Hey there!
It's Sister Svedin and this is my first official email to you. I flew on an airplane for the first time taking my mission adventure to Denver, Colorado (in case you forgot that I am here and not there). The flight really messed with my head and made me feel all weird the whole day but it was my first time... probably happens to everyone. I got to the airport and walking from the airplane to the building... I saw my breathe. It is freezing here and all snow-like. Good thing for heat and warm jackets and a car instead of a bike! Appreciate the warm weather and warm hot sun in the summer cause I am wanting that right now! So my adventure through the airport was great. I got on a subway thing to go and get my baggage in another building and almost fell over when it started going. Holding on is important sometimes! Especially if its the Iron Rod! *singing* Hold to the rod, the iron rod! The Elders are really helpful! They are constantly wanting to take things and do things for the Sisters and it is so kind! So boys, men, brethren, Do things for girls! It shows that you care and I am pretty sure it is part of a Christlike attribute! I met my Mission President and wife and then met the AP missionaries. (I' not actually sure what they are called, I'm still getting used to this whole mission life) We went to the mission home and learned some more stuff. Orientation stuff. Great stuff like being proper and all etiquette at the table and members homes because missionaries here stay at members homes and eat dinner everyday with a member or someone else that is so caring to feed us! I have made really good friendships with my Sistrect (District full of Sisters) :). We all separated yesterday and that was fun but sad. I have gotten to go through the most craziest awesome life blessing experiences of change in a matter of 2 weeks. Would I do it again?? Ill tell you in a month. Its hard to get settled in. Most of you know my life, and I have never gone through dramatic changes. BUT, I wont be coming home to get away from these dramatic changes because they are for the good! I get to bring others unto Christ and share the gospel with them! I get to rely everything I have on Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I get to have the constant companionship with the Holy Ghost and I love it! At times, its hard to remember all of that because I start to think of myself and everything I am going through but then I just stop thinking and just really stop thinking. Thinking is my worst friend besides when its about the gospel :) I have learned a lot! One thing that Satan can do is get into our thoughts and put us down and direct us in a path that we shouldn't be going in. That's why we should all just stop thinking about ourselves ;) and Hold to the ROD!!! But really. Take a day, or a week and don't do anything for yourself. In your prayers, pray for others and things that others need. Do small things for others.
One of the excited tasks I get to do is Service! There is a program here that the missionaries are involved in called JustServe. So each week we as missionaries are all challenged to do 10 hours of service and I am just so excited! We cant share the gospel while doing the service but we go with our name tags and serve being examples of Christ! Hopefully planting that seed in the people of Denvers hearts that this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is true and that we are service-oriented! and that they'll want to learn more of the oriented things. Its like a multi-vitamin church. You take in the church and you get a lot of things out of it! so I guess the church is Multi-oriented in everything that will get us to live for eternity!
If that doesn't make sense.... Just don't think too much about it cause I have already thought too much about it! Which reminds me of something else I have really grown a strong testimony of! Jesus died for us and He took upon Him all the sins of the world and suffered. He has already suffered for us allowing us not to have to. He wants us to return to live with Him and wants us to be happy! We all sin. All we have to do though is turn to Christ and I promise you that He will forgive you as you pray and have a change of heart to not sin again. The thing that is so special though is that if we do end up sinning that same thing again, He will forgive you. He loves you wants each one of us to turn to Him and follow His example and do the things that he has asked us to do. Ha its such a missionary thing to say but really... pretend I just got up in fast and testimony meeting and said that as a non-missionary! Cause its true whether or not I am a missionary or just Ashlee :)
I love the gospel and miss everyone! SO MUCH! even work and not having a whole meal! I miss just eating whenever and not just breakfast, lunch, and Dinner. I don't even get to have ice cream at odd hours of the night because I am sleeping so when you are eating ice cream after 9:30 (cause that's when I have to be back home no matter what. and I'm not sure if we even have the sufficient needs to buy ice cream or time to eat it) I hope you think of me and how much I would love to be there with you eating that Ice cream! I'm so glad I am here though with all of the guidelines I choose to follow! I'm planning on getting skinny ;) Its been 2 weeks and I'm still going strong so you better know I am committed to this! Love you all! Miss you!
Also! My sister Companion is Sister Ladle. Like a soup Ladle! ha and she is great! We have been learning about some same similarities that we are both blessed with like our favorite color and our awkward ways! It really is great because she can relate to me! Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ really knows who we are and who we need in our life because I just know already that Sister Ladle will be helping me a lot with everything because she has been through it!
*Mom: include the stories I wrote to you! They are funny. And it'll let everyone know I am still my awkward self!
STORIES
I made it! and the first flight experience was good. Really messed with my head but it was good. I talked way too much I guess cause Sister Hoopes said after that she tried to take a nap but couldn't because all she could hear was me.
Sister Ashlee Svedin
Colorado Denver North Mission
6368 Iris Way
Arvada, CO 80004
That's the address. The camera is actually fine. It just has to be used the right way by someone that isn't shaky. Mom, everyone here is so happy and generous to take photos for me. But I am going to start using my camera. I just need to find the cord. I only have 4 pictures though... The weather here is so cold! It snowed last night and just sitting in the house i feel the coldness. Its actually snowing right now! My companion is Sister Ladle and guess what. She is awkward! So we connect in that way! My first awkward story of Arvada is my zone went to dinner at a members home last night and it was a "greenie" dinner. So everything was green! We had soup and it was cheesy potato ham soup! REALLY GOOD!!! and then blue and orange rolls left over from Sunday. Anyways I am eating the soup and soup drops on my chin and an Elder that I know from the MTC saw and said Sister Svedin you can take off your scarf and then you wont end up with a green scarf. I then said my scarf isn't green though. Its blue. Then I said anyways if i took it off it would require me taking off my scarf. (lazy side of me). Then like a min. later I said okay Ill take it off for you.
And the dumb Elder said OH! and then laughed and then his comp went wide eye and his comp is the Zone leader and my comp didn't hear anything and a member heard it and then we all started laughing and I was dying inside because of everything... It was awkward. And then... my 2nd story. I'm at a member families home and we are leaving and my comp hugs all of them then I just look at them all and they stand looking at me. and it was so awkward. The mom said so are you a hugger or hand shaker or nothing... after the whole awkwardness coming out of me. I hugged them. It ended good. But this change is hard. I just wish I was already into the first month of my mission because its rough having to meet everyone. I feel like I could be a convert into the church just getting to know everything and what exactly I am suppose to be doing. But I love you and I love everyone back home and MISS EVERYONE! This will be long short 18 months though! There are a lot of things I am looking forward to like basketball and doing service! We get to put in 10 hours of service a week so I am really excited about that! Love you! Sister Svedin :)
And the dumb Elder said OH! and then laughed and then his comp went wide eye and his comp is the Zone leader and my comp didn't hear anything and a member heard it and then we all started laughing and I was dying inside because of everything... It was awkward. And then... my 2nd story. I'm at a member families home and we are leaving and my comp hugs all of them then I just look at them all and they stand looking at me. and it was so awkward. The mom said so are you a hugger or hand shaker or nothing... after the whole awkwardness coming out of me. I hugged them. It ended good. But this change is hard. I just wish I was already into the first month of my mission because its rough having to meet everyone. I feel like I could be a convert into the church just getting to know everything and what exactly I am suppose to be doing. But I love you and I love everyone back home and MISS EVERYONE! This will be long short 18 months though! There are a lot of things I am looking forward to like basketball and doing service! We get to put in 10 hours of service a week so I am really excited about that! Love you! Sister Svedin :)
Sister Svedin :)
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