Week 73: New address

The mission office will be switching over to the new and permanent building on January 14th.  

 

So to send mail to me it will be:

Sister Emily DeFord

Colorado Fort Collins Mission

500 Hillspire Drive

Windsor, CO 80550

Week 73: 1/5/2015

January 5, 2015

Longmont, CO

Sometimes I am distracted very easily.  Like when I was writing the date in my journal on January 1st, and was determined to write the year correctly, but somewhere between the 'Jan-' and the '20-' part I got distracted from my goal and did it wrong.  Now that had made me even more determined to write it right the rest of the time though!

First part of the news from the end of the week is (drum roll please!) exactly what I expected to happen with transfers is happening!  Every once in a while I have an idea ;) Sister Allen and I are staying together for the next transfer! (sidenote: there seems to be a possibility that Sister Allen's uncle Jeff and my uncle Don were mission companions)  Hermana Ferrell will be departing from us to head to Boulder and train again, dear, brave, chosen Hermana Benny is staying here to train a new missionary.  They can use all of the prayers anyone can spare, though I'm sure the Lord knows what he is doing and is prepared to uphold them.  Hermana Benny was called at a special time, where she would have to train after her first transfer, the Lord doesn't call just anyone to do that.  We will continue having as much fun in the work as we can handle!

Do you remember D______ from way back when?  Well, due to the boundary change she is no longer in the ward, but we get to work with her grown up daughter N_____ now.  She has had a rough life, but really is working on drawing closer to God and relying on him and his plans for her.  My favorite part of talking with her this week though was when she told us about a job that she did, which included a lot of heavy lifting and stuff like that.  People would think she was a sissy because she looked nice, but her response was, "Don't underestimate my eyeliner."  There is a girl after my own heart :)

Another funny quote of the week, by Sister Allen as we were talking about the importance of baptism and the ways we want to help other people understand that, though really this is a summation of how not to do it, "I think we should terrify them first, then tell them how to not be peons on this earth through baptism."

We went tracting this week, on New Year's day and I got into more houses than I ever have in one tracting experience.  However, most of them were just nice people who felt bad for us in the cold and didn't want to talk about anything related to the gospel with us.  There was one really nice lady named R____ who is 95!  She lives on her own still and invited us in and gave us cookies.  Figuring it was too difficult to explain to her about Sister Allen's food allergy, we each took a cookie and I ate both of them ;) I would take a bite of mine, then when R____ wasn't looking Sister Allen would hand me a piece of hers.  Oh the things we do for our companions!  She sent us home with a bag of more of them that Brother Seyfi helped us out with :)

 I forgot to mention last week that my prophecy concerning Brother Baker came true.  He was our WML, he also had the same phone as us!  Not many people do.  When I went up to Cheyenne our WML up there had the same phone, so apparently this is a thing for the WML to have.  I came back and Brother Baker was still the WML, but then they switched over to smartphones and I said he would have to be released, and last Sunday he was!  That was unexpected, I was just joking.  Brother Dix is the new WML though which will be fun, I know him pretty well because I lived at their house the last time I was here :) We had a breakfast there on Saturday to talk about the missionary work and I think it went quite well.  He even got gluten-free oatmeal for my companion to have!

Last, and sort of least at this point, my birthday was this week!  For the first time that I can remember I did not wear a tiara on my birthday, but the Merrills did have a birthday hat for me when we were at their house for dinner ;) And we got to have a party since we had to be home at 6:30pm.  The Seyfis were gone at a party, so I put on my giraffe pajamas, we baked cake, blew up balloons (some of the glowy ones are still glowing!), popped some martinellis, and were just settling down to watch The Testaments when the doorbell rang.  I jumped up, then let Sister Allen get the door herself because, well, giraffe pajamas.  It was the Gees!  They were coming over to play games with us and the Seyfis!  So, giraffe pajamas and all I made an appearance ;) We had a fun evening together, including poppers provided by my marvelous mama!  It was a good day.

Hopefully you have all also had wonderful starts to the new year of 2015 and don't forget to include Heavenly Father when you make goals, he may have some ideas of what will help!

love, Sister Emily DeFord

Week 72: 12/29/14

December 29, 2014

Longmont, CO

The funny thing about skyping is trying to remember what I already talked about/coming up with other things to talk about now/remembering that some of you weren't there for the skyping so I can talk about all of it anyway!

