A MOUSE!!!!! Monday, April 21, 2014

Hello everyone! I actually don't know who you all are but I love you for gathering at your screen to read about missionary work in the Arvada 3rd Ward! This past week was Week 5 of my 2nd transfer! Next week is Transfer Monday. Super weird... 

So I was on my sleep over this past week! and one of the mornings at exactly 1:30 a.m. I awoke to something crawling on my hair. (I am a light/deep sleeper.) So as I lay there with my eyes open wondering if I should move or not something dashes in front of my face and then turns around and goes back! I jumped out of bed and turned the light on. I can't see anything so I get on S. Kreissl's bed to aviod it crawling over my feet and wake her up. We end up going into the living room to sleep, or attempt for me. The next day luckily, we were sleeping at our home so I didn't have to go through a night of no sleep. The family set a trap and they caught the nasty thing! It was a mouse! A MOUSE touch me when I was sleeping. Gross. 

Oh so that was Thursday morning and on Monday it was Zone P-day and we all played volleyball and basketball and I got to play catch!! It was so fun! I let some elders use my glove too. One of them, Elder Schmitt felt bad cause it was all sweaty but I told him not to worry cause I sweat in the glove too... Silly Elder. 

We have an investigator named Desiree and she is 16 and I know she is solid! We taught her twice this past week and this week hopefully twice again! And an investigator named Shane who is awesome! He is 27 though so we have to hand him over to the YSA ward. 

I rolled the window down one day and sqwacked at some birds... yah there was a car behind us with his window down... Oh well though! 

I have received some nicknames! Hermana Aranya... not sure on spelling but it means Sister Spider. No joke... the spiders come after me. And Anorexia. Grandpa Nelson gave me that one! He lives with us.

I am giving up dairy. Not fully. Cause if someone feeds me dairy I need to eat it of course ;) but no milk just almond milk or Kefir. I am working on just eating healthy things! Cause I need to be healthy. I want to come home looking the same :)

We had an Easter Activity where the kids went on a hunt and then we did a church tour for all those that were interested! It turned out super good for the first time of doing it! Next year will be tons better!!!

I made it into the Journal of Daweson Jones! He is the dad of one of the families here that I love!! He wrote "I got kicked out of dinner by a sister missionary." Ohkay. The story. One day we were over there for dinner and he was sick and was deciding whether or not to go lay down or to stay and I said Go lay down. We don't want to get sick. and he ended up writing about it! YAY me. I'm in a journal :) I love it here in Arvada! The people are great! And all of you are great as well :)

S. Kreissl is the best! She is keeping good care of me so no worries :)

Love you all! If you want, you could always write me a letter :)

Sister Ashlee Svedin

Colorado Denver North Mission

1250 Main St.

Broomfield, CO 80020

Until next time

Sister Svedin :)

BITS AND PIECES - APRIL 14, 2014

This week Sister Svedin didn't write a "To Everyone" so I'll just cut and paste the bits and pieces that she did email. :)
Here is a list of questions that I gave her to answer.

*What has been your biggest challenge this week?

*What has been your biggest concern?

*What has been your biggest success?

*Who has been your favorite person this week? why?

*What are you looking forward to this coming week?

*Do you have a goal set for this coming week? Tell me about it.

Anything else I need to know or you want to share?

And her response...

Biggest Challenge... talking to people. We focused on going to less actives homes and none of them wanted to talk to us. So that was hard.

Biggest Concern... my WEIGHT!!! AH. I am going to start considering only having one plate of food. Not two. No worries though. Its not like I gained 50 pounds. I still fit into all of my clothing and Sister Kreissl says I don't even look like I gained anything. She is just too kind :)

Biggest Success.... This week we got 6 referrals which never happens! For us at least! So it was muy bueno! That's something that you should think of. Finding someone for the missionaries to teach! Do you know what the ward mission plan is??

Favorite Person...Well there is a family I just LOVE!! I called them last night about dinner on Tuesday and I was talking to them and I guess their power went out and they were playing with matches. And she told me that I was now on speaker phone and to tell everyone what I needed to tell them. (I had no clue on what to say) then she said well yah know how we shouldn't play with matches. So I just went off saying how we shouldn't play with matches and how we didn't need to fear because the power will come on and it wont stay out forever because there weren't going to be any zombie apocalypses happening. I love them! Ha their name is the Farias. And for the longest time I kept saying Ferrari. But I love them :) Her name is Gena Faria. You could probably find her on FB!! 

