The One Where Puke Was Present at the Thanksgiving Table

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! 

I am thankful for YOU! All y'all! And for the sugariest sweet potatoes, I've ever eaten. I don't know what it is but the people of Missouri love to add some sweet potatoes to their brown sugar and butter... my teeth were hurting afterwards. But was there regret? None. Not at all. It was fantastic. 

This week started out with some fuuuuun. We pranked the Elders. 😁 we decided that we wanted to do something harmless but fun to lighten the mood! So we rallied the mission counselor and we found their car and blew up a balloon, some with glitter inside 😈, tied them to the inside of the car and filled it with balloons, then saran wrapped the outside! It was hilarious. However, we accidentally turned the lights on so when we got the call from them when they saw it, their car was dead! Oops. But they took it well. :) 

Light the World is upon us and we're so excited to keep it going! We were coming up with ideas for how to get the word out and how to be successful and we came up with the idea to make little Christmas lights out of paper and Hershey's kisses! We spent a solid 2 hours putting them together... just to be told that they look more like ice cream cones. 😅 oh well! It works! We also came up with the idea to go hand out free hot cocoa, to go caroling or play games at the nursing home, and to spot light other churches in how Christ is important in their lives. What are some ideas YOU have to light the world this year? 😊🎄

Sister Taylor is hot stuff, everybody. We were tracting and we saw two guys playing basketball so we went over and started talking to them and she drove right in like a pro and seemed to be just nailing it! They accepted a Book of Mormon and said they'd read it! Whaaaat?! So then she asked if they'd be interested in having lessons and he sat there and thought about it for a minute and then said "Naw, but I'll take your digits though." And then winked! LOL 😂😂😂😂😂 I'm dying laughing and totally not incontrol of being professional and she seriously is awesome because she was like, "that's great! We can talk all about Jesus Christ! So here's our digits; let's have a meaningful discussion about Christ." And he knew he got shot down and then just laughed it off. Hahaha so awesome. Hopefully, they read still! 😁 

THANKGIVING!!! THE FAT KID INSIDE ME WAS SO HAPPY!!! We had 3 dinners. 3! I've never been so happy to wake up in the morning, looking forward to three Thanksgiving dinners. 😍 Haha You're probably wondering about the title of this email! Well, it's because the first dinner was with a family in our ward and their extended family. They had a little fiery 4 yr old girl who was fabulous, in all sense of the word. (She performed Let It Go without us asking. She's going places, people.) Well, we said the prayer and were eating and she's talking, talking, talking and at one point she has so much food in her mouth that she cant talk anymore. Haha so we start a conversation on the other side if the table when all of a sudden we hear "OH MY GOSH" and we look over and her mom had tried to help her spit some out but she threw up all over her plate... then they were moving the plate and she just spews everywhere, down her shirt, on her chair, on the table.... and Sister Taylor can't handle that so she's hiding behind my shoulder, gagging, and I'm just watching with horror in my eyes because I can't handle that but there's NO WAY I'm puking at the table. Man. It is seriously so funny thinking about it now. What a memory for my mission! 😂😂 

We went to two other homes that night and really connected with a family that we had been wanting to connect with but just hadn't. Had wonderful conversations and really just had a great love-filled day. It was wonderful! 

Friday and Saturday, we had exchanges! We went down south to Branson which is like live-show central. There are live show theatres everywhere and just a very tourist town! It's pretty fun. :) we went with the sisters there and had so much fun. Played games and laughed our butts off. It was great! 

Then Sister Taylor and I got home and prepared our talks for the next sunday; we were speaking in sacrament meeting! I was asked to speak on a talk by president Bednar titled "Called To The Work" and I spoke about the correlation between ministering and missionary work. And then we witnessed a miracle. 

After I give my talk, Sister Taylor, being the legit coolest chick this side of the Mississippi goes up there with no notes or anything and wings it because she felt she needed to speak from the heart and just NAILS her talk. The spirit was so strong, you could scrape it off the walls. 

