Week 72

Hey what's up you guys yes!

It's me Hermana Tolman, back at it again, ready to write about another week. This week was really long but not necessarily in a bad way 🤷‍♀️

First things first, I got a new comp! Her name is Hermana Coronel! She was born in Argentina but moved to the US (Clearfield, UT) when she was super young. She loves cartoons, Legos, elves, writing stories and drawing and studying prophecies in Isaiah haha. She's honestly a very quirky gal, but we get along just fine. Also she uses the word "cute" for things that I wouldn't normally call cute  like she says "yeah we had such a cute lesson with Jesse" and "ah that dinner was so cute" or "service was so cute today" and it makes me laugh. 

This is her 4th transfer in Perris and she said each one of her new comps has rearranged all the furniture upon arriving so I went ahead and took my turn and rearranged the whole house. It was fun and good.

Me with Hna Coronel. Although this is a cute pic of us, it will always trigger me when I see it cause of course it was 1 of like 20 pics we took together and here in the California Riverside Mission we have Zone Group chats on Facebook messenger so when Hna Coronel asked me to send her the pics we took I accidentally sent ALL 20 PICS to the ZONE GROUP CHAT for EVERYONE TO SEE. scho embarrassing, I'll never live it down honestly

Second of all, last week when I said this transfer would be a whole new world I was not kidding. We're so close to Hemet but it feels like a different mission just cause all the people are new. Every time we pass the exit to Hemet on the freeway on the way to the stake center I shed a single tear (also speaking of me driving the 2020 Tacoma, I guess you could say I'm a pro truck driver lady now). 

Also speaking of car things, the other day we witnessed a car accident that happened to the car right in front of us!! Someone ran a yellow light and hit it. It was kinda scary but the guy was ok it seemed like, so that's good. Anyways then right after that happened we were driving in a neighborhood and just randomly saw a coyote trotting down the street and then it crossed in front of us and went into a field. It was a strange 5 minutes. We were like "???what does this mean") 

Another thing is that three quarters of the people we're teaching prefer to speak English (and then along with that we've literally been calling random numbers in Perris that are often English speaking) so it's been a lot more out of my comfort zone and a lot of things I say sound awkward. But I'm getting better at it every day! Regardless of our awkwardness we've been able to feel the spirit strongly when we teach about the redeeming power of Jesus Christ. Especially as we've been visiting a member and helping her through the church's 12 step addiction recovery program.

One of the services we do in this zone is at the SoCal train museum and this week we got to dust off and wipe down street cars. It made me think of my Grandpa Hammond who LOVED trains. Very tender and fun.

In other news, one of the 70 (Elder Kevin Miskins) came came for a devotional over Zoom and guess where he served?? ThE SaN bLaS iSlAnDs. I was sho exchited. He told a story about how a cockroach crawled into his ear and then they killed it by pouring rubbing alcohol in his ear and then one of the Kunas tried to get it out with a wire and ended up popping his eardrum and it messed up his balance and made him throw up a ton and then they had to fly him back to Panama City to get it taken out. Grody, right?

Anyways. We're also getting a new mission president TODAY. He'll be my 4th mission president lol. President and Sister Watson. President and Sister Hammon did a roadtrip through the mission to come say goodbye to everyone on Saturday and it was a scandal cause we were out til like 9:45 (except is it still disobedient if you're out past 9 WITH your mission pres and wife?  that is the question). 

Farewell President & Sister Hammon

I think that's all I have for this week. Here's some fun pics. One of them is us with broccoli soup and it's a fun thing cause all week Hermana Coronel has been telling us and the other Hermanas about how she wants to make broccoli soup and one of the other Hermanas (who has been her companion) was like "Hermana Coronel. The last time you wanted to make broccoli soup you just put broccoli and water into a pot and called it broccoli soup" and it made me laugh and also doubt her broccoli-soup-making-skills but then she made it and it was actually super good and I felt bad for ever doubting her. So that's that I guess. Have a great week I love you all. 

Broccoli Soup

Some Elders in our Zone made this video that introduces all the missionaries in the Menifee Zone

Some good news is that our apartment complex in Menifee ALSO has lots and lots of stray cats everywhere.

Week 71

I can't lie, friends. It's been kind of a poopy week. We made lots of calls and got hung up on a lot and most of our appointments fell through and it's been cold and cloudy. They call it the June gloom.

