Friday, August 29, 2014

The Elders gave us their car!!

Mama! I just love hearing from you, it is soothing to my soul :D

I got your package the evening after I emailed you last week - thank you so much! Me and Sister Maxfield loved pulling out all the pink stuff the night before she went home. What a fun way to end our time together! You are so good at lifting our spirits. I'm now with Sister Groesbeck and she is awesome sauce. So fun, so dedicated, a little timid and scared still but once she gets over that she'll be a complete rockstar. We are both striving to be the best Preach My Gospel missionaries ever, and it feels so good. We went tracting last night and it's a rush, let me tell you. We had one lady open a little window next to her door, look us up and down, and say "I'm not interested!" and then slammed her little window door shut haha. It was awesome. Plus we got real good and sweaty and that always feels good too :)

Here is a pic of Sister Maxfield and I biking last week....trying to smile through all the sweat! LOL!!

So the elders gave us the car back - Elder Herbert has this whole gentleman complex and doesn't like it that we have to bike, so we have the car. However, most of the miles are gown - we had to drive from here to Baton Rouge, then to Morgan City to take some sisters home from transfer meeting, then back to New Iberia, and the office elders only could give us 83 miles to make up for it. Stink! Check it out on google maps, and you'll see how crazy tunes that is. I think. Maybe we didn't travel the most effective roads...oh well. So anyways, we have 75 miles for 7 days, and it's a 10 mile round trip to the church. So we are being conservative, trying to get rides from members, and we be biking of course! I love biking actually - it feels kind of awesome to be your own source of transportation. Plus, when my hearts pumping and the sweat's dripping, I just think of how Satan will never be able to have those sensations - he's missin' out! 

Ok, I want to tell you something funny - Sister Groesbeck's first full day here was spent moving this homeless family from one motel (Brad Walker, our Elders quorum president called it 'the den of Satan' because basically it was one big crack house) to another motel (Brad - "Even more the den of Satan" - it kind of was - there was prostitutes outside) and finally to a trailer out in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't even out in the cane fields - it was in the forest! So anyway, between the first and second moves, we had a planning meeting with Brother Brad and we were trying to figure out what we could commit this family to do so that they could be more stable, and also figure out boundaries so that they would know what they needed to do if they are to continue receiving help from the branch. After the first move, we thought they would be staying in that motel (they have 5 kids under the age of 10, not ok) and Brad was saying, "They have to get a decent place to live. You can't have 'Family Motel Evening' - it's just not ok!" hahaha and we all had a good laugh about that. So yeah, later we found out that they found this trailer so they were only in the 2nd den of iniquity for an hour. So no "family motel evening"! Thank goodness! And don't worry, we only visited them in the day time when they were living in the first den of iniquity. New Iberia has definitely changed my views on what it means to be "ghetto" and/or "sketchy." It's awesome though because you feel the Lord with you, you get promptings about when to to go where, and I feel very taken care of. 

Hopefully this email didn't freak you out....I'm doing the Lord's work, and it's awesome. I love it, and it's hard to imagine doing anything else.

I love you more than all the po'boys in Louisiana! (did I tell you about po'boys? Can't remember. They are delicious though. Fried shrimp is my favorite)

-Sister Chausow

Staying in New Iberia and Training

Mama!!!!!!

It was so good to hear from you! Thanks for all the updates. I loved hearing about everything!

So I am staying in New Iberia and I've been asked to train. Yikes. I had a small freak out on Saturday when the Assistants called, but the Lord is helping me have peace. I'm still overwhelmed but I know that the assignment came from the Lord so I know it will all be ok. 

Biking has been super fun - we've been talking to lots of people, and we are careful to not bike after dark or in sketchy areas after 3:30. At the same time, when we are biking in sketchy neighborhoods (there are a lot of them here) I feel totally confident that we have angels all around us, protecting us and shielding us from anything the Adversary might throw at us. 

