Beans and More Beans

 

Dear Family and Friends,

So I guess I complained a little too much last week about not having dinner appointments because I'm being overloaded this week.  Partly because I got transferred.  Yep.  It was a huge shocker.  I thought because they're expecting our visas soon I'd just stay in my area and we'd be a trio or something, but they moved me to West Jordan, the Copperhills 5th branch Spanish speaking.  It was really hard to leave Riverton because I really grew to love the people and the area was finally picking up.  But I know it's in good hands with Sister Hodgson and her new greenie companion.  Also, I absolutely love my new area.  It took me a long time to love my last area but it's been so easy to love it here.  The people are awesome and I love speaking Spanish all the time. 

So my new companions are Sister Wanlass and Sister Danielson.  Sister Wanlass is from New Jersey and New York and she's been out for about a year.  Sister Danielson is from Iowa and she's still in training.  Which is unfortunate because that means we still have an hour of training every day.  But we've been working really well together and we have a car!  I was worried about being in a trio, but it's been working out and it's actually really fun, except I sleep on the floor.

So we have 5 investigators, one we just picked up on sunday.  One's name is Estevan and he's 21.  He's golden.  He teaches us every time we go over there.  He's not on date technically because he's still on probation for something that happened a year and a half ago, but he'll be baptized in July.  Yesterday at church he told me that he wants to start paying tithing because he feels like he's already a member.  He's also saving up for his mission.

Adan and Josefina are an older couple that are here from Mexico for a few months.  Adan is really interested but they don't really understand the importance of being baptized by someone with the priesthood, in fact they think it's against God's commandments.  Adan also is mostly deaf and blind, so it's extra hard to teach them.  Any prayers for them would be much appreciated because it's going to take a miracle.  But they believe Joseph Smith is a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God?  Ya spanish...

And the last two investigators are Luis and Luis Jr.  I've only taught Luis once and it was a powerful lesson.  They were going to drop him until that lesson and he came to church on sunday!  And he brought his son!  And they are now really wanting to get involved in the church and they will be baptized soon. 

So that's all really.  I'm so happy here and the only thing really that I'm struggling with is love for a certain person with an accent.  I've developed that since being on my mission.  I can't handle anyone that speaks english with an accent (meaning english, australian, etc.)  But I remembered Dad's advice, "if you want someone to love you, make them serve you in some way."  So I'm going to serve him and I WILL learn to love him. 

Also, spanish people get offended if you don't eat their food.  I'm starting to get sick.

Love,

Hermana (again) Borup

 A Near Death experience

 

Dear Family and Friends,

So I'm gonna start out on the good news because this week was quite the week.  First off, Zach's still on date to be baptized on the 8th of June!!!  Wahoo!!!  He's basically fantastic.  I love him.  We have another appointment with him and his mom tonight and his mom's boyfriend will be there with his little girl who's also 9 and not baptized.  

Lisa's baptism on Monday went great, despite all the drama leading up to it.  Her fellowshipper family said that we saved it.  Really all we did was make a billion calls and stress but oh well, I'll take the credit.  The family's not too happy and called President Miller to report on the Elders.  All we did at the baptism was bare our testimonies, which was somewhat weird because we didn't know her at all.  It wasn't personal and not for her, but just a simple testimony.

We picked up a new investigator this week and his wife will be one this coming week.  They are the couple that just moved here from Nevada and and the nicest people I have ever met.  He thinks we're angels.  He told us that he's not a good candidate to join our church because he's 60 and pretty set in his ways but as we started to teach him, he told us at the end that the little kid inside of him was being drawn in.  So that was an excellent evening and they want to feed us too.  Which was great at that time because we didn't have dinner appointments all week and we were running out of food.

We got to go to the temple on thursday!  It was fantastic!  I love the temple and I wish we can go more often, but I got to go twice this transfer, so I really shouldn't be complaining.  One of the elders in my district was super sick but he still made it.