The most poopy thing of all is that I got transferred. It was funny, I kept saying "I've never heard of anywhere or anyone in this mission* so nothing could be bad news even if I did get transferred."
But the * was that I have heard of one place and one person nonstop this transfer and that's Hermana Mecham's last area/companion. They didn't get along at all. But ya know, I know that God knows that I know what the deal is. And he thinks I can do it. So. It'll be okay. Yeehaw. (Also I'll be driving a 2020 Tacoma which is a giant truck and if you know me well you know that that's just the silliest thing anyone ever did hear.) I literally know 0 people in my new zone so I guess you could say buckle up, kiddos cause my dying transfer will be a whole new world yet again. 

The redeeming quality of this week was that we played morning sports with our district. It was uh, really fun. Also here are many happy pictures to compensate for the bummer attitude of this email.
I'm writing this very early so I haven't actually met my new companion yet or gone to my area. (Oh, my new area is a town called Perris for any of you die-hard fans out there who wanted to know. It'll also be a Spanish ward that we share with 2 other companionships which will never not be crazy to me. So yeah. The ward is Tres Lagos and the town is Perris and the zone is Menifee (my district leader here in Hemet is from Tennessee and he always says Menifee in the same way that you would say Tennessee and it makes me laugh, idk. Cause everyone else says "MENifee" and he says "menifFEE") 

Ok I am pressing send on this email, have a great week kiddies, I love you all bye.

Behind the Scenes at the Historic Hemet Theater during Service

Saying goodbye to my donkey friends at the mini horse sanctuary.

Our Lady of the Valley

"June Gloom"

Tie Dye Sisters

Ramona District

One of the funny parts about being a missionary during COVID is that we have Zone Conference at the church and all the districts are there, but in separate rooms tuning in from their phones. Our district kept having internet problems and having to move around, until we finally found a place where the internet worked. The only problem was they were doing work on the roof so every time we got called on there would be loud construction noises making it impossible to hear/say anything.

A video we made about the Atonement!

Week 70

Bum. bum. buum
Another one bites the dust

And by that I mean,
Another week bites the dust.

Hello everyone, how do ya do

It's been a blessed week.

This week was Sister Mork's birthday (one of our fun fun apartment complex friends) and they invited us over to do fun girl things like paint our nails and put on face masks (the clay kind, not the Corona virus kind) and it was the silliest thing cause right in the middle of it we hear a knock on the door and it's our two very serious Zone Leaders coming to wish Sister Mork happy birthday and give her some ice cream. They looked like they'd seen a ghost it was so funny. And then the next morning we had service and it was just our three companionships. 

We got to go back to the mini horse sanctuary 2 whole times and saw Tank the giant tortoise eat his lunch and also brush the horses. We've decided that every time we go there we either feel like we're in the Barbie horse book or we're indentured servants in the middle ages scooping up horse poo. Anyways. 

Also Hermana Mecham taught me n some other sisters how to play tennis and I said "wow this is just like giant ping pong!" And then I realized that ping pong is in fact just mini tennis and that's why it's also called table tennis.

Also just so you know we are still very sore from our daily workouts. It may just be that I am a very weak sister cause even a little muscle in my right forearm is sore from casually playing tennis for .2 seconds. I guess I just never use that muscle.

But anyways, in the uhhh teaching the gospel department it's actually been such an exciting week. We had a GREAT lesson with Jorge and Oscar and they had read in the Book of Mormon and were even reminding us to leave them a new part to read. We also got to get to know one of the members on her doorstep when we went to go pick up a list from her house. 

Probably the most exciting thing of all was having a full lesson at someone's house! The rule is that we can go but only if we're invited and wear masks and social distance. Anyways, they're an older couple whose names are Jesús and Sandra. Jesús told us that they grew up Catholic but then recently had been attending a different Christian church that's all about yipping and shouting and clapping and that he likes how joyful it is, but he just feels empty while he does it. He was like "I'm missing something. I know I am. I just don't know what it is. I like your church. I can honestly say I think it might the Church of Jesus Christ. But tell me! What must I DO? How can I live with God again??"
And we were like ":0"
And then we explained covenants and read 3 Nephi 11 and he paused and was like "in this very moment I've received my answer. I know what I must do. I am going to prepare to be baptized." And we were like ":0" again but surprisingly very calm on the outside and then basically he was just like "I don't want to rush it but also don't worry. I'll be baptized and I'll be baptized soon."
It was one of those lessons you dream of before even being a missionary. Anyways. It's a little trixy cause we can only teach him once a week cause of his work schedule. But honestly he just seems so ready for the gospel that I don't think that'll be that big of an issue.
Ok well.
That's all.
Bye have a great week

Me with the cats on the apartment grounds- Venus (the one in my hand) and Pepi

Week 69

Hey everyone

I guess you could say I've been kind of floja about this whole group email thing since I was reassigned to the California Riverside mission on May 21st. I didn't think that many people would notice but then my mom told me there has been a complaint or two filed so I guess I'd better put on my big girl pants and write a group email.

