July 29

Hola,

 

So this week we had a follow up meeting for the new missionaries and their trainers.  Checking to see if I'm teaching false doctrine.  Well, I didn't get fired so hopefully that's a good sign.  It was all day in Twin Falls on Wednesday.  I finally got to see the new mission office!  We have 6 new sisters coming in 3 weeks and every sister out right now is already training.  The two that are going home were already training two at once.  Insanity! 

 

We finally got to start teaching Kendal Carter this past week.  He graduated from seminary and has had the discussions three times already.  He's now over 18 and ready to be baptized.  He accepted the baptismal invitation, now we just have to set the date.  Also starting to teach the Crist family.  The wife is already a member but the husband is not.  They just got married 3 weeks ago so now he has a chance of getting baptized.  Their neighbor had asked them "So when are you going to stop living in sin?"  So they got hitched in their backyard.  Nice, eh?  Now the missionaries swoop in like vultures.  :)  The Scotts are keeping the word of wisdom!!!!  YAY!!!  Getting closer to their baptisms. 

 

We got to go to a ward party out in Raft River because we had a ride from a recent convert/ less active family.  Win win.  It was supposed to be pulled pork and baked beans but the restaurant lost their order so they scrambled and did hamburgers and hot dogs.  Not too shabby.  Today an investigator and her family is taking us to the Rupert fair!  We get to see their 7 year old daughter present her goat for 4H.  We shall see...  Interesting things out here in the country.  We also got to watch the bailer out in the field in front of our house.  It eats the chopped up alfalfa and poops out tied up bails of hay.  Funny to watch.  :)

 

I straightened my hair today for the first time in 6 months.  It's past my mid back when it's straight!  Crazy!  Need to get some dead stuff chopped and evened out.  You can't tell when it's curly!  Lots of conditioner. 

Love,

Sister Nettles

July 22

Things are interesting in Rupert.  So we are teaching tons of people.  Got three new ones this past week but two others moved out so we should be at 17 by the end of the week with the two other new ones we already have scheduled.  Yaya!  We also finally got to go to our first ward council in this area.  We are now not banned from two of them.  So some slow progress.  Also, since I've been here I've seen 6 investigators offended by members (telling them they will go to the "naughty place" because they drink coffee and have tattoos in front of the investigators own kid)  and not want to go back.  It's really hard to see.  The bishop will usually pull the offender aside and talk to them but the damage is still done.  Sad times. 

 

We were supposed to have 3 people be baptized this weekend but it's not going to happen for another couple of weeks.  It's okay, it'll work out in the end.  :)  My memory is having some problems but that is what a companion is for.  She's keeping me on track and going to the right places so things are still working out.  I'm still not getting lost!  Amazing.  It might be caused from stress these members and the investigators issues are giving me.

 

Looking forward to the reenactment of the drunken Emily.  :)  Hopefully there will be some caramel popcorn available for the performance.  (hint, hint)  I hit 10 months this week!  Insanity.  I love you all. 

 

Love,

Sister Nettles

July 15

All the trainers.  Guess which one is me?

Things are going pretty well over here! It's finally below 100 degrees.  :D  We have 5 people with baptismal dates and Patty is now following the Word of Wisdom.  Yay!!!  Also been doing some family history!!!  Found 4 people!  But some are boys, so someone (Spencer and Dad)  have to do them for me.  It's on the Family Search: Family Tree.  

I am cooking dinner tonight.  Musube!!!  (can't spell it)  It's a Samoan sushi that uses Spam!  Sister Hamilton taught me how to make it.  So excited!  If it turns out I'll make it when I get home.  :)  SO TASTY!!!!!  

At district meeting, our zone leaders keep reading false "new rules" from the mission president.  SO MEAN!!!  Things like we can't hold animals anymore or have group missionary activities on P-Day.  Lame joke.  We also played the "bean game."  Our district sits in a circle and asks a Book of Mormon trivia.  If over half of the group gets it they have to eat a bean.  The catch is we are using the "Beanboozled" jelly bellies.  All the colors have a good flavor and a bad flavor.  You can't tell until you eat one.  Interesting times.  Well, have tons of fun in the civilian world!

Love,

Sister Nettles

July 8

Ello!!!!

Things are going well in Rupert West.  It even cooled down to the 70s for a day!  We are having some problems though with people not progressing.  They come to church once, then miss for the next 3 weeks.  They do have baptismal dates, but are out of town so they aren't getting taught for a week and missed church.  It happens, but it's still sad.   