So this week...  wow.  Wednesday we had training, and ya.  I just am not a huge fan of training.  It was good but the role playing was ugh.  Then on friday at weekly planning I got a little frustrated but we had our first real good comp inventory and fixed those problems.  But I also got a bad flat on friday.  We dropped the bike off at a family that we love's house and they fixed it for me.  In the meantime we were on foot, in the pouring rain.  It wasn't that fun.  Then on saturday I woke up with a huge headache and I was exhausted.  Sister Hodgson was sort of understanding but she was still getting frustrated with me.  I slept during language study and also lunch.  But then I took an excedrin and felt a lot better.  That night we got a call from a lady in the other sister's area and she invited us to dinner.  So we went with her and met the sisters at Village Inn.  While we were coming home we almost died.  Really though.  We almost got in a bad accident that would have killed sister hodgson and I.  But we're safe.  And then we were both sick to our stomachs the rest of the night.  Ya saturday and friday weren't the best.  Sunday was good though.

This morning I had a bad allergic reaction and I took benadryl that took me out.  Ya... I'm still kind of out of it.  But I'm happy and if it stops raining, we get to go hiking today!

Love,

Madi

A week of being set up

Dear Family and Friends,

Congratulations on the ironman!  

So this was an interesting week.  Tuesday Sister Hodgson's sister was our companion because she was going into the MTC the next day.  So that was a fun day.  I felt bad for her though because we had district meeting and all studies and no appointment.  But we did end up teaching two less active families and we had dinner with the most interesting ward mission leader we have that quizzed us on scriptures from the bible on the nature of god... yes. 

So we've been focusing on leadership and working with leadership better so this week we met with all of our ward mission leaders and went over the Catch the Wave talk.  Some of our meetings were fantastic, others did no good.  We have one that I think is inactive.  He doesn't really come to anything and every time we talk to him, nothing comes of it.  It's frustrating all right.  So we've kind of bypassed him and now we just go straight to the bishop which we feel really bad about but what else are we supposed to do?

It's official, I look like everyone's granddaughters!  Also, if they have a grandson that just got back from a mission, they want me to date them.  It's awkward sometimes.  On tuesday we did service at a house and he was really trying to get my email so that his grandson could write me.  This is what I know of him, he just got back from a mission, he hasn't dated at all because he's super shy and he goes to Utah State.  Ya...  I don't think so.  Also, I'm pretty sure we got into a house of a less active because I remind him of his favorite granddaughter.  According to his wife, the granddaughter is the "apple of bill's eye."  Great!  I'll take it.  He's been reading and coming to church so whatever it takes right?  Oh boy.

We saw an AP again this week.  Surprise!  He was at zone meeting though so it wasn't so bad, but it's still leadership.  They're smothering us!

Friday!  We had lots of miracles!  It was the best day ever!  We now have more than 5 solid potentials that we have appointments with this week.  One house was a couple that just moved here from Nevada and they don't know a lot about our church but they want to know more and they love their neighbors and they want to go to church with us in the "brown building".  Awesome!  It was fantastic.  Every house we knocked on that night were nonmembers that wanted to meet with us.  I'm so excited.

And then sunday we got to go to a priesthood meeting and it was the weirdest experience.  We presented something and then we had to talk in relief society right afterwards.  Wow what a difference.  Relief society had space to breathe, it smelled nice, it was set up nicely, people were smiling and there was even a tablecloth and chandeliers.  I'm starting to like relief society more and more.  And Dennise was there!  She had her bishop's interview right afterwards and we're meeting with her this week to see how it went!

Well the church is true and I love you all.  

Love,

Hermana Borup

Two Months in and 10 lbs heavier!

Dear Family and Friends,

Yes, it's true, I've gained 10 pounds and it's the most depressing thing ever because there's nothing I can do bout it.  I ate healthier this week, we ran more instead of going to zone workouts in the morning, and we've been biking like crazy but it ain't helping.  I like to think it's muscle weight from all this biking, but I know better.  Sad sad sad.

Well I had a crazy great week, unfortunately no investigators though. 

Tuesday we had interviews with president.  First Elder Birch (our district leader) called us to have companionship study with him but when we got to the church building, he had to leave to go pick up Elder Thomas, one of the AP's.  So then Elder Thomas was at our district meeting and it was intense but the best district meeting I've had so far.  We practiced contacting and just going straight into teaching and testifying without asking if they were a member, if they've met with missionaries before, and what they knew about the church.  It took a lot of role plays before Elder Birch was satisfied.  And then we went to interviews.  While we were waiting, the zone leaders had a district learning with us.  Again, intense but powerful.  And then it was my turn to meet with President Miller.  I had expected him to ask me if I had questions for him and then have me bear my testimony but that's not what happened.  We prayed, he shined my shoes, and then before I had even sat down he was talking to me.  It was crazy and probably the best 15 minutes I've ever experienced.  He's called of God.  He knew exactly what I needed to hear and he told me my purpose here and why I was in the Riverton North Stake with Sister Hodgson.  Cool doesn't describe it.  He also told me I have to be more bold at Ward councils.

