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3 years already?
11 years ago
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
I'm a momma again!
Hey Everyone! Hello from good ol' Connecticut! We just got back from transfers and I just got my second daughter in the mission! Pretty cool huh? I am so excited to train my last cycle, it will keep me on my toes. Hna. Vander Does and I are still together so we are in a three some so it will be fun! I am excited to work hard this cycle. My daughters name is Hermana Melissa Sanders from Arizona. She is super cool and her cousin was one of my EFY girls... so funny! What a small world it is.
It's been strange to realize that I only have 6 weeks left, I don't really like thinking about it. We still have SO much to do here so we are really excited. Our "Biblia Novela" turned out good this last sunday... we had a good time and I think the ward enjoyed it. It was an adventure for sure, don't worry,we have pictures! Ha ha!
I don't have much time with email this week. I hope all is well in the homefront. Love you all!
Love, Hermana Passantino
It's been strange to realize that I only have 6 weeks left, I don't really like thinking about it. We still have SO much to do here so we are really excited. Our "Biblia Novela" turned out good this last sunday... we had a good time and I think the ward enjoyed it. It was an adventure for sure, don't worry,we have pictures! Ha ha!
I don't have much time with email this week. I hope all is well in the homefront. Love you all!
Love, Hermana Passantino
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Sunshine or Snow?
What in the world is going on with the weather this week? It is crazy! A couple of days ago we had SUCH nice weather, almost in the 70's... I was in Heaven. We walked around Norwalk all day and I loved it. Hna. Vander Does was a little pooped by the end of the day but I just keep telling her I am preparing her for the city so she is not in total culture shock when she goes there one day. But on Monday and now today, it is snowing... what in the world? So strange! I was talking to a lady outside of the library today and she just told me how unpredictable the weather is in March... I hope April is better.
It's been a good week full of learning experiences. We taught our investigator Jose on Monday and that did not go at all as planned. We were excited to teach him the Plan of Salvation and had it all ready to go. As soon as we got in we realized that he did not need to hear about the Plan of Salvation, so the lesson plan changed in an instant (gotta love when that happens). I was more bold with him that I have ever been with anyone of my mission. For a moment, I felt as if the spirit was teaching both of us. Sadly, Jose knows it's true, he knows what he needs to do but he also knows that HE needs to be the one to do it. He understands what it means to have a willing heart and he admits that he doesn't have it. It was really hard to drop him because you can just see how it would change his life but he's right, we need to be willing to make that change or nothing is going to happen. I don't know if I explained that very well but it was a great lesson for me on agency and what WE need to do to receive that change of heart. I hope that one day he will have that desire because I know as soon as he does, his life will change.
We had interviews with President this last week and those went well. I can't believe that it was my last one with him before I go home, it seems strange. It was fun to sit with him and talk about "the good ol' days" when I was in the Bronx. He is such an amazing man and I am so happy he is my Mission President!
So here is a funny story. A couple weeks ago some elders and I got into a conversation about owl pellets... ya know, those things that owls throw up that are full of bones and stuff? Gross I know but for some reason we were talking about those and I remembered a time when we lived in PA and Kindra and I got to dissect one. Anyway, it was a random conversation but something I remembered was fun way back when.... fast forward to the other day. We were in this really random dollar store looking for a wig for our "Biblia Novela" and I see something with Harry Potter on it... of course I pick it up to take a look. Guess what it was? It was this owl pellet dissecting kit! Ha ha! You better believe I bought it and now I am making the elders dissect an owl pellet with me this afternoon... am I crazy? Probably but it sounds like fun to me!
I hope everyone is doing well wherever you are! Things here are great. Transfers are next Wednesday... I pray and hope Hna. Vander Does stays here to kill me off... we'll see! Have a wonderful week!
