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.

Hermana Guapa

Hello!

We have been meeting with our ward mission leader's neighbor (who we will call Rose, just for the simple reason that I'm down to half an hour to write this letter and I don't have the time to think of anything more creative!) and things are going well. She is interested in the church for purely historic curiosity at this point, but she did commit to read the Book of Mormon this week so her secular interest is about to become a lot more spiritual. We also took her to the VC to see JSPR this week and we invited her to the missionary fireside we sang at last night. She enjoyed the fireside quite a bit. We also formally invited her to take the lessons this week and she agreed. Though again, for only the sake of understanding those around her better. Yeah. Whatever. We'll see what happens. We don't get to tell the Spirit no! She said that she likes discussing ideas with us so it will probably go really well.

We had exchanges this week and I was with Sister Whitney Smith for the day and we found a new investigator in the Springs together. It was like a Preach My Gospel moment. Seriously. We were walking to knock on a potential's door and we saw a lady on her porch. I had the impression that we should talk to her, but she was on her phone so we just smiled and walked by. As we got just out of eyesight we heard, "Girls! Come back!" We turned around and as we approached her she looked at me straight in the eyes and said, "Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?" I responded, "Yes, we do. And in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father." She went on to tell us about the struggles she's had since moving to Mesa six months ago and said, "I just don't think I'm feeling the Holy Spirit in my life. How do you feel the Holy Spirit? I need to feel it in my life!" I asked if we could come in and talk with her and she let us in. We spent half an hour talking to her about baptism, priesthood authority, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the great apostasy. It was a jumbled first lesson without the first two points and without the Book of Mormon. She said she has been baptized into three different churches in her life and just wants to feel the Spirit. She invited us back and we are so excited! Everything that morning had been crazy and nothing went as planned and truly everything leading up to that point prepared us for that moment. We needed to be in front of her porch exactly when we were and it lead to the most miraculous finding experience of my mission. We are going back this week and I fully intend her to accept what we share with her. The only problem is that she lives with her daughter and wants to move out, so it is likely she could move out of the area. Her daughter is also pretty anti, so that isn't good!

Remember that one time I told you about that sister who loves my

blog and has always wanted to be my companion? Well we were for

a day! We went on an exchange. I'm afraid she probably realizes now

that I'm not as amazing as she originally thought.

We also spent some time at the assisted living center in our area during exchanges and Sister W. Smith and I had a great time visiting the members in there. They're so sweet and so grateful when we come by. I really don't want to get old! We met an old Catholic lady who was convinced we were nuns because we go by "sister". She told the Mormons at dinner that she met some nice nuns and even they tried to tell her that the sisters that came were Mormons. She didn't believe them. She told us, "Go out and make every one Catholic in this place, sisters! Some other people (most likely the Mormon) share their beliefs in here and we need 'em all to be Catholic!" 

I was really struck with the importance of the work I am doing this week. I've always known it was important, but I just felt differently about it this week than I ever have. Maybe it's because I hit 15 months on the 29th or something. I just really love what I'm doing and know how valued missionary service is. We often do things (like visit the assisted living home) that no one else has a lot of time for. Honestly, teaching nonmembers about the gospel is sometimes the least effective part of my day. Really uplifting people is what is important and what Christ did the most of.

We set a date for our 8 year old to be baptized on the 16th! Woo! We have another baptism this Saturday! My record is increasing by 200% in the next two weeks. #holllaaa #blessings

On Friday we had zone conference and it was my favorite zone conference of my mission. We talked about having a change of heart and making permanent changes to our natures. I love it. I am so grateful for the lessons I've learned on my mission and for the way my nature has changed. I feel like such a better human being now than I did before I came out. I am excited to always serve selflessly and to be an instrument in the Lord's hands for eternity. During the conference Sister Smith and I both had to give two one minute lessons without prep time. It was kind of fun and President Jenkins thanked us after the meeting for our good comments. He also said that he will possibly consider keeping us together for another transfer because we keep working on him! We still think it is a slim possibility though, so pray for us! The best part of the day was when President Jenkins turned the meeting over to Sister Jenkins and introduced her as Hermana Guapa, which translated is Sister Hottie or Sister Babe. They're so cute!

Saturday was a day of moving! We helped two families move and it was crazy! 

There were other great experiences, but I'm out of time! As always, excuse the typos and general lack of awesomeness that comes with penning something in a brief period of time.

