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.

No Email Until...

I'm just emailing to let ya'll know that I won't be able to email you again until after march 31st when I get back to Temple Square. It's a mission rule in the Everett Washington Mission, but just know that I'm doing well. My companion is Sister Halladay, who is awesome, and we're teaching a messload of families and individuals. Some of which are really close to baptism, one said she wants to be baptized, and just let us know tonight. I'm over two wards, a hearing ward and a deaf branch, we live with the deaf branch president, so you can write me at that address for at least the next 4 weeks.

233 19 Cedar Way K201
Mountlake Terrace, Washington, 98043

But, after that... you may want to just write to the mission address.

16124 35th Avenue NE
Mill Creek, Washington 98012

I love you all, and hopefully I'll be good at writing individual letters so all ya'all can hear from me. I'll probably write Amy so she can post stuff on the Blog, whether by scanning it in and forcing you all to read my horrible writing, or by typing it up. Hope to get letters from you all, and I love you all. Email you in 4 months!

Be happy and all that!

LOVE!!!!

~Sister Durtschi of the Sarah Sort (AKA Sister 'D' People have a hard time with my name for some reason here... :P)

Important Announcement!

Hi fellow friends of Sister Sarah.



Tonight Sarah's companion called me to follow up on a referral and told me that transfers had been announced and Sarah will be.....drum roll please....

Going outbound, heading to the Everett Washington Mission for 3 transfers (about 4.5 months).

I'm very excited for her! More information to follow I'm sure :)

Halfway there and still kicking

My dearest family peoples!

I tell you what, wow!  Time flies!!!  I’ve been on my mission 9 months minus 5 days! I’m half way! That’s SO crazy!!!  I can’t believe how fast it’s gone, and yet I can.  It keeps on flying in my face every time I think about it that I’ve changed SO much and that I’ve been here for so long.  I can hardly imagine how it would be to not be on a mission…  Kind of weird to think about.   Someone said that at one point in time on your mission you’re afraid that people will answer the door (Or in my case, that they answer the phone or come to take a tour)  At another point in the mission, you’re afraid that they WON’T answer.  I’ve gotten to t hat point.  I still don’t really like calling, but I do it because I want to talk to people and want them to have the gospel.  Same with talking to people around Temple Square.

SO many miracles have happened this week.  I was on exchanges for some of the time, but when I wasn’t things seemed to fall into place.
On Saturday  we went to family search for a while and almost everyone we talked to wanted to talk to us, which doesn’t normally happen.  Usually people just kind of breeze by and ignore us, so it was a very nice change.  Especially since I ran into several people who served missions.
On Sunday, sister Fellmann was announcing German and wasn’t horribly excited about it.  She’s much more confident speaking French or English than she is at German.  So the time came around that Music and the Spoken Word was supposed to get out, and a few people trickled out… but they continued singing.  We waited and tried talking to people (I and sister Quist who is from CA as well, and actually went to the same ward I did during the summer… she’s the first sister from CA I’ve known before we were on missions.  We were going around and trying to find people that spoke Chinese and German, since her companion speaks Chinese and mine speaks German) but it was kind of awkward since the program was going late.    Finally It let out and sister Quist and I were able to find a ton of Chinese speaking people, but no Germans.  Since being with sister Droege I’m more or less able to tell when  people are from Europe by their dress, so I noticed a couple that was dressed differently and we went to talk to them.  They were from Oregon.  Bummer.  They left so she could “Powder her nose” and Sister Quist went back to her companion and I went back to sister Fellmann.   We looked around hoping to find someone who spoke German.   No such luck, but the couple came back and searched me out, they wanted to take a tour, so we took them around.  It was amazing!    They both had really good questions, and asked about Joseph Smith in basically the first stop, we were able to explain things to them, and in between stops, sister Fellmann talked with the man (who is a country singer, hence the different clothes.) and I talked with the woman (they work together, and I think that’s it) She asked many questions, and  had a hard time with the Bible because it had been translated so many times, so I explained the book of Mormon.  In the end I invited her and she accepted to have the missionaries and the Book of Mormon.  It’s pretty amazing.
On Tuesday I was on exchanges with my district leader’s companion. We were in Family Search for about 2 hours and we were able to talk to many different people who were going into the MTC and coming back from their missions.  One who was going to the MTC was going to California, Signing!  She was signing with a deaf man and we were able to chat for a bit.

On Wednesday (which happened to be Sister Fellmann’s birthday)  We didn’t get any of the language tours that we had planned for, but we did find people to take around.  Two of which both came in through the south Gate.  One was trying to figure out the map,  looking confused, so we started talking to him.  Sister felllmann noticed a young woman that walked in and went to talk with her too while I talked with the young man.  The young woman was from England, so she and sister fellmann hit it off, and the young man was from Texas.  They had never met before.  We asked them if they wanted us to show them around and they agreed, so we did.  They both were interested and asked a lot of questions, and both of them wanted to learn more about family and how they could be together with them forever.  It was really neat to see people so excited to learn.

