Do it! Do it! Do it!

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was HOT! The Arkansas summer that everyone here has been warning me about finally came. Temperatures we in the triple digits all day every day! But blessings come when you are working in the heat and humidity and we were able to teach a lot of people this week and see a lot of miracles. Perhaps the biggest blessing of the week is we are getting full car until the end of the transfer. Sister Mecham and I did a dance of gratitude when we heard.
 

We had an AWESOME Zone conference this week. President Wakolo is a spiritual giant and an amazing teacher. He encouraged us to Lead like the Savior, to Live like the Savior, and to Love like the Savior. He also talked about how even if people don't want to hear our message that's ok we love them anyway. President Wakolo is one of the most loving people I have ever met. He truly loves everyone he meets and those he hasn't met yet. One of my favorite things that he spoke with us about was faith. Faith is the first step to everything that we do as missionaries and members of the Church. Without faith nothing else happens. It is the first principle of the Gospel because it is essential. Faith leads to action, without faith we are either not acting or just going through the motions without getting anything out of it. In the words of my sister Kate (with a little tweaking) "FAITH FAITH FAITH, we care, we care, we care!"

At another part of the meeting we were talking about things that build faith like scripture study, companion study etc. President Wakolo's response to everything is "Do it Do it Do it!" So that became the mantra of the week. Should we knock on this door? Do it Do it Do it! Should we talk to this person? Do it Do it Do it! With this attitude we were able to talk and teach many more people than we thought we could.

Speaking of lessons we taught Kam's mom this week. Kam is the nine year old we baptized a few weeks ago. It was an intense lesson because not only was his mom there but her sister came as well. Kam's mom was very open and we could tell she really felt the spirit but her sister was extremely closed off and threw every hard question she could at us. It was a little intense but at the end we just bore our testimonies and told them that they could find out for themselves if they asked God. We will see what happens :)

Funny moment from the week. On Monday all the missionaries went out to get Pineapple Whips together. We were sitting there and one Elder out of the blue goes "I love pineapple whips because they support the Law of Chastity." He then points to the no smoking sign out front and says "See look no smoking" He had totally mixed up Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity. So funny we gave a hard time and have been quoting him all week long!

Also there is a dog that lives in our apartment complex. A little white fluffy thing that wears a sweater and is the meanest dog I have ever seen. This week I went to get the mail and who do I run into (like literally) the sweater wearing dog! I jumped back so quickly! The owner literally had to drag this dog away barking and snarling at me. It would have eaten me if it had not been on a leash. After this whole escapade I get back to the car where Sister Mecham had been watching the whole ordeal and she is just laughing hysterically not concern that I could have DIED just then. Death by dog is not how I want to go!

I hope that everyone has great week. Thank you as always for all the love and support.

Love

Sister Aase

I love Arkansas!!

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was really great! Not quite as exciting as our bike week last week but that is just fine with me. Update: my bike has been fixed and is ready for next bike week in two weeks :)

Baby Blue in the shop

Bike nails for bike week

This week we focused on finding new people to teach. We were talking to everyone we could see and knocking on doors and calling former investigators. It was a lot of hard work but we were able to find some great new people who are ready to hear the gospel which is so exciting! The Arkansas summer that everyone has been warning me about finally hit this week and we are expecting 100+ degree temperatures all this coming week. It is going to get a little hot and we are very grateful for the car :)

This week a member took us to Petit Jean, pronounced "petty jeen", which is basically a giant hill that the locals call a mountain. But it is SO beautiful up there, we took lots of pictures and jumped on rocks. Lots of fun :) I'm serving in one of the prettiest places!

We also did a lot of service this week. We helped a member organize her home, we painted fences, we cleaned a yard, and of course we called bingo. I love doing service and we certainly do a lot as missionaries. But it is always fun and gives us a good chance to meet people.

In other news my companion just found out that she will be attending BYU this winter. I'm so excited for her! It is a little weird to think that I won't be going to school this fall. School started today for everyone down here. But don't worry I will still be learning, in fact I was emailed a four page study guide for our zone conference this week. But I'm excited I love to learn and I especially love learning about the gospel. Speaking of learning and studying the gospel…This week I had some really great studies about babylon. Sister Mecham and I always joke about having Babylonian songs or thoughts in our heads which basically means anything worldly. In the scriptures it talks about how we need to come out of Babylon and separate ourselves from it. As missionaries it is really important to do this because we are representing Jesus Christ but it is just as important as members of the Church. We need to make sure that we are staying out of Babylon. That we are in the world but not of the world. It is so important that we do this so that we are able to keep ourselves clean and also so that we are able to lead by example. One thing that I have really come to see as a missionary is the power of example. So many people that I meet want to know more about the Church because they have seen the example of their LDS friends or co-workers. When we bring investigators to church they are impressed by how the other members act in church. Even if you don't think other are watching you they are and so it is important that we are always trying our best to do what it right.