So Sister Maxfield is leaving, and I'm pretty sad. I'm looking forward to your package because I know that will cheer me up. Sister Maxfield is so awesome, and she has been an amazing companion. I've felt the burden of this area rest a little more squarely on my shoulders as she's prepared to leave. The weight of senior companion has kind of hit me yesterday and today, and I pray that this burden will give me the spiritual traction to move forward (I love Elder Bednar's talk about the Load!!!). I hope that I can be what my trainee needs me to be. And I'm so excited to learn from her as well. 

Oh, one more thing I wanted to tell you about biking - people have been super good to us in terms of giving us rides. Members and nonmembers alike have been volunteering left and right to take us around. Miss Pat, who is the queen bee of the black community here in New Iberia, gave us a ride to visit some referrals, and when those people weren't home, she took us out to lunch and we had an awesome discussion about the Celestial Kingdom and how to get there. He grandson died, and we taught her that he has already received that glory, and to be with him forever she needs to do somethings to help her become a celestial person. We were in a super busy diner at lunch time, and yet the Spirit was so strong, and I know she felt something different. I don't think she's ready to move forward yet, but I know the Lord was pleased with our efforts and that's a really good feeling.

Love, 

Sister Chausow

Hello bike, goodbye car!

Hello friends and family!

So this week has been full of crazy events. let me share a few highlights-

-Our car is gone! We are now cruising the streets of New Iberia on our bikes! It's been interesting - lots of sweating, lots of deodorant, lots of drinking water! The members have been really good at helping us out though, and that makes a huge difference.

-The first day of biking Sister Maxfield got a nail in her tire and we had to call the elders to come rescue us since we didn't have the equipment or the know-how to patch a flat. The next morning we woke up to find that my bike tire how gone flat from a slow leak and we were running behind so instead of trying to patch it I just switched the tubes out and off we went to the church (6 miles one way = 40 minutes of biking) and we got to Zone Training Meeting early and very sweaty haha.

-Church was so awesome - "R" our investigator who is preparing to be baptized was there, along with Sister A, Sister L, and Sister J - all less active ladies that we've been working with. Sister L actually gave us a ride to church, stayed all 3 hours and gave us a ride home. As we were getting out of the car she was like, "So y'all need a ride next week?" and we said yes! So that will be 3 sundays in a row that she'll be there. Sister A only stayed for sacrament but she's been reading the scripture verses that we text her every morning and was actually not grumpy at church (tender mercy!!!). Sister J has caught the fire - she got called to the Relief Society Presidency and is working on getting a temple recommend again. The work of salvation is just amazing!

-We had an instruction at Zone Training Meeting on contacting/finding new people to teach and since then we've been on fire! We are stalking to everyone, giving out cards and pamphlets and copies of the Book of Mormon. Biking helps a lot - it's a lot less weird/creepy to stop and talk to someone when your biking rather then when your in a car. My finest moment was being able to grab a card out of my bag, hand it to a lady that didn't look to eager to talk to us and say "This is for you!" and ride away all without braking hahaha! Good times. 

-It's Sister Maxfield's last week and we are going to be working our bums off in order to stay focused. She's got mixed feelings about going home and I'm trying not to think about it so we are just going to get to work and pretend like we still have a year left to serve. We are all enlisted 'til the conflict is OVER!

Love you all! Hope you have a great week! 

-Sister Chausow 

Do good anyway!

Hello friends and family!

It was a crazy week, but we made it out alive and we are thankful for a break today. I just want to express my feelings by sharing something that Mother Theresa wrote. You've probably heard it before. 

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self centered.
FORGIVE them ANYWAY.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
BE KIND ANYWAY.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and genuine enemies.
SUCCEED ANYWAY.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
BE HONEST AND SINCERE ANYWAY.
What you spend years creating others could destroy overnight.
CREATE ANYWAY.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
BE HAPPY ANYWAY.
The good you do today will often be forgotten.
DO GOOD ANYWAY.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
GIVE YOUR BEST ANYWAY.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them ANYWAY.

