first class foolishness

I love bandaids.

2009-11-01T15:59:00.001-08:00

I love teaching the 6 year old primary kids at church. Sometimes I think that they understand the gospel better than adults. They just get it. No wonder we are supposed to become like little children. They are so humble, so believing, so trusting, so forgiving, so compassionate, and so dependent on God.

Today, in class Paige said, "I think that Jesus is like a bandaid. They both heal you."

Wow. Thanks, Paige. Well said.

goodbye witch

2009-11-01T15:40:00.000-08:00

Mostly, this post is because I'm sick of seeing that hideous witch picture every time I look at my blog.

I'm sure you are too.

We got our 2nd round of engagement pictures back.

They are fabulous. We love.

Kelly at Gallery Photography is amazing. Check him out.

Meet Angzilla

2009-10-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like the worst version of yourself? Like every single bad quality you have is being magnified and you are creating this terrible monster, a beast that you yourself are the most afraid of? Welcome to my life as of late. Happy Halloween, I guess.

Don't get me wrong. I am terribly happy. I can't wait to get married. But it's the in between part that seems to be making me crazy. The Hymas house has been an emotional sess pool for the past two months. My brother is getting married 5 weeks before Mike and I, and so its been a bit chaotic to say the least. My poor mother. She deserves a vacation.

What's making me crazy? What's making me so irrational? I ask myself that question every day. I could blame it on the birth control. Maybe my hormones are still adjusting. I have cried more in the past week than I have in the past year. Or the fact that my fiance lives an hour away and we hardly ever get to see each other. Or the fact that we got our engagement pictures back, decided we had to go with another photographer, and lost $500 bucks. Chump change, right? I feel like I'm throwing my parents money away!! Make it stop!

On the bright side. I have started going to Yoga and Pilates classes and taking late night walks. I've stopped listening to the radio and started listening to General Conference in my car to keep me sane. I teach the 5 year old primary class in my ward and they make me laugh so hard. I keep losing weight thanks to stress! I hosted a Princess Tea Party last week with my three best little preschooler girlfriends in the neighborhood- complete with party dresses, cupcakes, and Taylor Swift. I landed a stellar job! With benefits and great pay! YAY!! I get to plan my wedding with the help of my beautiful, talented mother. I bought some adorable boots from Nordstroms last week. My father has turned into an incredible member missionary. I have the love, patience, and support of Mike, even when I'm a little high strung.

I've got a lot to be happy about. I keep praying that the monster will just go away.

Thanks Dad, you were right

2009-09-07T23:21:00.000-07:00

My Dad has always told me that getting married should be the easiest decision that you ever make. I never really understood what he meant, because I hadn't found Mr. Right yet. Mike changed everything.

I'm Getting Married.

Because I can't imagine my life without him.

On December 12th.

And it's the easiest decision I've ever made.

Trim turns to CUT

2009-09-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

Last week I went in for an "end of summer- fix up my split ends" trim. 5 inches of hair on the ground later I was a mess. Yes, I'm neurotic about my hair that I've been painstakingly growing for the past 6 years. Somehow I managed to keep it together until I walked through the front door and saw myself in the reflection of the entry way mirror. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit, that two hours later, I was still crying. A girl can get quite attached to her hair. Mike convinced me that he likes the cut even better than before. He might not be telling the truth, but he's definitely a smart boyfriend.

My new haircut: Post tears.

Introducing..... My Best Friend Mike

2009-08-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It's been two months since I've last blogged. I've been so busy living and loving every minute of my life. I have a new best friend I'd like you all to officially meet.......

Reasons why we are Best Friends Forever

1. He is a boy. He rides motorcycles and plays sports.
I am a girl. I bake cupcakes and swing on swingsets.
We compliment each other.
2. He makes the most delicious french toast for breakfast.

3. I help him pick out what to wear, and he gives me pointers on my golf swing.

4. He never lets me win when we go golfing, shooting, or play cards.

5. We love going on each other's family vacations.

6. We like holding hands. And hammocks.

7. When we aren't together, we talk on the phone until 2 am.

8. He makes funny faces, and I laugh at all his jokes.

9. We can agree to disagree (on items such as skim vs. whole milk)

10. I've never been happier in my whole life. He brings out the very best in me.

Dreams

2009-06-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

Oh, my life is changing everyday

In every possible way.

