The Mission Training Fireside yesterday was awesome!

So, first things first:

My new missionary is absolutely amazing and I love her to death. She is one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life, besides me and Erika, of course. Her name is Hermana Ostler and she's from Billings, Montana and she went to BYU-I for a semester before her mission. She is so cool. We are being exactly obedient and I love it. We're actually on time. She's so easy to train. She makes me laugh so hard. Heavenly Father sent her to me. I've laughed so much. I'm so happy. As we were getting our new missionary picture taken together, Sister Hall (President's wife) was telling us all about how excited she was that we are companions and about how we're going to be just 2 peas in a pod and how amazing we're going to be together and I was just smiling thinking, "Yeah, okay, no pressure or anything!" hahaha! But we've been working our bums off. The other day we biked about 12 miles just contacting potentials that we met and tracking down referrals. Being a trainer is hard. I feel super inadequate for this job. But Hermana Ostler is such a champ. She loves her bike. She wanted to ride bikes, too. We are so alike, but different enough to keep it entertaining. She rapped missionary songs to me while we were riding down the road the other day. That was when I knew it was going to be a GREAT couple of transfers! 

 

So, we had a Zone Conference 2 days after transfer meeting and, holy. cow. It was amazing. We learned about the first missionaries out here in the desert. Sister Hall's great grandpa was the Mission President for this area way back when. Cool, huh? Runs in the fam. Anyway, he made the missionaries come out here without purse or script. That meant that they didn't have any money or a place to live. All they had was a suitcase that said LDS MISSIONARY and some copies of the Book of Mormon. They weren't allowed to ask for a place to live, and they weren't allowed to ask for food, but if someone offered, they could accept! But through their faith, and obedience they saw MIRACLES. They told us all about the history out here and I loved it. They were telling us about how President and Sister Hall love us so incredibly much and how they feel like they are sending their kids out on missions (to the other Mission)! Then we sang 'Carry On' (Hymn 255) President and Sister Hall and most of the missionaries in the room just started to weep when we got to the part that says "And we hear the desert singing: Carry on, carry on, carry on! Hills and vales and mountains ringing- carry on, carry on, carry on! Holding aloft our colors, We march in the glorious dawn. O youth of noble birthright, Carry on, carry on, carry on!" it was amazing. Then they asked me to give the closing prayer. It was really special. President and his family took pictures with all of us. He said he can't wait to be in the temple with all of us one day. President Hall and Elder Cropper talked a lot about mission reunions and how we need to go to them. The zone conference was amazing. 

That broadcast yesterday was awesome. I'm not going to lie, I was hoping they would extend girl's missions to two years but, alas, I was wrong. One miracle at a time, right? I found myself, and many of the Elders I was sitting by, in tears a few different times yesterday during the broadcast. It was so incredibly tender. I just love being a Missionary. It's so amazing. The videos that they kept showing just had me teary. I felt Heavenly Father's love so strong for His missionaries. 

A few of the things that I learned:

-He won't let us fail as we do the best we can

-When we act in faith, the Lord's blessings may be different than we expect, but they are ALWAYS BETTER than we've ever imagined. (see the first presidency message on the first page of Preach My Gospel)

-Missionary work is a rescue mission

-live so that you can abandon yourself, and script, but just follow the Spirit and let it flow

-The greatest teaching is done by a mother. The Priesthood holders think sometimes they have the power, but it doesn't compare to the power of a mother. -Boyd K. Packer aka- one of the greatest teachers of all time. Wasn't his message powerful?

Anyway I love being a missionary. It's so cool. Being a trainer is freakin' hard, but awesome. I am growing more than my new Missionary and President Hall told me that was going to happen! It's cool just watching it happen. I'm so thankful. I love you!

 

Hermana Dodge