Love,

Sister Poppe

Cat wrapping paper. I still stand by my statement that cats in real

life are awful, but cats on things and in YouTube videos are hilarious.

And with this package, birthday month is officially over. Until next year,

birthday month. Get ready, because next birthday month will be huge.

I will be celebrating a quarter of a century of life after all.

We have a problem.

Dos de Mayo lunch celebration...

because we won't have time on Cinco de Mayo

 Bike swagger

 

Just doing missionary work on a bike.

Funny story! We had a mission fireside last night for nonmembers and Sister Smith and I were asked to sing in a small group of sisters. They have these monthly and I've sang at a few. They have recent converts share their stories and have a few musical numbers and then the mission president speaks and sometimes Sister Jenkins does. They're intended for nonmembers and they're great! We had two investigators come and after the program we were talking with them as the chapel cleared out. We found ourselves as the last people there other than President and Sister Jenkins and a counselor in the mission presidency. They were talking with us and then it became 10 minutes to 9:00 and we started leaving because of our curfew. As we were leaving President Jenkins said he would walk us out. When we got out front our car was on the opposite side of the parking lot (it wasn't a huge parking lot, but decent sized) so he told us to get in the car and he and Sister Jenkins would give us a ride to our car. We protested, I said, "President, this is why sisters gain 30 pounds in Mesa," and he just laughed and made us get in his car. We ended up talking to Sister Jenkins for 10 minutes while he talked outside the car and it was fun. This was made all the better because at zone conference a few days before as they shook our hands President pulled Sister Smith in and said, "How is one of my favorite missionaries doing," a few minutes later as I shook their hands Sister Jenkins pulled me in and whispered, "You are my favorite person, Sister Poppe." Neither of us heard this but as we told each other later we thought it was funny that neither of them are supposed to have favorites and somehow their two favorites ended up in the same companionship. So as we sat in the back of their car we felt like their children. But it also kind of felt like we were in the back of a cop car. He drove us to our car and thanked us for all that we do for the mission and then awkwardly waited until we started our car and drove off. The best part is that we took this picture, which we have entitled, "Backseat with Mom and Dad," without them even knowing.

No caption provided, but aren't they cute?

 

My Mother Called Him a Communist Dictator

This week was a week of firsts for my companion and me. There were so many firsts, that I'll start with all of those and then go into the remainder of my letter.

1. It was the first time I've called a group of sisters to repentance.  When I was in the Salt River Stake our district leader told the stake president that our district had some of the best missionaries in the mission in it. At the time I thought that was an exaggeration, but having left the district now, I believe it was true! I miss being with some of the most obedient and driven people in this mission. I woke up the day of our district meeting and felt inspired to change the training I was going to give to a talk on obedience and repentance.  There has been too much slipping in the district and too many times that the sisters haven't pushed themselves (myself included). I boldly, yet lovingly, shared some scriptures and passages from Preach My Gospel about repentance and diligence and then told them a few things that needed to improve and then invited them to repent. I was so nervous. Naturally my neck was red. No one hated me by the end, and one sister told me later that day that she has been praying for correction and that I answered her prayer. Things are improving, but they still aren't where they should be, unfortunately. But I do have a tendency to expect more out of people than is likely to be achieved.  So I need to work on that.

2. It was Sister Rasheed's first time riding a bike! I taught her last P-Day and we worked on it some more on Christmas Eve. It was so hard!  How do you explain to someone how to balance? You can't! We are to the point that she can ride the bike by herself  if I hold it and help her start or if she can use a curb to push off of. I looked so ridiculous running around holding on to the seat and handle bars of a bike that a grown woman was riding.

The bike started to roll forward as the self-timer was

counting down and this is what it captured.

 

Battle wounds.

 

3. I did my first dumpster dive. I bought a pair of earrings at Target and I couldn't find them the other day. I looked all over and finally decided that someone must have accidentally thrown them away when we cleaned up all the wrapping paper and boxes Christmas afternoon. It was 9:30 in the evening, but I knew the longer I waited to check the garbage the more there would be to sift through. I grabbed my head lamp and Sister Rasheed and reluctantly headed toward the dumpster at the end of the parking lot. We checked the recycling bins first because they were cleaner. When that didn't yield a positive result I knew I had to actually climb into the dumpster. I stupidly was still in a skirt, sweater (complete with my name tag...#dignified), and slippers, but I just went for it. I knocked a recycling bin over and used it as a ladder and then grabbed another recycling bin and threw it in the dumpster so I had something to sit on that wasn't a pile of trash. I hopped in and spent the next half an hour sifting through the remnants of people's festive day. I didn't find my earrings and decided to give up. I put the recycling bins back and went home with nothing more than dirty hands, an appreciation for the fact that I've never been homeless, and a pair of two year old slippers that met their demise. The next day I found the earrings in the trunk of our car.

