"FIRE, FIRE, FIRE"! January 26, 2015

Hey Everyone!

 

    Ok first of all....who can name the movie that this quote is taken from? Pretty much only you can Mom! Second I will tell you the story behind the quote. Ok so you know how being around me is just never really boring? Well Sister Baker found that out on Friday. So one of our fire alarms started chirping on Friday because of the low battery thing. So we were trying to figure out which one it was. Me, being me, decided to try and figure out how to get to the battery on one of the fire alarms. Well I wasn't exactly sure how so I ended up poking things and I happened to poke this one button that made it go off! So our alarm starts going crazy, well next thing I know, the outside alarm for our whole complex is going off!! This is at like 9:45 pm at night. So I finally figure out how to turn our alarm off but then the outside one is still blaring! So Sister Baker goes outside and our downstairs neighbor Sally is outside and all of the boys and finally someone figures out how to turn the alarm off. It was really exciting and I was cracking up the whole time.  So as far as the rest of last week went, well not really anything exciting has happened since I emailed on Wednesday. We have just been working! On Saturday we went to the open house and dedication of the Waynesboro building. They just went from a branch to a ward like a year ago! It is a really pretty building and we helped give tours during the open house. It was really fun. Sister Baker tells me all of the southern things I have picked up and am saying. Like they "stay there" instead of they live there. Living in a small country town is getting me! I love it here though. I am going to die at my homecoming I am so used to the wards here on a good Sunday being pretty small,  there are usually only about 25 people at the branch. 30 if it's crowded! 38 if I am lucky and get all the investigators here! I am glad you got to go to Sister McNeely’s homecoming, I really loved her and being her companion. She did hug me just a week ago!  I’m glad she said you could hug her extra long, and I am sure you started crying at that point! I know exactly what you mean about “Excruciatingly/Happy tears”!!  Around here we are still trying to help everyone quit smoking it is so hard and they all want to quit!  That is the struggle here. Everyone smokes. I also constantly smell like smoke so I am constantly washing my clothes. Sister Baker and I are doing well! She is my height, but can’t eat Gluten or Dairy, oh well.  We talked a lot yesterday about how to communicate and some things she struggles with mentally. It kind of made me realize how far I have come because she struggles with a lot of the same things I do/did! Just with like self esteem and dwelling on things and kind of tearing herself down. I talked about things that have helped me and realized how far I have come! I hardly ever do that to myself anymore. It was just cool to think about! We only had two people at church on Sunday but that's ok. We can't have eight people there all the time! It has been a good week though. Everyone in the branch is very perplexed as to what Sister Baker can eat since she is allergic to gluten and dairy! It is funny to watch their reactions. I loved the quote on charity in your letter mom! That is one of my favorites, I wrote it down and hung it on my wall and I read it when I get frustrated. President Monson is truly a prophet!  I realized today that I only have 10 P-days left! It's really weird. Mostly I just don't think about it. Our less active family and their granddaughter we have been working with are doing super great!  They paid their tithing this week and were so excited.  I know that Satan really steps in full gear when things like this start to happen but so far so good.  Although the Sister F-did have to have a tooth removed and then it made a hole in her sinus cavity so she is in a bit of pain but doing better!  Mom can you send the Book of Mormon childrens book from the distribution center? They want to really have good scripture study and this would help out for the granddaughter.  They seem to have a really close relationship with her and are wanting her to have a good knowledge of right and wrong so that when she is faced with choices she won’t make the same mistakes that have plagued their family.  They are amazed at the great relationship that I have with my parents and that I tell you guys everything and we talk about things, especially when we did scripture reading growing up.  They want to have this relationship with her!  So thanks for being pretty awesome parents!  Dana and Dustin are coming along, Dustin has really softened up especially when I talk with him about hunting and fishing and the stories of going hunting with you Dad and I was 5 and we spent a week by Vernal and you forgot my underwear!  Dustin thought that was pretty great!  I think it would be great if you sometime maybe wrote him a letter telling him your testimony and how you can hunt and fish and do cool stuff but also keep the Sabbath day Holy, cause you went through a rough patch back in the day!  No pressure just think about it. I think you two would really hit it off.  Things with the Branch President are doing well, he seems to be less abrasive this last little while.  When I counseled with President Cottle two weeks ago because I was so discouraged and I was going to ask that maybe he should pull us missionaries out since he was being so non-responsive and so against fellow-shipping, Pres. Cottle wanted us to stay and I said “alright I am game”, I just needed reassurance that I was handling the situation in the right way.  So I am just treating him as I do my “ornery but loveable” Grandpa Price.  Tell him like it is but at the same time not be confrontational and let him know that I do have knowledge of what I am teaching and that I do have the best interest of the investigators at heart and mostly he does not scare me.  I have a feeling that because of this I am going to miss this fellow more than anyone when my mission is done!  He does have the best interest of his little branch in mind, but it also helps to bake cookies!! Well I hope everyone has a good week! I love you all! Happy Birthday Mom! Great Job Jims, being ordained a Deacon, you will do great in passing the Sacrament- remember though that it is a very sacred and special duty that you get to perform-don’t take it lightly.  Wow same for Jonathan next week!  I always think of “If the Savior Stood beside me” what would I do!

