Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
21 Sep 09
(The Rush part comes from August Rush. They love to play the "guess that note"
game with me.)
Sometimes I think Sister Baird is Craig Monson, the girl version and about thirty years younger. She just wants to run around all day long, talk to people and jump up and down and never eat or sleep. I'm exhausted! But it's a good exhausted. I don't think Sister Pulham is as exhausted as me. Maybe I'm just one of those people who was born with a low energy level. That's why my chosen career is to sit around playing the guitar with God's special children all day long. And that's why Sister Baird is a dance major. Crazy people.
What a memorable week this was. The best part was when we crashed a wedding and a
birthday party in the same day. Then I tracted into an old man with no pants (that was in between the birthday party and the wedding). I've heard so many tracting horror stories like this and now I finally have my own! People in Connecticut have a different definition of the amount of clothing required in order to answer the door. I knocked on the door and heard, "Come in." I opened the screen door a crack and there was an old man sitting on the couch holding something on his lap. He invited us in again, and I started trying to talk to him and then I realized that he was holding his pants on his lap, not wearing them. My companions didn't help me out much, they were trying too hard not to laugh out loud, and I was flipping frantically through my pass-along cards trying to find a Finding Faith in Christ card to toss at him and run away…I was mumbling something about,"Can we leave you a card for a free DVD about Christ? then I gave up and just grabbed some random card and stuck it in his mailbox and took off with a, "Have a good day, sir!"
Yeah, about the rest of that day, the birthday party crashing wasn't intentional. The wedding crashing was. We were visiting a part-member family and remembered a less-active family that lived down the street, so we stopped by to say hello and lo and behold, someone had just gotten hitched. We ended up talking to the band who was there to play at the wedding (they're also friends of the family) and almost got a return appointment with the drummer. Lesson learned from my companions: any situation is only awkward if you make it so. Crash a wedding like you were invited to it, and everything works out fine!
Today we are going to take a tour of Yale. I can't wait. My excitement is beyond
anything I can describe in words. There is SO MUCH going on and no time to write about it. I wish I could. But there will be lots of pictures of YALE (!) next week, and also pictures of the famous New England fall. Rumor has it the leaves will start changing color in a week or two. Nothing much has happened yet.
In terms of miracles, this week has been surreal, just a lot of little things, some
things I couldn't even explain if I had time to write them. I wish I could describe
what the mission is like and how much I learn every day. But I can't! There's no
possible way. But the Church is true! Woo-hoo.
Love,
Sister Monson
game with me.)
Sometimes I think Sister Baird is Craig Monson, the girl version and about thirty years younger. She just wants to run around all day long, talk to people and jump up and down and never eat or sleep. I'm exhausted! But it's a good exhausted. I don't think Sister Pulham is as exhausted as me. Maybe I'm just one of those people who was born with a low energy level. That's why my chosen career is to sit around playing the guitar with God's special children all day long. And that's why Sister Baird is a dance major. Crazy people.
What a memorable week this was. The best part was when we crashed a wedding and a
birthday party in the same day. Then I tracted into an old man with no pants (that was in between the birthday party and the wedding). I've heard so many tracting horror stories like this and now I finally have my own! People in Connecticut have a different definition of the amount of clothing required in order to answer the door. I knocked on the door and heard, "Come in." I opened the screen door a crack and there was an old man sitting on the couch holding something on his lap. He invited us in again, and I started trying to talk to him and then I realized that he was holding his pants on his lap, not wearing them. My companions didn't help me out much, they were trying too hard not to laugh out loud, and I was flipping frantically through my pass-along cards trying to find a Finding Faith in Christ card to toss at him and run away…I was mumbling something about,"Can we leave you a card for a free DVD about Christ? then I gave up and just grabbed some random card and stuck it in his mailbox and took off with a, "Have a good day, sir!"
Yeah, about the rest of that day, the birthday party crashing wasn't intentional. The wedding crashing was. We were visiting a part-member family and remembered a less-active family that lived down the street, so we stopped by to say hello and lo and behold, someone had just gotten hitched. We ended up talking to the band who was there to play at the wedding (they're also friends of the family) and almost got a return appointment with the drummer. Lesson learned from my companions: any situation is only awkward if you make it so. Crash a wedding like you were invited to it, and everything works out fine!