As always thank you for all that you do.

Love

Sister Aase

Bike Week

Dear Family and Friends,

Sister Mecham says that some weeks are for teaching others and some weeks are for teaching us. This was definitely a teaching us week. There were lots of set backs and many times where it would have been very easy to give up but we never did and we learned that we can do hard things. There were many times when we had the choice to cry or laugh about our situation but we chose to laugh because as my good friend Camille Niebert once said "You can either laugh or cry but crying would just ruin your mascara and then you would have bigger problems"

So this week was bike week. We traded our car for our bikes on Tuesday and that's when our troubles began. The day actually went pretty well until we were coming in for dinner. We were biking up the hill to our apartments when I had a pretty epic bike crash that involved my shoe flying off and hitting my back tire sending my bike straight into the curb. Fortunately I was only a little bruised and scraped up so we went on our merry way to dinner thinking that was the end of our bike week troubles. Unfortunately we were mistaken.

Wednesday we started out strong. Then I ran over a piece of glass and punctured my tire. We were luckily close to one of our member's home so we stopped there and called for help. A nice couple in our ward came and picked us up so we were late for Bingo (the old folks get very cranky when their bingo game starts late) and then picked up my bike to take home. The missionaries down here all buy their bikes from a bike store owned by a bishop who lives here and they all have a two year guarantee. So we called the bike store and they said they could fix the bike no charge. So bike week became walk week for the night....or so we thought.

The next day we had a member drive us around because we were still waiting for the bike people to call us back. Unfortunately every single appointment we had for that day fell through. So we went back home and at this point we were starting to feel a little discouraged. So I turned on my favorite song as loud as my little speakers would allow and I danced all the discouragement away. Sister Mecham was in the bathroom when the dancing began and she was a little surprised when she came out to her companion jumping and twirling all around the house :) But we both felt much better after that.

The next day we still were down a bike and we hadn't heard from the bike people. So we gave them a call and they said that because it was just a flat tire they didn't want to make a trip all the way down to Conway to fix it and they had meant to call us earlier to tell us this but had forgotten. So we made plans to go get the bike fixed the next day and were determined that bike week would not get the best of us.

So we called a member to come get us Saturday and take us to the local bike shop. When we got there we found out that it is open everyday...except Saturday. So we went to Wal-mart with my bicycle tire in tow so we could make sure that we got the right sized tire tube. We got to Wal-mart and got the tube and then had some members put the whole tire together. Now all we had to do was put it on the bike. Which we did but in the process we messed up my brakes. So the elders came over and attempted to fix it. Which they did. Now all we had to do was fill up the tire and we could hit the road. YAY!   But unfortunately the new tire did not want to fill up nicely and so Sister Mecham was lying on her stomach trying to get the tire filled when all the sudden the bike tipped over and landed right on her. At this point we didn't know whether to laugh or cry so we did a little of both.

We laid on our living room floor and just laughed at how our week had gone. Then we got up and went back to work. We did finally get air in the tire but when the elder fixed my front brakes they also decided to "fix" my back brakes which is now rubbing against my tire permanently.

Sunday was good and we thanked Heavenly Father for helping us to get through the week. I was asked to playing for primary this week! So I had about two hours to practice during the week and then I get into primary and the chorister hands me a list of songs that I had not been told to practice. Oh my! It ended up going really well though. The Lord guided my fingers and somehow I was able to play without being nervous at all. Tender mercy :) It reminds me of one of my favorite songs by Cheri Call that talks about all the names for Heavenly Father like "mathematician and concert musician, master physician, and listening friend." Who knows all about cars (or bikes) and my fragile heart. So the best name would still have to be "Heavenly Father." He was definitely all of those things for me this week. But I really learned how to rely on my Savior and my Father in Heaven this week because there was nothing that I could do. It was hard but we never gave up even when it seemed hopeless. We were blessed with the ability to see the positive and to not get discouraged. I'm so grateful for the hard weeks because they teach us so much. We saw so many small miracles this week and even though my bike still isn't ridable I'm not discouraged. I know that the Lord knows where I'm at and that everything is going to work out. Because it always does.