I know that opposition is a part of this life and that God will magnify our best efforts. The Atonement is real, and I have felt intense love for the people here and I know that it's not coming for me. Charity, the pure love of Christ, is a gift from Heavenly Father that He sends to those who honestly seek it. 

I love you all! Have a great week!


-Sister Chausow

Sweating and Smiling

Hello friends and family! I love you all so much! What a wonderful week it's been. We worked our hearts out and we are exhausted. We've been focusing on helping those around us feel the Holy Spirit, and we have had some really cool experiences! I feel humbled that the Lord would let me be a witness of this great work. 

So yeah, it's been super hot and humid out here, and we are trying to stay hydrated. Let's just say I'm suuuuper thankful that we have a car and air conditioning! The elders finally got a car as well, and they are much less sweaty, hooray. Our unofficial assistant branch mission leader, Br. Brad Walker, who is a hoot, likes to walk around saying, "You just can't BEAT the summer HEAT!" He'll ask his 6 year old son, "Abram, what can't you beat?" and little Abram is like, "The summer heat, dad!" It's the cutest thing ever haha. So yeah, it's hot, but we are happy. 

Cool miracles that we saw this week:

-Our only progressing investigator," R" , met with President Hansen for her baptismal interview and she passed! She will be baptized on August 10th after church and then confirmed the next Sunday. We are so excited for her. She has changed a lot and has a lot of faith. Please pray for her!

-We've been meeting with "S", a super cool girl from Colorado who moved here with her husband who is a member. "S" has learned a lot about the gospel and knows that it's a good thing, but she is struggling to quit smoking and to find the desire/motivation to actually make changes in her life. We have been struggling to know how to help her progress and actually use her agency to move forward. It's one of those times when you've done all you can do and you are humbled and brought to your knees and you ask, "Lord, what more do you want me to do? Show us the way, because we have no idea what to do." We don't have all the answers yet, but we've felt peace and assurance that if we just keep loving her, keep visiting her, and keep trying to help her feel and recognize the Spirit, "S" will eventually make covenants and her family can be sealed in the temple.

-The auxillary leadership in our branch just got switched up a ton (new primary, relief society, and young women presidencies with a new elders quorum presidency on the way) and it feels like there is life in the branch for the first time. We visited/talked with the new presidents yesterday and they are excited to work with us and helping the branch get more on it's feet spiritually. The changes were very inspired and I know the Lord is mindful of our little group of saints here in New Iberia. 

I think the other tender mercy this week was just how much fun me and Sister Maxfield have together. We've been making cookies and cutting out hearts to take to people in the branch, we've been laughing, and we do random things to keep ourselves from getting too serious. Last week for P-Day Sister Maxfield convinced me to buy a box of hair dye and we dyed my hair haha! It's just a little darker/redder than my normal shade and I didn't buy color safe shampoo so it's kind of faded, but it was a fun random out of the ordinary thing and we got some good pictures and fun memories. Life is amazing when you get to serve with someone you love and can just have fun with!

So this week, I just wanted to share a really cool quote from Elder Richard G. Scott. He gave an amazing talk about missionary work last conference and it really inspired me. He said, "We must be sure to sincerely love those we want to help in righteousness so they can begin to develop confidence in God’s love. For so many in the world, the first challenge in accepting the gospel is to develop faith in a Father in Heaven,who loves them perfectly. It is easier to develop that faith when they have friends or family members who love them in a similar way.
Giving them confidence in your love can help them develop faith in God’slove. Then through your loving, thoughtful communication, their lives will be blessed by your sharing lessons you have learned, experiences you have had, and principles you have followed to find solutions to your own struggles. Show your sincere interest in their well-being; then share your testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ."
I love this! Because I'm learning that it really is all about love. If people don't know how much you care, they don't really care how much you know. 
I love you all! And I know that the gospel is true! Hope you all have a great week!

-Sister Chausow