We’ve been having a Preach My Gospel Marathon as a mission where every day but Sunday we go at different times and either the Assistants, President or one of the groups of Zone leaders will teach from Preach my gospel, and we’ll all participate.  I love it so far! We’re learning so much!  And it helps make it so we’re not just bored trying to contact the same guest  50 different times…

Any ways, love you all lots!!!  Be happy and all that jazz type stuffs.
~The sister of the Sarah of the Durtschi sort

Apartments and Frozen Eggs

Dearest Family type peoples-

So this is the second p-day and it’s been an interesting week. As we were getting settled in our new apartment, up the hill from the old one where I’d lived all my other transfers, we get news that we get to move… again. Day before yesterday sister Fellmann and I had our president interviews and while sister Fellmann was in hers, one of the Assistants pulled me aside and informed me that we would be moving, and so would our roommates, and the sisters next door, because the porch needed to be renovated. Exciting, no? So yesterday we worked hard at moving our things, and got mostly everything moved, we just need to do some last minute cleaning things so that the next people to inhabit the place don’t have to. Where do we move then? Even further up the hill! Plus stairs! Whee! Kinda.

The apartment is nice. It’s MUCH bigger than the one we had just been living in. Both the rooms are good sized, unlike the one we were in, and the kitchen living room, etc, are larger as well. Thank heavens. The only down side is that the sisters who were living downstairs last transfer, when the apartment we moved into was empty, had had a scary experience with hearing someone upstairs. When we got to the apartment, we went to all the different windows and made sure they were all locked. Our roommates slept over in the new apartment before us, and one of them swore that she heard something in the apartment, and was thoroughly freaked out by it. Last night we had a roommate prayer before going to sleep, and I don’t know about the other sisters but I didn’t hear a thing. Then again, we’ve only been there one night.

I mentioned to sister Fellmann more than once that I get my imagination from my dad, and that sometimes, like my dad, that imagination is used to worry. I try not to let it overtake things, so I prayed and relaxed, and everything worked out fine, and will work out fine.

Earlier in the week we were introduced to Mission/Guest services, where people call to schedule tours, or anything else under the sun. We get some interesting questions in there, most of which we’re able to answer… one of the most unique that I got was a man calling in and asking what the nutritional facts were for a product called Atmit that we talk about on Welfare square (and probably the Humanitarian center too.) . I told him to call Welfare Square since they have some there in little packets with the information on the back of it. It’s something that is given to countries that are starving, or who’s people are struggling etc, to make it so their bodies can accept real food when they get into t he advanced stages of starvation. It was started in Ethiopia, and it’s an Ethiopian word that means Nourishing Porage. The government over there wasn’t able to make enough for the people who needed it, so they turned to the Church and asked us to help, we accepted. The original stuff was made of oatmeal, honey, and goats milk, or something like that, and they took some over to BYU and they fixed it up so that it could be a dry product and got it back over to Ethiopia within a month or two. It’s pretty amazing how the work of God goes.

Another fun experience in Mission/Guest services was due to a mix up. People are able to call in and reserve theaters for special occasions, etc, and I was reserving one for a leader to work out a ward youth activity. I wrote down all the information he gave me, but since some of it was missing (my first time doing it, so I didn’t know what questions to ask) I had to take it over to some other sisters while I waited for him to call back later.

He did call back, and I thought the sisters had the paper still, so I didn’t take down his phone number again, but unbeknownst to me, they had thrown it away because normally you’d take down their number again if everything wasn’t there, etc. So I hung up. Then I asked them for the paper… then we all started scrambling trying to find it. We searched using the information I had remembered, to find his bishop, but I had remembered the ward name incorrectly. Eventually we did find his number and all was well, but it was crazy for a few hours. Kind of like Grace. We are given it after all we can do. I’d done all I could do, so I turned it over to the lord and he provided. Thank Heavens. By the way, that was during the same time I found out we were moving, so it was exciting in more than one way.

Something also fun is to see how God answers prayers, especially when we plan prayerfully. On Monday we had planned for 2 language tours, one French one German. We had 2 French and 1 German, and both of the French tours had 2 people, the German had 4, and one of the French Couples referred. A tender mercy and a blessing. Since things are slowing down, and we are in Mission/Guest services, and the Referral (Call) center a lot, we don’t have much time to contact people on the square. So it’s really good to have those experiences when we do.

It's amazing how the Lord takes us and stretches us in ways that we never thought we could stretch. I mentioned to Sister Fellmann one of the first days we had together that I felt like being on a mission and with different companions was like being thrown into a mold with another person for 6 weeks, and then after the 6 weeks you pop out, and look a little different, but still the same, only to be thrown into the same mold, but with a differently shaped person for another 6 weeks. Some of the people you fit well in together, but some, you have to make room for, or make room for yourself so that you two can stand to be together in the mold of Christ for that amount of time. By the end of it all, everyone changes at least a little bit, and hopefully you keep the mold of Christ more than anything else out of it.

One funny experience in the RC(Referral Center) This morning. In Mission/Guest services, we normally answer the phone, "Temple Square visitor’s Center" and then our name (for me, Sister Durtschi) So when I had my first call in the RC, I had to stop and think about what to say, and I’m sure the guy on the other end thought I wasn’t quite all there. Normally when someone calls us in the RC I say something like, "This is Sarah with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, how can I help you?" or something like that. It was funny. After that I made the calls instead of having people call me.

Another funny thing earlier t his week- In our old apartment our fridge liked to… well you could say; pretend it was a freezer. So occasionally when I would cook something, I’d have frozen eggs. My companion took pictures for me. I’ll just send one. It was quite a unique experience. I always wondered what would happen if you froze eggs… now I know! They kind of have a funny texture after the fact, but they’re fine in baking.

Something about my companion that’s kind of fun is that she loves to Role play. Meaning with the dice and Table top and things like that, so we discussed when we last had our weekly planning on how to use that to figure out how to improve what we do on temple square… it’s kind of funny, and we’re going to have fun with it I think…

Any way, I love ya all!

Be happy and all that fun stuffs!