As much as I learned this week though I'm really hoping next week isn't quite as eventful :)

Love

Sister Aase

Off with the Natural and in with the New

Dear Family and Friends,

So sorry about the short email last week. My companion and I had the amazing opportunity to go to the temple. The closest temple is three hours away in Memphis so it was a bit of a trek but lots of fun. Also last week Tami and Kam got baptized! Their whole family came to support them and many pictures were taken and many tears were shed. It was great. Sister Mecham and I were asked to sing "Amazing Grace" accappella #onlyinthesouth and it went fairly well. I don't think either of us will have a record deal anytime soon but Tami appreciated it and that's all that mattered :) One of the best parts of the whole baptism was when Tami got to bear her testimony. It was so simple and sweet and you could tell that she knew she had found the truth. I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of her and Kam's conversion. I truly love both of them and can't wait to see them progress in the Gospel. Kam is already talking about how excited he is to serve a mission. I love it!

Of course because we had a baptism and a temple trip over the weekend, this week was a little more slow. But that's ok. We did a lot of searching but not too much finding but we are so excited for this upcoming week because we are on bikes and finding is always easier on bike week. That's about the only good thing about bike week :)
 

This is how they serve watermelon in the south. This is also why the average weight gain is 40 pounds. we were eating at this lady's house and we had just finished a full meal and she asks if we want some watermelon. And I'm like sure I love watermelon. And this is what she brings me. My face must have been priceless because Sister Mecham just started cracking up. Don't worry I didn't finish the whole thing I brought most of it home :)

 

Last week we had a specialized training meeting with our whole zone and our mission president. He presented to us the new focus of the mission which is to increase the spiritual capacity of the missionaries. He said that we have been focusing a lot on investigators and members but forgetting that it all starts with the missionary. If we can increase our own spiritual capacity as missionaries all the other things will fall into place. So this past week I was studying about how to increase my spiritual capacity and I was reading a scripture in Colossians 3 verse 10 that talks all about putting on the new man and then in the following verses it goes on to explain how to do this. We need to put on kindness and mercy and charity etc. This made me think of another scripture, one of my favorites in the Book of Mormon Mosiah 3:19 that talks about putting off the natural man. Just as we can't put on another outfit once we are already dressed (well technically you could but it would look pretty silly and you would die in the Arkansas heat). We can't just put on the new man if we do not first put off the natural man. Likewise we can't use put off the natural man and be done, but we must also put on the new man. We must put off the natural and put on the new. And by doing so we come closer to Christ.  

 

Next week is bike week - BRING IT ON!

As always thank you all for all the support and love. I appreciate it so much. Hope everyone has a great week. 

Love

Sister Aase

50 Words or Less - GO!

Dear Family and Friends,

Sorry this week is going to be quick. We were at the Memphis Temple the whole day so we didn't have time to email. This week was great. TAMI AND KAM WERE BAPTIZED!! And Sister Mecham and I are staying together for another six weeks. Woot Woot!! 

That's all I have time for. More next week I promise!

Love

Sister Aase

 Sister Mecham, Tami, Kam and Sister Aase

Welcome to Tennessee - on our way to the Memphis Temple

The Cougar and the Aggie can be Friends

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope that everyone had a great week. This week was awesome as usual. We were on bike week but the Lord blessed us with the best bike weather EVER. Seriously 70s and lower 80s all week long and no rain. Can it get any better!?

This week we helped an older lady in the ward paint her home. She is getting ready to sell and wanted a more neutral color. So Sister Mecham and I put on our painting clothes and got to work. It was really funny when we realized that our painting shirts just happened to be our college shirts. So I had on my BYU shirt and my companion had on a Utah State University shirt. But don't worry we have decided that even though she goes to the wrong school we can still be friends. Also she is transferring to BYU when she gets home so that helps :) We had a lot of fun painting together and this lady's house look really good.

Sister Aase (BYU) vs. Sister Mecham (USU)

TAMI AND KAM ARE GETTING BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY!!!! We are so excited for them and they are both counting down the days. Tami asked Sister Mecham and I to sing Amazing Grace A Capella. We are both a little nervous, but we told her that we would do our very best to which Kam replied "that's all we ask." Kam is 9 yrs old btw. We both love Tami so much and I have loved getting to see her life change as she has embraced the gospel. She brought her little granddaughter Gracie to church again this week. Gracie has finally warmed up to me and Sister Mecham and now won't let us leave without hugs. She is too cute. To keep her quiet in sacrament meeting, after the coloring books we had no longer held an appeal, Sister Mecham gave Gracie her EOS chapstick. Gracie loved it and kept putting more and more on. By the end she had chapstick from cheek to cheek. So funny and so cute. Also I have never seen a girl love nursery more than miss Gracie. She wanted to leave sacrament meeting early just to go to nursery. She loves it!

I love being down here. It is crazy that I'm already at the last week in this transfer! Time has flown by and I am loving every minute of it. The longer I'm here the more I get to love the people in the south. One thing I love about them is how they pray. I have never heard such humble prayers before. Everyone thanks God for getting them up in the morning, and giving them air to breath. They seldom ask for anything in their prayers and if they do they always acknowledge God's will above everything. You really can tell how much these people love God and see His hand in their lives. As I've prayed with more people I've noticed that my prayers are beginning to change. I pray less for the laundry list of thing I need and spend more time thanking my Heavenly Father for all that he has given me even the little things. A Sister in our ward posed a question this week that also has helped me to be more thankful when I pray she said "what if tomorrow you only had the things that you had given thanks for the day before?" We have so much to be thankful for! I get to teach and work with so many people down here who are struggling to get by and yet they don't ask for anything when they pray. It is truly amazing.

Anyway I must close. As always thank you for all the love and support

Love

Sister Aase

Dinner & a visit with the Duke Family

Looking cool on "Baby Blue"

The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up

Dear Friends and Family,

So I've been getting a few questions about what kind of food they are feeding me here in the south. Well first of all I've been eating a lot. The members of the Conway 2nd ward are very good to us missionaries and if I'm not careful I will have to be rolled to my next area. I haven't eaten anything really strange yet though we have a member who has promised to feed us raccoon and squirrel next time we come over. Don't quite know how I feel about that yet. But I have had a lot of southern staples over the past month and people are always so surprised when I tell them I have never had _____ before. For example chicken fried steak, southern cheese dip, banana pudding, and chicken spaghetti. Also EVERYONE here has a garden so every veggie that we eat is home grown which is really cool. The best food that I have discovered here in Conway though are pineapple whips. OH MY GOODNESS SO GOOD! They are kind of like pineapple ice cream but without the ice cream and added stuff. So Good! 

Sister Aase & Sister Mecham with Pineapple Whip - YUM

This week was awesome as always. It is really cool to be missionary. I wake up everyday with a purpose and with excitement to go forward and I go to bed each night exhausted but so happy to be where I am. This week we started teaching Tami's grandson Kameron who is seriously the most spiritual 9 year old I have ever met! It was really cool we taught him about the restoration and he was absorbed! He brings his Book of Mormon everywhere, even the grocery store! We asked him after our first lesson to pray about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Then we came over the next day and before we could even ask if he prayed he says "Just so you know I prayed last night and I got a really good feeling and I know that Joseph Smith is true!" #coolestkidever! I wish I was more like him. He is so excited about the gospel and he truly loves the Lord and loves learning about the gospel (I mean seriously who takes their Book of Mormon to the Grocery Store!) He is a great example of why Christ tells us again and again to become like little children. So he is getting baptized with his grandma and he is so excited! Tami and him both came to church along with another one of Tami's grandkids Gracie who is two and the cutest thing ever! I wish I had taken a picture of her on Sunday she was dressed in a pink dress with sunglasses and high heels and she strutted into sacrament meeting #socuteIcoulddie

Also this week Sister Mecham and I became inspired and decided that our ward needed to have a big activity so that members could invite their friends to the church. So we are putting together a carnival. It is going to be awesome! And while the carnival is going on outside we will be giving church tours inside. We are pretty excited!

Yesterday in church the sacrament theme was missionary work. One of the speakers was talking about how members don't need to be worried about knowing everything before talking to a friend about the gospel and he quoted the same thing I've been quoting to myself since I got out here that is "You know enough" Then he added and if you don't know something ask the missionaries. And I suddenly became very aware that the ward looks to me and Sister Mecham a lot. We are suppose to be the experts they can come to with questions about sharing the gospel or teaching the gospel. That is a little overwhelming for a month old missionary. But I love that I'm learning along with the members how to share the gospel and how to be a better missionary and I hope that I would be able to answer their question if they ever came to me with them. 

As always thank you for the emails and letter I read and appreciate all of them!

Love

Sister Aase

PS   This week the rains came down and the floods came up and my raincoat was amazing! Also I am loving my little bike basket. Bike picture next week for sure.