 

Love, Sister Price

Oh and Happy Birthday Taryn, I hear you are going to get Fabulous eyelashes!!  I knew I was a true missionary when my last beautiful eyelash plopped off my eyelid! Then I truly had put away “The apparels of the World”! 

 

FAREWELL SISTER WOODARD! "SOFT WORDS AND COOKIES, TURNETH AWAY WRATH"! JANUARY 19, 2015

Hey Everyone!                                   January 21, 2015

 

     Well it has been quite the week! Ok I will go through day by day and tell what happened. Well, what I can remember of what happened.  Last Monday we went to bible study at another church with this lady who we met who loves us but isn't super interested in converting. It was fun! I have never really done anything with another church, even on my mission. They were studying Acts. I was really glad they weren't doing Revelations! The only thing that threw me off was everyone had the “New World” translation of the Bible which has a lot of changes to phrases and things, and some whole chapters are just left out!! It makes me really appreciate the King James Version Bible. They had some interesting theories but overall it was good! Tuesday was kind of slow, it was rainy and dreary and no one really wanted to talk to us and everyone canceled. We had a lesson with Dana and Dustin and that went really well. They are doing super awesome!  Dustin has gone from 4 packs of cigarettes a day to just one!!  So impressed, quitting smoking is so, so hard!! Wednesday was better but it was really cold! It was really humid so even though it was like 40 it just cut right through no matter how many layers you wore! My beautiful coat that Karen and Tammy sent me finally “died” it has served me well!!  Can you please hurry and send me my blue coat with the tie, it’s not super warm but I can last for two months with that. My valiant shoes are also getting holes in the bottoms, but my boots are doing fine!  So on Wednesday everyone canceled that day too so we ended up stopping at Dana's and reading the Book of Mormon with her. She is super awesome! Thursday we saw Dana and Dustin again and Dana surprised us and said she had made it to Jarom in the book of Mormon! When we read with her Wednesday she was on 1 Ne. 11 so she read a ton! We were really excited. I have never had someone read that much. She loves the Book of Mormon though! We taught them the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we were talking about baptism and Dustin says that when he gets baptized he wants to get baptized in a river! We tried to say we could put trees and some algae in the font and a blow up alligator but he wasn't having it. He wants to be baptized in a river! Not sure who will baptize him as most of the priesthood holders in our branch are over 70 and wading into a river in February just might be their “demise”! It was funny, but hey, he is talking about baptism!  Oh and he got  a bunch of his deer mounts back so now the living room as Dana says is the “room of death”. Friday was a busy day! We have a less active older lady named Sister Wommack who has had us teach her great grandson who she is raising. He is doing awesome and they came to church on Sunday! Then Saturday was really hard to focus because we had transfer calls. Sister Woodard got transferred! I wasn't expecting it. I am sad I only got to be her comp for one transfer! Then Sunday we had to say good-bye to lots of people. We had eight investigators at church though! That is a record for me! I have never had that many. It was really awesome. Pretty soon the chapel is going to be full! Then Monday was spent packing Sister Woodard up. We also had some time to kill because we didn't email so we went over to the Ference's and did our nails! Sister Ference has all the stuff to do gel nails so I did those on myself. I was pretty proud of myself because they look really good! As good as when I get them done in the salon. Then transfer meeting came! It was weird because three of my companions went home! Sister Tevi and Sister Sevy flew home Monday and Sister McNeely flies home tomorrow because she wanted to wait and fly home with her sister who is in the South Carolina mission so I got to see her yesterday! It was weird because I am like an “Old missionary” now! I only have one more transfer left after this one! My new comp is Sister Baker. I knew her when I served in Columbus because she was in Phenix City. She is really awesome! She is just what the branch needs. She has poofy, curly red hair and looks like Merida from “Brave”. She is from St. George. I love her already! She is going to be an awesome last companion. Things are a little better with the Branch President. We made him cookies and wrote a really nice thank you note, we used one of the cards Angela made and his wife loved it and said she makes cards too and this one was really well done! Shout out to Angela those cards have served me well throughout my mission, I only gave them out to special situations- you were inspired!!  He was actually a lot nicer after Sister Woodard left, I guess he could sense her “fear” of him.  Things will keep getting better! The branch is just going to experience some growing pains, there are so many that are interested and like it or not to the Old-Timers the Gospel will go forward it cannot be stopped!! I am excited to serve with Sister Baker though! It's going to be awesome! Oh and yesterday one of the new missionaries coming in used to ride at the barn! She is a few years younger than me but I vaguely remember her. Her name is Kimberly Wood and she went by Kimmy. She said she came back and rode over the summer and everyone told her I was in a mission in Georgia and then she got her call here! It was really cool to see her. It was fun! Don’t worry about me getting “anxious” here at the last, It has not sunk in and I still feel like I am in the middle of my mission still, so much to do, I have alot of work yet left to do and many people to teach and a Branch to pull along and a future Ward to create!! Oh, there has been a stray puppy that has taken up residence at our apartment. It is a boy and a mutt but he is cute and he may or may not have some “refuge” with the missionaries. He may or may not have received some “TLC” from these missionaries for his benefit. We do have to be careful as here in the South all animals have fleas, the fleas live in the grass and everywhere, but the missionaries may or may not have gotten him a flea collar. There is also a kitty that randomly finds refuge with the missionaries.  We must be kind to all God’s creatures, just sayin!  Well have a good week everyone! I love you all!