This was a great week!  However there were a few sad moments.  We had one of those experiences this week where we were walking to an appointment (we still have the car but we are walking as much as we can anyway) and we talked to someone on the street who was quite willing to talk at us, and pity us for our misguided belief in a higher power.  I learned something neat thinking back on this experience and another similar one earlier in the week.  In the Doctrine and Covenants we are promised that if we are doing missionary work then we won't be confounded before men.  Sometimes it feels like I am though, when I literally have nothing to say to someone.  There are things that I could say, and doctrines and testimony that might be brought up, but none of it feels right.  I feel kind of confounded.  However, I realized that sometimes the Spirit constrains us from speaking, when it isn't going to do any good.  Instead of confounding, I would now call what I experience more of a stupor of thought.  Not because the doctrine is wrong, but because the person I am speaking to is not willing to open their ears to hear and hearts to understand.  I think not being confounded is more about not having your own testimony shaken than always having a comeback.  In an interesting way, I find that my testimony is always strengthened by experiences like this.  If not immediately, then as I ponder and search out the answers to questions they may have raised, I always learn.

Also, on the same walk to the same appointment, we saw another man outside shoveling his walk across the street.  My companion and I looked and each other, nodded, and went across to talk to him.  Just because one person wasn't friendly today, we can't let that scare us out of talking to someone else who may be (and in this case was) very friendly and willing to have a good conversation!  He also gave us a referral to his artist friend down the street.  

We seem to have a problem here, that we can't seem to keep a hold on too many investigators at once.  You see, we have really been working on asking good questions and inspired questions, which can even happen in texting an investigator you haven't been able to contact for 3 weeks.  Yay Z___ is back on the map!  However, now F____ has disappeared.  What can you do?  Only all you can, luckily the Lord knows what is going on with him, and can help him out better than we can, though sometimes we get to be the tools.

Christmas was wonderfully fabulous!  We got to do stockings with the Seyfis and the Hermanas in the morning, somehow Santa managed to pick my stocking up from home and drop it off there!  I guess that is a perk of the Christmas Eve practice run at home.  First breakfast of ice cream was delicious.  Then breakfast at President Richards' house and getting schooled at pool.  Awesome though because Sydney is preparing for a mission after high school, and they don't have sisters in her ward so we invited her to come out with us!

Back to the Seyfis for opening presents and watching How To Train Your Dragon 2 which I absolutely really loved.  Also, how could I almost have forgotten to mention that Hermana Jarvis, who has been home for 8 months came and spent Christmas with us and it was so good to see her!  Plus, this was living proof that there is life after the mission :)

First dinner and playing nertz with the Gablers was really fun, and watching my companion try to avoid the not as well done parts of her steak, when she's not that big a fan of meat anyway, was fun too.  I am impressed with her skills ;)

The snow really fell while we were at the Gablers, but we still had no trouble getting to the Bartholomews to 'hangout' with our families!  It was really exciting to get to see almost everyone, though the video cut out on their end part way through so I was invisible.  Everybody is growing so much!  And I got to see Eden walk, and Heather is pregnant and I am going to be there in June so I am super duper hugely excited about that.  Peter and Dallas and Dolly were there so it was really fun.  Adam's voice is changing and I think Michael's hair is even curlier than before, but maybe that is just his perpetual need for a haircut :)

I am so grateful for everyone who tried to make Christmas special and fun for us as missionaries, and I am incredibly grateful for the whole reason of it.  Everything really comes back to Jesus Christ.  As a mission we have been challenged to read the Book of Mormon and highlight every reference to Christ, his attributes, words, and doctrines.  As I've been doing this the stories and distractions have faded into the background and I have been able to see even more how it is simply as it proclaims, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, and as President Hinckley promised, as we prayerfully read the Book of Mormon there comes "a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God."  It's true.

love, Sister Emily DeFord

Best Christmas Present Ever

Goodbye to Selina

Hello to Suzanne

Yum! Jeweled Rice

Santa's Going Green

White Elephant Gift Exchange WIN

Week 71: 12/22/14

December 22, 2014

Longmont, CO

So...spent lots of time on other things today and I get to talk to my family in 3 DAYS!!!

So this is a picture email today, which means it will be in a couple of parts (good luck family on the posting)

Selina (Seyfi) Morse and her husband left today to go back to Utah, we will miss them, it has been so super fun to get to know them

Grinch faces (pic1) from this way cool yard (pic 2).  None of the lights were on IN the house or we would have told the people how much we liked their yard and given them a He is the Gift card!

picture 2

Sister Waite and I found this open car, and a giant cane, so we took a picture, and lots of others ;)

We went to lunch with the STLs and the hermanas because we didn't get to do exchanges.  It was delicious.  We went after zone meeting, and as we were leaving Chipotle who should be walking in but a bunch of Elders haha.  They sat at the same table we had.

Sister Swain and I took a picture with our matching bags that we have both had our whole missions ;) Also, she has the same coat, but wasn't wearing it that day.

What did my companion say when we saw these Christmas decorations? "That's a big Pooh!" I hesitated for a second, but had to laugh ;)

Also, we have officially taken a car picture since we got a car!

Week 70: 12/15/14

December 15, 2014

Longmont, CO

10 days until Christmas!

