Hold the Ccino

Hello,

Okay. Wow. I decided this will probably be long because it is my last one. I'm not exactly sure how I feel. It's weird. It hasn't even hit me yet. This time tomorrow I'll be home. I've broken down my last week by day. It was a miracle week though. We found more investigators this week than I've ever found in a week my entire mission. We found 10 and met our goal to find 10 of them. I feel good leaving this area now. Preach My Gospel says to leave an area better than you found it. I came into this area when it was doing so well that I was afraid that I would never be able to leave it better than I found it. I don't know if it is better, but it definitely isn't worse and there is work to do for the sisters who will be here. Sister Childs is staying and she is training a new missionary! I'm so excited for her.

Monday: We went shopping last P-day so I could buy a few normal human clothes and some Birkenstock's. I can't wait to have a pedicure and some sandals on my feet! I had lunch with a member from my first area as well. We then had the Cheesecake Factory for dinner with the mission nurse and her husband. She said we're besties. So sweet! They even said that we HAD to get a piece of cheesecake. Dream come true. We had a lesson at Legacy with our elderly friends. Our following is quickly growing! We were able to teach them the first lesson. We prayed that there would be a way and I was able to bridge from the Revolutionary War into the Restoration. It went well and they all commented on the beauty of the message and how they felt. Though we may never get them on this side, they'll be primed and prepped for baptism in the Spirit World. We had one last lesson with the Oreo Mouth Family. Then we had a miracle on our way out of their home. We street contacted a woman with so much potential! I am so excited for the sisters to work with her when I leave. She loves Christ and definitely has His light in her countenance. She will be wonderful for the new trainee to teach. 

The cute old people who come and listen to our 

FHE messages on Monday evenings.

Tuesday: We were supposed to help the Bohemian move out of the complex on Tuesday. We showed up with a whole crew of missionaries and she wouldn't answer the door (she was in denial that she had been evicted). We went in anyway and just started packing stuff. We could only do so much before we had to leave. This will all come back into play on Friday/Saturday. We continued with our finding goal and found a few new investigators! We had dinner at Nando's with one of my favorite families, and then went to the VC to watch Meet the Mormons with Diva and her family. That night I was praying about some doctrine that I had questions about and I was a little riled up. I literally fell asleep during my prayer and was out for an hour. I woke up on my knees an hour later and wasn't upset anymore. I think that Heavenly Father put me to sleep so I would stop talking to him and so that I would just wake up and feel peace and know that my question and confusion wasn't that big of a deal after all.

Wednesday: I had my last ZTM and it went well. We did service that day for the United Way's Read on Mesa program again. We helped them sort their storage and organize it better. It was a lot of fun! It was the first day that I started having weird feelings about going home though too. Sister Child's had some cross contamination gluten at dinner that night and I was worried we would have to go home before we met our goal of finding a new investigator that day. I prayed and asked Heavenly Father to lead us directly to someone. A part-member family came to mind and we contacted them and they invited us back. BAM! 3 new investigators! We had a lesson at 8 with the woman we found on Monday. She couldn't meet with us, but we shared a brief doorstep lesson with her. She was so kind. We had two people with us that are leaving on missions in the next month. We told her that and she softened even more and said we could come in for a minute. I testified of the Living Christ, gave it to her and invited her to read it. I had prayed all day that the Spirit would be working on her. I used to pray that the Spirit would help me and a few weeks ago I remembered that President said he started praying that the Spirit would soften people's hearts and prepare them instead of praying that the Spirit would help him teach well. So I started doing that. My last week. Wow. Where was that 18 months ago?  But it worked. Her heart was definitely prepared. It was a warm moment in her home. We went home half an hour early that night and Sister Childs took medicine and went straight to bed. I planned the next day while she was asleep and it was FULL. 

 Last ZTM

2 cool coyote’s man!

Thursday: At 3 am on Thursday morning I woke Sister Childs up by sharing important shark facts in my sleep. Apparently I sat up and said something along the lines of, "You need to know this about sharks..." and then she couldn't remember what I actually shared. But I had a sense of urgency in my voice. I helped that elder with his college essays.

Sister Childs bought me this sweet shark that swims. 

We filled up the bathtub and took him for a spin.

We had lunch at Cafe 8 with some members. My notes aren't as great for Thursday. I went to leave a parking lot and realized I missed the entrance. I thought there was another one at the end of the lot. There wasn't. I was going to have Sister Childs get out of the car to back me up. She told me just to drive off the curb. So I did. YOLO. Then I was paranoid all night that something would fall off the bottom of our car. I will never drive off another curb. I promise. I had been struggling with eating on and off for a week and a half because of nerves. Sister Childs finally convinced me to get a blessing. One of my favorite members gave me one. He is so sweet. He started the blessing by saying, "....I give you a father's blessing," instead of a blessing of counsel and comfort. It was sweet and good for me. I felt more peace throughout the rest of the week. Though I did have my breakdown that night. I don't even know what came over me. Satan was just super strong in my head after that blessing. When we got home that night I started crying at the sight of a screenshot I took of a FB post announcing that Blue Bell is coming back on the market finally.

 The FB post that put me into tears.

My roommates knew that I wouldn't cry tears of joy over that, so they pried and I just started crying and sharing. Basically I started having all these fears that I hadn't served hard enough and that the Lord wouldn't be pleased with my work and that I was a failure. We talked for quite a bit and then they sent me to bed at 11:45. I woke up the next day feeling fine and realized that I was completely listening to Satan the night before. I have been far from perfect as a missionary, but I do think I at least met some of Heavenly Father's expectations. I'm glad the breakdown is out of the way. Hopefully I don't cry when I'm home now.

Friday: We helped the Citrus Heights stake prepare for their annual clothing exchange. I found a brand new shirt with the $55 tag still on it and snagged it. I'm currently wearing it and look quite fancy. I found some great things for Swaggy B and a few other things I am bringing home for the real world. We had lunch at the Iowa cafe!

 Iowa Cafe!

Our pool party was cancelled and we were sad because we invited a lot of nonmembers. I was frustrated because I was convinced that was how we would find new investigators that night. I wanted to cry again, but didn't. I prayed and just asked for strength. Any other day it would have been fine, but after 18 months I just couldn't handle that. It worked out and we actually had some good miracles because of the cancelled party. We met a new girl and the Spirit really was strong. It might be a hard long road, but I really feel that she will be baptized. We lit a shirt on fire that night. Sister Childs' last bishop hates the U of A so he said that he would buy her an ASU shirt to replace it if she would burn it. So we burned it with him and he replaced it. We ran into the Bohemian in the parking lot that night and she begged for more help moving the next day. We told her we were booked but we could send elders.

Saturday: We served at a funeral Saturday morning which made it impossible for us to help the Bohemian move. During our service we got a million texts from her and the elders. Basically she left to get a truck and never came back and after two hours they left her stuff on the curb because they didn't know what to do. She was furious that they left her stuff. I was furious that it wasn't planned better and that she didn't have a truck after she promised she would. Basically after a few more hours I just called the Elder's Quorum President and got him involved. There were a lot of un-Christ like thoughts I had and a lot of anger and frustration I had to mask but it ended up being taken care of. Luckily all of our appointments cancelled in the afternoon, including dinner. So we helped with this fiasco from 1:30 until 6:30. Then we showered and ran to the VC to have a lesson with Diva and her family. That was a calming, peaceful experience after my day of annoyance. It was definitely not the way I thought I would spend my last full proselyting day as a missionary. I learned a lot though. Really, I did. Like that I am not as patient as I thought I had become. I also learned that I really have been blessed with common sense and problem solving abilities and because of that I am used to help others. I can't be as frustrated with them. The Bohemian told us two times she was completely at a loss for what to do that day and she prayed and within minutes I called and resolved her problems. So it was stressful for me, but I definitely think I was placed there to help her. She would probably still be lost and have all her stuff on the curb if we wouldn't have helped her.

Moving disaster pics

Sunday: I was called up to give a short 5 minute testimony about my mission in Fairway Groves. It was a good day. I received a lot of love. A few families in the FG Ward threw me a going away party. It was so sweet. I love them so much. People complimented me all day and were far more generous with their words than I have earned.

