Thursday, March 26, 2015

Is butter a carb?‏


Wow sounds like it's been a great week having E home! I am happy that everyone was able to be there. I am also glad Haley and E got to meet! That's awesome. Our family is just the best. Also GO UTES!!! Yeah baby!! Sweet sixteen!! We met this guy when I was at the orthodontist and we were talking about March Madness (don't worry we brought up the gospel afterwards Winking face) and he was trying to tell me the Utes weren't going to even make it past the first round. That's what's up! Kinda sucks they have to play duke but there always is an underdog story, right? Hahaha 

Well this week was good. It was our last week before transfers! It was a great week. We found 10 new investigators!!! All Spanish too :) not sure how solid they are will be but, we will see! I hate that I haven't been able to use time Spanish as much here but I have noticed that I know a lot more too. I also feel like I am really truly learning it because I have to know how to translate it and everything, so that's really good. 

Last week on Friday we were doing our weekly planning. Since We cover three English wards we decided to look at the ward rosters and call everyone with a Spanish last name and go visit them (since the Spanish branch dissolved and most of the members stopped coming to church). That sounds kind of bad, but as a Spanish missionary you gotta do what you gotta do. So, we call this guy named Horacio Gonzalez. Well he answers the phone in English, no Spanish accent whatsoever. We asked if we could stop by and visit with him and his family and he says, "Just for like a home visit?" So it was really awkward because we came to the conclusion that he must be an active member and we basically invited ourselves over for dinner. Well, we get to their house a few days later and we found out that Horacio has been inactive since his teens and his wife Tiffany isn't a member. He asked if we knew Jaykob Jackson, he's one of the YSAs here, we said we did and he said "Jaykob is one of my soldiers at Fort Campbell, this week I heard him talking about the church and I asked if he was a member, he said he was and then shared his testimony with me. He's so solid, his testimony was amazing, I told him to stay strong because this job can pull you away in a heartbeat. And then, fifteen minutes later, you guys called me." How cool is that?! So long story short, coincidences don't exist, but God does, and His hand is in our lives. I am so grateful that we called him. Even though we thought it turned out awkward it turned out amazing! 

Well like I said this week was transfer calls and I am staying here in Clarksville, but I am getting a new companion! I am kind of nervous to be taking over the area but I think it will be good. The wards here are so amazing and so willing to help. We have a dinner every single night for the next 3 weeks! Wow. That doesn't happen. I am so grateful for the support we have from the ward and how missionary oriented they are. That's what really helps so much! As a missionary when you have a ward that will help bring all your investigators in and welcome, you can leave the area knowing they will be watched over. Which brings me to my next topic of discussion. 

BROOKE GETS BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY. I am so excited for her. But man opposition is soooooo real. Satan has really tried to get her unfocused for her baptism. Like tons of drama and then she almost broke her leg!! It was crazy but, she is doing great and is soooo ready. It's amazing to see how much she has grown in the gospel!! Wahhhhh I love watching the gospel change lives. :) 

I hope yall have a great week and start enjoying some spring weather :) there are buttercups all over the place down here. I love spring in the south! It's great. I hope you have a great week! And GO UTES!!!! 

Xoxo

Lizzy :)

Monday, March 16, 2015

I saw a horse and buggy driving down the street‏




Happy Monday!! I am going to Nashville for pday today! I am pretty
excited!! Man this is crazy. I can't believe that E comes home on
Friday!!!! I am like freaking out. This is crazy! I am so proud of
her. She has been the best example to me on my mission. I am grateful
we were able to serve at the same time together! But I wish we could
serve our whole mission together. It's just the best to have my best
friend literally know exactly what I am going through as a missionary!
I am so grateful for my sister! She is such a boss missionary and I
try everyday to be just like her. I am so excited for her to come to
Tennessee this summer to visit me. Face savoring delicious food

This week was a great week. And I can't believe how fast it went! I'm
sorry I say that every week but it's so true!! It blows my mind all
the time. Well first off, we went to the temple this last week!!!!!!!
WAHHHHH. it. Was. Awesome. I was the happiest girl ever in the world.
I love going to the temple and how amazing it is. The Nashville temple
is beautiful. But really really really small. Like so small. But so
awesome!! Also it was the oldest movie. I had never seen it before, so
that was cool too. We also had stake conference this weekend too. It
was great. The stake president here is so awesome but SO young. He is
38. And he like weirdly reminds me of Jordan, Sarah's husband, but
like with less hair haha but he is awesome. Just such an amazing stake
president and has such a strong testimony. The Saturday night adult
session was awesome. President Johnson (first counselor to our mission
president) came and spoke. Since it was the adult session it was a
little bit smaller, but he had all the missionaries stand up and
repeat the vision of the south. It was so amazing to feel how strong
the spirit was when we were standing and stating it. The vision of the
south is awesome. President Spencer w kimball gave when he was
prophet. It's awesome. This is it :

