Monday, August 25, 2014

Wedding Crashers..‏

"Praying with real intent means you really intend to follow the divine direction given." Elder Russell M. Nelson
Ok so first things first. The wedding Crashed. Seriously. We got a call on Wednesday from James and he told us that Tonya and Him had broken up. She had moved out and left her son with him. Needless to say the wedding was canceled and Tonya no longer wanting any contact from us or anything to do with the church. James however still is getting baptized and his testimony is growing. I think that while this seems sad. I really feel that this is what the Lord wanted for him. He has a strong desire to serve the Lord and to keep all the commandments and Tonya... Not so much. So there were differences of opinion. So we move on with life and work with those who are really prepared. It was a little stressful to say the least when we found out though. From it though I gained a strong testimony of the potential God has for each of us. I really know that he wants what is best for us and sometimes it seems we are being "cut down" but really it is so we can be molded into what will make us the most happy.
We have been teaching a lady named Alice this week and she is awesome, but anyways her husband Frank is a hoot and he doesnt want anything to do with church but he always teases us and wants to make us food. So you cant complain. This week he made us A fried cucumber sandwich.. Can I just say. Delicious. If you are ever bored and want something to eat. Make a fried cucumber sandwich. He also had a ton of buckeyes that he gave to us and drilled holes in them so that we could make key chains.
We also had Zone Conference this week. Which happened to be on my 1 year mark.. I dont like to talk about it though.  I had been asked to conduct the music at the meeting and everyone was sleeping. and then on top of that President Daines had pulled up the lyrics to the song and then got distracted while we were singing so no body knew the words. Ha um so basically it was me singing. That was fun. An unplanned solo. Also funny story. We were eating lunch with some other sisters. They were telling us a bad experience they had had with Lentil soup. They then ask us if we had tried Lentil soup before. Um no I dont think so. (sister yells) "DONT EAT IT, YOU WILL DIE" Well now everyone is looking at us including president Daines and the wonderful ladies who had made our lunch. Everyone thought that she was talking about the food we were eating right the. We all died with laughter and we couldnt stop laughing. It was really funny and probably one of those stories that you would have to be there for.
Campus is getting so crazy. There are 30 million people everywhere(maybe and exaggeration). Its like being back on a Taiwan Train. Uh not fun. but also really fun because then we get to talk to a lot of people. I can now see why OU is one of the biggest party schools in the nation. So that is also exciting. We also met a guy named Mario from Austria. He is nice. I like him. and I like that his name is Mario. We talked to him for 40 min. It is sad he said he has never felt happiness in his life. What is this? I hope we can help him find some happiness.
We taught one of the Families and it was terrifying they kept asking all of these questions. I was so nervous I couldnt answer them. So while I tried to keep my calm composure nodding my head and saying "please ask us questions, that is what we are here for." Inside im screaming.. NOOOO dont ask anymore questions. So that was a tense moment for me. I hope the lesson went ok and that we get to meet with them again.
Well, I guess that was pretty much my week. It has been a crazy one, and I know that I have many more busy weeks to come. I love you all and I am grateful for each of you. Have a wonderful week.

Love,
Sister Zwahlen
Weekly planning and a picnic with Merinda 

So on campus I reached up to pull off a leaf and the whole branch came with it.. Ooops. ha 

Monday, August 18, 2014

Prayer

"Prayer is the power by which we can access the atonement of Jesus Christ" -I heard this in sacrament meeting this week. So I dont know who said it originally
Hello Family and Friends.
This week has been good. Sister Bassett is slowly getting better. Which is always good for a missionary. You can work much better that way. It has been a slow finding week but I have seen so many miracles. First off. We taught James and Tonya the Commandments. All of which we knew they would need to make changes in their lives with. So we taught Word of Wisdom, law of Chastity and Tithing. They committed to live all of them and they didnt even feel that those things would be hard to change in their lives. They are so ready to be baptized. Only thing in the way is a wedding. It has been stressful because we needed someone to marry them and everyone seems to be out of town. but just at the last min. The stake president said that he could do it this next Saturday. I have no Idea how to plan a wedding but here we go. Ha I know that because everything has fallen into place that it is what the Lord wants. I can see his hand is everything I do.
Second miracle this week is we found a family, with a husband(Carl) , wife and  5 boys. ha uh we are so excited to go back and teach them. and we have another family that we found that we are going to start teaching this next week. These next couple of weeks are going to go by so fast!! I am so grateful to have these experiences. It is the greatest to see others come unto Christ, especially when they are families.
I know this is a short email this week but I dont have a lot of time left. I will leave you with an embarrassing moment for the week.

