Week 20: Just a Spoonful of Sugar

   

adorable missionaries

Or maybe a *little* bit more... Apparently no one wants their leftover Halloween candy, which naturally means that the missionaries do. Every house we go to holds out a bowl full of cavity-makers. I mean, it's a nice gesture, but I think I will die if I eat another bite of some sugary substance! We have a big container in our car right now where all the candy goes for later and it is constantly full, I am probably going to have to run TWO miles every morning instead of just one!

   This week a miracle happened, no small feat mind you. Since I got to Lincoln I have been doing service for a less active named Barb. And to be honest, sometimes Barb uses us as unpaid gardeners. I have literally weeded the same strip of yard five or six times. And I was starting to worry that it would all come to naught. But this week after we did service for Barb she told us that she was seriously thinking about coming to church on Sunday, my natural response was to flippantly think that she was just getting our hopes up. But then we got talking and she admitted that she just really needed someone who cared enough to even just save her a seat. Knowing that the seat next to me and Sister Webb would likely be empty, I promised Barb that she would always have a seat right next to us. So I got crafty, which if you know me is very unlike me, and I made a little sign that says "For Barb." (I wish I had taken a picture!) And the most miraculous thing that happened was... She came. After Sacrament she told us that she had been told by multiple people to "stand up for what she believes in" and, with tears in her eyes, told us that it clicked in her head that she needed to stand up for the church too. Barb came and stayed all three hours, and she promised to come back again and again. It is sometimes so HARD to do what is right, I can see that! I have a book of rules that I agreed to follow and sometimes I don't want to! But I know, I know, That as we do what is right we will be blessed!

Have a great week!

As they say in Washington "Stay dry!"

trying to stay dry...

Sister Megan Monson

(Editor: As I read this letter I cried! Miracles happen, prayers really are answered an hard work, even weeding, brings about blessings)

yuck! bad spider

snail

District pic

dinner!

dinner with the Hatch family

Week 19: Good things and Bad things

What do missionaries do on Halloween night? Watch a movie at the church and go home early...

Halloween Night

Halloween Night activity

 Once in a while a week just kind of isn't good, it isn't bad, it just... is. That was this week, it wasn't predominantly anything, it was an equal parts mixture of good and bad things. Matt Smith describes it perfectly:

“The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don’t always spoil the good things and make them unimportant.”

    Often enough you run into people who have preconceived notions about you, before you even talk with them they decide they do not like you and don't want anything to do with what you have to say. We ran into a lot of those kinds of people this week. People who will yell at you for an hour straight, telling you that you are wrong, that the testimony that you have means nothing, and that hurts. People, even members, tend to forget that missionaries are still people too, that we live and breathe and that we feel the pain that comes with being rejected over and over and over again.

    When Joseph Smith was in Liberty Jail (what a great oxymoron they named a jail after a word that means to be free) he cried out to his Father in Heaven and was comforted with "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thing afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high." 

     Sometimes it's hard to be told "no" at every door, by every person. But sometimes someone says yes, once in a while people will say, "Come in!" and they will tell you that they don't normally answer the door, or that they are usually the mean person who tells the missionaries to go away. Except today they decided not to, today they decided that they wanted to learn. That doesn't mean that something will come of it, but even if nothing happens, at least I gained more teaching experience. At this point I am a pro at teaching lesson one!

   I pray that you may all have more good things than bad things, and that you will laugh more than you cry!

All my love to you,

Sister Megan Monson

Zone Pday last week-Bowling!

see Sis Monson right in the middle

Week 18: In the Emerald City

   

MONSON apple crate

One amazing thing about the rain is how GREEN everything suddenly becomes! It's fall, just when most people in Utah start letting their lawns go for the winter. But here in the Wa-Tac the green lawn season has just begun! Tacoma comes second only to the city of Oz in greenness.

     This week we had Stake Conference, which is always a treat! One thing I learned was how to "drink deeply from the living waters." The acronym SPA tells us how we must study our scriptures to receive the living waters on a daily basis.

S- Study the Book of Mormon

P-Ponder on what you read

A-Apply what you have learned

     Sounds simple right? That's because it is! Studying the scriptures is an incredibly simple thing! And yet it is among the most important things we should do everyday! I have come to love and adore my own personal hour that I get all to myself to drink deeply from the living waters every single day. As I have come to love the Book of Mormon I have come to understand it better, even receiving insights from the dreaded Isaiah Chapters! Just the other day I was reading in 1 Nephi 20 and I learned something that I have never even thought of before. 

10 For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

     Sometimes as we go through our trials we don't understand the why behind our trials, but as we realize that we are part of our Father's greatest work, we can understand why He needs his most refined servants. Refinement is not fun, it hurts, it is miserable, but when you look back on what it does for you, it is so worth it.

     Chapter 21 taught me a lot about how much the Savior cares about each of us

14 But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.
16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

    Christ loves us so much, that He chose to feel everything that we ever will. He suffered, truly, deeply for all of us. He has NOT forsaken you! He has not left you alone. We were not meant to walk alone, we were meant to walk with the Savior.

    It is within the pages of the Book of Mormon that we can come to know our Savior and walk evermore with Him. I know that it is true, if I didn't I would not willingly proclaim it to every Child of God that I see!

All my Love,

Sister Megan Monson

Planner Cover

planner back cover

wall of fame and quotes

Week 17: Boots McKinzie

Editors note: When Sister Monson was called to Washington Tacoma Mission she was so thrilled because she loves rain and could buy her "Hunter" rain-boots and leave her hair curly. So you can just see her knocking on doors in a Typhoon and loving every minute of it! See pictures below...

Whenever I would wear my boots at home my Daddy would call me "Boots McKinzie" which doesn't really make much sense because my name isn't McKinzie, but I do like boots! 

This week it started raining... and raining and raining and raining. My rain jacket and boots seem to be glued to me because it rains so much that I never take them off! On Thursday it rained so hard that even the pockets of my raincoat were sopping wet, it was truly incredible. And no one here believes in umbrellas! What? Apparently that's how they know you're not from here! Crazy!

On Friday we were at a ward party and the members were so concerned about our safety, we were so confused until we were shown a weather report of a TYPHOON coming directly to the Wa-Tac! This made us SUPER worried, but also ridiculously excited! The worst of the storm was supposed to hit while we are required to go knocking, from 5-7.

So we rain-proofed everything, our pass along cards were in baggies, our Book of Mormons were in baggies, we wore our boots, coats and waterproof bags, everything was safe from this storm. When it hit we were going to be prepared.

So Saturday night rolls around and our dinner appointment is super scared for our safety, and they tried to urge us to stay inside, but there was no stopping us from going out to find, unless we were told not to, we were going. So we pulled on all our gear made sure our car was safe and headed out.... and nothing happened. A little wind, and a little rain, and a whole bunch of terrified people, but nothing else happened!

Boots McKinzie is always ready to battle a storm, but apparently the storm wasn't ready to battle with her! Another day, I guess! Stay tuned for the many adventures of Boots McKinzie and her sidekick, Weatherproof Webb!

All my love,

She said the "puddle" was more like a lake and they were grateful they didn't fall in 

Sister Webb and Sister Monson at ward fireside Sunday evening

beauty everywhere

Elders and Sisters at Ward carnival Saturday night

Sister Megan Monson