Make no small plans. They have no magic to stir men's souls. This is
the vision I have for the south. I believe that one day the south will
baptize more people into the church than all other English speaking
missions in the world together. They are great hosts of marvelous
Baptists, members of the Church of Christ, Methodists and Catholics
who are honorable people and have faith in the lord Jesus Christ and
love him. As they see their church veering off to the right or to the
left of those basic teachings they will begin to search for truth. And
as pivotal teachers come into the church and have influence we will
see a time we will baptize hundred and thousands, tens of thousands.
In your day you will see a million members of the church in the south.
There will be temples plural in the south states. What a great call
you have to serve with these marvelous people. The missionaries love
the south. We are making great strives and expect to continue.

Wow it was so incredible to stand with all the other missionaries and
say that prophetic vision just for the south! I am so grateful that I
am able to be serving here. It's awesome! Also this week was great
because we found 6 new investigators!! All Spanish too!!! Yay!! I have
been missing speaking and teaching Spanish people! It's great :) just
like every week that is great there are also things that aren't so
great.... Narsico didn't get baptized :( he was all set and then
Hermana Torres called us and told us that they went and had a lesson
with him and his dad said he wouldn't let him be baptized and that he
had to wait until he is 18. I was sooooo sad. Seriously heartbroken.
Hermana Torres said she would do all she could to help him get
baptized before then. I was so sad. But I just know it will all work
out. I know Narsico will be so blessed and one day he will be able to
be baptized and it will be the best day ever.

Can you believe that Saturday is our transfer calls???? These 6 weeks
went by like wayyyyy to fast. I'm pretty excited to see what will
happen. I don't even know what will happen... We'll see! I totally
just have no idea. Haha but anything will be great I think!

Brooke is doing really good and but she is kind of struggling with her
husband being deployed and stuff so if you could please just keep her
in your prayers!!! I am so sad about Elsie she is definitely in my
prayers as well as the whole Cramer family. I hope the Utes do good!!!
Also I loved all those pics from Vegas!

Have fun with e! I love you all so much!!!
Xoxoxo
Lizzy :)

Ps I ate at chilis this week took! It was dank!!!!!

Hi this is sister Hargy I'm herrrrmana Browns friend we are GOING TO
GO HAVE SO MUCH FUN PLAYING VOLLEYBALL RITE NOW. LUH U BYEEEEE
TurtleTurtleTurtleTurtleTurtleTurtleTurtleTurtleTurtleTurtleTurtleTurtleTurtle
Cool Italian place that looks delicious

The stadium!!

The Parthenon







Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Lousy Smarch Weather‏

 hey family!! Sounds like things at home are going good! Everyone
seems pretty excited that E is coming home so soon! That's just so
crazy!!! But so exciting!! I just can't believe it. So crazy. I want
tons of pictures!! :) this week has been great but also not much has
happened! On Wednesday night we had to stay in because we had a snow
ice storm... It was pretty intense then on Thursday we had to stay in
the whole day!!! It was crazy. And rather boring... But it's okay. We
planned a ton during the day then that night we went over to the other
sisters apartment and hung out and watched the restoration video. So
that was pretty fun! I really like being with the sisters
(sometimes..) haha so it was pretty fun :) Friday was a good day but
just hard too because we didnt have the car and all our people we teach
live like 7 miles away... so walking is just hard and president andersen 
had all the cars parked and so we could only get rides if members 
would come and drive us but all the people in our ward are like anti
driving in the snow.. which was like not that much snow anyway...

but so then on saturday we had to go to nashville! we went to a spanish conference which was so much fun! spanish conference was just really awesome! at first i was a little worried because it was all going to be in spanish but it was actaully great! i loved it and also the spanish ward in nashville  relief socitey made us all pozole! it was delicious and so much fun!! 

we had an awesome miracle because we went to go and see this less active and her husband sat in on the lesson! it was awesome. the elders have been trying so hard to get with him to listen to the lessons and he always said no! but guess what? on saturday he sat in!! and he seemed to really like it too, so that is really good :)

I am really sorry that this email is so awful. its been so crazy here! i am so excited for it to start to be spring. i really don't like the snow or the cold. i'm over it!! its starting to get a little bit better but you never know with crazy tennessee weather!

