Jan 2, 2013: My new comp is awesome, she is super nice and is a little shy, but know's why she is out here so she is overcoming her fears. The work is pretty slow right now, we only have 1 investigator. But we are finding more and eventually our teaching pool will get bigger. cool story: we called a less active member the other day because a member told us that we should try to visit him and he didn't answer or call us back. But on Sunday we were getting our stuff gathered to go to the next class when someone said, "see ya later ralf!" me and my comp looked at each other like, "could that be him?" so we went over and talked with him and it was! we were pleased. and set up an appointment with him there. This week I have realized how blessed I am to be here. I have learned so much have been able to help so many people that I wouldn't trade this experience for ANYTHING! There is no way I would. And there is much more learning and experiencing to go. I can't even begin to tell you how much my testimony has grown. I have no doubt that the Book of Mormon and this church is God's full, complete truth. Because if it wasn't, I wouldn't be feeling so happy right now. I wouldn't feel so happy doing the same things every day. I wouldn't be so happy going out of my comfort zone to talk to people who will probably think I'm a wierdy, being soooo exhausted at  the end of the night that It's hard to get up after praying to get ready for bed. Walking for hours in the cold rain to an appointment that the investigator doesn't show up to. I would be throwing in the towel if what I have to share with people wasn't true and wouldn't change the rest of their lives for the better. I don't know I would be bearing my testimony on here but there ya go. At any rate, it makes complete and logical sense that it is true. Just read the Bible and the Book of Mormon together. 

 I am going to be a trainer starting wednesday..... I am pretty nervous. But will do my best and forget the rest! We taught the lesson in Sunday School this week and we were warned that one of the members mothers was going to be there and she really dislikes the church. So we came prepared and boy, right off the bat she attacked our beliefs. So all we could do was bring it back to the Book of Mormon and testify of it's truthfulness. Our investigators even got involved and we thought one of them was going to have a heart attack! he got really angry and was shaking the Book of Mormon at the mom saying "this book is the word of God." and started talking about archeological evidence of it and stuff. We were so proud! And luckily we had someone from the stake presidency there because he got it all back under control lol. It was interesting. Remember the man that came up the stairs during one of our lessons with an investigator that said, "I felt something tell me that I should come up here." ?? well, he is getting baptised this Saturday! And I get to go with my new companion!  So excited. And I forgot if I told you this or not but the Chinese family that we were teaching in Madison's mom was baptised the other weekend :). And she bore her tastimony in church the following Sunday and said that it all started with 1 Nephi 8 when we were reading it with her. So cool! AND two of our investigators here are so close to baptism! one just needs to quit smoking and he is sooooo close! Pray for him please!!!! And for me, I am so nervous to train! anywho, anything new??? I got Mariah GIBBS letter the other day! :). Thanks Mariah! you married woman! I'm still waiting for Malory's, Ben T's, Ben C's, Matt C's, and Leigh B's  return letters :).. write back soon! That lake house looks awesome!!!! Is it a lake house? or just by the lake? I can't wait to visit! Mariah told me to put more about what I am doing on the blog posts but I don't know what to say! I'm just trying to help people and that intales a lot of studying, visiting, calling, visiting, teaching, teaching, calling, driving, and the occasional attandance of branch Family Home Evening and Institute classes. actually quite a few of those. We have some investigators that go. We might go fishing with an investigator soon! That will be fun. mmmm fish :). I haven't given as many talks as I thought I would. But probably because I say that now I will have a bunch. :P. ummm There is a lot of scheduling and record keeping. Thank goodness because I wouldn't remember ANYTHING. It was SO hard to remember everyone's names when I first came out but it has gotten easier.  Instead of forgetting peoples names, I mix them up! :). So that's improvement right? anywho, Monica, I will write you a letter soon, and I love you all!! Thanks for all of your encouragement!

Do you remember the Chinese family we were teaching in Madison? well the mom got baptized this Saturday! When we first got there, they were nowhere near baptism. But once we started reading the Book of Mormon with her (her husband was too busy) she skyrocketed in her testimony and when she saw General Conference she knew that her life would never be the same. :). So she was baptized last Saturday and two of our investigators here are getting baptized this next Saturday, the 9th!
So yeah, I am so excited. This branch is really picking up too. I fasted this Sunday for the branch to catch the spirit of missionary work because it is lacking in that area and like four of the testimonies were about missionary work and how awesome Sis. F and I are (ya, we're pretty neat). And when we got the missionary dinner calendar back, it was more filled than it ever has been! That is what will really bring this branch together we think because we will be able to help them talk to their friends about the gospel and stuff... Fasting works! Also, this seems to be the pattern here: someone learns about the gospel, finds out that it's true, wants to get baptized,  tells their parents, all heck breaks loose.
There is so much animosity towards us here it's insane! They have no idea what we actually believe and just assume that we are brainwashing their child. This happened to three people here, all over the age of 21 mind you. But they got baptized anyway despite their parents threatening to disown them. They are incredible. One of our investigators lives at home now and is getting so much flack that they even threatened to kick her out of the house if she gets baptized. So she is going to wait till she goes back to school here to do that. If  they would just read the Book of Mormon, all of their distorted views would disappear!  But they wont do it.

