12.7.2015

Infested.

 

Thankfully the snow has not come and the weather has been on the "warmer" side of cold weather. It's still pretty cold to me though.

As we were walking home from a recent convert's house this week Sister Birch and I decided to walk on the side of the road in some trees and bushes to change things up. It turned into a fun "nature" adventure. Well, as outdoors as you can get in a city. The highlight was when Sister Birch slid down a mini hill on her stomach. I was dying laughing and she was so dirty. I got it on video and every time we need a laugh we watch it. It was great!

We went to Sewickley's Christmas Tree Light Up Night. We were able to pass out a bunch of pass along cards and had some fun along the way. We saw some ice carving completions, reindeer, and fireworks. The night was so much fun until it was time to catch the bus. Since some of the roads were blocked off the bus skipped our stop. We saw it pull into the main road from a side road ONE BLOCK away from us and it didn't even see us. Well we were then stranded  seven miles from our house and it was less than an hour to curfew. Thankfully we were able to have a member come and save us. That was a relief!

I was also able to call and talk to P from my last area. She is doing really well, and it was great to ear from her. That was a nice midweek treat.

On Tuesday morning I woke up to seeing a mouse dart across our kitchen floor. That didn't make me too happy, especially because our apartment is always really clean. We bought traps and when we came back at the end of the day it was caught. That was a huge relief. Sunday morning I got up and about five minutes later I heard one of the traps that was still up snap. Low and behold, we caught a mouse that we didn't even know we had. This got us a little nervous so we put up about four more traps. We now constantly have six traps ready to kill mice. When we got back Sunday night we heard another trap snap and yet another mouse was killed. We went outside to throw the mouse away and within ten minutes we heard that same trap go off and ANOTHER mouse was dead. That's three killed on one day, all in the same spot. We think there is a hole behind our sink that they are coming from, and sadly there isn't much we can do because this house is so old. I guess I just have to put on a brave face and live in a mouse infested attic. Pray for me that I don't get the Black Plague haha.

This week we taught A about tithing and fasting. He said that he was going to ask us about when he should start paying it and was totally on board! He said that its nice to see our church using our money wisely and helping not only the starving kids in Africa, but also those locally around us. Yesterday at church he paid his tithing, and not just for this current month, but retroactive to when he started coming to church about a month ago! It was so cool to see him so willing to live the commandments.

We had two lessons with J this week. We brought along another member who was perfect. She did such a great job at making Judy feel good, and she loves cats almost as much as Judy! I didn't think it was possible, but I guess I was wrong.

We didn't get a chance to teach the R's this past week, but we were able to drop by and set up their baptismal interview fornext Saturday! They are struggling to fight smoking now that the baptism is approaching, but they said that they were going to knock it so they can be baptized. I sure hope they can quit on time!

Sister Morrison

 

We went to Quaker Steak and Lube after district meeting. Probably the worst place I have ever eaten. My stomach was not too happy about that choice.

Everyone sure loves decorations out here!

 

We got some lovely fur coats from a dead lady and rocked those bad boys caroling! Don't worry we didn't actually go out in them, just outside our house

11.30.2015

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!! I know I ate more than my fair share of food that day. 

Because of the holiday this past week, we did a lot of drop in visits because no one could schedule with us. We met with one who informed us that dirt grows, and that we are all really smart mold; needless to say that was a funny visit.

J had a baptismal interview this week and pass! Sadly, her brother is sick so we have to move the baptism back two weeks. The cool thing is that she will now be baptized on the same day as the R's! The font is going to be a happening place on December 19!

The R's are going through a little bit of a rough time, but it's really cool to see how as they rely on the gospel they are able to keep chugging along and make the best of everything. 

A is doing well also he texted us Saturday night making sure that we had a ride for him and really enjoys coming to church each week. Even though he is not sure about baptism he sure loves the gospel! 

It's not an email from me without some fun experiences so here they go: we were volunteering at New Hope, the senior assisted living facility, and you're making ice cream sundaes for the residents. Brian, my favorite old man who is a huge flirt, told me that he "wanted everything on his ice cream cause he likes it sweet, just like me." He then proceeded to wink and kiss my hand. I sure got a kick out of that one!

One night this past week I pierces to Birch's ears! One of her earrings got yanked and slit through her ear and she never pierced them since. We tried going to the mall to get it re-pierced, but they said that she had to get surgery first to fix her ear. We decided, what the heck? Why don't I just pierce it so that's what we did! Parent Trap makes piercing an ear so much easier because, unfortunately for Sister Birch, it took about eight minutes instead of two seconds. I felt a little bad, but I could not stop laughing at the fact that I actually pierced her ears!!! That's one for the books!