And oh, my dreams,

it's never quite as it seems,

Never quite as it seems.

And oh, my dreams,
It's never quite as it seems,
Cause you're a dream to me,
Dream to me.

Home Again Home Again

2009-05-31T21:48:00.001-07:00

I'm back from my mission. I boarded the plane in Ohio, and it landed in Utah. In the first 72 hours of being home I.....

1. Ate coconut cupcakes
2. Fell in love with my family all over again
2. Went to the temple
3. Went swinging at the park
4. Listened to Feist
5. Danced with a boy to a slow song (not as awkward as expected)
6. Met my god-daughter, Findley for the first time
7. Enjoyed my perfect feather bed
8. Only introduced myself as 'Sister Hymas' in a social setting once
9. Felt guilty for not handing out pass-along cards at the mall
10. Cried because I miss Ohio

Some thoughts from the last letter home...

2009-05-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm already crying. I can't believe that this is the last email that I will ever write as a young sister Missionary to my dear family at home. I never actually thought that this day would really come. When Jacob said, "The time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream", he hit the nail on the head. I feel like the past 18 months have been a dream. The happiest moments of my entire life, and probably the saddest too. The time of the most growth, change, and coming closer to the Savior. The time when I truly came to know just how real God is, and just how dependent I am on the Savior each day. I truly feel like Alma when he said, " I cannot say the smallest part which I feel."
My missionary experience has been incredibly sweet. Hands down the best thing that I've ever done. When I left for the MTC I thought that I was sacrificing so much to serve Heavenly Father. It's ironic, becuase now looking back, I realize that it really wasn't a sacrifice at all. The Lord has paid me back tenfold, and it has been a pleasure to be one of his missionaries. I have never been happier in my entire life, and I have never felt more myself. I have learned so much about who I am, and I have come to love my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ more than I ever thought I could.
I am so grateful that I got to spend one year of my mission in Kirtland. Part of my heart will always be here, I think. It's funny to remember how I was bawling when I opened my mission call and found out that I'd be serving at a Visitors Center. I thought that there had been some sort of mistake, because it wasn't what I had pictured for myself. Well, the Lord always has better plans for us than we could ever imagine up on our own. That same girl that was crying because she didn't want to come here, is now crying not only because she's sad it's over, but mostlty because of grateful to her Heavenly Father for knowing what she needed and allowing her to have this amazing experience.
It's been a tender week. I think I've cried more that last couple weeks than I have during my entire mission. Not necessarily all tears of sadness, but mostly tears of gratitude and love. Tears because I look back on my mission and realize the changes that I've been able to witness in others (investigators, companions, ward members, other missionaries, members that I take on tours), and mostly in myself- and I am so thankful for this wonderful experience.With all that being said, I realize that things are going to change. A lot. I can't be a missionary with a black badge forever, as much as I wish that I could. I want to take all of the knowledge I've gained, the testimony I've developed, the friendships I've made, and the wonderful experiences and lessons that I learned from my mission, and apply them to the next chapter of my life to make it better than it ever could have been without this life-changing experience. I realize that the Lord has provided for me thus far in my life, and he's not going to leave me alone. One of the most important things I've learned on my mission is how to receive personal revelation and answers to prayers. He has a plan for me, and I am excited to see what he wants me to do next. One thing is certain, change brings growth. And I am getting excited to grow. It's time, and I am really excited to see all of you! It's been such a long time!!
The other day we finished up our last planning session, and I said the closing prayer. I had tears streaming down my face the entire time thinking that this was the last weekly planning session I'd ever have as a missionary. I finished praying and sister Shoell said, "I have never heard a more humble, sincere prayer in my entire life. You have no idea what an influence that you have had on everyone around you, and I've never seen anyone love their mission more than you do. My mission is going to be so different after having served with you because I realize how precious and wonderful it can be." Well, she got one thing right. I have LOVED my mission. LOVED LOVED LOVED it. But it's not over. In my personal study this morning, I made my own personal mission plan. I'm excited to be a member missionary now.
I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!!Can't wait to see you all on Thursday!
Love, Sister Hymas
Alma 26:12

Save a Cop

2009-04-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

(Note from Andrea's mom: I'm mostly posting this because I was sick of seeing that polygamy picture every time I opened Ang's blog!)