Today we are going to take a tour of Yale. I can't wait. My excitement is beyond
anything I can describe in words. There is SO MUCH going on and no time to write about it. I wish I could. But there will be lots of pictures of YALE (!) next week, and also pictures of the famous New England fall. Rumor has it the leaves will start changing color in a week or two. Nothing much has happened yet.
In terms of miracles, this week has been surreal, just a lot of little things, some
things I couldn't even explain if I had time to write them. I wish I could describe
what the mission is like and how much I learn every day. But I can't! There's no
possible way. But the Church is true! Woo-hoo.
Love,
Sister Monson
Monday, September 14, 2009
14 Sep 09
My new name for this area is Foodfield. I have never, ever been fed so much. People
are practically throwing food at us. Thank goodness President has a rule: no more than four dinner appointments a week, so if someone else tries to feed us a fifth time in a week we have to politely decline. I'm going to forget how to turn on a stove by the time I go home. I am so blessed to have a senior companion with the energy of a small child; if I weren't going like crazy to keep up with her pace, I would definitely be packing on my own personal food storage. Isn't it wonderful the members love us so much! I'm grateful.
Fairfield could also be called "The Area Where Nothing Ever Goes According To
Plan" ”Ever Not Even A Little Bit." My last area was so predictable. (Well,
"predictable" is relative. Probably as predictable as missionary work can be.) But
it's amazing to see God's hand in every detail. People boach (don't show up for)
appointments, maps are inaccurate, we get lost, and then we always end up in the right place at the right time for the right person that needs to be found right then! This was one of those weeks where that sequence of events occurred over and over. We found some amazing new investigators.
One in particular, we found after we had spent most of our morning tracting a street
where not a single person answered the door. I've never had that happen to me before. Ever. Of course we finished the street quickly and needed something else to do before our community service, so we decided last-minute to go street contacting on Post Road. This is one of the main roads with a gazillion yuppy stores; they charge arms and legs for things like organic rice and hand-painted oil pet portraits. I kid you not. People really do love their animals like children, and pay ridiculous amounts for oil portraits of their precious pooches. ANYWAY, after we tried to talk to a lady who said, "GO AWAY! I don't want to talk to you" (usually people say something to that effect, but a little more tactfully), we ran into this woman. She was sitting on a bench outside a store with her baby girl in a stroller next to her. She is a young mom who has recent-convert friends in Norwalk, and they've been trying to convince her to meet with missionaries. When they saw us her baby girl started giggling, like she recognized us, and she immediately invited us to sit next to her on the bench. She told us she felt very safe in our presence, even though we were strangers. It was the craziest thing. Anyway, we have a
return appointment with her this week. Pray for her, please!
Here are some tidbits of the wisdom of Connecticut children.
Investigator trying to convince her son to eat breakfast: "Don't you want to grow up
big and strong?"
Son: "No, I want to be cute."
Member's son, when we asked him if he wanted to be a missionary: "No, I want to be a
spaceman."
Member's daughter, when saying the closing prayer for our lesson: "Bless the
missionaries that they can go far away and go to the doctor."
Member's daughter to the three of us: "Where are your moms?"
Member's daughter to her nonmember father: "Jesus isn't happy when you smoke!"
There you have it. Children are smart. Lessons learned: be cute, go to the moon, go to the doctor, don't smoke, and don't forget your mom. Until next P-day,
Sister Monson
are practically throwing food at us. Thank goodness President has a rule: no more than four dinner appointments a week, so if someone else tries to feed us a fifth time in a week we have to politely decline. I'm going to forget how to turn on a stove by the time I go home. I am so blessed to have a senior companion with the energy of a small child; if I weren't going like crazy to keep up with her pace, I would definitely be packing on my own personal food storage. Isn't it wonderful the members love us so much! I'm grateful.
Fairfield could also be called "The Area Where Nothing Ever Goes According To
Plan" ”Ever Not Even A Little Bit." My last area was so predictable. (Well,
"predictable" is relative. Probably as predictable as missionary work can be.) But
it's amazing to see God's hand in every detail. People boach (don't show up for)
appointments, maps are inaccurate, we get lost, and then we always end up in the right place at the right time for the right person that needs to be found right then! This was one of those weeks where that sequence of events occurred over and over. We found some amazing new investigators.