Con Amor- Hermana Passantino
It's been a good week full of learning experiences. We taught our investigator Jose on Monday and that did not go at all as planned. We were excited to teach him the Plan of Salvation and had it all ready to go. As soon as we got in we realized that he did not need to hear about the Plan of Salvation, so the lesson plan changed in an instant (gotta love when that happens). I was more bold with him that I have ever been with anyone of my mission. For a moment, I felt as if the spirit was teaching both of us. Sadly, Jose knows it's true, he knows what he needs to do but he also knows that HE needs to be the one to do it. He understands what it means to have a willing heart and he admits that he doesn't have it. It was really hard to drop him because you can just see how it would change his life but he's right, we need to be willing to make that change or nothing is going to happen. I don't know if I explained that very well but it was a great lesson for me on agency and what WE need to do to receive that change of heart. I hope that one day he will have that desire because I know as soon as he does, his life will change.
We had interviews with President this last week and those went well. I can't believe that it was my last one with him before I go home, it seems strange. It was fun to sit with him and talk about "the good ol' days" when I was in the Bronx. He is such an amazing man and I am so happy he is my Mission President!
So here is a funny story. A couple weeks ago some elders and I got into a conversation about owl pellets... ya know, those things that owls throw up that are full of bones and stuff? Gross I know but for some reason we were talking about those and I remembered a time when we lived in PA and Kindra and I got to dissect one. Anyway, it was a random conversation but something I remembered was fun way back when.... fast forward to the other day. We were in this really random dollar store looking for a wig for our "Biblia Novela" and I see something with Harry Potter on it... of course I pick it up to take a look. Guess what it was? It was this owl pellet dissecting kit! Ha ha! You better believe I bought it and now I am making the elders dissect an owl pellet with me this afternoon... am I crazy? Probably but it sounds like fun to me!
I hope everyone is doing well wherever you are! Things here are great. Transfers are next Wednesday... I pray and hope Hna. Vander Does stays here to kill me off... we'll see! Have a wonderful week!
Con Amor- Hermana Passantino
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
It's a Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood!
Hello From Rainy CT!
Yup, it's pretty rainy here today but that's ok... word is that the next couple of days should be nicer, I want spring to come so bad! On Monday I wore sandals, not the smartest choice in the world, I think I got a bit over excited for warm weather. ha ha! So it's been a good and busy week here in Norwalk. Hna. Vander Does and I are working hard to find some investigators. It seems all the legit ones we find seem to drop off the face of the planet. But that's ok, the Lord is always preparing people, we just need to find them. Thank goodness we have the spirit to help us with that, there is no way we could do it alone!
Well, my mom asked me what we do on P-days around here. Well, pretty much every P-day we go to this place called Blue Streak. A member owns it, it's like a gym. We play basketball (well, the elders play basketball and Hna. Vander Does and I just throw a football around) but it's nice to get some physical exercise. Last week we went bowling and it was SO fun! I even got a turkey... I was pretty proud of myself. Today we are going to go to blue streak and then go to the church and play some games. Just hang out. We were going to go to the beach but it's too cold and rainy still... so sad!
So, some fun experiences from the week: Number one: we had mission conference to review what we learned when Elder Bednar was here. It was of course wonderful as always. I love being with President Smith and all the other missionaries. I am going to miss it so much. I'm pretty sure that was my last mission conference, so sad!
Number Two: We did a zone blitz in New Canaan last week which was so intimidating. New Canaan is the richest zip code and let me tell you, I never thought I would be so scared to talk to white people. We just go up to these HUGE houses and try to talk to people. Hna. Vander Does and I would switch off who would contact that person. She got all the nice people and for some reason I got all the mean ones! But it was fun!
Number Three: We had the chance to have dinner at President Hunts house ( a member of the mission presidency) It was so great to be there and feel of the spirit in their house. All the elders and President Hunt had to run to a priesthood meeting so Hna. Vander Does and I stuck around and helped Sis. Hunt clean up. She is a return missionary and it was fun to hear her experiences. It was such an uplifting visit, I loved it!
