Hopefully me and Sister New Missionary can meet with her this week. Then, on Saturday, Sister Jensen and I were tracting when a lady in the street approaches US, asks what church we're from, then she ASKS US TO COME OVER ON SUNDAY AND TEACH HER. holycrapwhatishappening. So we taught her yesterday and she LOVED EVERYTHING. How on earth is this happening?? Me and Sister New Missionary are going to go over on Tuesday (that's transfer day. hahahaha).

I can't think of much else exciting that happened this week. OH! Duh. The elders had a baptism! Her name is Melanie and she is awesome. I might have mentioned her before, I don't know. Anyways, her daughter got baptized into the Spanish branch a few months ago, but Melanie doesn't speak Spanish. So Elder Reese and Elder Austin taught her and she was baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday. Yay!! Oh and speaking of Elders. Elder Reese, our DL, is also being transferred, but Elder Austin is staying in the 1st ward too. So both of us have only been here 6 weeks and now we're the informed missionaries. HAHAHA. Elder Austin is getting follow up trained though, he's not training. ANYWAYS.

I'll think of more things probably. I'll go reply to some of your other emails now. LOVE YOU LOTS AND LOTS!!!!!!!

Remember how I told you I love the clouds/sky here in CO? Well, here are some pictures!!

More sky pictures!!

 

My district! From left to right - me, Elder Austin, Sister Jensen, Elder Rollins, Sister Cope, Elder Reese, Sister Quist, and Elder Mortensen. Silly Elders. Hahaha.

(Mom note: A fellow Colorado missionary mom sent me the following zone picture. Her son is zone leader and emailed it to her.)

 (I also got a few more pictures from one of the members Sister Noakes and Sister Jensen visited a lot. They mean a lot to me! Thanks so much Julie!)