Fall in Maine

Did you notice that the Saturday and Sunday before I come home is going to be conference weekend most likely???  Well on my ministerial card it says that it is through March 26 to October 5 and on my picture at the mission office it says October 7 and one of the elders I am serving with is going home the same time as me.

Note:  I wasn’t so happy with this one.  I realize release dates are based on transfer dates, but I was still hoping for September.

By the way there are a ton of people with the last name of Collins here and some of the members are related or friends with people with the last name of Collins.  If we are related to any then I might be related to the bishop here... 

Note:  Looked up her Collins family history.  It only goes back a couple generations and we can only see links to Montana.  She has lots of opportunities to work on family history when she returns.

I think the ward members in Augusta like me, well at least the ones I have met. We haven't actually had a real Sunday yet because the first Sunday here we only had sacrament meeting because the wards had just combined with all new callings, and this week was General Conference. So hopefully I get to meet more and hopefully they like me...

Today while we were at Subway there were these two cute old ladies. They were sitting right in my view so I was kind of awkwardly watching them. Right before they ate, they both folded their arms and one said a quiet prayer over the food and then they started eating and talking quietly. I felt prompted to thank them for being a good example. So as we were leaving I went up to them and said "Hey I just wanted to let you know that I thought it was really cool and sweet that you said a prayer before you started eating. Thank you for being such a great example." They were surprised that I told them that and they looked at each other with big grins and said thank you and then I said no thank you and said goodbye and they said "Goodbye have a beautiful day!" It was kind of cool.

Believe it or not, my companion is pickier than I am.  She doesn't like Chinese, or Mexican, especially from restaurants because the meat is “weird”, she doesn't like some food that she's never tried because they sound weird, she doesn't like pineapple, she doesn't like garlic but she loves Italian food and garlic bread, she doesn't like pepperoni on pizza but she likes it plain or in pizza rolls... etc...   

Note:  Wow!  Who thought she would find someone pickier than her.  However, her companion does like vegetables…

We haven't really been able to area train, but I can navigate around without using my GPS unless it's to a place I haven't been to yet. S. Kimball seems surprised whenever a ward member looks me in the eyes and when they show that they like me because I guess that's not how they normally are with new sisters but I am kind of loud enough and talk enough that they can't really ignore me... This is also a really quiet district and sometimes there are long awkward silences. The other day there was one during lunch so I was blunt and sassy and spoke up and said "Okay it is way too awkwardly quiet someone should break that and tell an awkward story from their mission."

Sorry, I don’t have much time to write and not much to share.  Hopefully as I get settled in more, I will have more to share with you.  Enjoy the fall colors from Maine.  Leaves are just starting to change and it is beautiful. 

Love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Augusta, Maine

This week has been great! I love my new area and sister Kimball is an amazing missionary!

She is very loving and sweet and courageous. She told me that she is very shy and some times has a hard time speaking to people but she pushes past that and strives to get to know everyone. And when she does push past it and opens her mouth and bears her testimony she helps others feel the Spirit and our Savior's love so strongly that it completely changes the lesson! I am super grateful that she is my companion.

I am still trying to get the area down but so far it is going great. It is beautiful here! The people are great here and the ward is amazing! I am still trying to figure everything out but it has been good so far. I guess most of the missionaries that have been here lately have been pretty quiet and shy, so I am loud and bubbly compared to them. One sister in the ward that I said hi to told me that I would do great here because I have that sparkle in my eye. And then I got to meet a lot of the YW and they are amazing! I've already connected with quite a few and am excited to work with them more

So I am still studying faith and also about how we are watchmen. It has been a super amazing study and I have gained a stronger testimony of talking to everyone I meet. I also found the scripture Galatians 5:13 

13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

And I love it because it is pretty much saying that we have not been given this freedom through Christ just to say we have it but to help others find it and to love as he would love and serve as he would serve.

So there are two round abouts that I have to go through every day. Our apartment has tons of huge spiders right outside the door and little ones inside. Our apartment also has tons of lady bugs in it. We live pretty close to the river and drive past it everyday. They just combined the ward so it is huge now! (30 page ward list!) The members here are amazing and very loving towards each other! My companion is Sister Kimball and she has been out for only 12 weeks and she is an amazing missionary! Oh also Sister Morgan is my Sister Training Leader!!!!!!