Number Four: HNA. MCMILLAN came to visit! I was so excited to see her. She pumped me up and just made me happy. I love her!
Number Five: So, our ward is doing this activity where we kind of have to act out the first lesson. It is so funny because they want the missionaries to be all these different characters. First, they wanted Elder Fox to be Christ. They were going to have me go up to him get on my knees and say (in Spanish of course) "Master, if it is thy will, you can heal me" Then he was supposed to say, "I will" and then like help me up off the ground to "heal me". Let's just say the practice did NOT go so well, we were just rolling on the ground laughing. The members probably think we are crazy but we just can NOT act! Luckily, Hna. Vander Does and Elder Anderson can do it without laughing, which leaves Elder Fox and I being some background people, thank goodness! Haha, oh man, it is so funny! I will try to get it on tape when it actually happens. I am left being a "persecuted Christian" but I can do that, all I have to do is lay on the ground crying. Ha ha! I love Spanish wards! It is always so fun!
Anyway, that's my update for the week. The work continues to go well. I love every minute of it! Even the minutes where I want to walk around outside and talk to people and no one is there to talk to and I freak out a little bit! This is the work of the Lord! He is in charge and I love it! I love you all! Have a wonderful week!
Con Amor- Hermana Passantino
Yup, it's pretty rainy here today but that's ok... word is that the next couple of days should be nicer, I want spring to come so bad! On Monday I wore sandals, not the smartest choice in the world, I think I got a bit over excited for warm weather. ha ha! So it's been a good and busy week here in Norwalk. Hna. Vander Does and I are working hard to find some investigators. It seems all the legit ones we find seem to drop off the face of the planet. But that's ok, the Lord is always preparing people, we just need to find them. Thank goodness we have the spirit to help us with that, there is no way we could do it alone!
Well, my mom asked me what we do on P-days around here. Well, pretty much every P-day we go to this place called Blue Streak. A member owns it, it's like a gym. We play basketball (well, the elders play basketball and Hna. Vander Does and I just throw a football around) but it's nice to get some physical exercise. Last week we went bowling and it was SO fun! I even got a turkey... I was pretty proud of myself. Today we are going to go to blue streak and then go to the church and play some games. Just hang out. We were going to go to the beach but it's too cold and rainy still... so sad!
So, some fun experiences from the week: Number one: we had mission conference to review what we learned when Elder Bednar was here. It was of course wonderful as always. I love being with President Smith and all the other missionaries. I am going to miss it so much. I'm pretty sure that was my last mission conference, so sad!
Number Two: We did a zone blitz in New Canaan last week which was so intimidating. New Canaan is the richest zip code and let me tell you, I never thought I would be so scared to talk to white people. We just go up to these HUGE houses and try to talk to people. Hna. Vander Does and I would switch off who would contact that person. She got all the nice people and for some reason I got all the mean ones! But it was fun!
Number Three: We had the chance to have dinner at President Hunts house ( a member of the mission presidency) It was so great to be there and feel of the spirit in their house. All the elders and President Hunt had to run to a priesthood meeting so Hna. Vander Does and I stuck around and helped Sis. Hunt clean up. She is a return missionary and it was fun to hear her experiences. It was such an uplifting visit, I loved it!
Number Four: HNA. MCMILLAN came to visit! I was so excited to see her. She pumped me up and just made me happy. I love her!
Number Five: So, our ward is doing this activity where we kind of have to act out the first lesson. It is so funny because they want the missionaries to be all these different characters. First, they wanted Elder Fox to be Christ. They were going to have me go up to him get on my knees and say (in Spanish of course) "Master, if it is thy will, you can heal me" Then he was supposed to say, "I will" and then like help me up off the ground to "heal me". Let's just say the practice did NOT go so well, we were just rolling on the ground laughing. The members probably think we are crazy but we just can NOT act! Luckily, Hna. Vander Does and Elder Anderson can do it without laughing, which leaves Elder Fox and I being some background people, thank goodness! Haha, oh man, it is so funny! I will try to get it on tape when it actually happens. I am left being a "persecuted Christian" but I can do that, all I have to do is lay on the ground crying. Ha ha! I love Spanish wards! It is always so fun!