We were tracting in this really nice area, and this man told us that the cops were going to come because we weren’t supposed to go door to door. Of course we just ignored him because there weren’t any signs, and besides, somebody on his street was definitely in need of the gospel. Well, just after we finished the street, a policeman showed up. The old man called the cops on us. Sister Shoell is terrified of authority figures, and so she sat there quiet and I did all the talking. The cop turned out to be nice enough. He even listened to me as I taught him about the Book of Mormon. We walked away and Sister Shoell said, “Oh my gosh Sister Hymas I didn’t think we were supposed to preach to policeman. You are so bold.” My thoughts are 'why not? policemen need the gospel too.' It was really funny.

Do I look like this???

2009-03-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a doosy...
The other day I was giving a bronze tour to a couple of non-members. Throughout the tour, this single man was hanging around, and then at the last statue he joined us and started joining in the conversation. The ladies began browsing through the exhibit, and he started asking me where I was from, etc. He was a bigger guy, in his early 50’s probably. I got kind of a weird vibe. There were senior couples in the same room as me though and so I wasn’t nervous. He said that he lived in Kentucky, and I asked him if he lived near Lexington, because my uncle was the stake president there. He chuckled and told me that he did, but that he was a Fundamentalist Mormon. I asked him what that meant, and he motioned for me to take a few steps away because “he didn’t want anyone to hear.” At this point I KNEW he was a creepo. He told me that they believe everything that we believe, only more. That they still live the law of consecration (literally), wear full-length garments, don’t allow blacks to have the priesthood, etc. He told me that he had started studying the journal of discourses, and that he suggested I do it to because I was missing out, and that the whole church had gone astray. I simply asked him one question. “Do you follow Thomas S. Monson as the prophet?” “No.” “Well, I know he’s a prophet and so I don’t agree with anything that you’ve just said.” I started to walk away, and he asked me if he could see my scriptures (which I was holding in my hand). I handed them to him, he opened to 2 Nephi 31 and gasped. I asked him what he was doing, and he said, “You’ve got all of the right places marked! When you get to the point that you are at, you’re ready for more.” READY FOR MORE? I was completely disgusted. I grabbed my scriptures from him, bore my testimony of the Prophet Thomas S. Monson, and walked away. He came up to me and whispered in my ear “Farewell”a few seconds later and walked away. I was raging. Later, we found that he had snuck inside after taking a tour because he didn’t want to be with a senior couple. He had actually told the elder that gave him a tour that he was in Ohio looking for another wife. WHAT A CREEPO. Obviously he had no idea who he was messing with. What a PERV. Now the joke around the sites has been, “Sister Hymas, you’re ready for MORE!”
Sidenote: I had actually worn my hair in a braid that day for probably the 3rd time on my whole mission. Also, now that I have bangs I couldn’t help but wonder if he thought I looked like a good candidate for polygamist farm wife.
Note to self: NEVER WEAR A BRAID AGAIN BECAUSE POLYGAMISTS THINK THEY ARE HOTTTTTT.

Family Reunion???

2009-03-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

The other day we were tracting and came across a very large house, with about 12 cars in the driveway/on the road. Sister Shoell was like, “We probably shouldn’t go to this house because it looks like they are having a party.” Of course I’m trying to get her excited and so I say, “Of course we go to this house! Maybe it’s a family reunion and we can teach all of them!” So we walk down the driveway and a couple of guys are outside smoking. We ask them what’s going on and they say they are having a big wine tasting party, but they invite us in to tell everyone about the bronze exhibit in Kirtland. We walk into the garage and down some stairs into a basement, and to my horror the room is full of about 15 big men. Not only are they big, but they are drinking wine. YIKES. The door behind me is still open and I give them a flyer and try to act as natural as possible (Sister Shoell said I didn’t look nervous. She on the other hand didn’t say a word she was so scared.) I invited them to the exhibit and gave them a book of mormon card and invited them to call for a free copy. We turn around to go back up the steps, and two huge guys start coming down the stairs at us. The guys started telling them to shut the door so that we could stay and have some wine. In my mind I start to think of all of the horrible possibilities and I panic. I grab sister shoell’s arm and push through the guys and we book it up the stairs and out the garage and down the driveway. One of them followed us up to apologize. I never really knew the meaning of the scripture in D&C 84:88 where Christ promises to be on your right hand and left, and to have angels bearing you up. Angels were definitely with us that day. I felt so protected and watched over. I had to assure Sister Shoell that that NEVER happens. Most the time they really are family reunions.