Sister Eppel is doing amazing.  (It's her birthday today!)  She is pulling though everything getting thrown at us.  We even had to drop an investigator.  (Barbra)  She had not kept a single commitment except to meet every week for the past 3 months.  She and the grandma also would not allow us to teach the plan of salvation past earth life.  That was the most emotional lesson.  The grandma got up and left the trailer and Barbra went out after her to see if she was okay.  Sister King was in tears and I'm still confused why they won't even listen to some one else's beliefs.  On Friday, Sister Eppel and I prayed abut what the Lord wanted us to do, and He said to drop her.  Get a baptismal date for the daughter (Angelee) but drop the mother.  The daughter will be baptized June 2017, after she is 18.  Angelee is still going to church and young women's camp so she still has interaction and fellowship.  The spirit was so strong during that final lesson, my insides felt like they were on fire and I could feel the Lord's support.  It was a little difficult, but it was the right thing.  (And I did not have heart burn...)  

We taught Sister Payton and are going back on Tuesday.  She says she's saved and been baptized but she wants to learn about our church and go to the temple with her family.  We'll get there.  Payton, the 9 year old boy who likes zombies was not there for the lesson last night, or the rest of his family.  The ward fellowshipper talked to them at church and they said they would be there after they went to the horse races...  missed it by that much.  

We got transfer calls and we are both staying for another six weeks.  That will put me at 5 months in Rupert.  Crazy eh?  Already been out in the boonies for 3.5 months!  Over half way done...

Sister Nettles

July 1

Hello over there!

It's so hot here!!!  The parking lot was literally melting at the grocery store.  I still have re-hardened tar on the bottom of my shoes.  It's officially the Twin Falls mission today!  You guys are amazing.  We are teaching 15 and two people have baptismal dates.  Also picking up at least 1 more investigator.  A few of the people we are now working with are apparently less active, not investigators.  Only had 6 at church yesterday and a less active family but we are working on it.  Here are our investigators:

Reusos:  A married couple, the wife is now getting rebaptized.  The hubby is from South Africa and is still reading and praying to know.  And is quitting smoking.  

Scotts:  Husband is less active.  We are teaching the wife and oldest son who is 14.  The other kids are under 8.  They all came to church except the dad who has to work on Sundays until he finds a new job.  The wife was 7th Day Adventist and super nice.  The kid has a Mohawk.  

Payton: Loves zombies and is 9.  Dad is less active and the parents are separated.  Knows why we have the Book of Mormon!  Not much gospel background yet.

Patty:  Baptismal date is July27!  Doing half the last lesson this week.  Is finally divorced and is getting back in contact with the LDS side of her family after 15 years.  Is 54 years old.

Angelee and Barbara:  Angelee is 14 and wants to get baptized.  Barbara is the one that is nice but has issues.  Said she would read this week then we go back and she says she has "no interest in being LDS."  Has a lot of anti influence.  

The Payton Family:  Wife is baptist and went on a service mission to Alaska.  Husband is coming back into activity.  Only child is a girl named Edie (E-Dee)  who's 8.  They love legos, Star Wars, Lego Star Wars, Harry Potter, Batman, and all things good in the world.  Yesterday the wife said her goals are to go to the temple and be a better wife and mother.  Lessons start on Tuesday!

Meradith:  She is quitting smoking and waiting for the lessons until her boyfriend moves in so they can take them together.  Also trying to file her divorce papers.  She was married to a guy who after 3 years went pagan so they separated and haven't seen each other in 4 years. This shall be interesting.  We told her they have to get married before we leave the area so they can get baptized.  Fingers crossed.

Lori: From Washington DC with an accent.  On lesson 3 today.  Also needs to get married to her non-member fiance of 4 years.  She knows it and you can tell she knows what she needs to do.  Her scriptures are as marked as the average member and she has tons of questions.  Yay!

Stan: Famous accordion player from a New Mexico mariachi band.  Says he won't read the Book of Mormon and pray...  Really nice though.  Kind of stuck for now. 

Kim: Old Japanese lady who thinks the prophet is too old, we are too young and population control is the answer.  Really lonely and politically opinionated.  She did the read the restoration pamphlet we left and had a question about it though!

Bierman:  He is now living with a girlfriend so he's avoiding the church because he knows it's wrong.  His kids got baptized last summer.  Really nice when he agreed to the lessons, but now in hiding.  

Vanessa:  Had a baby, Neveah (heaven backwards)  and just married to her less active boyfriend.  Now the house got sold out from under them so we don't know where they are living now.  It was a haunted, ex-druggy house anyways, but still!  She and her husband have 4 kids between them I think.  

Less Actives:

O'Dells: A couple in their 50s who still go to the bars every night and do karaoke.  Husband got baptized in December and still only believes in Heaven and Hell.  Interesting bunch.  

Ochoa:  The husband calls himself a "Blacksican."  He's Hispanic but turns dark when working out in the sun.  Hilarious.  Wife is less-active.  Doing another new member lesson this week on the commandments. 

Amy: We are now doing family home evenings with her and her little girls on Mondays.  

Pattersons: another recent convert gone less active husband and an inactive wife.  They feed us dinner every Monday.  He is our font filler and goes the extra mile with his calling, just can't get to church most Sundays.  

Anyways...  It's a lot of people.  Hope you are all doing well and the house unexplodes itself.  :)  Love you all!!!

Sister Nettles