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. Our ward had a Turkey Bowl that we went and played in. It was a load of fun and I didn't stink as much as I normally do at football. I think that was a mission miracle haha. I woke up the next day with a whip lash from getting taken out, but it was totally worth it! For dinner we went to the P's. They are an amazing family with lots of kids and it was a blast! The food was wonderful, and it was nice to be around good company. After we ate we went and placed with the kids in the backyard since the weather was still nice enough to be outside. Even though we played with sticks, had limbo completions, sword fights, and played on swings, I had so much fun. Their little girl A clung onto me for most of the day, and she is probably one of the cutest girls. We ended the night with a round of SkipBo. That was something thanksgiving shouldn't go without, so I was glad to see that we were able to play it. 

The new Christmas initiative for the church was released yesterday so now we are shifting to show this to as many people as possible. It's going to be fun this upcoming month caroling and spreading the good word to as many people as possible!

Sister Morrison

When I pierced Birch's ears! Parent trap makes it look nice and easy...

All the missionaries with Bishop Hoke. Now I can say I've played football with a two time Super Bowl champion ✔️

We went to visit a less active but he wasn't home. I decided to take a little break on the crapper before trying another house. 

We were looking for baptismal clothes for Judy and found these pants. We had a mini whale pants dance party right then and there. 

11.23.2015

First week post training!

 Hi everyone! Nothing too crazy happened this past week, but here's an update:

J is continually progressing. She has her baptismal interview on Tuesday which is pretty exciting. She got a little held up when we taught her the law of tithing, but Sister Birch and I did our best to explain the blessings that will come from living the law.

A is doing really well. When he came to stake conference he heard the stake president ask everyone what they did to make the Sabbath day holy. He really took that to heart and asked his boss to have no work on Sundays before we even taught him about keeping the Sabbath day holy! We are super excited about his progression and he also said that he was sad he didn't come to church last week. 

The R's are continuously doing awesome! We taught them the Plan of Salvation last night And when we asked them what they thought about it S said "it's just beautiful!" The Plan of Salvation really is beautiful when you think about how every person gets the opportunity to hear the gospel of Christ whether this in this life or the life to come. Brother K, a ward member, has done a really great job at befriending them. He takes them to activities like Christmas tree lightings, and bowling throughout the week and picks them up for church every Sunday. I think at this point he gets more interaction with them than we do!

We are still trying to master the bus system. Sometimes the buses come 10 minutes early and other times they come 10 minutes late. This past week a couple times we were between bus stops when we saw the bus coming in, so we had to book it down the street and try to chase him down. Thankfully they stopped for us. Everybody on the bus got a good laugh at it, so at least we made their day. 

We went to an ARP, addiction recovery program, meeting at church this past week. Even though Sister Birch and I aren't overcoming the same type of addictions as the other people are, it was still amazing and the spirit was so strong. I want to go next week just because of how great the place makes me feel. It's based on the Atonement of Christ, so anyone can implement the steps into their lives.

Well, it's not an email of mine unless there are some funny stories so here they are! We have played the game what are the odds a lot this past week and some funny challenges have been made. I got to whip Sister Birch with the branch, she had to carry a teddy bear around all day, and Elder Redford had to eat and entire pie that a ward member made. To put it lightly, everyone could only muster down one bite, but he had to finish it off. It was pretty nasty, so I was happy that I was t the one who had to finish it. 

The four of us missionaries had to teach primary yesterday. There were no adults in there and it was as wild as a zoo! Kids were going psycho with energy, but we were able to make it controlled chaos. We all decided the teaching primary is so much more fun than going to the other meetings. We had kids laying on the floor, hip checking each other, and others dancing like no one was watching. It was a blast.

Sister Birch plays the violin, and I'm taking a few lessons from her during her lunch and dinner breaks. I now understand why mom encouraged Alex to play outside in the backyard so the neighbors could hear her "wonderful" music. I feel bad for Sister Birch, but it's also comic relief for her.

Sister Morrison

Sorry the shadows are bad, but we were in Market Square and there was an awesome Christmas tree! I can't wait to start caroling next week.

We walked through a cemetery this past week because it decreased how far our walk was. I found a tombstone with the same last name as me. As disrespectful as this may be, I had to take a picture! RIP Sadie!

We were driving on a backroad after some service and there was a slaughtered deer on the side of the road. Sadly, the head was missing. I figure since thanksgiving is coming up that deer legs must taste the same as turkey legs, right??