Some random thoughts and long overdue pics

2009-03-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

I am going to be training a new missionary again. I am really excited. I feel like I am at the peak of my mission in every aspect. I've learned how to not only have confidence in my own abilities, but to trust mostly in the Lord. I am excited to get a chance to do it all over again. I learned a lot the first time, and it will be neat to get a second chance. I hope I can help her love her mission as much as I love mine.

I just love being a missionary. It's not just how I live anymore, it's become a hobby. A passion. When you told me that Sister Ensign mailed you my release date I threw up in my mouth. (May 28 btw) I love all of you, but I really never want to come home. I've never felt so much joy in my life, and I don't want to leave it ever.

This has been an amazing week. I have learned that the Lord is so aware of our righteous desires, and our hearts. We saw SO MANY MIRACLES. We had 4 investigators come to church, we found 7 new investiagators mostly by contacting in the main street of Willoughby (it's like Park City) and taught ALL WEEK LONG. Biggest Miracle EVER: We got a referral on our phone on Wednesday, and stopped by and left a note. She called us a couple hours later and let us know that she was good friends with a sister in our ward, and that she wanted to learn because she's currently looking for a church. We taught her the next day. When we told her about living prophets she freaked out. "WHAT? HOW COME I'M HEARING ABOUT THIS JUST NOW??? THIS HASN'T EVEN BEEN IN MY RADAR!" She came to church on Sunday, cried through an amazing fast and testimony meeting. All through Sunday school and relief society she made amazing comments. Afterwards we met with her and talked more about the Book of Mormon. I have never seen anybody get more excited to have the Book of Mormon. My whole mission. She said, "Well, why don't the catholics and the methodists use this book too? Why wouldn't they want another testament of Christ??" She already knows about the Word of Wisdom and said, "I am going to have to quit drinking wine, but you know what's funny? A few weeks ago before any of this even started I began weaning myself off of caffeine!" She asked about tithing and had no problem with it. She signed up to bring a cake to the next enrichment. Sister Munford and I were both in awe. She gave the most humble prayer asking God to let her know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and the Book of Mormon is true. I was so touched. It's moments like these that I feel so grateful and blessed to have this experience. There are so many facets of temporary happiness, but this is really what brings true joy. When we gave her the Book of Mormon she said, "You have no idea how excited I am to get this book. I've been waiting for this for a long time. I'm going to hope every stoplight turns red on the way home so that I can quickly read!" AMAZING.We've also gotten a handful of amazing investigators like her this past week. I knew that Heavenly Father would provide. I'm continually amazed at his love though, and so grateful. I really can't explain how grateful I am for this time.

I just finished reading the Book of Mormon challenge with my mission- we circled every reference to christ and highlighted every time he spoke directly and all of the doctrine related to Christ. It was amazing. Try it.

2008-12-29T10:36:00.000-08:00

There's a sister in our house being trained right now. She reminds me so much of myself a year ago when I was being trained. It's made me realize over the past couple of weeks how much I love my mission, and how much I have changed over the past year, and how sad I am that time is starting to slip. (The fact that Sister Norton is ending her mission in three weeks has made me a little more sentimental than usual). I've changed more than I ever thought I could. I'm not sure when it happened. I think it was a process. Not changes that anyone would really notice if we were to hang out, but changes that are a lot deeper. More understanding. More of a desire to be obedient. More of an appreciation for the plan that Heavenly Father has laid out for us. More love for the Savior. Holy cow I'm so glad I signed up for this. In the beginning I thought that I was sacrificing so much, but now I look at it so differently.

Our area is doing awesome. People are at church every week, the members are helping out. We've got baptismal dates. I feel like I've been working my whole mission to see the miracles I've seen in the past month.

Picture this...

2008-11-12T18:55:00.000-08:00

Two girls lost out in the middle of nowhere in the country. The gas-light has been on now in our trusty Corolla for almost twenty miles, Bonnie (Our GPS) has stopped working, the cell phone is beeping because it's dying, and the worst part of all is that we both have to go to the bathroom REALLY bad. Oh, and it's dark outside. Did I mention the fact that it's Sunday, and I'd really like to keep it holy, considering the fact that I'm a missionary and all? How did we get ourselves out of that one? I'll leave it to your imaginations.

Gotta love Sister missionaries in Jodi dresses

2008-09-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

It's borrowed!

You know you've been a missionary for quite a while when...

2008-09-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

1. Your companion tells you that you woke her up in the middle of the night because you were teaching the plan of salvation in your sleep.

2. The next week your companion asks you what scriptures you have memorized from Alma 5. You reply that you don't have any scriptures memorized from Alma 5, and she laughs and tells you that you were reciting one of them in your sleep quite fervently. (P.S. You might all remember that I have never talked in my sleep previous to this transfer of my life.)

3. You have a rating system for the hymns.

4. Wearing jeans is a weird, yet totally wonderful feeling.

5. You start relating everything to the gospel.

6. You have the kind of butterflies you got at junior high dances when the boy you liked asked you to dance with him.... EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY MORNING BEFORE CHURCH.

7. The jokes the immature elders in your district tell start becoming really funny.

8. P-days are stressful because you don't know what to do with free time. You have a list from here to Kansas of people to write, but you just keep letting it grow longer.

9. You watch your companion get really nervous before teaching appointments, and you can only slightly remember what that feels like.

10. You realize that you are HALFWAY DONE WITH YOUR MISSION. If the first 9 months flew..... how fast will the next 9 go?

Kirtland update

2008-07-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

We've had a lot of cool things going on lately. Last night the sisters sang in the choir lofts at the Kirtland temple for 'The Emma Festival', a program held every year on commemorating Emma Hale Smith around her Birthday. Tickets were a hot item, and it was an audience sing-along, and then we sisters had a few musical numbers. I sang a song in a double quartet that was really pretty. It was a great experience.

I got to take Elder and Sister Hinckley on a tour! Yeah, it was crazy. Last week, Elder and Sister Butterfield pulled me in and said that Elder Hinckley, President Hinckley's son, general authority, and head of the mission department was coming to Kirtland, and they wanted Sister Tycksen and I to take him on tour. Yes, only slightly intimidating. We exchanged comps for the day, and Sister Tycksen and I went into sites early Saturday morning before they opened, and met Elder and Sister Hinckley and gave them their own personal tour. I was a little nervous at first, but they were so great and down to earth. It was really comfortable, and easy. It was a great experience, and I was really flattered that Elder Butterfield asked me to do it.

I have seen somebody I know almost every day. It's kind of weird. It's sort of like getting interuppted in the middle of the shower. I like it, but it's combining two very separate worlds.

Tours are going really well, my testimony continues to grow, I feel the spirit strong, and I've met amazing people on tours that I will never forget. I've even been able to see in a small way the effect I've been able to have on some people.

Not everyone can say they got to be in a parade on their mission

2008-06-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

This past week was so fun. Kirtland is so different from normal proselyting. Being a missionary in the field is like being the salesman for a company and doing the gruntwork, and being a missionary at the visitors sites is like being in charge of public relations for the same company. Both jobs are difficult in their own ways; however, in Kirtland there is a little more 'wining and dining' if you will. For example, we get to help with a lot of community affairs and be the faces for the church here in Kirtland. This past week, Kirtland hosted their annual town 'Strawberry Festival'. It reminded me exactly of a small Americana town carnival, very similar to the one in 'Sweet Home Alabama.' Some of us got to help at it all night Thursday, and all afternoon and evening on Friday at the Strawberry tent. Here's a unique one for you- Friday evening Sister Tycksen and I got to dress up as CLOWNS, and we were in the Strawberry Festival Parade.
This was crazy Hahahaha. Yes, a CLOWN. Just in case you didn't realize, this is kind of a big deal. I was wearing a huge striped clown costume, a colored wig, a big red nose... the works. We handed out balloons to kids on the side of the road, and squirted people with these little toys the director had given us. It was so funny. We were laughing so hard, and of course loving it. As the parade started and we are walking down the road waving at people, suddenly I came to the
realization that we were CLOWNS in the parade, and that meant that people were expecting us to act completely stupid. Luckily I had so much stuff to give out, and the parade wasn't too long anyway, that I really didn't have the chance to have to think of something terribly idiodic to try to do to get laughs. It was so fun though.