Thanks for the forwarding letters and pictures of Caleb. Oh, the flooding of apartments!  The Elders do it all the time here, maybe its just an “Elders thing”. The only problem is if Peru is as hot and humid as here that lovely “Black Mold” sure takes over, watch out!  He looks good, although until he mentioned in his letter he does look a bit “Less” on top, love genetics!  Your doing awesome though Caleb! 

Love,

Sister Price

 

FAREWELL SISTER WOODARD, JANUARY 19, 2015

FAREWELL SISTER WOODARD! JANUARY 19, 2015

ELDER NEAL L. ANDERSON! MISSION CONFERENCE! CONTINUED BRANCH OBSTACLES! JANUARY 12, 2015

Hey Everyone!                                   January 12, 2015

 

     Well this has been a very busy week. Tuesday we had to teach President and Sister Cottle. He went around the whole mission and had every companionship teach him a principle they had prepared and then a principle he gave us on the spot. It was really nerve wracking but it went well! We had a good time. Then on Wednesday we had exchanges with the Grovetown sisters. I went to Grovetown with Sister Owusu and Sister Szilagyi came here with Sister Woodard. It was really fun! Interesting things always happen in your area while you are gone on exchanges and this time was no different! They went to see Dana and she told them she had been talking to her husband about when she wanted to get baptized and he surprised her by saying he wanted her to wait because he wants to get baptized with her! That was a shocker to us! He has a long way to go though so it is going to take him a little longer but that is OK!! We can work with that and it is always so great when we teach Families especially when Fathers are involved! It really brings home as to the potential of “Forever Families”! Fathers are so important and I know how much I love my Dad and what a great example he is to me!! It was odd to go to Grovetown because their area is full of really big, really nice houses! I have always served in the “less fortunate areas”, It is kind of intimidating but they are working with some really awesome people. Then Thursday we had ZTM. That was good. They talked about filling out forms and we had another training on "lock your heart" because apparently that is still a problem! (oh brother). Then we went out to lunch after and I spilled all of my food all over my skirt! It was a fun time. Then I got permission from one of the Zone Leaders to go say hi to Sister Lee!(from my Columbus area) That was really fun, we got to see her and chat for a minute. Then Friday we had a bunch of Sisters stay at our apartment because we had to be in Macon early and they didn't want people to have to drive a long way. We ended up having 8 sisters in our apartment! It was pretty crazy. It was like a combination of college and girls camp. Then we headed out Saturday morning at 6:30! We got there and they had us get all lined up so we could take a mission picture with Elder Andersen. Then we all shook his hand as we went into the chapel. He talked about having an eternal perspective during our missions and knowing that we probably won't see the long term affect we have! Then his wife spoke and she talked a lot about honesty and being honest in all that we do. It was a really good conference! Oh and Elder Andersen also mentioned that Elder Perry fell the other day and broke some ribs! It was fun to see all of my missionary friends and to catch up with them. Especially the ones who are going home next week! Sis. Tevi, Sis. Sevy, Sis. McNeeley to name a few. That is so weird to know that they will be departing next week! The less actives we are working with are doing awesome! They have been studying the scriptures and coming to church and having Family Home Evening. We are really excited for how well they are doing! They just all of a sudden started progressing! This area is just so ready for the Gospel with a little work there is enough potential that within six months this could become a Ward!! It has been a bit of a tough week with various situations that I won’t go into detail but enough that Sis. Woodard and I received blessings from the Waynesboro Elders. I have not had to do that much on my mission but it is great to have a Priesthood blessing, It was what was needed and I felt affirmation that our work here is needed and there will be a way to continue. Always trust in our Heavenly Father! Thank you all for your prayers in blessing missionaries it is always felt. Sorry this email is kind of short! This week involved a lot of driving. I hope everyone has a good week!