It sounds like everyone was having a good week! I hope that brandon and josh and dad have a great time in vegas! i hope you meet a ton of cool drunk people like last year ;) haha brandon i hope you had a great birthday and you got my birthday card i sent ya! if not it should be there soon!

things are going good but it was just a crazy week and not much really happened... so i am sorry! i hope you things are going great! i love you all so much and i appreciate all your prayers and support. it really means so much to me and i can feel your prayers everyday. I love you!!!

xoxo
lizzy :)
Do you all miss me yet or what????

Being all southern on a porch swing

All the Hermanas!!!

                        
All the Spanish missionaries

Me and Hermana Torres :)
 
 

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Why is there cork on his fork?‏

Hello!!
 
Wow sounds like yall had a semi good week, considering the UTES lost
:( I was sitting in sacrament meeting and I heard these two brothers
talking about the UTES and so I asked them and they told me the Utes
lost at home to Arizona... Also that is so heartbreaking about Murray
in the basketball tourney.. That is just so sad. But so amazing that
lone peak lost! That's what I like to hear! Who did they lose too?
That seriously is amazing!
 
Okay this week was great!! Seriously so many miracles. First off,
justin got baptized! it was a good baptism and I think he was really
happy about it but like I have said before he doesn't have much
emotion or expressions but I think he was pretty excited :) in overall
it was a pretty good baptism! Also we had a mission wide conference
this week! It's all about the new iPads we are going to be getting
next week and the new system and software. I thought it was going to
be kind of boring but it was really cool actually! They have made this
cool new program called the last 6 weeks and you have to make this
life plan on your iPad and present it to your stake president when you
cme home. It's so amazing how cool technology is and how effective it
is for missionary work. The sad thing is, our mission is now doing a
facebook fast so we are off facebook for the next 2 months. But it
will be good to get refocused on our purpose and improve our work with
technology.
 
Okay next miracles. BROOKE HAS A BAPTISMAL DATE!!! So we were sitting
in our mission meeting and I looked at our phone and Brooke sent a
text to us saying "Hermanas! I have a baptismal daTe!" WHAT?!? Who
just picks their own date out of no where!? But she is getting
baptized on March 28th! And her father inlaw is going to baptize her
:) we are so excited for her! And last night we were teaching Brooke
the word of wisdom, which she doesn't really have a problem with,
besides like all southerners, sweet tea and green and black tea. BUT
last night she agreed to live the word of wisdom and she let us dump
out all her tea in her fridge! :) yahoo! I have such a strong
testimony of the word of wisdom and how by the small and simple things
we can receive the big things that Heavenly Father has in store for
us! Also the day Brooke chose her baptismal date, her husband got a
promotion at work! she said she had been praying for this promotion
for a couple of months now, and the day she sets her baptismal date
she gets it! Say what! Seriously I know that when we are obedient
Heavenly Father will bless us! MIRACLES ARE SO REAL!!
 
Next miracle was we got in to a less active part member family.
The moms name is Shamily, the daughter is
Shamilka, and the son is Salim, and the dad is Jose. BUT the
elders had been trying to teach them but they have been so cold but we
went over and Shamily let us right in and it went great. But the other
miracle was that she is from Puerto Rico and she talks like 500 mph
and I was freaking out. I had never prayed so hard in my whole life
for the gift of tongues. And it came! I was able to understand her and
talk with her. I was so happy.
 
Also yesterday was a great day at church! We had a great fast and
testimony meeting too. I have just grown so much since being out on my
mission and I just want to share my testimony with everyone I know!
It's so amazing how when we share our testimony our testimony keeps
growing and keeps getting stronger and stronger!
 
The weather has been getting a little bit better but still pretty
cold. But I am happy to say, no snow yet.... Fingers crossed that we
don't get anymore of it... Mom to answer your question a lot of the
people we are teaching are English but we are working with a lot of
less active and part member Spanish families. Which is good! Our goal
is to get a group of Hispanics here in Clarksville.
 
I cannot believe that e comes home so soon! That is so crazy. That
like literally blows my mind. So weird. Maybe she could come out here
and find a nice military guy to mary and come on splits with us. We
would have sooooo many member presents ;) Oh also i saw Elise at the
mission wide conference and gave her a big hug to give to you mom and
dad in case I don't go to transfer meeting. She said she would :)
 
Well I hope yall have a great week and I hope mom you can have a good
break from basketball before the craziness starts up! And I hope dad
and the boys have fun in Vegas Vegas Vegas :) I love you all sooooo
much!
 
Have a great week!
 
Xoxoxo
 
Lizzy Spouting whale




Me and my buddy sister Hulme

Justin's baptism

My first time eating chipotle

Brooke's texts. Haha we were so excited.

Brooke's texts. Haha we were so excited.

Pouring out Brooke's ice tea! Sorry I look so gross... Long day at
church... Haha
Spiral shell