One in particular, we found after we had spent most of our morning tracting a street
where not a single person answered the door. I've never had that happen to me before. Ever. Of course we finished the street quickly and needed something else to do before our community service, so we decided last-minute to go street contacting on Post Road. This is one of the main roads with a gazillion yuppy stores; they charge arms and legs for things like organic rice and hand-painted oil pet portraits. I kid you not. People really do love their animals like children, and pay ridiculous amounts for oil portraits of their precious pooches. ANYWAY, after we tried to talk to a lady who said, "GO AWAY! I don't want to talk to you" (usually people say something to that effect, but a little more tactfully), we ran into this woman. She was sitting on a bench outside a store with her baby girl in a stroller next to her. She is a young mom who has recent-convert friends in Norwalk, and they've been trying to convince her to meet with missionaries. When they saw us her baby girl started giggling, like she recognized us, and she immediately invited us to sit next to her on the bench. She told us she felt very safe in our presence, even though we were strangers. It was the craziest thing. Anyway, we have a
return appointment with her this week. Pray for her, please!
Here are some tidbits of the wisdom of Connecticut children.
Investigator trying to convince her son to eat breakfast: "Don't you want to grow up
big and strong?"
Son: "No, I want to be cute."
Member's son, when we asked him if he wanted to be a missionary: "No, I want to be a
spaceman."
Member's daughter, when saying the closing prayer for our lesson: "Bless the
missionaries that they can go far away and go to the doctor."
Member's daughter to the three of us: "Where are your moms?"
Member's daughter to her nonmember father: "Jesus isn't happy when you smoke!"
There you have it. Children are smart. Lessons learned: be cute, go to the moon, go to the doctor, don't smoke, and don't forget your mom. Until next P-day,
Sister Monson
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
8Sep09
We got the news not too long ago that we were getting a Temple Square sister in our
mission. (The sisters that serve on Temple Square get to go somewhere else in the US for two or three transfers at some point in their mission.) Then we found out she was coming to Fairfield! Sister Puhlam, from Lehi, arrived last Wednesday. I was nervous about being in a trio but it's been SO MUCH fun. It's like having roommates again. And I learn so much from both of my companions every day. They are so full of faith, and so positive. We're working on building up a teaching pool here in Fairfield. It goes slowly but surely.
Here is the explanation for some pictures I sent.
1. Saying goodbye to the Mazda 3 I drove in Windsor. (Well, my companions drove.) We have
a Corolla out here in Fairfield. Yay!!!
2. Sister Baird, me, Sister Darrington and Sister Thomas on transfer day.
3. Driving through New Haven for the first time!!! I was so excited.
4. More New Haven from the car window.
5. We got lost on the way to Fairfield and couldn't find a good place to turn around. Finally we found a place where we could pull in. And of all places, what was it? A Budweiser factory. Nice. :)
6. The random purple store we drive by on the way to district meeting every Thursday.
7. Sister Baird and I declared last Monday an official "Fight the Frump in Fairfield Day," which consists of sister missionaries doing their best to look like
twentysomething-year-old women that educated, wealthy people want to listen to, instead of something that crawled out of the dumpster at the crack of dawn. In spite of the schedule I still have the hope that I can look like a decent human
being for the rest of my mission. Especially here in Fairfield, it's very important.
Long story made longer, I bought some new clothes at Old Navy (it's so nice to have
actual stores! They don't have many in Windsor) and chopped the mane again—now I kind of look like a flapper. It's cool. Something different.
8. Want a pony? Or a castle? Here you go! Free toys for your children. All you have to do is move to Connecticut and you can get all sorts of free stuff. Just go curb-shopping. People especially like to put their old couches out on the curb. All part of a conspiracy to transport fleas and ticks into the apartments of naive elders, too eager to show off their muscles and cram their apartments with all sorts of stuff. (There was an apartment out here that was known for its spare bedroom, all full of hubcaps. Yes. Hubcaps. President Pehrson had to bribe the elders to finally get rid of the hubcaps and hang up some pictures of, oh, I don't know, the temple or something? :)
I am so blessed! Can't wait to see what fall is really like in New England.