Fast forward to after sacrament meeting and we're in the foyer and meet this woman with her husband and 2 kids and we ask all the get to know you questions and she just tells us "we might be looking to convert. I'm not sure what the answer is yet." 😲❤ and then her son grabs her arms and says passionately, "The answer is yes!" 🤯🤯🤯❤❤❤❤

She told us that she connected with Sister Taylor's testimony and story and felt like the sacrament meeting was just for her. 

I LOVE THE SPIRIT!!! 

They want to set up a time to meet with us at their friends home where we were for Thanksgiving. We're so excited to meet them more! The gospel is so amazing and true, everybody! 🙏🏼❤

Missouri is great and the work is picking up. We're so happy here and loving the people more and more. Theres been so many times where I just stop and think "THIS is what return missionaries talk about." And I've only been out almost 5 weeks! So crazy!! 

Transfers are on December 5th. I'm praying I get to stay. :) I love the people and the area so much. Thank you all for the emails and love and support! You are blessed people and I'm so grateful for it! 🤟❤ 

- Sister Young

Pranksters! #sorryforthelightselders

Sista T working hard at service

These are our little ice cream light candies!

Thanksgiving morning at our ward Turkey trot 5K! That I totally walked a portion of! 😊 

Last night at our favorite place. The mental home. With Charles and Byron. They're seriously the sweetest souls. ❤

The One Where Elder Kopichskie Came To Visit Us!

Hello, real world.  

Ah, what it would be like to put on pants in the morning, not have to track your daily miles you drove, jam out to Kelly Clarkson and Celine Dion, and use those blessed iPhones. 

But ain't nobody got time fo dat! I'm busy serving the Lord! 🤘

Last Monday was the start of a very cold week. We had snow and chilly weather for about 4 days and everyone was freaking out. They canceled things and went into hiding almost and Sister Taylor and I weren't even phased. This snow ain't got nothin on Idaho. Haha :)

On Tuesday, we had Zone Conference. That was incredible. Elder Kopichskie came and spoke to us about so many things but the spirit was SO strong, he even commented a couple of times that it was such a powerful spirit that was felt there. He talked about the importance of helping others on their path and being there to assist them through the steps; reaching out to them rather than making them come to us. He talked about being human missionaries; that we need to relate experiences from our own lives and talk about what we know to be true from our own discovery. We need to preach our truths along with the Lord's truths. He opened up the floor to ask questions and I asked one that I thought was pretty dumb but I kept feeling it come to mind so as I asked it, I started to cry. He locked eyes with me and gave me the most profound, loving answer I honestly didn't know I needed. It was a great experience for me. Afterward, I was talking with some Sisters and President Strong while Sister Taylor got interviewed by Elder Kopichskie (so cool!) And I didn't even realize that a sister had written a note and put it in my bag about how much she loved me and how she wanted to reach out in love because of my question. It was so amazing and lifted my spirits that I didn't know needed lifted! It was an awesome day. Truly amazing. 

The rest of the week has been spent locating and getting to know members, but with little luck. We seem to always find members homes and they're never home. So we'll knock on doors around and the rejection is strong here. 😅 man, people aren't just rejecting the gospel, they reject humans at all cost. No one likes people knocking on their doors! It's so weird. I just want to ask them, " THEN WHY DO YOU HAVE ONE?" I just want people to love each other, assume the best, and believe in the goodness in people! It's not that hard! But, we're still making the most of it. 

We were walking around an apartment complex and had just gotten shut down even by a members mom so we were getting more bitter and then we saw some people moving things out of the back of a truck. We walked up to them and asked if we could help and they told us noon the next day, thinking it was a joke. They were very surprised to see us waiting in the parking lot the next day at 12:45 to help them! It was a recently single mom with two little girls. She was moving out of her home with her girls to get away from her ex. We left her with our information and asked if we could come back later and check on them and she happily agreed. It was awesome! 

