Numerous Notes from Various Weeks

January 18, 2016

Well! This certainly was a busy week!  I am still kind of tired! Ha ha. Good week.

LEROY, CONN, AND FELICIA GOT BAPTIZED!!!
It was such a cool experience! There were 4 people getting baptized
and about 100 people there! We had to sit in the chapel. Conn and
Felicia asked us to sing again. We sang "I Know My Redeemer Lives"
.... Silly story: Conn was making fun of the fact I turn pink when I
get in front people.... so I did the only mature thing a young adult
would do. I stuck my tongue out at him. In front of about 100 people.
Yep. I did that. On the stand right before we sang. I spite of that- people cried when
we sang it. It was awesome.  I had a hard time not getting emotional
as well. The spirit was so strong- and I am also related to my parents
who leak and squeak when things get spiritual.  Ah! It was great.
Something that amused me happened after. People kept coming up to me
and saying "where did that voice come from?" Or "I didn't know you
could sing!"  My favorite response to questions/comments like that was
"Well, it is one of the world's best secrets." My favorite reaction
was a recent convert named Bennie. He is almost 90 and has 3 fingers
on his left hand and has these massive Coke bottle glasses that make
his eyes huge. He told me that he was going to bring me candy kisses.
Sure enough on Sunday he shows up with a bag of Hershey's kisses.

January 25, 2016

Hello one and all! 

This week is certainly a lot quieter that last. I feel like I might even have a brain again!

Leroy, Conn, and Felicia were all confirmed on Sunday and the spirit was really strong. I loved listening to each of the confirmation blessings. They are a lot more meaningful when they belong to someone you love. But, on Friday right before that we were asked to sing for Prelude again on that Sunday when they were confirmed.... YAY! The only problem was Exchanges were on Saturday and I was up in Apopka! OH NO! So Sister Nielsen and I maybe had 10 minutes to practice right before sacrament meeting before we were needed. Talk about frazzled. It went over pretty well though. 

Last Monday we went looking for one of our less actives named Lissette. Her mom has this pug and while we were on our way up to their trailer this little, adorable, black pug comes running up to me. My natural reaction is "Awww! Cute!" I bend over to pet him- and he promptly decides to mark me as his territory. -.- How many missionaries get peed on by dogs? I don't know, but I will never, ever trust that little black dog again.

Saturday was kind of eventful for me because of Exchanges, so if you remember last week I had a bit of a cranky shoulder. As I was getting ready for the day in the morning (I was trying to brush my hair out so I could braid it) and I messed up a muscle in my neck! ARG! I was just brushing my hair! And as a result I am slightly lopsided.... again! It's not as bad as it was in 6th grade but it still makes me a little unhappy with my new found talent to damage myself. I should probably wrap myself up in bubble wrap and wear that while outside of the apartment. But, if I did that, I would probably have to tape my name tag to my forehead. 

I hope everyone is doing well! Love you all!

-Sister Jarvis

February 1, 2016

Hello! 

How are you?

Well, I am doing pretty fabulous! My shoulders are healing, although slightly crackly on occasion.

So, everything is on the norm down here. 

I can hardly believe that it is Monday again! I feel like last P-day was about 2 days ago. This week was NOT a slow week. We got to meet a lot more members of the ward, play with some rats, found 3 new investigators, see less actives, and go absolutely insane. It is quite a wonderful experience. 

You can tell that our apartment used to belong to STLs (Sister Training Leaders, the equivalent of Zone leaders for sisters) because there is random bags of stuff- makeup, nail polish, shampoo, conditioners, and lots of other things. This last week was the second to last week of the transfers and I think I may or may not have been slightly stressed. Here is my reasoning, I organized all of those random things left behind by sisters. And I labeled them! Stress organizing is both a gift and a curse. 