Looking forward to.... I am looking forward to a ton of things!! On Wednesday I am going to the temple!! On Saturday we have an activity planned! It's gonna be awesome! It's an Easter egg hunt/church tour. So everyone hopefully will invite their neighbors to come! And in the eggs that the kids pick up...there won't be any candy and it will symbolize Christ not being in the tomb. We are giving out candy bags at the end of the night :) We are being smart so they won't take the candy and leave but stay and go through the church tour and then get the candy :P

Goal for the week... exercise outside...and focus. WOW! I am not a good focuser. 

Anything else.... Well.... I am not sure. Today I am going to play catch with Elder Wipfler. I'm excited for that! HA

Ohkay so we pulled up to a house, member, and S. Kreissl said wow, they look alive. (The house was dark inside) and I said, "Don't say that! They are older." Ha. It was funny. I love being companions with S. Kreissl. You say her name like Christll bless you :) If I haven't pronounced it for ya yet :) Oh and we were talking to a girl named Skylan? And something that she said cause we told her later that we were "Mormons" cause she was asking if we had a nickname for our church and then she asked if it was a bad nickname and we said no but yes. And then she said she has a friend who said that she doesn't introduce herself as a Baptist because its like saying Hi, I'm a jerk. Ha it was silly! 

Love you all!

Sister Svedin

The Big Letter! - March 31, 2014

Alright. I have a ton of things to say but I don't know where to start and what to talk about so I will just talk about a couple of things! Sister Kreissl is the bomb. And so are the Elders and other Sisters! I love being in Arvada 3rd Ward. They really do love helping us missionaries out. Well the sisters :) 
Saturday, I got to dig in a garden and play around with worms! We actually named them all. There was Nephi and Lehi and all the others and we couldn't forget ourselves. So I found a short and chubby worm for myself and Sister Kreissl found a tall and skinny one! Then the Elders of course had to find big ones. Ha. 

Sister Kreissl and I gave sharing time in primary yesterday and that was super fun! I got kissed. No worries though. A boy named Cody came up to me during primary singing time and he gave me a kiss on the cheek. Totally random and unexpected. Made my day though!! Then after church, he licked my hand..... gross. He is 3 though. 

A framily in the ward (friend-family) they are putting a garden in their backyard and also a fire pit and a chicken coop. Well they got chicks and told us to come over and see them sometime so since everyone we planned to visit fell through last night/rescheduled we went over to the Ellis's and saw the chicks. One of them pooped on me... My day was awesome yesterday though! Really! 

On Friday, we went to the follow up training meeting and that was awesome! It was the last time that all of us who came out together would be in the same room together while on the mission. We got home safely. I am trusting Heavenly Father a lot! 

THURSDAY!! I gave a recitation for the first time! It was awesome! and then also we played balloon volleyball and BINGO at Arvada Estates! Again, I love doing that! I am meeting more missionaries too! 

A couple of days this past week, I have been more focused on the work than eating dinner. And it gets late and then I remember or it's the day we have dinner and I remember oh yah... we need to make sure we are still having dinner! 

I am learning so much too! Spiritually!! It's so awesome! I am so grateful to be on a mission! I learn things that I have to step back and go wait, why did I not learn this before my mission? It is so true that the things you learn on your mission help you for your future! Instead of me learning these things slowly at home I learn them so quick on my mission! I love it!!! 

Anyways.... I am going hiking today!!! So excited! It's going to be fun!

Love you all! 

Sister Svedin!

p.s. All of you should watch General Conference and not fall asleep!!! Don't do it! The talks have been prepared for us to help us in life. It's like instructions to a game except it's life and it's from God and the Holy Ghost will touch our hearts! Prepare yourself by thinking of a question that you really want help with and I promise that you will receive your answer because I know that Heavenly Father loves us and will always answer the questions that we ask Him. :)

Other than that.... SMILE!!! :) It's healthy!