Church was all day yesterday. From 8:45 to 5:30. But the wards are getting fired up for missionary work and it's going to be great. I'm so happy with the progress we have already made in getting closer to the members and the families. They don't see us as a nuisance anymore! They give us hugs and are happy to see us! So I'm very grateful for them. :) 

Thank you for all the letters and emails and love. It's such a blessing to me to receive advice, love, and support from all those in my family and ward family and friends. It means so much to me; I can't stress my thank yous enough. :) I love you all and I'm grateful for you! 

🤟❤

SISTER PYPER IS FROM REXBURG! A lot of missionaries are actually from Rexburg, but she had my dad as a teacher in seminary!! So so cool!! She saw me and just asked if I was from Rexburg and pieced it together. So cool! IRA YOUNG SR. Brynn Pyper, you taught her sophomore year. So probably 2013-2014. 

Elder Hahn and Elder Findley came to help us with a service project, those blessed humans. They didn't complain once, for a whole 4 minutes. 😂 

Zone Conference picture. (:

Winter has hit and Sister T and I are happy about it! 

A picture from interviews from 2 weeks ago. I love these people. :)

The One Where We Had a Baptism

It's SNOWING! And I couldn't be happier! I love the snow so much and I love to sit in front of the window with cold weather and fall colors and drink hot chocolate while I read the good book. Man, I love that book. Brings so much peace into my life. 

Yes! We had a baptism this week! His name is Stephen and he is the most hilarious kid. He loves the gospel and was so excited to get baptized. He has some autism and struggled to understand the deep concepts but he has an understanding of the gospel and loves it very much. It was wonderful to watch the ordinance of baptism and it reminded me a lot of my own. It was such a great day of peace and joy. I'm so glad I made the decision to be baptized and follow Jesus Christ's example. 

We had interviews with President Strong on Friday. We drove down to Branson which is about 25 minutes south of us and had a workshop about being dedicated and working hard. It was really fun to be with everyone and be with the zone. 

Meeting with President Strong was a tender mercy. Something about being able to talk about how you're doing to someone who cares really can change a mindset. After we talked, it changed my outlook on ministering. Earlier this last week, we held an "MTC" for the Relief Society and we talked about different scenarios and how we can minister and it made me understand that one thing that others need is to be listened to. There's a feeling of love and acceptance that comes from being listened to and that's one of the greatest ways we can serve others. 

We go to an assisted living for the mentally-ill to visit a member there and he and his roommate read a chapter with us every Sunday night. Byron is the member and he loves the Bible and the Book of Mormon more than anyone I've met. His roommate is Charles and he has one tooth in his mouth and one dead eye but LOVES hugs and LOVES us sister missionaries. They have sweet sweet spirits and we love being around them and hearing all the things they tell us. Pretty soon, we have a whole group of people at the table telling us stories and about what makes them happy and what they look forward to. This last Sunday, two more people asked for a copy of the Book of Mormon and they got so excited about it, and it all came from listening to them. :) 

Just today, we went to Goodwill and I told a lady I liked her tattoos and she continued on to tell me about her incredible life story about her past meth addictions and her struggles to know what she should do and after, I gave her a hug and she said she felt so blessed to be heard. 

This week has taught me a lot about how we can become more like Christ and I've learned that it's a lot less of doing what Christ did and more of thinking and loving and acting the way Christ did. 

I'm so grateful for all of you and for the part you play in my journey. I'm grateful for the kindness you show to others and for your role in making this world better. Keep pushing forward and, I'm going to be bold, and read the Book of Mormon. I promise if you do it with real intent of heart, you will find joy and peace. It may be subtle, but I promise it will be there. 

I love you so much! ❤🤟

Charles and me. I tried to get him to smile but he kept dunkin his head. Silly goose.