We saw Sister Durfee and some other missionaries at the strip district

last Pday. She has been made an STL this transfer!

11.16.2015

I now know what I am going to be when I grow up...

This week was one of those weeks on the mission were nothing pans out

like you think it's going to, but it was still a good week. The good

news is that transfer calls came and sister Birch will be staying

together for another six weeks! Thankfully we will have each other for

the holidays. I will start out this email with the good news and all

and with the funny stories.

We met with A again this week and he is doing great! He loves

church and said that he felt so welcomed there which is exactly what

we wanted to hear. He also said that he noticed a change in his life

since we started meeting with him, and he is really progressing.

J is doing great and she was taught some commandments and is

excited to make changes so that she can be baptized. It's cool to see

how much she loves the gospel. She thinks church is just the greatest

thing ever.

The R family is continuing to do great! They came to church again

and everyone at church loves them. We even had people ask us if they

were already baptized. Their family is so great and they cannot wait

to be baptized. They always talk about how they can share the gospel

with other people because of how happy it is made them.

This week I raked leaves for the first time in my life. I never knew

how much a tree could produce until they're on the ground and we have

to rake them off the someone's lawn. Sadly the trees are now naked and

they kind a look ugly now. I guess I'll have to wait for the first

snow when they're white to have this place look beautiful again.

We had our first chasing down of the bus experience this week. We were

at a bus stop and decided to chance it and get to the next bus stop

before the bus came. Unfortunately we saw it driving up when we were

halfway between them. We started chasing it down like mad woman but

luckily there is a less active driving by who gave us a ride instead.

That was sure a miracle!

On Tuesday morning we went out with the Relief Society president to

visit some less actives. Unfortunately she got a flat tire in an

alleyway so we ended up changing a tire instead of visiting people.

Good thing Dad taught me how to change a tire because that came in

handy this week!

OK, now for a pretty funny story. This probably should not go on the

blog though. (i'm putting it on anyway ;))We had zone training again this week and after training

we were given a few hours to play activities together. We were playing

a game of basketball and I got pretty warm from playing. I had a light

sweatshirt on, so I decided to take it off really fast. Unfortunately

my sweatshirt wasn't the only thing that came up, my shirt came off as

well. Next thing I know I have my companion, Sister Birch, tackling me

and all the elders standing there not quite sure what to do. At first

I didn't register what happened, but once I figured out I started

laughing so hard that I couldn't untangle my sweatshirt and my shirt

fast enough. Luckily there is a tablecloth in the cultural hall so

they were able to hold that up while I put my shirt back on. I'm now

known as the zone stripper which probably isn't the best thing for a

missionary to be known as, but at least I gave a few people a laugh.

Sister Morrison

It got pretty windy one day this past week and we were supposed to have a lesson at the park. Sadly it was too windy and we would have blown away if we held it there.

Helping change the Relief Society Presidents car

E, S, and E . M was gone, but I finally got a picture with at least most of them! They are so great! Eric is a personal trainer and he even told us he would work out with us in the mornings to make sure we are getting a good workout in. We are pumped to start doing that!

11.09.2015

Hey All! 

Hi everyone, another week has come and gone and it has been great. First off I want to teach you a little bit about Pennsylvania, there is a real thing called the PA ramble and oh my gosh can it can kill you sometimes! Most people here just talk and talk and talk and sometimes hard to get a lesson in 40 minutes, but it all works out in the end. We had our Indian summer last week and it got up to 72° for a couple days. I was so happy about that heavenly father knows that I am not ready for the cold. Sadly it already ended and is starting to get cold again.

J is doing awesome, and we had another lesson with her which is great and she came to church again. When she introduced herself in Relief Society she said that she met the missionaries and it was the greatest thing that is ever happened to her. That sure made me happy to hear! I'm glad I could make one persons life a little bit better.

A is doing great as well. We taught the plan of salvation and he said it was a little daunting to know that God is our father but we were able to help him by teaching him that he's a loving father despite our mistakes and imperfections. It was cool to see some relief his eyes to know that God loves us all. He also came to church again! It was a little awkward during Sunday school because I was sitting on the side with him and the lesson was about eternal marriage. I felt as awkward as Kelly acted around boys when she came back from her mission. Wow, I didn't think I was at that point yet.