This has been a long-short week and I don't even know how there could possibly be anything to say which I haven't told you about since I must have emailed only a day or two ago....yet it's true, another week has gone.

We had our Christmas devotional this week, and my good friend Sister Clark was kind enough to remind me just before it started that this would be our last zone conference and so we would be giving our 'departing testimonies'.  Sheesh!  Since when did we get so old?

I talked about how at the beginning of my mission the flood happened, and some of the 'older' and 'wiser' missionaries told me it was a bummer that happened at the beginning of my mission, because the rest of it wouldn't be able to live up to the beginning.  Then I told them that I had learned for myself that it was completely not true.  In Jacob chapter 5 there is the allegory of the olive tree, and at the end of it, after the last time of care and gathering, the Lord of the vineyard blesses those who have worked with him and promises that they will have joy with him in the fruit of his vineyard.  That joy has made the rest of my mission every bit as amazing as the first part.

Also, our zone leaders got us Christmas presents!  Can you guess what they are?

 

 

We had an interesting week in that all of our investigators rescheduled our appointments with them at least once, so it didn't go quite as planned, but we still has some amazing things happen!  Such as our lesson with F____, where we taught about the Plan of Salvation up through the atonement of Jesus Christ.  It was so fun as we read scriptures to see him so excited to read along and read them again after we talked about it.  When we invited him to be baptized and suggested a day he said, "That's far away!  What's today?  That's like a month!"  He was so happy to accept and knows that is what he wants to do.

Also, we learned that he walked, with A____ in a stroller, over a mile to the Christmas party last week!  As soon as we learned that, we told him F____, we are getting you a ride for church!  Seriously!  I am so amazed that he was so willing to do that though!

So he did come to church this Sunday.  He sat with a family and we ended up on the other side of the chapel, but he loved the whole thing and almost cried during Sacrament meeting, and it was just all amazing.  Even though we really didn't get to spend any time with him during church because we were teaching sunday school, the ward is amazing and F____ is amazing and I am so grateful to be a part of this work and this gospel!

Backtracking to Saturday night, was the Longmont Parade of Lights!  And we went, but I was actually distracted from this super cool parade (I love parades!) because the thing I was even more excited about was to give out the cards for He is the Gift!  We handed out so many and it was so happy to see people be excited about a video and movement to share the real reason and spirit of Christmas!  If you haven't seen it yet, do it!

Ah, just asked Sister Allen if there was anything else that I should talk about for this week (what would I do without a companion?) and she reminded me of a couple of things!  One, Nikki returned from her mission on Wednesday, and we happened to be at the stake center when she came in to be released which was one of the sweetest saddest happiest things that I have seen on my mission.  She came in and saw us and just said, "Sisters!" and ran over and gave us hugs.  She came with us on Friday night and got to talk to a couple of awesome potential investigators and set appointments with them for the coming week that will be so great!

Guess which part is me!  We took some crazy pictures with The Seyfis last night, and I have officially met all of them now :)

 

 

TMFWD: Christmas again!

love, Sister Emily DeFord

Week 69: 12/8/14

December 8, 2014

Longmont, CO

Wowza what a week!

Did I tell you that, last week, we had no investigators?

Well, sort of one and a half, but not really.

That is not the case at this point.  Last week we got to teach a man we had met just the night before.  He has met all sorts of people in his life who have been members of the Church, and even wrote a research paper on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in high school, but none of the people he has met have really been able to answer his questions.  "They must not have been paying attention" he said.  So he is excited to read the Book of Mormon he already has a strong belief that a person needs to know things for themselves.  And we are so grateful for the wonderful Suzanne who came to our rescue several times that evening, including being our member present so we could even meet with him.  Plus, her comments were wonderful.

The Elders did leave a couple of potential investigators for us to contact, including one named F____ who is one of the sweetest guys I have met recently!  He also has known some Mormons throughout his life, and really wants to raise his little son (18 months of adorableness who kissed my companion during the lesson!) in a Church.  He already had a Book of Mormon :) and he came to the ward Christmas party we had on Saturday!  Where he got to meet lots of people, and get over that first hurdle of going into the church building.

The Hermanas tracted into and taught the first lesson to a wonderful English-speaking sister.  Who then dropped them because she 'found another church'.  They went to attend a baptism in another ward and discovered their lost investigator there, who's sister was being baptized!  They established that it was the same church and got to meet with her again :) So they invited us to hand her off to the English speakers.  She has quite a varied background in religion, but is very sincere and puts a lot of emphasis on the fact that having faith in Jesus Christ should change your life, so she is ready to go!

Also, had an interesting lesson with a woman who the Bishop met and referred to the missionaries.  The first part of it we got to know her better, the second part of it she seemed to be testing us for some reason, the third part of it we got to teach about the plan of salvation and it was wonderful!

