thoughts on charity

Being a missionary is awesome! Seriously the best and rewarding thing! I don't have a lot of time but I just want to say I have a strong testimony of charity and how it really is the pure love of Christ. When we see others as God sees them we will be able to turn our hearts outward and be charitable. I'm learning to love everyone, and I mean everyone! Especially the people I teach. It's crazy how much love you can have for someone without knowing them. We are surrounded by children of God and we should want to do everything we can to share the gospel with them. Look past judgements and learn to reach out to people. Charity is serving someone when it is inconvenient for them and without asking anything return. Charity should become a part of you. It's not easy to be charitable all the time. We need to stop saying me me me and start thinking of others. Charity is not natural, it is overcoming the natural man. To have it become natural and of our nature, we need to pray for it! I invite you to pray to have the pure love of Christ so that we may be true followers of Christ, especially this Christmas season. Let us remember what Christmas is really about! Discover why He was born! Heavenly Father loves all of you and I do too! I'm going to miss the nativity this year! Paul you better be Joseph, you'd make a good one! Merry Christmas Sammamish! 
️️
Love, Sister Fisher

week 5: "are you a nun?"

Monday, November 30th, 2015

How was everyone's Thanksgiving?! Thanks for all the emails!!!

It's so nice here...I'm sorry but Arizona is the best in the winter...just not in the summer. I hope I get sent to the mountains in the summer. We will see. It's so funny cause everyone who lives here complains that it is freezing here. Also I don't know if I told you this but no one drinks tap water here and I think it is the strangest thing. Everyone buys water. We buy waterbottles too. The water tastes so bad and apparently can get you sick if you are not used to it. Some people drink tap water here but barely anyone.

We met with Jayson, the Luongs son more this week with his family. We met last monday night after we helped lynh with her homework. He is an awesome guy but I don't think he is quite ready for the gospel. I think he will join one day. And remember back on the times that we taught him. His dad is a little pushy and assumes his son will get baptized. Heiu talks and talks and talks. We taught them about temples one night and it went well! they said they will talk to the bishop about it! Linh can go in one year! She was so cute she was asking when her parents can get married in the temple and then she was telling us her testimony on why she got baptized. She is the BEST. I love her so much. Side note: the hardest mission rule is not being able to pick up kids and have them sit on your lap! It's the WORST. Like there are SOOO many cute kids in the ward. LIKE SO CUTE IM DEAD.

Tuesday we spent a lot of the day trying to find people..in GATED communities. The worst enemy for missionaries. But luckily someone always came in after us and let us in. A lot of people don't live in the places anymore. There are a lot of people who are married to nonmembers here as well. We are trying to work with all of their husbands. We met with Sister Holdiman, she is so funny. She likes to talk about her life! She is less active. I talked about them before. She said she died when she had a heart attack but got to decide to come back to earth cause her family needed her. I'm like how do you not come back to church after an experience like that?! She is so stubborn lol. We drove like all the way to old town scottsdale for some spanish food! Sister Cano is SO nice. and the food was so nice! I love her kids but they are moving to Florida soon! I am so sad because I love her SO much! 

Wednesday we had Zone Training meeting, We talked about keeping the sabbath day holy, our "why" for being here, and inviting less-actives to the temple. It was good! We then went to teach the Debeckondorff's, some less-actives. It was my first time meeting them. We are teaching a mother and her 18 year old daughter. But when we went it was chaos because her other daughter had just moved in with her two crazy kids. It was still a good lesson but they just need to come to church! They are progressing though. I really love them and I am excited to get to know them more. Amelia the daughter had a priesthood blessing a while back because she really badly cut her fingers on a cheese grader at cafe rio. Like her fingers almost fell off! The priesthood blessing worked she said! It's amazing how much people tell you being missionaries. People really open up to you after they just met you. We met with both our ward mission leaders later. They are the best ever! SO helpful! We also got two referrals at dinner! Blessings!

Thursday! Thanksgiving! "I hope you wore your stretchy skirt!" We went to watch the ward turkey bowl in the morning and then we went to a older ladies home and helped her set up her Christmas tree and other decorations! It was so fun! It's much more fun when it is service and not your own! We then went to the Ross family (less-actives). I have talked about them before. They are so awesome! We spent wayyyy too much time there because when we got there dinner was not even close to being ready. We helped as much as we could. We were a little late to our next apt but it was okay cause they were running late as well. As the Ross home the food was good but the mashed potatoes were so runny lol. She put so much milk in them. It was just 6 of us, probably the smallest thanksgiving I have ever had. Then we went over to a members. Their house was so nice! They had like 30 people there and the food was so yummy! We had so much food lol. We gave our message but it felt like a speech cause there were so many people! Being a missionary during the holidays is the best cause people just love and spoil you. It was a great thanksgiving! A lot of moms who have daughters out always cry when they see us share messages. They just think of their daughters, it is so cute. May we have gratitude in our hearts always!