So long Brunsie...

2008-05-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

I am in Kirtland. I've decided the Lord never wants us comfortable, and he's definitely trying to teach me patience right now. I was excited for Kirtland because I was POSITIVE that I would get to do half proselyting/half sites. (8 sisters are half and half, and 7 of us are full sites) I was surprised when I learned that I would be a full-sites sister, which means I am on sites all day from 9-8.
My companion and I live in a house with 6 other sisters, and we are with sisters all the time on sites all day. Plus we are surrounded by senior couples that I LOVE. P.S. The sisters in my house are SO FUN. It's like a constant party. Part of me doesn't feel like a missionary anymore--- it's just so completely different from the field that I can't even compare the two. But I am starting to really love it.
Oh- guess what we do for service? We dress in pioneer clothes and go help out at the Lakeland Historical Society's Pioneer School----- I've been teaching 5th graders how to make taper-stick candles. It's actually really fun. I told one of the kids this morning that I am from Utah, and he acted shocked and said, "Are you serious?? You've got to be kidding me. You look like you are from California." Whatever that means. Kids are funny.

A taste of tracting

2008-04-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting week, complete as always, with a lot of tracting.
Today I thought that I'd give you all a little sampling of what tracting in
Brunswick entails. I will give you a few examples...

Scenario 1: "Hi we're missionaries from the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints........... No, we AREN'T associated with the fundamentalist group in
Texas, but we DO share a message about how the gospel of Jesus Christ has been
restored to the earth."

Scenario 2: "Hello, we're sharing a message about Christ today...... No, we
DON'T share a husband, but we DO know that you can find more peace and love in
your own marriage by reading this book that we have, The Book of Mormon."

Scenario 3: "Hi, we're missionaries teaching people that the gospel of Jesus
Christ has been restored to the earth......No I don't know him personally, I'm
sorry that he dropped out of the race as well.... but here's hoping for 2012."

Scenario 4: "No. We aren't Jehova's Witnesses........I love Christmas too,
believe it or not, we COMPLETELY support blood transfusions, and you are sure
welcome to come to my birthday party this year."

Scenario 5: "Hi we're teaching people about another testament of Jesus Christ
that we have...... No, John Smith is definitely not the author of the Book of
Mormon. Pretty sure he was too busy with Pocahontas."

I hope that those scenarios gave you a small taste of what each and every day
bring for me. What a delight.

Guess what's behind door #2

2008-04-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

The other day we were tracting on a nice little street. A woman came to her door, we told her what we were doing, she said "No thank you, I'm a born again Christian, but thanks anyway." I hand her a pass along card, and then as we are about to turn around and walk away we mention that her house smells amazing, because it did. She says, "Oh thanks! Well, come step in for a minute."
We walk through door #1 and we are standing in her mudroom. As she is about to open door #2 to get to the rest of her house she says, "I have a lot of cats, I hope you are okay with that." For a brief moment, I hesitate. I hate cats. But hello, I've dealt with many cats in the past few months and I'm sure a few more won't kill me anytime soon. And plus, she was letting us into her house... and that is gold.
As I kept walking, I almost fainted in disbelief. Nothing, no nothing, could have
prepared me for what lie behind door #2. EIGHTEEN furry feline friends. Yes,
EIGHTEEN CATS. No I am not even kidding. Keep in mind, this is in a one
story- two bedroom house. Sister Knecht and I looked at each other in pure
disbelief. I felt like I was in a zoo. 36 eyes stared at me, and 72 legs
started circling us in the middle of the room. UNREAL. Bless her heart, this woman's entire home is catered to her cats, all of which have biblical names. There are liter boxes all over, and cat furniture in every room. Literally, this place is cat heaven. The most incredible part about the whole thing is that it didn't stink at all. In fact, like I said before, it smelled incredible. Not only is she a cat lover, but she is also OCD about cleanliness. I wouldn't have even thought she owned a pet if I couldn't feel a few of these creatures trying to befriend me and rub up against my leg. We stood there in pure amazement for quite some time, and finally Sister Knecht asked if we could capture them all on camera. "SURE!" She was so excited, she whipped out a couple cans of Fancy Feast and in seconds all of the cats had come to play.