What can I say, I am having a fun fun time. In the words of the kids these days, I am "living my best life". We laugh more than we breathe probably. Just kidding. That doesn't even make sense cause you have to breathe to be able to laugh.





A short recap of the last 3 weeks that I haven't written a group email:


-Leaving home the second time was wayyyy harder than the first time. Lots of tears were shed but choosing to sacrifice can only bless us in the long run so here I am.


-I'm in a land called Hemet. Around the mission I seem to hear "Hemet is heaven" and also "Hemet is the hood" and they're both true. Apparently Hemet has a reputation for being full of drugs and crime and prostitution even outside of the mission but I honestly just love it. It's very beautiful and we hear lots of Spanish even just going to Walmart on Pday.



-Up until this week, we have been mostly restricted to our apartment, only contacting and teaching investigators via video and phone for three hours each evening.



-My comp is Hermana Mecham. We LOVE each other. She's from Oregon and is a healthy lady. She eats things like avocados and fish and cottage cheese. Also she works out really intensely twice a day. Before we would just go on *brisk* morning walks and I would count that as my exercise and then just watch her suffer as she worked out but this week (sorry to skip ahead) I've been joining her in working out and WOWIE we just sweat a lot and are sore 24/7. But it feels good. I have more energy. Anyways. She also loves to bake and craft (to be clear: not arts and crafts, just crafts.) and used to play tennis in high school. Also don't tell anyone from the CA Riverside mission (cause we'e all about having "elevated language") but she always says "stupidhead" and "dumb!" And for some reason it just tickles my whole heart and I laugh about it.

Hermana Mecham and I

-Getting to teach the gospel and speak Spanish has really filled the void in my heart I felt for my short time at home. It's been a bit of a roller coaster cause I feel like we find a bunch of really awesome people and have good spiritual lessons and then 2 days later they just stop responding and it breaks my heart. But. That's just how it is when you're a missionary so. We're working on it. We're teaching this fun guy named Jorge and his primito Oscar. His wife is a member so the lessons we've had so far have been quality. We're also teaching this 86 year old Mexican guy named Mel. He is FUNNY but sometimes hard to teach cause he loves to go on tangents and tell us jokes.





But anyways

In the last few days we've really buckled down and starting working on finding through the members and also Facebook (thisisnotanadbutpleasegolikeourfbpagepleaseimnotevenkidding). I have to say that for every moment I've had of deep discouragement where I question what I'm doing here and what I'm accomplishing, literally that very same day we're blessed with an awesome lesson or people to teach just randomly fall out of the sky. God is really there. He's like "stop being discouraged, just have faith and keep on keeping on, Sisters." And ya know, it really works.





Ok what else.

We have FUN FUN missionary friends here in our zone. It really just makes this mission life so much more worth living on a daily basis. Idk what more to say about that uhhh





Also last week Hermana Mecham caught an earwig in a jar (from inside our apartment) and we kept it as a secret pet for a couple days. It died tho :`(

I think that's all for the recap.





On to this week.

California is now in phase 1 for going back to normal after COVID, which means that our service time is back (not that I ever had it before, but you get what I mean..) anyways, we've gone in the mornings to do service almost every day this week and it's been SO fun. Probably the most fun was going to this mini horse sanctuary and scooping up pony poop. Honestly a dream come true.

Also yesterday we went and helped at the Hemet Historic Theater which is being remodeled. Also a fun dream come true.

Me n Hermana Mecham with the English Sisters in our zone.

Also today our ward mission leader and his wife came to bring us the sacrament. It was especially exciting for Hermana Mecham since she's not had it in over 2 months now. Also it was funny cause at the end they said "bueno Hermanas. We're already here so let's do some role plays. You two get out and come knock on the door and we'll be the investigators." And then they were all staged when we came in and it was so funny. We taught them lesson 1 and then they gave us all these questions like "hmm do you worship Joseph Smith" and it was for some reason just really funny to me.





Also this week we had exchanges with the STLs (half virtual, half in person) and interviews (in person but with masks and social distancing, which is apparently the first time in a while that it's been in person.) Anyways they were both very unexpectedly inspired. I felt the spirit and learned and gained a lot from them.





Anyways

Suddenly I'm out of things to say but don't even worry cause I'll be active all week long on Facebook and you'll all hear many more things from me (but maybe in Spanish?)





I really am doing quite well.

Every day feels like a week and every week feels like a day. In a good way.

I love you all. Have a good week.

Also here are many fun pix

Hermana Tolman

Hna Mecham's pet earwig

My rendition of the classic So-Cal Sister Missionary Pic

Hemet is Heaven

A video we made about the relationship between the Bible and the Book of Mormon