 

Love,

Sister Price

CAR PROBLEMS AND GETTING SICK AGAIN! JANUARY 5, 2015

Hey Everyone!

     This might be a shorter email because I'm not sure how much time I will be at the library and we have lots of stuff to do! Ok well this week we had a lot of obstacles in our way! A while ago I guess Sister Woodard and Sister Winward drove our car into a ditch because they aren't tall enough to see out of the car and a piece on the bottom came loose so we had to take it in to get fixed on Monday. Well it wasn't done until Friday! That means we had to walk everywhere and this is just not a walking area. Everything is really far apart and our closest person we can visit lives two miles away. It really limited our ability to do missionary work! Plus everyone was freaking out that we were walking. Dustin couldn't believe that we walked all the way to his house just to teach his family. I wasn't feeling too well on Tuesday and that day we walked 7 miles so Wednesday I was really sick so we stayed in most of that day. Then that night we had a coupon for pizza from Pizza Hut so we tried to order it but they were closed! What kind of pizza place is closed on New Years Eve?! We finally got our car back on Friday! We were so ecstatic! Dana is doing awesome. She isn't going to be baptized this week because she wants her husband to be there and I guess he just got a permit to hunt some fancy place that is like a once in a lifetime thing! Satan. Whatever. We pushed it back a week but that is fine, we will just make sure this week goes really well and nothing bad happens! We were really nervous yesterday because she said that some preacher guy called them and I guess Dustin's mom wanted the preacher to visit to see if he could get Dustin to go to church. Good luck. We were really nervous though because usually when preacher's find out they are studying with the Mormons they tell them a bunch of anti and tell them they are going to hell! They ended up going to their relatives for the afternoon though so we were really relieved. We had a lady named Charlotte come to church yesterday. She is funny. She had a stroke a few years ago that affected her left side so getting her to church was quite the process because she is in a wheelchair! We did it though. She said she really liked church and she even bore her testimony! We were really nervous but it turned out really well. Dana is funny she was telling everyone she is getting baptized and she is super excited! We think her husband will come around, he has just had a really rough life and needs a little extra work. The branch president freaked out because she only stopped smoking on Wednesday and he says he isn't comfortable with her being baptized after such a short time living the word of wisdom. She will be fine though! Sister Ference also bore her testimony so that was really cool! They had a really rough week with their daughter and other things so we have been really worried about them. I have been going through and reading all of the Ensigns that this apartment has! All apartments have different stacks of Ensigns that I like to go through and read. These are more recent so I have read them all before but I like reading them again. It's fun to see the change in the magazine over the years. Up until 2009 they were still doing the conference ensign pictures in black and white! I like to see the trend in all of the conference talks. It's interesting how a few people in a row will all talk about the same thing. There have been a lot lately about how important temples are and prophets! Everyone should go to the temple for me this week because I still can't go for three more months. Well I love you all! Thanks for all of your support! Have a good week!