We were on campus talking to a man and this is what my mouth decided to say " there is this really great website mormon.org. You can look up children.... uh not children I mean other people who have similar beliefs and backgrounds."
So now he probably thinks that I am a creeper oops. I have no Idea how that happened. but we got a good laugh about it.
Well I love you all. I hope you have a great week.
Sister Zwahlen

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Ebola‏


Hello Family and Friends,
"Each of us must stay in condition to respond to inspiration and the promptings of the holy Ghost the Lord has a way of pouring pure intelligence into our minds to prompt us, to guide us, to teach us and to warn us. Each son or daughter of God can know the things they need to know instantly. Learn to receive and act on inspiration and revelation." -President Packer

It has been an awesome last half of the week!! Wedensday was a long one, of helping Sister Tueller pack up all of her stuff, and when I say that I mean, she has SO MUCH. ha ha we were up till 1:30 getting everything ready. Then I had to be at transfers early for training. So we had to leave around 6:45 in the morning. Once we got there we had a meeting with all the new missionaries, they all looked around at us trying to figure out who would be their trainer and we all looked at them trying to guess who we would train... but we had to just sit in a tiny room for a couple hours not knowing. This was one of the biggest transfers over 3/4th of the mission was there. I was so happy to see so many of the Sisters. Then comes time for the transfer meeting:) 

My new companion is Sister Bassett from Colorado. She is 19, and she is wonderful. we have a lot of fun together. I also and noticing how good I am at throwing so much information at her that its overwhelming. Ha I am trying to learn to take it slow. She is really good though. and she couldnt be in a better area, you get both the small town work but also the college campus aspect of the work as well. It really is a great, and I am a lot less stressed having her here!  She has been a little sick lately and she was telling a member her symptoms and the member was like " OH no you have EBOLA. There is an outbreak in Africa!!" and I was like "oh yea we just had two missionaries transferred to this mission at transfers. We all started freaking out because we were SURE that she had it. ha then the daughter of the member asked what the cure was and the member in the most doomed voice says "THERE IS NO CURE" ha ha we all were laughing so hard by the end as well as freaked out because what if Sister Bassett has it. She doesnt she most likely just has a cold. 

Any ways, we are excited James is on date officially for Aug 30th. I am so excited for him. He loves church and is so excited to get baptized! His fiance, isnt quite at that level yet. but we will get her there by then! 

I guess that is about all that has happened between now and last time I emailed. Everything is good. I know that a lot of you thought I would be transferred, but all I needed was some sort of change and now that there was change I am so happy to be here in this area! I am feeling so blessed. I love this work. I cant tell you the Joy that comes from serving my Savior, through serving the people of Ohio!! Thank you so much for your love and support!! Love you all.
Sister Zwahlen
Sister Malloy at transfers

District fun day.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Athens Again..‏

Hello Family and Friends. 
" Unless we lose ourselves in service for others, there is little purpose to our own lives." -President Monson
I am not being transferred, Im staying in Athens. Sister Tueller is being transferred though. Sunday night I got a call from President Daines and I he told me that I am going to be training a new missionary this next transfer:) I am so excited to get to train!! I had to do a member split on Monday (So I go with a member and sister Tueller goes with a different member) because I got to go to a special training at the mission home with the Daines and the other trainers. So I was in Powell most of the day. It was a lot of fun. I am very grateful for this opportunity to train, I feel like I can serve more fully. Also this means I get to be the DD or the Designated Driver and a Senior Companion. Neither of which I have been on my mission. I am so grateful for change.
Ok Enough about that!! Saturday Paul was baptized!! He seriously is one of the greatest people I have ever met, He is what people call " A Golden Investigator" He even asked us about home teaching and when he will know who his partner will be and who he visits. How many times have you heard that?? Why do none of the rest of us get excited to do your home or visiting teaching?? Then Sunday, He was confirmed and received the aaronic Priesthood. I have to come back in a year to see him go to the temple!!  I gave a talk on the Holy Ghost. and we watched this really good mormon message...http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3701964025001.. You should all check it out! its really good! 


James is still doing so well. He committed to being baptized on Aug 30th. He went from a, I will if I know its true to a I want to be baptized that day. We have also been teaching his fiance Tonya and she wants to be baptized as well. A miracle happened with them as well. We had been praying about them and how to teach the law of Chastity to them. (since they are living together) So at our next lesson we were just asking them about baptism and they were like. yea, We are getting married earlier in the month as well. So August is going to be very eventful! What a blessing. They dont have a lot of money so we are trying to help them have a wedding at the church. So we now are going to be planning a wedding as well as a baptism. Another reason, I am grateful to stay here to help them!! I am really seeing the blessings come. I love it. It makes everything that has been hard the last couple transfers so worth it!!

Today we had a zone fun day and we went bowling! It was a lot of fun! I havent been bowling for ever. Well I cant really remember any thing else that happened this last week and a half! I will email it to you on Monday if I think of anything between now and then!! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,
Sister Zwahlen