Letter 3 from Sister Sarah

Hey Family Type Peoples!

I’m now battered and bruised…well just my arms and parts of my hands… it was a zone p-day today so it was the first time I’d played volleyball since the MTC and before that I’d only played it really in high school. It was fun. I laughed a lot because of the elders reactions to things and that they came up with mascots for each of the teams. The first was the wombats. Then my team decided they would be the unicorns and then “my little Pony.” We kicked some wombat behinds J It was hilarious. I was definitely not the reason we won, but I did nit the ball several times. Hence the battered and bruised.

Anyways the most exciting thing is we have my first convert baptism coming up! We taught him for the first time after he got married (The Friday I arrived). On Thursday the 3rd , then Wednesday the 9th we asked how his reading and praying has been going. He grinned and said ‘good’ (now some background, he is VERY shy and had just come from Fiji to get married.) Sister Halladay and I both had the feeling he got an answer to his prayer, but we didn’t want to ask if he wanted to be baptized at that moment. We both wanted to be sure he understood and our bishop asked us not to pressure him into baptism. Late in the lesson Sister Halladay felt impressed to invite him. He had kept bringing up baptism himself, like he said the reading we had given him was all about baptism which there is some mention of baptism, but it’s not all about it. He’s excited. That’s second lesson he talked a whole lot more and opened up quite a bit for him. He accepted the invitation and is getting baptized on Friday, the 18th. Pretty fast, but he has a huge support from his new wife and her family, they ‘re all members. His name is Rajendra (pronounced RahJen) Sammi and his wife is Keshni Gaundar Sammi.

Something else that’s exciting is that we started teaching a family today. We found them in our ‘former investigator’ area and when to see them on Saturday before the ward Christmas Dinner. We invited them to the dinner, but they weren’t able to come because their car broke down, but we met with them this morning at 10 and both Misty (wife) and Robert (husband) were soaking it in when they were being side tracked by their 4-year-old son Dante. They’re both very good to each other and to their son. They treat each other and their son with respect and have come a long way already. They used to use a lot of things, but then Dante came around they stopped. They were both listening intently and liking what they heard. We explained that we’re family oriented as a church and they loved that. We hope the best for them and are excited to see them progressing even farther then they have already.

Wendy Tinker is a recent convert who got baptized just before I arrived. They day of her confirmation she was called as a ward missionary. She went out of town and came back and stared getting right to work. She ahs several friends that she’s invited to 2 different dinners that Sister Halladay and I were also invited to. Two of those friends – a mother and a daughter- now want to learn more for themselves, so both we and sister Tinker are excited.

In this (and probably other) missions we have what we call standards of excellence, which is the mission presidents’ vision of what each companionship of missionaries could feasibly could find, teach etc for each week. Well last night (Sunday Dec 13) we needed to find one new person to teach (investigator) and one person to ‘put on date’ for baptism, so they had a goal to work towards. Well, we’d already done everything we had planned, there was no one outside that we could talk to and were at a loss. We pulled off to the side of the road and prayed. We waited a minute, listening and praying in our hearts (sis Halladay offered the verbal prayer and paused before saying “amen’ and during the pause I gave my own silent prayer that sister Hoalladay would be directed to where we needed to got) then looked at each other. Sister Halladay asked me what I thought, I told her that I felt we needed to go back the way we’d come (we had pulled into a side street) and she feel impressed that we should go to some apartments just down the road. So we turned around and got off the side street and back on the road we had been before. We got to the apartments and started knocking on doors. Most of the people were polite, but not interested. Some accused us of soliciting, I girl – Cassie – was interested, but she was going off to school soon.

We almost skipped the middle section, but I pointed it out to sister Halladay and we knocked on those doors making so we started walking to out car just in time to meet Antonio.

Just before we exited the apartment parking , Sis. Hallsaday said “I guess it was for Cassie’ then a man came around the corner and walking his huge dog (Doberman I think). Sister Halladay and I stopped to talk to him. He mentioned he was having a hard time and Sister Halladay said something to the effect of :if you give Jesus the time first, life will get easier.” He perked up and she said, basically “we’re holding a baptismal service on Dec 31st, will you prepare yourself to be baptized on that day?” he said he would, we got his name, number and address and will be teaching him on Wednesday J God loves giving us miracles at the last second.