Anyway, that's my update for the week. The work continues to go well. I love every minute of it! Even the minutes where I want to walk around outside and talk to people and no one is there to talk to and I freak out a little bit! This is the work of the Lord! He is in charge and I love it! I love you all! Have a wonderful week!
Con Amor- Hermana Passantino
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Lots of Love=Lots of Food
Hello from good ol' Connecticut!
It's a bit chilly today but this morning my companion convinced me to go out running with her... wow do I feel out of shape! Ha ha! I seriously felt like an old woman but it was nice to get out of the house to exercise (Don't tell her I said that or she will make me do it again!)
Things here in CT continue to move forward. As before, I am still trying to get a hold of the upstate lifestyle. We have a lot of appointments with the members and they feed us such good food. They are such wonderful people and my weight is going to show for it! Ha ha! The good news is, I am writing down how to make some of my favorite things so I can try them out when I am home. It's been fun because there are so many different people from different countries so we get to try a good variety. One member joked about feeding me cow stomach. I kindly told him I had alreayd tried it and I don't really need to try it again. Ha ha! So gross!
The work is moving forward here. Hna. Vander Does and I are working hard at finding those people who are searching for the gospel. We actually had a really cool lesson with a guy named Jose that we street contacted my first week here. He was wondering why there were so many different doctrines and how we know what one is correct... PERFECT! He is cool we are excited to continue teaching him. Also, we had this random guys name on our white board with an address. We didn't know where it came from but we decided to go check it out. Turns out it was a guy from Peru who had gone to church in Peru but never here. We are also very excited to teach him. I love teaching the restoration and the plan of salvation. It just brings so much joy. The spirit is always strong and it just feels good to teach those basics. The gospel is so simple and knowing the simple truths brings so much happiness in our lives!
I hope everyone is doing well. You are all in my prayers! Have an amazing week!
Con Amor- Hermana Passantino
Oh and PS; I can't remember if I put the correct address for my new address here in Norwalk- I think I put the wrong zip code but it is 25 Maple st #8, Norwalk, CT, 06850
It's a bit chilly today but this morning my companion convinced me to go out running with her... wow do I feel out of shape! Ha ha! I seriously felt like an old woman but it was nice to get out of the house to exercise (Don't tell her I said that or she will make me do it again!)
Things here in CT continue to move forward. As before, I am still trying to get a hold of the upstate lifestyle. We have a lot of appointments with the members and they feed us such good food. They are such wonderful people and my weight is going to show for it! Ha ha! The good news is, I am writing down how to make some of my favorite things so I can try them out when I am home. It's been fun because there are so many different people from different countries so we get to try a good variety. One member joked about feeding me cow stomach. I kindly told him I had alreayd tried it and I don't really need to try it again. Ha ha! So gross!
The work is moving forward here. Hna. Vander Does and I are working hard at finding those people who are searching for the gospel. We actually had a really cool lesson with a guy named Jose that we street contacted my first week here. He was wondering why there were so many different doctrines and how we know what one is correct... PERFECT! He is cool we are excited to continue teaching him. Also, we had this random guys name on our white board with an address. We didn't know where it came from but we decided to go check it out. Turns out it was a guy from Peru who had gone to church in Peru but never here. We are also very excited to teach him. I love teaching the restoration and the plan of salvation. It just brings so much joy. The spirit is always strong and it just feels good to teach those basics. The gospel is so simple and knowing the simple truths brings so much happiness in our lives!
I hope everyone is doing well. You are all in my prayers! Have an amazing week!
Con Amor- Hermana Passantino
Oh and PS; I can't remember if I put the correct address for my new address here in Norwalk- I think I put the wrong zip code but it is 25 Maple st #8, Norwalk, CT, 06850
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