The reads are doing amazing and loving the gospel! Some miracles happen with their family this week. E has always been against praying out loud because she feels it's a very personal thing but she prayed during the lesson! I was so sad to miss it because I was on an exchange but so happy to hear that she finally prayed out loud. The family came to church again this week, and S sang Amazing Grace during sacrament. The congregation was a little restless and loud before she sang and, right when she started singing it got dead silent in the spirit was so strong. It was so cool to see her sing in church! Later during Sunday school E said that he felt the spirit so strong in the all his burdens just got lifted off his shoulder. I am so relieved to know that he can rely on the gospel to get through anything. I am just so excited for them to be baptized! Everyone in the ward loves them.

Friday night I got a phone call from Sister Malo and Sister Durfee. Sister Malo got her visa and will now be heading to Australia next week. I'm so happy that she got her visa and I know that her time in Pennsylvania was partially to help me get through my first six weeks. I was also able to catch up on some of the old investigators in my last area, and I guess Gina has a baptismal date which is so exciting!

Ok, now for some funny stories. We taught a lesson some drunk people as well as someone who is high off of the medications at their dentist gave them. Needless to say those lessons didn't go anywhere. I really hate teaching people who are not fully mentally there.

We also went to visit a less active who had the most evil cat you can ever imagine. It jumped up on the couch next to me I would stick its paw on my thigh. Then, it would slowly pull its nails out so it was just clawing into my legs. I kept trying to not make a big deal out of it, and nonchalantly move the paw off of my leg, but the lady noticed. She just kept saying "it's all right you'll get used to cats eventually." Umm lady, how my going to get used to That they keep trying to kill me!? Even worse and that the cat sneezed and got cat boogers all over me. That was gross.

To make things worse, right after we got out of the lesson Sister Birch turned to me and said "are you ready to get your flu shot?" Well, as all you know I hate shots. I started tearing up just a little bit on the side of the street because I could not go through two terrifying things in one day. But I was a big girl and I got my shot and only had two tears come out as I received the shot. I would like to say I'm pretty proud of myself.

We had a new transfer system in our mission this starting next week. Now on Saturday when we get our transfer call we will also know who her new companion is and where our new area is. It's going to be weird and I'm just praying that Sister Birch and I get to stay together for another transfer.

Sister Morrison

Just some pretty fall colors 

Missionaries with Bishop Hoke! He is awesome!!

Me and my district got a little creative for our picture.

11.2.2015

Happy Halloween 🎃

This week has felt like 5 miles long, but we had a lot of fun as well

so we'll start off by telling the fun stories.

Let me just for start off by saying I did something super legit on P

Day! We went to North park which was super beautiful because of all

the fall leaves on the trees, and we found a vine that we swung from!

I just got to swing like George of the jungle and I felt so cool doing

it!

Tuesday morning the elders had to come by our house night before we

found Nerf guns in our apartment, so we decided to surprise attack

them. We climbed onto the roof on the second story of the house and

had her studies up there what we waited to shoot them. Well after an

hour waiting they finally came and sadly they didn't think it was as

funny as we did, but we sure got a hoot out of it!

It rained all day Wednesday which is pretty terrible. I sure don't

know what I'm gonna do when the rainy season really hits. I'll just

have to pray a lot.

So Halloween this year was pretty awesome! We couldn't really dress up

like anything but Sister Birch and I still managed to dress up and it

was so fun! We were cleaning out our neighbors house the week or two

ago when we found a bunch of outdated dresses. We ended up dressing up

like sister missionaries from the 1990s and even did our hair and

makeup to match them. We went to the ward trunk or treat party like

that and everyone thought we were so funny. My favorite comment that

we got was "I looked just like that! I think I had that same exact

dress!" Next day on Halloween we went to New Hope, a senior rehab

facility, to help with their Halloween party and it was so fun to see

all the old people in their costumes and with face paint on.

OK, now for the most exciting news that I have had on my mission so

far… We had six investigators come to steak conference this weekend!

Oh my gosh it was so stressful and by the end of Sunday I was pooped.

It took about three hours of coordinating to get everyone a ride to

church but it all worked out. They even got to meet President and

Sister Johnson which is pretty cool, as well as a bunch of members

from our ward which was fantastic. It was seriously a miracle that it

all worked out. By the time we got home were so tired that we didn't

feel like talking to each other during lunch so it was a little quiet.

Later that day when we were out visiting people they kept asking ask

us why would he looks so tired even though it was daylight savings the

night before; I guess we looked as hammered as we felt.

J is great she came to church on Sunday and our lesson with her

this week was phenomenal. The member who came with us was so impressed

with her love for Jesus and I can tell that everyone in the ward is

just going to love her. She really taught me this week how much

somebody can love Jesus and makes me want to try to emulate that.

