Well, I guess it wasn't exactly a lifelong dream. Just something I've been wanting to do since I got out here. Dunkin' Donuts is HUGE on the East Coast and they are everywhere here in Windsor and Windsor Locks. I was so excited to try the donuts, and after all the anticipation, I discovered they are just normal overpriced donuts. BUT, I have yet to try the hot chocolate, which is supposed to be really good. So I still have hope that Dunkin' Donuts can be everything it promises to be.
The second performance of our mission music fireside was last night, at the Bloomfield chapel for the Hartford stake. It went really well. Attendance was decent considering it was a holiday weekend. Speaking of holidays, Memorial Day is HUGE here in Connecticut. Yesterday when we went to do our grocery shopping we thought the town was deserted, until we saw that everyone was gathered at the center (that's Connecticut-ese for downtown) near the city hall, listening to someone give a speech.
We're moving to Windsor Locks today and the new address is 266 Main St. #213, Windsor Locks, CT 06096. Latest word from President is that I will stay in this area until at least August. Sister Haueter will be here one more transfer.
I forget if I've already mentioned this or not but I did an exchange in Rocky Hill a
couple weeks ago which was fun. Rocky Hill is a town south of Hartford—the area covers the towns of Rocky Hill, Cromwell and Newington. Sister Baird is more on the reserved side, like me, which was good because it required both of us to talk more in order to carry on the conversations. The Rocky Hill apartment is HUGE! Each sister has her own bathroom! I'm so jealous…Try being sister missionaries with only one bathroom. Then try having BOTH of you shower, dry your hair and do makeup in a half hour. I know I'm not the first sister missionary in the world to point out that this schedule is unrealistic for us, especially if they expect us to ook the message. What ends up happening is that you have a bunch of very tired sisters who got up earlier than the crack of dawn to get ready. Elders have NO RIGHT to complain about getting up at 6:30!
Crybabies.
The work is good planning on three baptisms in June and we have at least two more
investigators that are super close to scheduling baptismal dates. Forgive me for not
throwing out anyone's names. I figure since this is going on the Internet (and
apparently anyone can just Google it and find the blog! Not what I'd prefer but I
can't do anything about it except beg Mom and Dad to make the blog more secure), and I have no control over the security, I'd better not.
I've discovered that just like every other gospel topic in existence, I don't know as much about the Atonement as I thought I did. I've been studying it more in depth and trying to understand how to apply what I'm learning. Everyone always says, Use the Atonement! Use the Atonement! but no one seems to be able to explain to me HOW to do that beyond, of course, the obvious repenting and using the Atonement to be forgiven. I know that in some way the Atonement is supposed to heal our heartaches and our pains but I don't understand how that works. How do I use the Atonement to move past my own insecurities and become the kind of missionary I'm supposed to be? I know that I believe in the Atonement, but I don't know how to use it. Anyone with wisdom, please feel free to impart.
Hope everyone is doing well. Thanks for the letters. Lots of love,
Sister Monson
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
15 May 2009--Some Pictures
Some more pictures from Kaelynn's first area: Gondeks (Investigators), Bloomfield district, Kaelynn and Sister Mortimer, all the Sisters in the Mission
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Wednesday, May 6, 2009
6May2009
"Thank you, my religious needs have been met".
That's my favorite line so far that I've heard out here. Most people just say
"I'm all set" when they're not interested and are trying to get rid of us.
The highlight of the week, for me, was mission conference. Brother Stephen Allen,
managing director of the Missionary Department, and Brother Packer (President Packer's son), flew out from Salt Lake to give us training. It was very interactive and helpful. At the beginning of the meeting Brother Allen told us to take out a pen and paper, and every time we wrote down something we heard we were supposed to raise our hands. But we could only write down something we actually planned to do, or how we were specifically going to change as a result of what was said. I liked that idea. How many times do I take notes at a fireside and never look at them again? What good does it do?
Yesterday a couple we're teaching came to church and brought their six-year-old son.