 

4. I spent my first Christmas away from home. In all honesty it didn't really feel like Christmas because of the weather so it didn't hit me until Christmas Day that I should be sad. We had a great day though! I still can't believe that you mailed my gifts to a member's home instead of the mission office so I couldn't open them before Christmas! I inherited my poor self-control at Christmas time from you and you had the audacity to limit me! We went to the relief society president's home in Brimhall and had breakfast with her and her children and grandchildren and opened our gifts.  When I opened my watch she said, "Look kids! Blessings of a mission! You go on a mission, you get nice things." It was so funny. I got to take a nap on Christmas day and it was potentially the best gift I could have received. I am literally always exhausted.  ALWAYS. My right eye has twitched on and off for a month and I'm still not sure if it is from sleep deprivation, stress, or an undetected case of epilepsy.  Probably the last one. I'm dying. We had dinner at a fun home that night and they gave us cute stockings with treats. We ended the evening by singing with the entire mission at the temple. To be honest, I wasn't that impressed with the recordings I heard of us, but people seemed to like it. We all know I'm kind of a music snob, so I'm sure the general citizenry liked it even though I didn't think we sounded that great. I did rock my bell part though!

5. I took part in comforting the first sister in my district to have a small break down during my tenure as district leader. So many emotions all the time! 

That's all for the firsts!  On to the last few points of this letter.

A couple in Brimhall does "Subway Saturday" with the sisters once or twice a month so they took us out for lunch and it was hilarious. A friend of theirs from another ward ate with us as well. I literally thought I had climbed into a time machine and was having lunch with Brandon 40 years from now.  He talked a lot about guns, oil drilling, the military and other things, but the most Brandon like thing he said of the day was, "the first thing I'm doing when I'm dictator of this country is kicking all the Prius owners out!"  When he asked about my family and myself and I told him that he reminded me of my brothers and dad he said that I must come from a fine family. Then when he found out that I had a degree in American Studies and the men in my family had all or were currently serving in the military he said that we were fine people and that he should fly out to Minnesota to meet my family. He's crazy! hahahahaha.

At Christmas lights I saw someone with a UNI sweatshirt on so I approached her and asked if she is from Iowa. Through our conversation I mentioned that I lived in Hampton and it turns out that her brother is Mr. Wempen, my middle school principle! Her dad asked for my name so he could talk about me and I gave it to him. I really wanted to lie because I'm sure the only thing Mr. Wempen remembers about me is that middle school years were bad hair years for me and that my mother called him a communist dictator the first month of our three year authority figure/pupil relationship.

I'm going to be honest.  Things are slow here. I feel like I'm in a hamster wheel just running, running, running and nothing is happening.  I really hope that when Christmas lights end and when we have more time in our area that things will take off. We have a mission wide fast this upcoming Sunday to find new investigators and our wards are fasting with us. I know that will lead to many miracles and I am so excited for them to start pouring in!

Today is my 11 month mark!!!! WHAAAAAAAAAT????? Also, I'm having a crisis because I realized my birthday is in 4 months and I am not ready to be 24.  24 just seems so much older than 23. Where did 23 go?  I seriously JUST had my birthday month. I can't even handle this. 24 year olds own houses and stuff. I can't even.

On that note, have a happy new year!  Set some real goals this year. Include spiritual and physical goals. I am going to read all of the Standard Works in 2015 for one of my spiritual goals.

Love,

Sister Poppe

 

This is an awful picture, but for some reason Sister Rasheed loves it.

 

Christmas morning with our stockings.

Thanks Bri Bri! They are adorable.

These are all of our favorite things! I spy a Smashburger gift card,

                               a fancy new watch, Sperry's, and Resse's trees.

 

Sister Rasheed said as she was opening the gifts from my family,

"How your family know all my favorite things! These my favorite gifts."

Spot on family. Spot on!

I LOVE MY WATCH! I'm taking it to the mall today to

get it sized down though because it is a little large.

 

All bundled up.

 

I ran into two members from Twin Knolls at Christmas lights!

 

Seriously, I have been waiting all month to illegally hop the

little fence to take a picture with this fake man.