Hermana Anne Tolman: : 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