Anyway, LOVE you all! Be good! And let Santa think you deserve coal this year

<3 Sis. Sarah Durtschi

letter #2 From Sister Sarah in WA

Dear Family Type Peoples,

I’m currently watching Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration with 6 guys and 1 girl. My district plus our Zone Leaders. It’s kind of weird to have Elder district and zone leaders, etc. I mentioned to one of my zone leaders last night that it was weird not to be able to hug my district/zone leaders.

This week has gone a lot faster then last week. I’m starting to get used to being in Washington. I’m starting to get used to teaching everything all the way to baptism rather than just the first lesson or trying to get to know what their concern or knowledge is of the gospel and building on it or teaching to that concern. I’ve learned a lot so far, especially from my companion Sister Halladay. We’re been working, fasting and praying for baptisms. We have several people who we believe are ready, but things keep coming up. The ward (Lake Forest Park) needs 3 more baptisms to reach their goal for the year and we don’t have a whole lot of support from the ward as a whole, but there are several members who are very supportive. I hope you don’t see this as negative. I love the ward & branch I am serving in but things have happened in the past that makes it difficult for the members to trust us completely. That being the case we’re working hard and trying to gain trust and get the Lord’s work done.

The mission goal for the year is 1,000 [baptisms],which means 4 more baptism for each companionship. A lot of people say it’s not about the numbers, but it is. Not to make anyone look good, not to up the members of the church, but every number we add to the people baptized is another soul saved, it another child of God who has the chance to live with him again. Sometimes it hard for mission to put the two together, I think. Sister Tew helped me to see that in both ways.

It’s kind of interesting seeing missionary work from the missionaries’ point of view. I remember going to PEC meetings as first councilor in the relief society and it’s really different.

And the rest will have to wait until the next week. Please write and if you have questions ask, they will help get my letters going faster.

Love you all!

Love Sis.

Letter from Sister Durtschi 11/30/09

I received a letter from Sarah today :) I've typed it up below. Enjoy!

My Dear Family type Peoples! 11/30/09

Well I’m out. It’s kind of weird. And it’s kind of weird that I’m not emailing. I guess that Heavenly Father wants to see if I can go 4 months without touching a computer.

So I got to Washington last Wednesday (late for a missionary) because my plane was delayed an hour or so. It was supposed to leave at 3:30pm with me and Sister Baily (a sister from class and is in the mission next-ish to me, Tacoma) but it left at 4:50pm or so. Our mission presidents and their wives were there to greet us anyway and mine, President Shewalter, took me to eat at Olive Garden. We then went to the mission office and met the assistants to the President and my new companion. Sister Halladay, the sister who had been sister Halladay’s companion, sister Coleman and her new companions (sister Dewitt & Cicern (sp?).

We – sister Hallway and I – went home and planned, I unpacked a bit and crashed. The next day was Thanksgiving, which we went street contacting beforehand. It was very different. I still used to people more coming to me and asking questions them me pouncing on them to get their attention, then speaking quickly to keep their attention.

After Thursday was a whirlwind of contacting, tracking and teaching appointments ending with Sunday and Church, trying to get people to church, and ‘cottage meeting’ which is where recent and not-so-recent converts give their conversion story and the way missionaries are able to go is if they have an investigator with them. It’s once a transfer. After that meeting, one of our investigators, a 13 year old named Nikki stated that she was going to bet baptized on the way back Nikki told us all that she learned. Sister Holladay and I were surprised at how much she had learned because she kept chitchatting through the whole thing.

O, I’m going to get a tape recorder. Sister Halladay says she sends on, a tape, back and forth wither family because there is too much to tell just in a letter and I agree wholeheartedly. I’m not sure whether to get a mini-tape one or a regular sized tape. Does anyone have a mini-tape? And we just went shopping and tape recorders are/seem expensive! $25! I don’t know if that normal or not…

Anyway, lots of love to you all! Hope you’re having a great season so far.

Love y’all lots!

Love Sister of the share of the Durtschi sort.