Plus, after some area book overhauling and ward list updating and so many other tender mercies that I can't even count them, we had a phenomenal week!  We have gotten our exercise walking and getting rides when we needed them (J____did let us come visit him!)  We jumped a fence once or twice for shortcuts and the weather has been beautiful.  We have met so many people simply by not walking past them that there is no denying that Heavenly Father is putting them in our path and us in their path.

Did I tell you about the last week when the guy drove slowly next to us while asking questions about the church?  Yep!  Then he finally stopped so we could give him a pamphlet and some other information.  Totally fulfilled one of my mission bucket list items of wanting to talk to someone through an open car window :)

Now I have enjoyed some reminiscing this morning, and wanted to share a quote from last year at this time:

"A funny thing about missionaries.  They hate getting sick.  They will deny being sick.  And when someone finally forces them to stay home because they ARE sick they are very grumpy about it.  No, I'm not sick, but you hear these things about missionaries.  The cool part is really about the daughter of one of the Spanish investigators.  This girl is seven and she loves to go to church!  You may remember being around that age and even a little cold was just too much to consider going to church sometimes.  No.  She cries and begs and wants to go to church, sick or not.  I want to be like her."

Last year, I actually had been sick that weekend.  This year my poor Sister Allen got sick!  But she at least got to go to Sacrament meeting, then took a much needed nap :)

"Picture 6: Ward pajama party!  I mean, Christmas party... :) the theme was Christmas morning so we had breakfast for dinner and lots of fun!  Though our plans for matchmaking were disrupted, it was definitely a great ward party!"

Well our theme for the party this year was The Polar Express, and adults were encouraged to wear ugly sweaters for a contest.  Brother Seyfi won the contest, but I heard there was some bias in the judges ;) We mustn't let on that I know though ;) I don't remember what our matchmaking was last year, but we had breakfast again and two families that we invited came!  So that was super duper exciting.  Plus we took pictures, below ;)

Oh, plus exchanges con las hermanas de Boulder were super wonderful and we all happened to be coordinating!

TMFWD: Christmas!

love, Sister Emily DeFord

Week 68: 12/1/14

December 1, 2014

Longmont, CO

Michael is the winner!  Though Longmont popped up on a couple of other people's guesses, it was his first and only guess.  Prize to be mailed shortly :)

I am back in the good old Ute Creek ward!  It is a happy place to be for the holidays and I really love my companion so even though it was a crazy whirlwind first week I think it will be super good here.  That promise about the Holy Ghost bringing all things to our remembrance is one that I am super excited about and grateful for because I have remembered most of the streets and such and we haven't gotten lost yet!

The ward shrunk since the last time I was here, there was a boundary change where the northern part was cut off so it is even smaller than before (which I didn't realize until going up to Cheyenne how small the ward down here was, geography-wise).  So there are a few faces missing, but a few new ones have moved in and that is happy!  The size is also nice because my companion and I are without a car for the time being.  If any of you email me about not wanting me to be out walking after dark I will not be amused, the entire ward has been telling us about it and we had a very hard time having a lesson with J____ last night (still going to church!  Yes!) because he is also concerned about it.  Actually, when we tried to set up a weekly appointment with him he said, "Not until you have a car." We got him to come around because we promised we would get rides ;) Being swept in has been much easier since I have been here before, and I know where not to walk after dark so I promise we will be safe, and if we go to Jesse's house we will get a ride.

Already being up in Cheyenne feels like so long ago, but I really hope those Elders are taking good care of the ward up there!  Saying goodbye was tough, but it's not forever so that is okay :)

Do you want to hear about my transfer day adventures?  Here we go!

Finished packing, picked up Sister Grammer's new phone and apartment key.

Moved her stuff into the apartment, which didn't stink like boy, but definitely smelled like boy

Dropped me off at the stake center to get on the transfer van

Rode the transfer van to Laramie

Waited a really long time because someone who was supposed to get on the van wasn't there

Rode the van down to Loveland

Met Sister Allen!

Put some of our stuff in another set of Sisters' car who would be driving us down to Longmont, they didn't have space for all of it so we had to leave some in the Ute Creek Hermana's car for the next day

Drove down to Longmont to the Seyfi's house!

Turns out we wouldn't be living at the Seyfi's house until Friday.  Also unknown where our phone and house key to the Roper's house was and unknown if we had a car or not.

Finally figure all stuff out, get phone and area book and key.

Stay at Seyfi's house that night anyway :)

Move to Roper's house Wednesday morning.

Do a lot of walking and meet some great people!  Re-meet some people from before.

It was a crazy time :) It really has been great though and I cannot express how amazing the Seyfi's in particular and the ward in general has been in helping us out and just being welcoming!

Plus, all the walking has helped me sleep really, really well :)

I love you all a lot and am happy to be in December!  24 days until Christmas!

TMFWD: think pink!

love, Sister Emily DeFord