A also came to church on Sunday and his lesson this week was

amazing. We brought along one of the ward members and they clicked and

got along very well. That was such a relief because we feel that A

is sometimes a little reserved when sharing his emotions and feelings.

He even prayed for the first time out loud during her lesson and it

was wonderful! Hopefully he'll continue to read the book of Mormon and

gain a testimony of the Gospel.

Now for some of the greatest news ever, I know I've said this so many

times in this email already but I just can't stop smiling every time I

think about it. The R family has recommitted themselves to baptism

and are getting baptized on December 19! We are so happy and it's been

a long road for them, but things are finally looking up and they are

committed once and for all. They've been through a lot of struggles

lately that have been keeping them from progressing, but they've been

able to resolve almost all of them and they have this new drive and

spirit that just lights up the room. Sister Birch and I are so excited

and we cannot wait to get their whole family baptized. Brother

K, a member in our ward, has been a great fellowshiper and

is really taking them under his wing. It really is amazing how much

people can progress and they have a friend in the Gospel.

Sister Morrison

This picture doesn't really do the trees justice of how beautiful
they look right now.

Our super legit costumes were we look like freaks the whole night!

These old folks seriously cracked me up the entire time. If you zoom in you can see some pretty wild face painting jobs.

I got a picture of me swinging from the vines!

10.26.2015

Hello again.

It sure is crazy how fast weeks go by! Last P day was a blast! We rode the bus into the city where we joined a couple other missionaries at the Carnegie Science Center. That place is so awesome, I could have spent the entire day there. I beat a robot in a free throw contest, tried a gravity defying thing, and did so many cool science experiments. After that we went to Point Park and played ultimate frisbee and football with a bunch of missionaries. I was so grateful the the weather has warmed back up a bit because last week was a little miserable. 

This week we had zone training which was great. We talked a lot about goals and planning, and this week when Sister Birch and I did our weekly planning it was legit. Our goals are great for this upcoming week and we are ready to go and kick some mission butt! I love / hate weekly planning. I feel like it goes on forever, but once it is done, you feel so relieved and your upcoming week is a million times better. After the meeting we went to a park and played ultimate frisbee and soccer. Sister Birch and I got matching Mormon Helping Hands shirts from the church so we wore those bright yellow shirts at the park. We were pretty sure all the other missionaries were going to think we were goobs for matching, but most of them thought it was awesome.

This past week we did a lot of contacting with less actives and really leaning out our area book, so it wasn't crazy insane like the week before, but we were expecting that so it was all good. We walked so much this past week, and one day it was raining outside and my feet were just killing me. It was towards the end of the day and we were in a dark alley and next thing I know Sister Birch stepped in a pot hole and ate it. My instant reaction was to start laughing and I felt really bad once I realized she really hurt herself. She sprained her ankle, but she's putting on a brace front even though I know she is hurting.

So we met this lady, J last week on the streets. We were able to get a return appointment with her, and we met with her twice this past week! The first time it was on the side of the street I a swarm of mosquitoes and I was super paranoid the entire time, but you could really feel the spirit so I just fought through my mini panic attack. The second one we actually went inside her home thank goodness. She loved everything we taught her and she really recognizes the spirit. We even committed her to baptism, and she is set for the 28 of November! We are so excited for her! 

We have been working with the R family a lot, and last night we called to check in on them. The Lord sure lets you end your days on a good note because E said that they have said family prayer together for three nights in a row! How great it that?!? It's baby steps for now, but slowly but surely they are getting better and better. I really love their family.

Ok, so funny dinner story of the week. We were eating dinner at some member's house and the dad was playing with the cat a little bit towards the end of dinner. He was holding it and walking around the table and I saw him put it up against Sister Birch's back. No my head I was thinking "please don't do that to me." Well, all the sudden I feel this cat up against my back and before I could do anything I blurted out "I hate cats!!!" Oh my gosh, missionaries should not be telling people that they hate their animals but I seriously could not controls it. Thankfully, everyone at the tab,e just started laughing and they didn't get offended or anything. It could have been a lot worse that's for sure. So, now the cat's out of the bag that I hate cats. Little do they know I hate all animals, hopefully I won't blurt that out anytime soon.

Sister Morrison

Me outside the Steeler's stadium. Sadly we can't go to sporting
events, so this is as close to watching a game as I can get.

Group of missionaries at point park

Sister Birch and I matching at zone training 

J, our investigator!