Friday we had stake correlation and then we had a "sisters beauty workshop" lol. They thought it would help us de-stress. It was so fun! We could have been doing more important things but it was so fun getting to know other sisters! We went down to Mesa, I swear we have the best sisters here. Not lying. It was 4 hours long. We ate lunch, talked about health/exercise, beauty, sister landry did my hair and make up and nails, and then we talked about clothes and went to the thrift store! It was so fun! I love thrift shopping! I got two skirts and a shirt for $7!  Also this black gay guy was standing behind me in line and complimented my outfit (yes!) and then I was talking to him. And then he was like "wait are you a nun or something?" lolol mission made. Like I wish you could have all met this guy cause he was so interesting and funny. He was wearing make up and had skull pants and slicked back hair. His laugh was the best too. He was probably on drugs but it made my day. I want to serve in Mesa or Pheonix to get more variety of people. Scottsdale is great though! I'm surprised how many apartments there are! SO many. We went to dinner at the Shumways, my mtc teachers house! SMALL WORLD! It was so good seeing him! His name is doug and his family is so awesome. They have a little girl and she is so cute! He was home for thanksgiving!

Saturday was my one month mark from arriving to the mtc! Can you believe it?! It seems like forever ago but it has gone by somewhat fast. We did a lot of weekly planning which sucks but is so helpful. We went to dinner at some yummy place, Sister Houston took us out and invited her less-active friend! She reminded me of Aunt Susie! Older ladies are so funny. She said she would come to church but she didn't...We then went to try an investigator we haven't been able to see, her name is Glenda Zane! She is in her 50s I think. She is religious and is so awesome! It was my first time meeting her! When she answered she was zipping up her pants and she was acting really weird lol. I didn't know if we would let us in, so I asked her if I could use the bathroom (best way to get into someones house). She let us in and we ended up talking forever! She is so great! She is coming to the family history night on wednesday! I am so excited! Sister jones bought birkenstocks from her lol. She sells a bunch of shoes and things she doesn't use anymore. The shoes were in good condition and she got them for $20! But she can't wear them until she gets home...lol she is so funny. Sister Jones and I are becoming close friends and I love her so much! Even though she is so different than me. Also it is so funny when you know someone is home cause you hear the tv on or you can hear them walking and they don't answer the door! "shhh the missionaries are here!" Or when you see the eye whole go dark so you know they are really home!

Sunday, was a great day! I gave a talk! It went well! Seriously I love my wards so much and now I love 6 hours of church! You are so edified! I get somewhat tired though. Church was SO good this week I can't even explain! We are in larkspur ward choir for the Christmas program! I love Christmas!! Everyone starts putting up lights and decorations up WAY early here I have noticed. I think it is funny. The members here are so awesome and are so willing to help us! It's still a struggle figuring out who is in who's ward. 

We are moving out of our apt next week, cause of the cockroaches. also I think pday might be wednesday next week so don't freak out if I don't email you on monday.

The church is so true and I am so happy to be a missionary! Even though I look so dumb backing up the car.

Love,

Sister Fisher

Sunrise

My grandma outfit

Turkey bowl

Christmas tree decorating

Thrifting with Sister Landry from Bothell

Companion and I! 

Doug my MTC teacher!

Ashley!

Collecting cockroaches...

HAPPYBIRTHDAYSARAH

week 4: thanksgiving in the 80s ☀

Monday, November 23, 2015

HELLO! I will try to respond to all of your emails but it is quite hard! This week went by so fast!

I can't remember if I told you guys this or not but we are helping Lynn Luong, our recent convert from Vietnam with her homework each week, she is adorable and i love her! Her family is so awesome and her dad Hieu gave his first talk in English this week and it was so awesome! We helped him practice and he is such an inspiration to me! He talked about how we need to be grateful now! It's so true, we can't say oh I'll be grateful once I finish school or get a better job. He has such a strong testimony about the gospel and wants to share it so much with his family! He is the one who helped convert his wife and step daughter and brought them to the states. His wife Nguyen is so sweet and her English is improving. They have a son, dean who is just a crazy child. He reminds me of a monkey. They always bring us water when we go over and I feel so at home. It's hard to be the new missionary sometimes cause they don't know you and maybe don't trust you as much. But we had dinner with them at the winterhollers last night. There house is SO nice. And they invited the Luongs and we had no idea they were going to be there but it was so great and fun. They made turkey and pie. It was a pre thanksgiving dinner. We had jack
fruit from Vietnam, best fruit ever....AND they brought their son jayson who is my age who is not a member and we got to give him a short lesson. He lives in California though but heiu is so excited for us to teach him more this week, he will be here just for a week.