Today: I took a cactus pic. Finished packing. Now I'm emailing. At 3:00 I report to the mission office and then we leave for the mission home at 3:30 for our farewell testimony meeting and dinner. We sleep at a member's home and then tomorrow morning bright and early we are picked up to make our flights. I leave at 7:15 AM. It's still hard to grasp. Like when Grandma Kelly died and I didn't cry until the funeral because I couldn't wrap my head around it until it was literally happening. 

 

Selfie in front of our spirit cacti. They look like missionary cacti. 

Also we had been caught in a Monsoon previously, 

that's why my hair is a disaster.

I should probably include some sentimental thoughts about my mission, but I did those on my blog already. Read that post if you want more details! http://poppesplates.blogspot.com/2015/08/6-things-i-learned-in-azmm.html

Unrelated to my week, but very much related to my almost status as an RM is my desire to hold literally all of the babies. Either hide your babies or embrace it, because I'm coming off a very long dry spell.

 Jayden and I are tight. He is adorable.

Love,

Sister Poppe

PS:  2 things to add before I sign off for the day.

1: Sister Smith is having a ward added to the two she is over and guess which ward it is....GRANDMA'S. SHE WILL BE THE MISSIONARY IN THE WARD I AM MOVING INTO. I am literally SOOOO happy I could die. 

2: Funny story from a few minutes ago. We stopped by Walmart so I could get a jump drive super-fast to get all the pictures off of my iPad with. We decided to hit up Starbucks on our way home to get some Frappe's. Swaggy B was ordering and was just repeating what I said word for word so it went like this:

"Two chocolaty chocolate chip Frappuccino’s. Hold the ccino."-me

"Two chocolaty chocolate chip Frappuccino’s. Hold the ccino...(with a weird look at me that said, "what does that even mean?"). -Swaggy B

…long pause

"Hahahahahaha"-lady doing the drive thru

"Hahahaha"-us

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have laughed like that. But what does that mean? Hold the ccino?"-lady doing the drive thru

"Ummm...it just means no coffee."-Swaggy B

"Thanks ladies, you made my day. That was hilarious. I'm going to use that from now on. Hold the ccino."-lady at the drive thru.

WOW. Could we have been more Mormon?

 My re-enactment of this historic pop culture moment.

Swaggy B and I. I picked that shirt out for her and she wore
it in memory of me today. It reminds her of the Soppe Hit,
Panting Bird.

Another casual conversation between KJ and I. I think sometimes
that he worries that I need more love or something because he has
responded to more of my emails in the last six months than he ever
responds to anybody's. I try to not be needy, but maybe I am.
Who knows. Or he just likes to harass me via email occasionally.

President always includes something about the departing
missionaries in his weekly email to the mission. Usually it
happens the Monday after they leave, but I had the pleasure
of reading it before I left because it was earlier than normal.

He Kissed Me with His Oreo Mouth

Hey!

Wow! With these busy weeks it’s making it hard to email home because I have so much to write and so little time. I'll try my best!

There is a musical FHE once a month put on by a talented pianist in the fancy rich stake here in Mesa. His name is Clyde Bawden. We took our ward mission leader's neighbor to it and she loved it! At the end she said, "I feel so warm right here (in her chest) and peaceful! Do you feel that?" We told her that we did and that it was the Spirit testifying of the truth of the message she heard that night. Her neighbor is going to invite her to learn more.

At the assisted living home we visit one of our friends was expressing her sorrow with being old and lonely. She talked about her husband and how much she misses and loves him. We gave her a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and she was so grateful and happy. She said it is a truly beautiful book. If we don't get her here, we'll get her on the other side.

When we returned our bikes Sister Smith biked into a bush. And it was sooooo funny.

We stopped by the TLC Family's home this week and had an amazing conversation with the husband on the porch. We taught him the Restoration outside and he wants us to come back and teach his entire family when his wife gets back in town next week. THIS IS A MIRACLE IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT.

We met a less active this week who is so sweet. She didn't have a good experience at the temple the first time she went so she kind of fell off the radar. She opened up to us though and is going to allow us to keep visiting. We will help her and her cute little family! The son is adorable. He called me mom and kissed me with his Oreo mouth. I wanted to hold him so badly. OBEDIENCE. Ah. He sat next to me as we talked with his mom and played with my Batman and Hex-bug Nano-bug thing (which is potentially the most useful mission gift I've ever received! So many children have been distracted by that thing).

Lost is still doing well. He is getting more open with us as well. We asked if he had any questions at the end of our lesson on Friday and he said, "Sister Poppe, are you going back to BYU after your mission?" We meant questions about the Plan of Salvation, but it is cute that he is asking us human questions now. We went out with him and the priests who helped us teach and our ward mission leader for gelato after our lesson. It is made by a real Italian and is literally as good as the stuff I had in Europe. Oh man. I had some Nutella gelato and it made me want to just never eat anything again so that I could savor that sweet, creamy, delicacy for the rest of my life. This was the same day that we had the cheesecake feast...

So I received a phone call on Friday while we were weekly planning letting us know we had to come to the mission office because someone brought me something perishable. We went over and to our surprise there was the most welcome of rainbow bags on the package table in the mission office; a Cheesecake Factory take out sack. President Jenkins stopped us in the doorway and asked if that was the bribe we promised him if we stayed together. We were going to offer him a piece, but he left before we could. Which reminds me, we do owe him a piece, because Sister Smith and I are staying together for 6 more weeks! Miracles of all miracles. Anyway, back to the dessert. We ate it with our roommates while we took a weekly planning break and we all almost puked because we should have stopped eating but didn't. IT WAS SO GOOD. Cheesecake is literally my favorite dessert.

We had ZTM this week and were having a potluck afterward. Sister Smith and I were assigned a watermelon but we forgot to buy one on Pday. When we got to dinner on Tuesday night, the day before we needed the watermelon, the lady we had dinner with asked if we wanted to take home the left over watermelon. We had enough for our potluck and we didn't have to go to the store on a day that wasn't Pday! MIRACLES.

President Jenkins decided that too many trainers aren't training their new missionaries correctly, so he took a poll of mission leaders and asked who the best trainers have been in the mission. My name was one of the most prevalent I guess because I've been asked to participate with a few other missionaries (including Sister Smith) in a train the new trainers meeting this Wednesday. I'm specifically supposed to role play an effective 12 week training (that's what the new missionary training is called). I am humbled, honored, and excited!

Our 8 year old convert was baptized! It was a wonderful day. I'll send pictures next week, we didn't get any on our iPad so we're waiting for them to be emailed to us. The service was wonderful and his nonmember parents came and enjoyed it. A few days before his baptism we had a lesson with him and his 6 year old nephew said the funniest thing in the closing prayers, "Please bless that 8 year old will not flip out. Because he will be fine. Because he is only under the water and then out of it really fast. Like....a race car." This is the same kid who a few weeks ago asked us, "Is it true that people from State Farm can just appear in other places?" when his mom told him that you can ask the missionaries any questions and they have answers. President and Sister Jenkins came to our baptism and we asked President at the end when we would receive transfer news. He said, "Tomorrow night. You'll find out in about 24 hours.......that the two of you are staying together." He told us a day early! We were so caught off-guard that we didn't really react very excitedly.

Bambi is doing really well and is interested in family history. I am excited to work with her more on that.

Today at Target a sweet lady approached us and gave us each a $20 gift card. People are so nice to us sometimes. I'm excited to do nice things for missionaries when I am home! You should all do something nice for some missionaries!

Last night we were contacting former investigators and we stopped by a woman's home and had a great talk with her. She has read the Book of Mormon twice and believes fully in it. She said she will be baptized someday, just in her timing. The lady is old. Super old. I think it's time. We set up a return appointment for Friday and are looking forward to the miracles that will happen with her.

Love,

Sister Poppe

What a surprise! Cheesecake Factory cheesecake delivered to the mission 

office for us. We were all thoroughly excited. In the words of Sister Mitchell, 

"I'm glad I made the decision to come down to Earth." Yes. It was that 

good.  Also, a great weekly planning break.

Post Crossfit/Sister Brady's Bday!

Sister Smith's baby hairs remind me of Dwight Shrute. 

They're called her Dwight Shrute hairs now. 

They make my heart happy.