Then on Wednesday we had training for first and second transfer missionaries.  We practiced we invite, they commit, we follow up and I learned a lot.  It was a lot better than the last training.  At the end President walked in and told us all about ward councils and how they need to change.  How we need to be there to talk about missionary work at the beginning.  

Thursday I had to wake up at 4:30 and then I got to go to the Salt Lake Temple because I'm a second transfer missionary!  We rode up with Elder Thomas (scary) and then we did a session and President Miller opened up my eyes in the celestial room.  Then we did a tour of the church history museum and then we had lunch in the church office building.  Hermana Leavitt and I sat by the AP's and we got to know them as human beings.  That was fun except Elder Thomas went to Alta (ugh).  Then I had to ride back with President and Sister Miller.  Man they're funny.  But again, President started talking to me about ward councils and how I need to be better.  Then I went to the doctor.  Ya, I'm on meds now and they make me drowsy, like I really needed that. Dumb allergies and sinuses.  

And then Friday was a normal day, Saturday one of the less actives we're working with quit coffee!!!  To celebrate we gave her pero.  She now wants to get her patriarchal blessing.  And another one we're working with attempted to get a meeting with the bishop!  And she should have one by today!  Dumb executive secretary... oh well.  She's making progress!

Sunday we went to two ward councils and talked to the stake president.  This stake's about to be on fire!  The ward councils were Borupfied (as our district leader put it).  Yes, I was extremely bold with them and I hope they change and do the ward mission process.  We also spoke in sacrament meeting and I prepared the talk that morning.  It didn't go too bad actually.  I'm getting the hang of this, well in English that is. 

So that was the week.  The AP's think that I will be staying here permanently because I have health issues like Elder Thomas did, but they were just joking... I hope.  I have had way too much of leadership these past couple of weeks.  We also had a companionship study with the zone leaders.  Ya, we're definitely on their lists.  Our goal is to get off of that.  Actually, our goal is to find find find.  We're following up with a lot of members this week that should have invited someone to meet with us.  We're going to find this week!  I'm a happy camper.  It really was a good week.

Love,

Sister Borup (I got my English nametag last week)

  A little bit of a Sicky

Dear family and friends,

Wow what a week.  I don't think I've ever had such an emotional rollercoaster, but it's been good.  So last Monday we went and jumped around at airborne and I lost my black jacket which makes me super sad, but maybe I can get a member to drive over there and check the lost and found.  And then that night we got in contact with several people we've been trying to reach, no luck yet, but one of them I have a feeling will come around, especially when her fiance asks her to.

Tuesday Sister Hodgson and I realized that our district and this transfer will be a lot different than last transfer.  The district meeting was excellent and then the lunch was the most uncomfortable hour of my life.  Everyone just ate and didn't look at each other.  Trying to get to know the new elders was like pulling teeth.  Oh well.

 

Wednesday, oh Wednesday.  What a day.  So sister Hodgson and I have both been pretty down the last couple of weeks, but yet we seemed happy.  We didn't really know what was going on ourselves.  That morning we had companionship study with the zone leaders, except it was only one of the zone leaders that showed up along with one of the assistants.  So we had our normal companionship study (we had to role play a lot more though...ugh).  And at the end our zone leader asked us if we needed anything and we said no.  And then they treated us like investigators and dug deeper.  The assistant cracked us and we both started to cry.  And everything that I didn't know I was feeling came out.  They gave us a blessing and then that day we worked our butts off (literally thank to those lovely bikes).  We found one man that just moved here from Nevada and said he wasn't interested, but accepted the book of Mormon and said he would read.  For our area, that was huge.  We really had a great day.