We got Pete Rossi on date this week! I don't know if I have talked about him or his family before but they already seem like members! Pete is 17 and is an outstanding kid, he reminds me a lot of j.d. W. Because he has been going to church for about a year now. I'm SO excited for him! He is getting baptized dec 19! His mom and dad are so awesome and are the best hosts. Like seriously if I didn't know them I would think they are members, which i actually did before I met them. They are Catholic and the mom, Jen thinks she will be breaking her covenant with God cause she got baptized in the Catholic Church. Long story but we are working on her. His dad Vince is going to be a bishop some day I promise. Last night in our lesson he was asking so many questions and want to know so much. He says he wants to get baptized beginning of next year. Pete will be able to baptize him! They have other older sons and the ysa sisters are teaching one of their other sons! It's awesome!

Theresa another investigator is so awesome. We taught her the plan of salvation this week and it went well! Her kids were pretty crazy though. She said she had been wondering about where we are going and came from and such. She is just a perfect investigator. She wants to be part of a church before she is baptized so we invited her to church and she is coming next week! We were supposed to give her a church tour tonight but she rescheduled. I'm really excited for her and I'm glad I get to watch her grow. She is in her mid 20s and is going through a lot. She is going through a divorce and has two kids. She is a photographer and we can bond over that!

We have been meeting we other less actives or recent converts. They are so awesome. We try to see as many people as we can. A lot of people don't answer. We get fed too well here! Mom don't worry I am getting fed. We have two thanksgiving dinners, one at a less actives, the Ross family and another at members. The members are so nice here! It's hard to get members at lessons though. We will get them though. I give a talk on charity this week at church!

We had zone conference this week! It was in Mesa and it was great! We talked a lot about the talk "what lack I yet?" And how elders and sisters should interact. It was hilarious. Sister Taylor went home this week :( there are gonna be a lot of goodbyes on the mission...we had car inspections and the elder that checked them accidentally put sister oldham and sister devlins keys in our car....we were driving home in bad traffic and we were already late to our dinner apt...and then I look down and the sisters keys were there so they were stuck at the church and we had to go back! We were so late to dinner but he was forgiving. He is older and so great. He studied in Jerusalem for a year. I have a lot of connections with people here. We ate at this Chinese restaurant called flos it was so good but he literally bought us everything on the menu cause he wanted us to try everything lol. He is so nice and funny. We were stuffed but the food was soo good. We of course brought home leftovers.

We visit a lot of apts and they are so confusing! Also everyone and their mom has a dog here. I don't mind and it hasn't been a problem yet. It's a great way to start a conversation! I love it when people say no thanks we are christians! I'm like no way we are too! We teach a lot of older less actives which is so funny. We did a few doorstep lessons.

Funny story so we were walking in a complex and I was like we should knock on their door and they ended up being members but it was so good! They made us feel so important cause they kept telling their kids to be quiet because we are special and are God's servants. It's so awesome being a missionary! But it was good we met them cause they just had a baby and said they never have missionaries over. As we were leaving their son tried to hug my companion and accidentally groped her lol. The dad was like no touching breasts! Baha.

Everything is going well here. Thanks so much for all the emails I promise I read all of them even though I don't respond! I LOVE MY DISTRICT. the sisters are the nicest and all of the elders are the best! our apt is getting bug bombed today...so we are at the stls for today and possibly sleeping over. it was annoying cause we had to put all of our stuff away....also my eyes are weirdly not dry here and dont get that red. mission miracles? cause they were so red in utah. but i think that was also lack of sleep in the mtc i try to go to bed early here. i still hate waking up.

This week I am working on looking for miracles each day. I encourage you to write a miracle that happened each day and write it down! It's perfect for thanksgiving!  I'm grateful for all of you and for this gospel!

Love you all!

Xoxo Sister Fisher 

my humble abode:

TACOBELL MY DISTRICT IS THE BEST:

Dinner on 11.22 at the winterhollers with the Luongs: