I'm in the Field!!! Perfectly honest, I hate writing these emails. Like a lot. I get home sick every. single. time. I miss your wonderful faces and loving personalities.
Anyway.
I didn't get home sick at the MTC until I had that P-day where I emailed all you crazy people, but it went away and didn't come back until I was riding the bus out of Provo in the middle of the night. That was depressing lol.
My area is Joseph city! I have no idea the population, but the evelation is 5000 something. There's one gas station on the edge of town that we can't really get to because we don't have a car. The closest thing to a store is a laundry mat and a pizza place that's closed because the guy who runs it is the bishop of one of the wards here and he's in hawaii. On... Friday? Saturday? Saturday. It was one hundred degrees (I didn't get sunburned Mom) and it was the one day that week that Sister Stewart and I were able to tract. We met a sweet Pagan lady with two Irish wolfhounds (I know, I about died of happiness. She used to breed them and one of them she got from Scotland.) That was interesting. We talked for a bit. That same day we met an awesome old man who wanted to take us for a flight in his plane with a lady in town (against the handbook unfortunately). He was really sweet though, his wife died in May and he really misses her. the last lady we met that day was.... it was very sad to talk to her. Her life was one of the hardest I'd heard and it was continuing on in that way. She didn't want to change and come to church until her life settled down. It made me sad to think she didn't want to go to church so her spirit Could settle down.
About 70-80% of the members here are active- the rest we try to teach. Many of the rest are not interested and are going to stay that way for a long while. But Sister and I keep trying. It's all we can do. We teach about twenty, hour long lessons a week. The town itself is so small! Everyone knows nearly everyone else- or at least their distant relatives and everyone has a history. The Rez is just outside of town, but it's a small group here and although we teach a daughter and mother who live there, we don't know anyone else out there because it's a mile out and we can't make it out there in enough time. There are a few spots in our area like that- it's too far out for us to teach and we have to leave it up to the ward. No one knows where anyone lives-no one has mail boxes and everyone just lives in the one house that so and so lives near. Our conversations go like this:
"Do you know where the Johnstons live?"
"Which Johnstons?"
"Elllie and James?"
"Is that Grandma May's daughter?"
"No, it's her niece."
"Oh, they live next to the Williams."
"Who?"
"The ones with the big blue house next to the Jones's"
"The Johnstons live there?"
"No, next to that house"
"Oh!....Then where do the Smiths live?"
"Which Smiths?"
And so on and so forth. Most of the families have lived here since the seventies or eighties- anyone older who've lived here since they were born have children living other places or their siblings and their families live here.
If you're not poor watching tv and such then you're making your land as green as possible or taking care of the animals or something. Most people either work at the school, Holbrook, or the power plant (which we're getting a tour of today!) There are houses with horses on nearly every corner and every other house has a dog. Needless to say I say hello to all of them and Sister Stewart teases me for it.
She's awesome though, Sister Stewart, she's from Sacramento and she goes home the middle of July. I'll be step-trained (half of my training with one sister, half with another) when she goes. I'm learning tons from her and it's been a blast to try and adjust to this crazy thing called a mission.
This mission has taught me so much about how missionary work should correspond with a ward and how much responsiblity the ward really does have in helping us find and helping pick up those who won't listen to us.
I'll share a lesson Sister and I have been sharing at our dinner appointments (we get fed every night by the families in the wards)
There was a talk in the Priesthood Session of General Conference in April 2012 by Bishop Edgley. (I haven't been able to get my hands on it, so the details in the story might be off) It was about these people who were stuck in a POW camp in WWII and how volunteers dedicated all they had to rescuing those people. They pledged before God to not let one of those people suffer one moment more.
If a friend gets hurt, how quick are we to help them? If they need to go to the hospital what would you put aside to take them there? How much would you give to help them in their hour of need?
You know someone who is hurt. They are struggling. They have slipped in their faith and have done what all of us do- they have begun to doubt. Who are we to deny them strength? Who are we to deny them mercy? To deny them hope and faith and love?
You don't have to do anything more than share your testimony with them. Let them know where you gain strength, what has helped you through your times of struggle. Testify of the might of the Lord. Heavenly Father has been trying to get them to come back the moment they stepped off the path. He will be with you as you testify of His love.
Miscellaneous:
There are over 200 missionaries in my mission. Sisters are allowed on the reservations now, but only in very specific spots. (The Elders out on the Rez live in trailers on the church parking lots out there) Can someone scrounge around DI and find me a bigger leather bag? It still needs to be a purse, though- no messenger bags. (I need to fit in a water bottle, scriptures, PMG mini, copies of the BOM, food, and a folder or binder. And a phone) No biggy if not- Heavenly Father'll take care of it :D We can't drink the water here, it makes people sick for some mysterious reason unexplained to us silly sisters. I'M AT CHURCH FROM SEVEN AM UNTIL FOUR PM. Totally getting husband points. Oh, and to those from Gallup- it's one of the hardest areas in the mission, there are 3 companionships, and not even half of the members are active. You. Are. Awesome. for being from there and still strong. You rock. If you're not actually from there but a little way from it you're still fantastic. You're also fantastic if you're human... but whatev. Oh! the wind is my constant friend. It's awesome. Except for when it tries to compromise me. Or when it doesn't blow at all and it's like a sauna (a dry sauna). I live with a member lady- no trailer for us. Though sometimes I wonder if I'd prefer that instead lol.
I love you all and I gotta go, I forgot to write President! lol
Love,
Sister Askren
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