Sister Taylor, yours truly, Sister Staples (Stephen's mom), Stephen, and Brother Dergess. 

Sister Francis, my sister training leader for the zone, was showing off her sweet skills. I tried to attach one of her "dunking" 😂 but it was too big! 

The One Where We Had a Strange Dinner Appointment

Fun fact: Missouri has THE BEST rainstorms. It rains for hours and hours with beautiful smells and sounds. I've only experienced thunder and lightning once and it was insatiable. Totally different than Idaho. It's amazing! 

Tuesday night, Sister Taylor had told me that she and her last companion had had prompting to go visit a certain house but never went. We found it and decided we had time to go see what would come of it. We said a prayer in the car and headed up to the door. 

The guy who answered the door seemed scared almost and said: "The Jehovah's witnesses are here." And said that we must be here for the mom of the household. She came up and gave us big hugs and said that she had been baptized years ago and loved the church. She invited us in and we stood there while her daughter's boyfriend berated us with questions like "you guys worship Joseph Smith?" "How much do you get paid?" "How come you don't pay taxes?" And then telling his girlfriend that we believe that Joseph Smith is Jesus and that the second coming has already happened and we don't listen to music. This was my first time tracking so I was so nervous to say anything but Sister Taylor just sat there! I was kinda freaking out that she wasn't saying anything so I chimed in a little bit, here and there, to try and clear up the confusion. 

Well, they invited us to stay for dinner and it was interesting to hear all the different takes on spirituality and beliefs. The dad, Bill, was a Catholic and his wife, Antonia, was a member back from when she was 14. She had been baptized in Peru and then fell away in college. She married Bill and he respects her but just doesn't want to convert. Their daughter, Cecilia, and her boyfriend, James, were living there. James talked about how our spirits are connected to nature and that's how we communicate with God and asking if we knew of any places they could get married soon. Sister Taylor said the temple and said they could do it in a year; just really a bunch of random things. 

BUT NO ONE KNEW THAT IM NOT DUMB. (That's kind of a sad sentence. I'm sure they didn't think I was...) With a couple slip-ups to help confirm my suspicion, I did research a couple days later and confronted Sister Taylor with my findings. I GOT PRANKED! 

They were all in on it! Antonia, Cecilia, and James are all members. Bill really is Catholic and doesn't want to join but attends church every Sunday with his wife and daughter. 

James is a return missionary and married Cecilia just about a year ago. That made more sense because, over dinner, he made the mistake of calling himself "Elder" when talking about selling alarms in California. 😏 And Cecilia said at one point, "I'll be in the celestial kingdom..." so I started to wonder if they were pranking me or the Catholic church believes along the same lines; both sounded very highly unlikely to me. I didn't think Sister Taylor would prank to that degree. Lo and behold, she was the icing on the cake when I turned around to see her trying to take a secret selfie in the midst of us talking. 

They got me good! It bothered me for days, I wanted to say something but I didn't want to sound weird or mean if it was real! But it kept eating at me! So I finally looked it up and my proof was there in the ward list. 

VICTORY! IM NOT DUMB!

Haha the rest of the week was good! We are starting to do more and more tracting so that's been fun to experience. We haven't had any crazy stories yet, but when we do, you'll be the first to know. :) We're working to get more involved with the members and to strengthen that relationship so Sundays are good because we can greet everyone and get our faces and names out there. 

Well, I love you! All of you! And I'm grateful for the support and kindness you show to me! 

Until next week! 😊🤟

This is the home of a person we are teaching. It's not a garage sale. This is their stuff... 😲 crazy!

The fall colors are INSANELY BEAUTIFUL. 

Stephen (the kid without tape) is getting baptized this week! This is our second to last lesson. His brother Gabe in the back is working towards receiving the priesthood. Such a great family with lots of laughs. 

Sister Taylor brought Stephen marshmallows and he made a mess so she tried to help him clean up but he just made and ate ravioli instead while she did the work. 😂