 

Then the rest of the week was pretty normal, but we kept finding nonmembers that actually listened for a bit before saying they weren't interested, accomplishment.  We gave a familysearch.org card to one lady and she started to cry and told us that her mom had passed away a year ago.  She wanted to feel closer to her mom and thought that knowing where her mom came from would help her.  Yep, we're going back even though she said she wasn't interested originally.

 

Saturday and Sunday I was sick.  I thought my mono was coming back honestly.  I felt achy and my throat was killing and my head felt pressurized all around.  Not good.  So Sunday I we went home after sacrament meeting and I took a nap.  And then we went to our dinner appointment and the member gave me a blessing.  I almost immediately felt better.  The power of the priesthood I tell you.  It's real.  And I'm so grateful for it.  Two blessings in one week, both I didn't ask for, but they both helped a lot.

 

I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and is happy with my work.  I just have to be patient.  Patient with members, with people in the area, and with myself.  It's my focus for this week.

Also, we met a born again this week that gave us a "high-five for Jesus".  That was really fun.  We also met a lady that used to be something similar to Amish in Canada.  The family is now of a religion with no name that holds annual conventions and also have missionaries that go out into the "field".  Quite interesting.

 

I love you all!  I was down, I was sick, but I'm happy now and this week is going to be amazing so please don't worry about me.

 

Hermana Borup

April 15, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm so excited you got to talk to Crystal.  I love her and her husband Ted, although he's pretty crazy.  We stop by occasionally just to see how they're doing and one of these times he's going to tell us that he has a desire to gain a testimony.  I just know it.  But he claims that that will never happen and his role is just to break in the new missionaries.

Last tuesday Hermana Leavitt and I went to Salt Lake really early and sat in the room with the consulate for a bit.  There were about 200 missionaries there, including some familiar faces from the MTC, that are unfortunately still in the MTC.  I'm lucky I got to leave when I did because that would stink.  But the consulate just talked about Argentina for a while and made us all wish we were there and then he called each missionary up one by one and had us sign two things in front of him.  We were the first missionaries to be called up so we got done super fast.  It was great because then we got to leave.  Tuesday was also transfer day and it was awesome!  I'm still here with Sister Hodgson and everything's the same there, but the Elder I was having a problem with got transferred to the other side of the mission!  Yes, that was definitely inspired.  But now he's in a district with all visitor center sisters so that could be trouble, but not my trouble anymore. 

This week we had companionship study with the two sister trainers for our mission.  They asked us how we feel about our zone leaders and we answered honestly.  Since then, we've gotten 3 calls a day and two 15 minute talks on how they love us and are thinking about us and how we can call them for anything.  The sisters claim they didn't say anything but the whole thing's suspicious.  Working with elders can sometimes be difficult because they don't know how to treat the sisters.  Treat us normally!

We also met a man this week that we think was a main man in a big gang in salt lake.  All he told us was that he was supposed to be in jail until 2033.  Ya, and he talked forever and we know that he was and probably still is hard core into drugs.  It scared me a bit.  But his wife wasn't home, so we were in the front yard, so that was better. 

Brother Wilson cancelled again.  And didn't come to church.  It was really sad.

Yesterday was the craziest day on my mission so far.  Every minute was taken up by meetings!  We didn't even have a chance to visit one person or contact anyone, but our goal for this transfer is to work better with leadership so that was good that we met a lot more of them.  And there's a man that we met on the streets on thursday and wants to be active and his girlfriend is a nonmember.  Yes!  He wanted to invite his girlfriend to meet with us and he had just quit his job that day so he can now go to church.  It was a miracle for sure.

Yesterday I was in church and I just had a strong feeling that I wasn't doing my job here.  That there are people here that need to hear the gospel from me before I head to Argentina.  I'm not working hard enough.  My legs burn every day from the bike, but I need to work smarter not harder.  And I had a feeling that I won't be here for much longer.  So I now have a new drive.  I'm treating every day as my last day. It's a good thing because I've been a little down this week and extremely non motivated.  Not really, but not as happy as I've been.

Funny thing:  Sister Hodgson and I taught primary yesterday (sharing time for jr and sr) and we did the same lesson and had the same idea as you mom.  Except we used cups.  

Love you all,

Hermana Borup

General Conference and the Consulate!

 

 

Dear family and friends,

Thank you so much for all the letters and emails!  I love them!  Did you meet Ted and Crystal yet?  They might call you or drop by our house for some sheet music.