We also met a retired Opera Star, Mr. G. His wife is less active because she takes care of him. Mister G was a very highly interesting person who held us hostage for a chunk of time because he wouldn't stop talking. We couldn't teach anything because we couldn't even get a word in edgewise! He found out Sister Nielsen sings and he kept saying "You are clearly a soprano" over and over again. It was really funny because she CAN sing Soprano, but she likes being an Alto better. I was fighting the giggles pretty bad. Then he asks me about what I like and what I want to do.  He found out that I want to study languages and that I am trying to retain what Spanish that I do know. He then counseled me to "forget Spanish, learn French! It is much more dignified!" Apparently, I made a face at that Sister N notified me of later. It was pretty much a very toned down version of my "I will not take this" sass face.  He also told me not to marry anyone of Spanish decent, I am pretty sure I made a disproving face at that comment as well. 

ALSO! Spiritual accomplishment of the week! I finished the Book of Mormon, D&C, and the Pearl of Great Price! BOO-YAH! Time to start again!! I love these books so much! I always learn and grow from them! Read them often and go to church! Also remember to tell a joke or two! Have a fantastic week! Can't wait to hear from you all! 

All my Love,

Sister Jarvis

February 8, 2016

This week has been a very ... Well, I can’t use the word scrambled because I used that term last week... Hmm

 ... lets see... Chaotic. We went to a baptism, ate a ton of peanut butter fudge, got transfer news, and had a pretty awkward experience with one of the elders. It was quite fun. 

So, we have an Investigator named Simon and he... he is really interesting. We are not quite sure how interested his is in the message we share as missionaries but he is very social. He ended up giving us a gift card to a chocolate place called Kilwins. Sister Nielsen and I pretty much spent all of it on Peanut Butter Fudge. OH MAN. That stuff... ITSSOGOOD! You could probably buy my love and affection with that stuff. Normally,  I am not much of a peanut butter fan, but this stuff... MAN, I need to repent on how much I disliked peanut butter. It’s pretty good. 

We were asked to sing... again... at an 8 year olds baptism. We sang “When I am Baptized” (I Like to Look for Rainbows) and during that we got a phone call from our Zone Leaders, transfer news....  Sister Nielsen is being transferred... saying that I am less than thrilled is an understatement... I am not happy about it. OK: rewind, a few weeks ago we got an email from President Berry telling us that Transfers were being changed up. We are now doing them like how they do them outside the USA. We now know who our companions will be and where we will be going. Here is the catch, if you're staying you don't know who your new companion will be. So I get a call from a Sister who I don't know and she will be my new companion. LESS THAN AN HOUR LATER I get another phone call!! From Sister LEWIS! AH! She will be joining me up here in the BelleView area. I met Sister Lewis as a brand spanking new missionary, she was training another sister in my district at the time. So, I will be leading out a Trio. That is slightly daunting and intimidating. YIKES! 

So, awkward elder experience: There is an Elder I know pretty well in my district because we were at the MTC at the same time. So we were taking our district picture and my District Leader asked to see my picture on my camera to see if it was any better. My District leader is a bit of a ham and he kept saying "Who is that handsome stud in the middle?" Clearly talking about himself (elders are a wee bit ridiculous). His companion (who is the elder I know from the MTC) looked over his shoulder, grinned, and then said"Clearly, that is Sister Jarvis!"

District goes quiet. TALK about uncomfortable.  

Ha ha, oh well, sometimes uncomfortable things like that happen as a missionary.

Lots of Love,

Sister Jarvis

February 15, 2016

Howdy!
Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! One of my new companions
Sister Brisco certainly did, especially since all the candy went on
sale today. She can have fun with all that sugar with Sister
Lewis. Since about Christmas, sugar hasn't particularly appealed to my
soul. Candy has lost its excitement for me.

I really enjoy missionary work, but sometimes, it gets super
stressful- especially at the beginning of a new transfer. I wish I
could do yoga or something to relieve the stress but then my body gets
angry and- then I am not happy....

On a slightly different note: I am now the designated driver....
Hmn.... It's funny because most of the time, senior companions drive.
I am certainty not the senior companion. I am the youngest
companion.... Huh.

I am super excited about this new transfer! I am prepared to get back
into the swing of things and go bother some YSA (Bishop has asked us
to go and pester the YSA population of the area.) It should be fun!

Sorry, no pictures for this week! But repentance is real and there
shall be some next week!

All my love,
Sister Jarvis