This week I had the opportunity to lead a training session during
our district meeting. It was on asking inspired questions and listening.
Those two things are my favorite aspects of missionary work and the only
things I'm really exceptional at so I loved giving the training. I
started everything out by playing a game of 20 questions. When we
finished I used that object lesson to outline my key points. I told the
group that teaching lessons is a lot like the game we played. I pointed
out that a few times some people asked me questions that had already been asked
and related that to working with your companion during lessons. If your
companion asks your investigator a question you better listen to the answer
because you can't ask something they already did or it will show that you
weren't listening and don't care. I also pointed out that when someone
asked me if I was a mouse (I was actually a burrito) they didn't try and force
me to be a mouse, they moved on and asked questions until they found out what I
was. When we teach people we need to focus on them, not on what we want
to share with them or who we want them to be. Though the people asking
the questions may have wanted me to be a mouse, I wasn't one and preaching to
me the merits of being a mouse instead of a burrito isn't going to make me want
to change. We can't just throw doctrine at people and expect them to want
to change. We have to get to know them and find out what their needs are
and then we can help them. After this introduction I gave more training
on asking inspired questions and facilitated role playing exercises to
practice. It was a good experience for me to teach my district and I
really enjoyed it.
Hermione's baptism was on Saturday and it was beautiful!
President Jenkins and his wife came and they enjoyed the service.
President said that our talks on baptism and the Holy Ghost were the best
he has ever heard at a baptism because they were short, centered on core church
doctrine, and meaningful. I took that as a huge compliment because I'm
still not entirely convinced that president likes me. He also enjoyed the
meaningful presentation we gave while Hermione was changing. We showed
the Because of Him video the church
released and then we had taken pictures of people holding up their own Because
of Him... signs and had a slide show. We then shared brief testimonies of
Christ. Hermione's sister-in-law got really emotional and told us she
should have been getting baptized that day too. We're going to work on
her a little bit more and hope that she decides to take the lessons.
Hermione and I right before she was baptized!
This
random old lady talked to me for a long time and hopes that I get sent to her
ward. That's super flattering and all, but the lady doesn't know me!
How can she know that she wants me in her ward? It's the hair.
It's always the hair. I have gotten more compliments on my beauty
since I've been on my mission than ever before and I think my hair just fools
them into thinking I am beautiful or something. There is a Glee episode
about hairography in which they say that if you whip your hair around enough
people will think you're a good performer. I take the time to do my hair
each day and people assume that I am beautiful and an amazing missionary.
EH, it works for me! I am so sneaky.
Remember that one time I referenced My Milkshake in
correlation meeting? Well that is never going to die. My ward
mission leader still thinks it is the most hilarious thing. Somehow I
think he likes me more after that incident than he did before. I would be
a little worried about the missionary work in my ward if my missionary was
quoting scandalous rap songs in my living room, but he doesn't seem to mind.
He also said that he talked to the men in priesthood about how they need
to be more supportive to the missionaries and he said he almost ended by
saying, "And I just told you guys this in a way less colorful way than
Sister Poppe would have, so you better shape up". I'm relieved he
didn't; I don't need the ward members knowing that I am as sassy as I really
am!
One of the elders kept bothering me to take this energy
supplement. So one morning I finally did. It's called C4. I
was straight up crazy for like half of the day...and my arms are still sore
from the intense lifting I did. The elders incorporate me in their
workouts now and I get so many dirty looks from the other sisters in the
gym...they have a different interpretation of what an inappropriate
relationship is than the Elder’s do I guess. We're just doing squats!
We aren't whispering sweet nothings. #sweetheartsquats
Because people love us they give us food...it's kind of made
#totesfit815 turn in to #fatty4lyfe
Remember when that lady told me that dogs can read auras?
I'm still on the fence about that, but I do seem to have a dog fan club.
It is becoming outrageous the number of dogs that love me. Dogs in
Mesa revere me; I think my name has gotten out among the barking chains.
Hermione's brother-in-law and sister-in-law live in her house and they
have a dog that is usually in the backyard when I am over. Well one day
this week she was waiting in the living room for us. The dog greeted me
cordially enough, but then decided that she needed more love than I was
offering, so she knocked me onto the couch, sprawled across my lap, and started
licking me from forehead to chin! This is no small dog either, mind you.
My fan club now consists of many loyal K9 followers, though Lysie the
beagle is the president because she follows me around when I'm over and sits by
me at the dinner table. Other members include (listed in no particular
order): Paco, Mercedes (newest member, inducted 5/1/14), Perdy, and Toby.
There are other dogs that are trying to join, but these are the most
common purveyors of doggy love.
Lysie. President of the K9 charter of the Sister Poppe
Fan club.
She is off to Washington for the summer but will be back when
snowbird season starts up again. Until then she will preside
from afar.
I think they need to get orchestras for fast and testimony
meetings like they do for the Oscars. Some testimonies just need to end
and I think a tactful way to encourage that would be to play a lovely hymn on
some strings. It works for the celebs so it will work for us!
We had a really awesome experience yesterday at church.
A lady walked in and said that she was looking for another church but
couldn't find it so God sent her to ours. We ended up talking to her for
half an hour and then invited her to follow us to our other ward for sacrament
meeting. She did and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately she doesn't
live in our area so we referred her to the missionaries in her ward boundaries.
I think she will end up being baptized...she is really prepared.
We went to a fireside presented by the architect of the
Gilbert Temple last night (who is actually Michael's uncle) and it was a really
wonderful experience. I took a lot away from the fireside that I needed
to hear. The architectural information was interesting and such, but I
liked the personal story he shared of how he became an architect. I
really have spent a lot of time thinking about the way in which the Lord shapes
us to become who we are and I think more often than not we are shaped in ways
that we don't realize until later. I had another opportunity to think
about that while we were in the temple this week. I was pondering the
people I have been blessed to know in life and how I was really worried about
going on a mission because I was afraid that no one would be around when I get
home. I was convinced that I would have no friends and that no one would
care about me anymore. I realized though that I have a small group of
people who faithfully write me and that I am actually becoming closer with
though I am away and only hear from them 2-4 times a month. Heavenly
Father knows our needs. If we are doing what he wants us to do then we
will be blessed in a way that is important to us. Relationships have
always been important to me and I have a hard time letting go of people I care
about, so Heavenly Father has blessed me with meaningful relationships with
people I care about even though I am far away and restricted in my means of
communication. It is amazing how we are always blessed for living according
to His will.
Hopefully I will continue to have meaningful insights and
will become a better person each week.
Love,
Sister Poppe
We had a lesson with a youth in one of our wards this week
and we were teaching the ten commandments. I decided to make the lesson
more interactive, so I took the towel that was hanging up in her bedroom off
the wall and put it on my head to make me look more like Moses...instead I just
kind of looked like the Virgin Mary.
We went to the temple as a zone! It was crazy windy
and my skirt kept trying to fly up and do other scandalous things. It was
a wonderful morning, as temple mornings always are.
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