So this week was pretty crazy.  It was pretty bad as far as investigators go, but a great week for less actives.

This will have to be another day by day thing because there's just too much to say and I don't want to forget anything. 

Monday:  We played kick ball and ultimate frisbee as a zone and that was basically it.  We had a great lesson with a family that's active, and their less active dad was working.  Darn it.

Tuesday:  One of the assistants from Australia came to our district meeting.  There I was, minding my own business, playing the piano in the corner when I look up and see him.  I immediately stop and sit down and for 15 minutes, the district was dead quiet, which never happens.  But he's a great Elder and it actually helped a lot to have him.  And he was way more encouraging with role plays than the AP that was there in the room at training a few weeks ago.  We also had a lesson with a recent convert and the Leamens (Ted) wants a children book of mormon for the kids.  He needs to just accept the fact that he believes it's all true and be baptized.  Basically he's crazy.

Wednesday: We went to the Draper temple!  It was so great.  Basically brought peace into our lives and we definitely needed that this week.  We also set up a ton of appointments, but they were all for this next week.  And I got a call from the australian assistant telling me that I needed to be at the office the next day and on tuesday (tomorrow).

Thursday: Hermana Leavitt and I went to the office at 9 in the morning.  We met up with Elder Lopez and his companion and took trax to salt lake.  We met a lot of cool people on trax, but we didn't place a book of mormon.  At the church office building we met up with Norma, and had to do more fingerprints.  She made it way more intense than it needed to be.  But other than that we just had to sign a paper saying that we wouldn't stay in Argentina.  And then afterwards we went to the 26th floor and then down to the cafeteria.  It was pretty fun and it was fun to be companions with Hermana Leavitt again.  When we got back to the office we didnt' have a ride lined up so we were making lots of calls.  The other sisters had to pick us up and while we were waiting I saw that the doctor just happened to be there that day.  So I visited him about my ingrown toenail.  He cut it and I screamed.  And now I soak it in epsom salt and I scream.  And I've been limping for the past several days.

Friday: We had weekly planning and then district lunch and then district language study.  Too much district!  I love them, I seriously do, but I feel so bad when I'm with them because we goof off way too much.  And one of the elders makes me feel uncomfortable, especially when he asks me if I'd be able to support him as a dentist.  Awkward.  So after that we had training and then zone meeting where I had to sit by this elder again.  But the zone meeting was amazing and really encouraged us to keep going.  Which we needed because Brother Wilson and Molly Brown cancelled on us that day.  We were depressed to say the least.  And I was limping and hurting.

Saturday:  We watched conference with two less actives.  Molly Bateman in the morning.  she has a problem with coffee and they talked about addictions.  And then with Dennise who has a baby and they talked about the law of chastity.  It was amazing!  And I loved being able to talk about conference with them afterwards.  And then that night we had a lesson with a lady that wants to make it to the temple, but wasn't sure when she needed to start taking classes because she still feels anger towards family members.  The spirit was super strong during that lesson.

Sunday:  Sister Hodgson got to go to morning session of conference so I was in a trio with Hermana Leavitt and another sister whose companion got to go to conference as well.  We were in her area so we watched conference with a family she knew.  And then I watched the afternoon session with our landlady.  Then we got to visit a less active family and encourage the girls to go to young womens.  So go less actives this week! 

My favorite talk in conference was probably President Monson's or Elder Uchtdorf's.  And I also loved all the talks on missionary work!  Do missionary work people!  The missionaries are more effective when the members get involved so help us out!  But I decided I need to be way more diligent this week.  Diligence is steady, consistent, earnest, and energetic efforts.  I haven't been the most energetic.  But it all changes this week.  Also, I'm not eating as badly this week.  I feel sick all the time and I think it has to do with the amount of ribs I ate at members homes.  Let's just say that I bike all day every day, but I've still gained weight.  Not good. 

I loved seeing Alyssa, Mallory, and Shaundra in the choir!  That was awesome!  I freaked out when I saw everyone, and also cameron and caleb jenson in the after programs. 

Anyway, time to write president.  I love you all and I'm a happy sister missionary that's determined to be more diligent, skinny, and not in the presence of a certain elder.  Transfers are this week, maybe he'll be gone.  Probably not, but one can hope. 

Love,

Hermana Borup