After church he was showing me the candy he got in Primary. Hence the following
conversation:
"Where's my candy?"
"You don't get any!"
"Why not?"
"Because you're not a kid."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"I'm not a kid? What am I?"
"You're a Mormon."
I love what happens when I try to cut slang words out of my vocabulary. Lately I've
been saying moronic things like, "Holy snot," "Holy banana peels," "Oh my
Hannah." Family, please try not to make fun of me too much on the phone.
And I have not forgotten that pictures are fun and I should send them. Here's the
dilemma: the computers at this library are beyond slow. It takes hours to upload and send two or three pictures. And I took my memory card to CVS (that's the main drugstore chain out here) to try to download/print pictures, but it didn't read my memory card. But, I will keep trying. Next week hopefully, I'll print some pictures from either my camera or Sis. Haueter's, and send them.
Missions are crazy. If my letters sound somewhat superficial, it's because there's so much more I've learned and experienced that I wish I could write about, but it is just impossible to explain through email. I'm working like crazy not just doing missionary work but really trying to be as obedient as possible and to talk to as many people as I can, learn as much as I can. For me that's the hardest part the constant sense of inadequacy. I always feel like I could be doing so, so much better. But it's not for a lack of trying, believe me.
MTC district: exaltation is exciting. Oh so exciting so exciting that apparently Elder Schumann can't keep a companion for more than 22 hours?! You are right, that story absolutely tops any of ours. I haven't heard much else from the Canada end of things. I'm wondering if Sister Jones and Elders Meyers/Byington/Lyman are still alive. Anyone heard from them?
Thanks to everyone for your letters! The Church is still true. :)
-Sister Monson
That's my favorite line so far that I've heard out here. Most people just say
"I'm all set" when they're not interested and are trying to get rid of us.
The highlight of the week, for me, was mission conference. Brother Stephen Allen,
managing director of the Missionary Department, and Brother Packer (President Packer's son), flew out from Salt Lake to give us training. It was very interactive and helpful. At the beginning of the meeting Brother Allen told us to take out a pen and paper, and every time we wrote down something we heard we were supposed to raise our hands. But we could only write down something we actually planned to do, or how we were specifically going to change as a result of what was said. I liked that idea. How many times do I take notes at a fireside and never look at them again? What good does it do?
Yesterday a couple we're teaching came to church and brought their six-year-old son.
After church he was showing me the candy he got in Primary. Hence the following
conversation:
"Where's my candy?"
"You don't get any!"
"Why not?"
"Because you're not a kid."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"I'm not a kid? What am I?"
"You're a Mormon."
I love what happens when I try to cut slang words out of my vocabulary. Lately I've
been saying moronic things like, "Holy snot," "Holy banana peels," "Oh my
Hannah." Family, please try not to make fun of me too much on the phone.
And I have not forgotten that pictures are fun and I should send them. Here's the
dilemma: the computers at this library are beyond slow. It takes hours to upload and send two or three pictures. And I took my memory card to CVS (that's the main drugstore chain out here) to try to download/print pictures, but it didn't read my memory card. But, I will keep trying. Next week hopefully, I'll print some pictures from either my camera or Sis. Haueter's, and send them.
Missions are crazy. If my letters sound somewhat superficial, it's because there's so much more I've learned and experienced that I wish I could write about, but it is just impossible to explain through email. I'm working like crazy not just doing missionary work but really trying to be as obedient as possible and to talk to as many people as I can, learn as much as I can. For me that's the hardest part the constant sense of inadequacy. I always feel like I could be doing so, so much better. But it's not for a lack of trying, believe me.
MTC district: exaltation is exciting. Oh so exciting so exciting that apparently Elder Schumann can't keep a companion for more than 22 hours?! You are right, that story absolutely tops any of ours. I haven't heard much else from the Canada end of things. I'm wondering if Sister Jones and Elders Meyers/Byington/Lyman are still alive. Anyone heard from them?
Thanks to everyone for your letters! The Church is still true. :)
-Sister Monson
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