I just barely got your package and the bottle of salsa made it safely to New Hampshire then on to Maine!

I have been doing a lot of cooking.  I have been getting by is by asking myself "Now what would mom do?"  This week I made breaded pork chops and veggies.  I also got stuff to make chicken alfredo, chicken enchiladas, and we had some chicken and stuffing so I am going to try making kind of a thanksgiving casserole with chicken, potatoes, gravy and stuffing we'll see how it goes. S. Kimball doesn't really know how to cook and has been living off of sandwiches and cereal so I promised her that I wouldn't let her starve and that I would teach her some easy recipes to use. She loved the pork chops and they turned out really juicy and tender. Hey it paid off that I paid attention so that when I go into an apartment with little to nothing I can still make a meal :) Proud mama moment right?

The leaves are just barely beginning to change here. I love it here we have this cute old little town in our area called Hallowell and I get excited every time we go into it because it is so cute and old and right by the river :) 

And I just ordered a Mormon Helping Hands shirt.... :D

Well, I gotta go.

Love you tons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bye :D

 

Sister Welch, Sister Smedley and Whitney

Store in Manchester

Whitney with Sister Blume (one of her companions from the MTC)

Icky spider outside her appartment

Kennebec River

 

Transfer Week!!!!

This week is transfer week.  She was super busy and only sent replies to my emails and lots and lots of pictures.  I will try to pull info from her emails.  Hopefully it makes sense. 

I am being transferred and going senior!!!!!!!! :S  I am going crazy wondering where I am being transferred to.  I woke up this morning at three because I am so nervous and sad to leave this area and go senior.  Normally once you go senior you aren't put back down to junior.  That means I will be driving in the winter!  Also, I am going to have to get a gps today because there is no way I can to to a new area and wait until Monday if I have to be driving, especially if I end up in the boonies.  It will be hard getting to know the roads because some of the areas are quite large.

So, last Monday afternoon we got a call from the Bishop saying I will be singing, that's right, SINGING a musical number in sacrament meeting with another sister in the ward.  So, the song gets WRITTEN and FINISHED in the space of three days.  The other sister singing has been in big choral groups so she wanted it to be loud and perfect.  We practiced it twice before church.  Then sacrament meeting starts and there are a ton of people there and all four sets of missionaries.  We went up and sang the song and then at the end, all of a sudden, a lot of people in the ward started cheering, hollering and clapping.  Never seen that before in sacrament meeting.  I had no clue what to do so I awkwardly walked back to my seat. . .  

We had dinner at the Bishop's house yesterday with some other members and it was so sweet because at the beginning he always starts with a thank you for coming today... but then he went on to say that it is a sad time because they are losing some good friends, both Elder Barnes and me.  Then at the end for the closing prayer he said, "Now for the closing prayer, since it will be her last time here, I am going to ask our dear friend, Sister Collins to say it.  It has been great to have her in our ward and I know that she is going to touch many people's lives and bring so much light into their lives as she has done in our ward.  I am so grateful for her..."  Then after as we were saying goodbye he said, "Now, don't ever forget that I was the first bishop you served with."

Our neighbors who are non-members and live in our building are sad that I am leaving and asked if they could take us to dinner tonight.  

Sister Smedley will be staying in Manchester and will be a trainer.  I CALLED IT!

Oh also this week we had another Zone Conference and Elder Wilson of the Seventy came! Him and his wife did the whole conference. During lunch, we sat at this random table but no one was coming to sit by us so we were joking that we must stink or something and right as we were joking about that, Elder and Sister Wilson came over and asked if they could sit with us. Sister Smedley said sure and the first thing that came out of my mouth was "Hey I guess we don't stink after all..." Yep bet that's a proud mama moment. The Stokers came and sat with us too so pretty much I got to have lunch with a general authority. Then at the end they were pulling a few people aside to get an interview with Elder Wilson and I was one of the lucky ones who they had picked to get an interview with Elder Wilson! It was soooooooooo cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  In the interview he asked me how long I had been out, how I was liking my mission so far, if I was getting along with my companion, a miracle I have seen on my mission, about my family and whether they were active members or not, and then let me just ask him questions.