Strange things are afoot in Brunswick...

2008-03-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

It happened last night. It was a dark and stormy evening, and we found ourselves on Clemson Rd. We had picked out a former investigator to visit, intent on tempting them with the prospect of eternal bliss. Mission failed, despite our irresistible charm. Shoot. We got back to the car and Sister Knecht took a phone call as I perused through the area book, deciding who our next victim would be. Just then, a police car pulled up, going uncharacteristically slow. He stopped and stared into our car, and then continued on his way. We quickly turned off the light and decided to get out of there. We weren't looking for trouble. The cop was hovering a little ways down the street in this nice, pleasant, middle class neighborhood. We continued driving a while and then realized that the cop was following us. I'm busy formulating escape plans (not that I have a good track record of escape plans actually working in the past when I've had interactions with cops) and Sister Knecht is freaking out ranting, "What the heck! I didn't do anything wrong! Why is he following us?" He didn't let up. Then, all of the sudden, sirens are blaring and we are being summoned to pull over. We are both freaking out at this point. In my head I'm thinking about all of the cop shows I've seen with shady policeman who have their own agendas. Maybe he saw two vulnerable looking girls and decided to have some fun? Or maybe he hates Mormons and is going to harass us? Start beating us? As you all know, my imagination can sometimes be quite overactive, and at that moment it definitely was. He comes up to the window and in the low, husky, impersonal voice that all cops seem to have, asks us what we think we are doing.
Officer 'I like to shine my bright light in your face like you are a criminal' Jones: "I saw you guys parked in front of that house on Clemson Rd, with the light on looking inside and talking on the phone."
Sister Knecht interjects, "What house?"
Officer 'I like to shine my bright light in your face like you are a criminal' Jones: "The house you were parked in front of. We have reason to believe that some suspicious activity is going on in that house. Can you explain yourselves?"
Sister Knecht: "Well, we had just visited 1156 Clemson, the house on the corner. We have nothing to do with that house."
All of the sudden Officer 'I like to continue shining my bright light in your face like you are a criminal Jones realizes that we are wearing name tags: "Oh, I see you are with the Church of Latter-day."
Sister Knecht: "Yes, we are."
Officer 'I'm finally going to turn off my bright light now' Jones: "Okay, well you ladies have a nice evening." Then he walked away.
I am absolutely positive that if we hadn't been wearing missionary badges, we would have been hand-cuffed and taken away.
Honest to goodness.

My first baptism

2008-02-24T15:59:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I had the first baptism of my mission. It was awesome. It was really wonderful. I don't even know what else I can say to adequately describe it. The actual baptism part was quite funny... Rose Marie had to get dunked a couple times and she was crackin jokes the whole time. I loved it. She kept calling herself the pregnant angel in her baptismal dress. It was hilarious.
After her baptism she was just beaming. She was so happy, and you could just see it in her. She kept saying how it was better than she even thought it would be, and that she felt so clean... like a brand new baby. Later that night Sister Tingey and I stopped by her house and she ran over and hugged us both. She started bawling and said in between sobs, "You saved my life, and you didn't even know it.... I'm so glad you weren't Jehovah's Witnesses on my porch!!" I feel extremely lucky and blessed by the Lord to have had the opportunity to find and teach Rose Marie, and watch her be baptized in my first transfer as a missionary. It was a great way for me to start my mission, and a great way for Sister Tingey to end hers. Just being a part of that made all of the really cold, miserable days here in Brunswick so worth it.

Missions are crazy

2008-02-24T15:52:00.000-08:00

Missions are crazy. Wait... maybe it's just me. MY mission is crazy. The other day Sister Tingey looked at me and said, "I've been serving for 18 months now and I've never had stuff like this happen to me until serving with you! " There you have it. I honestly believe that God keeps letting crazy things happen to me to keep me laughing everyday. I LOVE IT.
Here are a few of this week's highlights...