They have the biggest crows here. did I mention that already? seriously though, the're like vultures. and they are so loud and annoying! it makes me laugh though. The work is still pickin up. Our investigators are really feeling the spirit work in them and are comming closer and closer to baptism!

We have discovered the ghetto of Mad town... there are low-riders with subs booming and pigs around every corner. (that's gangster talk for: it's ghetto)  they even cat call at us! we're missionaries for heaven's sake! (pun intended) I want to make up a rap about missionary work and start flowin in front of the gangstuhs of downtown. they'd be converted for sure! cuz i'm speakin in dey language.

ok, BIG news!!!!!!  guess who I met while tracting the other day!?!?!?!?!? yep, you guessed it! Duane Wades uncle!! my comp didnt believe it at first (I told her to have faith!) but we were in that area again and his wife was outside and lo and behold, she said that she was Duane Wades aunt! so It has to be true!

Well, i G2G,

March 28, 2012

Some pretty cool things have happened this week! One of the guy's we have been teaching (we'll call him Tim) has given up coffee completely!  He is in his forties and has been drinking 3 cups a day since he was ten!!  Miracle? I think so. Also, the guy from Africa that we have been teaching has a baptismal date set! The crudy thing about that one is that he won't be in our ward.  He will have to be in a different one because he lives two blocks out of our boundaries!  The reason we didn't know this was because we taught him at his work (he works at a residential home) and figured he lived in town because he goes to school there, but nope!  He lives out in the booneys!  Oh well, the neat thing about that is that there is a lot of Africans in the ward he will be going to and we can continue teaching him until he is baptized.

 My companion and I and two other missionaries were interviewed for a HUGE column in the Wisconsin State Journal! on the front page!  The title is "Mormon Moment" and it is really good!  The only crudy thing is that I'm the only one not quoted! lol and the only one not from Utah... don't know if there is a correlation there or not oh well, it's a good article, you should look it up!

SHOUT OUT TO MALORY! thanks for the letters! I'm your favorite roommate!

1st area, Madison

Hey! ya i've been here in Madison WI for about a week now. I guess a little less than a week. My trainer is so good, i'm her fourth person to train! Her name is sis. Vernon. she is really nice and very good at talking to people. we don't have a car so we either walk or ride the bus everywhere which is tiring and cold (yes I have brought out the big coat) but we are able to talk to a lot of people being on the busses and stuff. We kind of opened up an area, wich is pretty cool. sisters havent been here in 11 years and they split up one area so that there will be just us in the madison 1 ward and another set of elders in the singles ward on campus. Missionary work is hard! I knew it would be but man it is physically and emotionally taxing. But i'm sure i'll get used to it and I am already getting into the swing of things a little. there's is a lot to remember. but any who, I gave away my first Book of Mormon my second day out to a man who consideres himself a wicken and my second one to a guy who was so funny and pretty much mormon. I hope he calls soon!  I haven't gotten a door shut in my face yet :). we have an HOUR to work out in the mornings and sis. Vernon has P90X so we've been doing that every morning (except Sundays of course.) so needless to say, i'm not gaining any weight!  I will hopefully be trying some maple bacon and creamed corn ICE CREAM today. apperantly it's really good and at the institute they have a freezer of ice cream any one can eat anytime, mmmmm :). So this is the mildest winter that WI has had in  like forever so I feel super lucky but it's still pretty cold! thank goodness for that huge coat. and my boots. The members already love us and we are fed almost every day by them :). well that's about it, I love you!!  


I wanted to add in there that they have CHOCOLATE CHEESE here. Whaaaa??! I haven't tried it yet but they say it's super good and tastes like fudge... also, I am proud to say that I have eaten cheese everyday since i've been here. and there are much bigger sections of cheese product in the grocery stores here than in Texas or Utah. So I came out of the MTC so fired up and wanting to talk to EVERYONE I saw and tell them of the good news of the gospel and was so shocked when hardly ANYONE wan't to hear it!  :(. it was kind of a slap in the face. and I bet my companion was glad to see that I'm not always so energetic and talkative, lol. I still try to talk to people when I can but it is harder now that I have experienced rejection. well I got to go now, Love Lauren

The following is Lauren's first email from the MTC. 

HEY MOM!!!!!!! it is my first P day so I am e mailing you :).  It is so good here! I feel the Holy Ghost testifying to me the truthfulness of the gospel everyday! I definately feel close to Daddy, I have actually brought him up on several occasions (he really is a light on a hill like his patriarchal blessing says.) One cool experience I have had here while teaching a person named Marissa is that I felt the Holy Ghost tell me the church is true, but more specifically that the prophet recieves direct revelation from God. I also know that we can. I know that if someone seeks for the truth, he will find it and that as a missionary I need to challenge investigators to try it out and testify that I know that they will find an answer( because I know they will) if they do that. I also know that the spirit teaches missionaries who then say what needs to be said in order for the investigator to feel the spirit and in turn, they know that there is somethiong about this message that is familiar to them becase they knew it in the pre earth life.  T he spirit is crucial to teaching. Anywho, I am working on a letter that I will send to you sometime soon. I am so busyyyyy!!!!!! no time for anything but the schedule. 

They feed us good here though. OH! President Monson is comming today!!!!!!!! how exciting is that! well, got to go!

Love ya!!

Lauren