Update on the story from last week about getting locked in the Baptist Church:  As they were in the basement they also noticed a lot of anti-LDS literature there.  Glad they were kept safe. 

Read Isaiah 62:6 then read Ephesians 6:13-20 Then read 2 Nephi 25:26 and compare how we are the watchmen and the ambassadors and compare how we must put on the armor of God to protect those we love.

Love you so much!!!!!! Bye

Whitney is really going to miss serving in Manchester.  She is leaving so many that she has grown to love.

Since I am such a slacker and took so long to post, I can now tell you where she has been transferred to.  Thank you Brother and Sister Reisher for sharing the information with me!!!  Her new location is hidden in the pictures below.

Town Hall

Post its used to "heart-attack" the Bishop and his wife

District P-day we went on a "hike" up this rock that looks over Manchester.  The base of it reminded me of Brighton.

The view from the top of the rock.  I love Manchester!!!

Ready for our hike.

In one of our areas

Yep, she is now in Augusta, Maine!!!  I love that sign.  So appropriate for her new mission area!

JoAnne.  So excited for her!  She just went through the temple. :)

Me, Ruth and Sis Smedley

Erin

I love this bench!

Sis Welch is headed home this week and is staying with us until Tuesday.  She helped take all my pictures down.

Sister Nickulaus

Sister Morgan

Kati - she has as much energy as me!!!

Erin and Katie

Heather who just got engaged!!!

Sister Oulette

Sister Moody

Sister Welch and Sister Young

Brother Young

Lucia, Me, Sis Smedley and Hattie

Hattie

Sister Wheeler and Sister Mcgehee

Being silly in the car

Lucia and Hattie (I love the young women in this ward)

Transfer calls coming this weekend. . .

  
So this week was great! 

We organized a huge JSM trip and everyone got to go except us because our investigator couldn't make it but that was ok. 

On Tuesday we had lunch with this awesome member. She fed us grilled fluffer-nutters which kind of tasted like nutter-butters.... Maybe that is why they are called fluffer-nutters... Then we went up to Candia and tracted for a bit. We went to this little pizza shop and bought a slice of pizza for a dollar! Then the lady surprised us and threw and extra piece in for free! 

On Wednesday, we had an awesome district meeting. In the lesson we all had to look at ourselves in the mirror and at our family and take the gospel out of our lives. The picture change completely and it was sad. We learned to look at people in that light. To imagine them now with the gospel in their lives and see how it would change them.

On Thursday I was in Canterbury on exchange. We did service in this cute little town and then went street contacting. Then we met this lady who is Baptist. Well it started to rain so she invited us to come into her church to keep talking to her. So we did. And then she locked us inside. My thoughts 'Are you locking the door to keep people out or to keep us in???" Then she gave us a tour. Then we went down these stairs to a big metal door and told us to go in first. My thought "Are you going to lock us in???" She followed us and then said "Wow you two are really trusting. I could have locked you in here and I could have been an ax-murderer!" Well the thought did come to mind.... We got out of there pretty quickly after that! 

On Saturday, we went to Auburn for the first time and in the middle of the town was a little fair going on and they were having a rubber duck race!!! We talked to some people. Found some potentials. And a lady gave us a free loaf of banana bread! 

On Sunday, we had church which was great! As we were leaving the chapel though, this recent convert who is in his 70's surprised me and gave me a hug and then winked and said I know it's against the rules but I just couldn't resist... Then after we had a great linger longer.

Love you!!!! Tell everyone else sorry I didn't write back! I'll send more pictures next time

She will be receiving a call this week to hear if she will be transferred or not.  Would love for her to stay in Manchester for another transfer, but also excited for her to see other places in her mission and bless the lives of the people she is able to meet.  Waiting until Monday to hear may just kill me.

Crazy Manchester Missionaries!