The night before Valentine's day and we were on our way to contact a referral. Sister Tingey missed the turn off and so she pulled into a parking lot to turn around. What she didn't realize was that the driveway slanted downhill. Mix that with the incredibly icy conditions of Brunswick Ohio in February and we've got ourselves a little problem.... The car is now completely stuck in ice. We are talking six inches of snow/ice that doesn't break when you walk on it... wonderful. It's also 19 degrees outside, and the wind is blowing. I get out of the car and we start trying to back it up, etc. We stand there hypothesizing whether we can back the car up 30 feet and over the curb, but realize that we will undoubtedly high center the car. Not a good idea. I get behind the car and start trying to push. Pathetic, I know. This does not work either. The tires are now spinning out of control and we've got smokeeverywhere. Sister Tingey is frustrated at this point, and I think the situation is completely hilarious. What makes the story even better is that we are in the parking lot of Christie's Cabaret and the "Simply Explicit Adult Boutique". We call Elder Hedilious, who is over all the cars in the mission. He laughs when we tell him what happened, and where we are. He tells us to find a shovel, and someone to help us. We try on our own for a few more minutes and both laugh as we realize what we have to do....... actually go inside to find a shovel. It was hilarious. We decide we will try the boutique rather than the strip club. Please picture two missionary girls in long skirts and puffy, hooded coats entering an adult boutique. It was insane. It was straight up disgusting, and I'm pretty sure we both looked like dear in the headlights. Yuck. Luckily, the woman at the desk had a shovel so we got out of there fast. There were however, last minute McCreepster Valentine shoppers who I'm sure got a kick out of two wide eyed sister missionaries entering the devil's playground. As we are walking out of the store I am laughing so hard I can barely contain myself and I start to lose my balance. I'm holding this huge metal shovel that weighs half as much as I do and my feet start slipping out of control. Next thing I know I've landed on my back, and thankfully the shovel had managed to miss my face as it landed. This only made me laugh harder, and I was stuck for about 5 minutes before I could actually get up.Finally we get back to the car, and we start shoveling. Okay, Sister Tingey is shoveling and I am still laughing. Just as she had shoveled us out and we were ready to Rock and Roll out of there, some guys show up out of nowhere and offer us assistance. Perfect timing. Out of control.

We were visiting a less active ward member the other day, and when we got ready to leave she told us to flip our car around in her yard. We do this every time that we visit her. Sister Tingey turned the car around, and we are halfway through the yard when the tires start spinning. OH NO. We look at each other and realize we have a problem. I jump out of the car, only to find that the front wheels of our car are sunk about a foot in wet mud. I start sinking in the mud and now we're in trouble. We try everything.... backing up the car, finding cardboard to put under the wheels to give it traction... nothing works, and by the time we are done trying Sister Tingey is CAKED in mud. It was so funny, and of course I'm laughing uncontrollably at this point and she is half laughing/ half ticked off. So... we knock on Sister Moorman's door to explain to her that we've basically ruined her front yard. Luckily, she doesn't care at all and claims this sort of thing has happened before. She calls her son to come and dig us out of the mud. He gets there twenty minutes later, takes one look at the car, and tells us to call Triple A to get a tow truck. TOW TRUCK??? You've got to be kidding me.... At this point I am dying. Sister Tingey is mumbling under her breath as she sponges off her coat and I am laughing so hard my stomach hurts. A little stop by, turned into a 4 hour ordeal, as it took the tow truck over an hour to get there, and an hour for them to drag our car out of the mud. Priceless. LOVE IT. By the time the car was on the driveway again, the yard looked like it had been bombed by a crater. Note to self: NEVER ATTEMPT TO TURN AROUND ON THE GRASS IN OHIO!

I learned that Urine is the new cure-all.... just like Windex. Urine. I'm not entirely sure how the subject even got brought up... I think that Rose Marie noticed a little patch of dry skin on my finger and she told me to use urine to heal it. WHAT???? The conversation got crazy... she truly believes that urine cures everything... she claims that she washes her face with it mixed with soap every morning and its kept her wrinkle-free. She claims its an old mining town secret, and that it truly works. I almost wet my pants when she was sincerely explaining her theory to me. My challenge for all of you: try it. Stop spending money on expensive face creams.