Love,

Sister Price

CHRISTMAS-LAST ONE IN THE MISSION FIELD! Some Branch woes! December 29, 2014

Hey Everyone!

     Well this has been quite the week! It has been a little slow because of Christmas and I don't think anyone stays in Swainsboro at Christmas time. Monday evening we went over to Dana's and her family and did the Nativity with them. It went really well and her husband also participated! He was really glad that we did the Christmas story and he opened up a lot which was really good! Dana is doing awesome. She started the stop smoking program on Saturday and so far is doing well! Although Satan is trying to get her by stressing her out and making all of her kids sick! She made it to church yesterday though. Her eight year old loves church! It's really good though because one of the semi-active families we have been working with want their 8 year old girl to be baptized but they haven't been staying past sacrament because she didn't have anyone her age to go to primary with. Now they are really good buddies and love staying the whole time! Christmas was good, we went over to a lady's house named Betty. I guess she picked up Sister Woodard and Sister Winward one time while they were walking and gave them a ride. She loves us but we have to kind of sneaky teach her because she also loves her church! We ate there and that was really good. I actually had good dressing! I ate way too much though. Then we went and visited less actives and gave them treats that the Ference's helped us make. Then that evening I got to skype! It was awesome! Now though it kind of feels like it didn't even happen. I was really worried it would make me really trunky and not be able to focus but I have been good! The only downside is that I got a cold so I have been really stuffy for the past few days and kind of feel like my head is in a cloud, it could also be some allergies because we are super in the woods and with the rain and warmth and humidity it really increases the mold count!!  Sunday was cool though because one of the guys who spoke got up and started talking about all of the things that kind of hindered him from becoming a member before he joined and it's all of the things Dana's husband is struggling with so we found an awesome fellowshipper for her husband! Other than that this week has been kind of slow with the holiday and everyone being out of town. The branch is very interesting, they are kind of really stuck in their ways and kind of 20 years behind the rest of the world. They aren't huge fans of the new turns missionary work is taking but we are working on it! I just have to pray a lot for charity and patience and to be able to say the right thing. The branch president is a little bit my way or the highway so it will be fun figuring out how to make our ideas "his ideas" as we work with him. I am getting aquainted with the branch more and more, it has its struggles, in the past 5 years converts have either had their names removed from the records or have been ex-communicated.  I know that it has to do with why this whole mission was closed about 6 or 7 years ago due to improper missionary work and members themselves.  We are working hard on rebuilding a good foundation for the gospel to flourish again and making sure those that we are teaching are understanding gospel principles.  It makes the work slow, but I am more concerned about them having knowledge and a sure foundation than "Numbers", Therefore my scripture that I love about "Build the foundation on a rock and it will not fall" That rock is our Saviour Jesus Christ and if we build upon him we cannot fall unless we choose to.  President Cottle shared a scripture with me that helps in our endeavor to work and strengthen this branch 1 Timothy 4:12 "Let no man despise thy YOUTH;but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity".  Sister Woodard says that this Branch President made her and Sister Winward cry a lot but I don't get intimidated, I have learned to follow promptings and there may come a moment, I hope not, but if the spirit prompts me that I have to be "Bold of Speech" I have learned to pray that when I speak the Lord will give my mouth words, when this has happened to me I usually have no memory of what I have said immediately afterwards, until my companions tell me. I may be quiet and unassuming most of the time but I can get a bit "Fiery" at times.  I just pray constantly that the Lord will bless this area and that I will be spared this type of conversation.  I really don't like to have confrontation and the last thing I want to be is contentious, I just want to be a good missionary and do the best that I know how!  I have felt an immediate love for this area of Swainsboro and the surrounding little towns, they are good people and very open and friendly.  I know you don't want to hear this Mom but I feel like the 3 months I have left is not enough time to do all that I would like to do, I feel so responsible to do all that is needed to build up this little branch and it will be hard to leave them, I hope and pray that future missionaries will take care of them!  I will just have to take the scripture from Timothy to heart as it has helped me have more confidence in the things I am doing! I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I love you all tons! Thanks for everyone who sent me a card/package! I loved all of it and hearing from all of you! I am glad that Caleb is doing so well and loving his mission- He is making good memories and it is through obedience that we as missionaries are blest!!  Love you all

Love,

Sister Price