Love you
all,Sister Monson
Saying goodbye to the Mazda 3 I drove in Windsor. (Well, my companions drove.) We have a Corolla out here in Fairfield. Yay!!!
Sister Baird, me, Sister Darrington and Sister Thomas on transfer day.
Driving through New Haven for the first time!!! I was so excited.
We got lost on the way to Fairfield and couldn't find a good place to turn around. Finally we found a place where we could pull in. And of all places, what was it? A Budweiser factory
Sister Baird and I declared last Monday an official Fight the Frump in Fairfield Day, which consists of sister missionaries doing their best to look like twentysomething-year-old women that educated, wealthy people want to listen to, instead of something that crawled out of the dumpster at the crack of dawn.
Want a pony? Or a castle? Here you go! Free toys for your children. All you have to do is move to Connecticut and you can get all sorts of free stuff. Just go curb-shopping.
mission. (The sisters that serve on Temple Square get to go somewhere else in the US for two or three transfers at some point in their mission.) Then we found out she was coming to Fairfield! Sister Puhlam, from Lehi, arrived last Wednesday. I was nervous about being in a trio but it's been SO MUCH fun. It's like having roommates again. And I learn so much from both of my companions every day. They are so full of faith, and so positive. We're working on building up a teaching pool here in Fairfield. It goes slowly but surely.
Here is the explanation for some pictures I sent.
1. Saying goodbye to the Mazda 3 I drove in Windsor. (Well, my companions drove.) We have
a Corolla out here in Fairfield. Yay!!!
2. Sister Baird, me, Sister Darrington and Sister Thomas on transfer day.
3. Driving through New Haven for the first time!!! I was so excited.
4. More New Haven from the car window.
5. We got lost on the way to Fairfield and couldn't find a good place to turn around. Finally we found a place where we could pull in. And of all places, what was it? A Budweiser factory. Nice. :)
6. The random purple store we drive by on the way to district meeting every Thursday.
7. Sister Baird and I declared last Monday an official "Fight the Frump in Fairfield Day," which consists of sister missionaries doing their best to look like
twentysomething-year-old women that educated, wealthy people want to listen to, instead of something that crawled out of the dumpster at the crack of dawn. In spite of the schedule I still have the hope that I can look like a decent human
being for the rest of my mission. Especially here in Fairfield, it's very important.
Long story made longer, I bought some new clothes at Old Navy (it's so nice to have
actual stores! They don't have many in Windsor) and chopped the mane again—now I kind of look like a flapper. It's cool. Something different.
8. Want a pony? Or a castle? Here you go! Free toys for your children. All you have to do is move to Connecticut and you can get all sorts of free stuff. Just go curb-shopping. People especially like to put their old couches out on the curb. All part of a conspiracy to transport fleas and ticks into the apartments of naive elders, too eager to show off their muscles and cram their apartments with all sorts of stuff. (There was an apartment out here that was known for its spare bedroom, all full of hubcaps. Yes. Hubcaps. President Pehrson had to bribe the elders to finally get rid of the hubcaps and hang up some pictures of, oh, I don't know, the temple or something? :)
I am so blessed! Can't wait to see what fall is really like in New England.
Love you
all,Sister Monson
Saying goodbye to the Mazda 3 I drove in Windsor. (Well, my companions drove.) We have a Corolla out here in Fairfield. Yay!!! 
Sister Baird, me, Sister Darrington and Sister Thomas on transfer day.
Driving through New Haven for the first time!!! I was so excited.
We got lost on the way to Fairfield and couldn't find a good place to turn around. Finally we found a place where we could pull in. And of all places, what was it? A Budweiser factory
Sister Baird and I declared last Monday an official Fight the Frump in Fairfield Day, which consists of sister missionaries doing their best to look like twentysomething-year-old women that educated, wealthy people want to listen to, instead of something that crawled out of the dumpster at the crack of dawn.
Want a pony? Or a castle? Here you go! Free toys for your children. All you have to do is move to Connecticut and you can get all sorts of free stuff. Just go curb-shopping.
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