Week 9- April 23, 2012


Hello Family and Friends,

Its been a fantastic week full of surprises, adjustments, and miracles. 

Stay tuned for the coolest missionary experience you have ever heard in your life! (Of course, I'm going to make you wait till the end to read it....)

The biggest news of the week is (drumroll please!) I am now in a tri-companionship. Yep. Its true. There are now 3 of us Sisters in Lafayette. Last Sunday (like 8 days ago), Sister Little's companion got really sick and was in the hospital for about 3 or so days and had to go home. So, Sister Little (mom, you know her grandma from curves) is back in Lafayette for the last 6 weeks of her mission. I love her so much. 

Sister Little is a powerful missionary. She served 6 months in this area and then went to Crawfordsville for 6 weeks until her companion went home. And now she's back with us. I have already learned so much from her and I'm happy to have 2 fantastic trainers! I guess Heavenly Father is bringing in reinforcements to whip me into spiritual shape! :) But really, I feel so blessed to have two awesome missionaries to be trained by. They say that I don't need training - that I came pre-trained and that they are learning from me....but I know they're lying. :) I am so glad to be serving in a trio. It's going to be so cool and I love to have this chance to learn from 2 superhuman powerhouse spiritual monster teaching missionaries. Yep. I think I have the best trainers in the world. 

So, mom next time you see Sis Little's grandma, make sure you tell her! :) 

Anyways...moving onto other things....

Bro Charlie has a baptismal date for May 5 (I think I mentioned that last week) and he's so ready! He's so wonderful and he's so happy to have all 3 of his angels back in Lafayette. Sister Little was the first one to start teaching him a few months ago. And now she's back and gets to be here for his baptism in a few weeks. So cool. I love that man so much! He still kisses our hand and makes jokes about us being his angels. Yesterday, he was sad that we didn't sit next to him in church and he said, "Looks like Charlie's angels flew the coop." Here's another one of my favorite Charlie lines....we had a lesson with him last Tuesday and it was rainy. He said, "My angels didn't get their wings wet, did they?" or "I keep on looking for your halos, but they must be covered by your hair." Anyways...he's a fantastic man with a strong desire to follow and serve Jesus Christ. He paid his tithing yesterday for the first time - it was cool to see him walk up to the bishop so confidently and hand him the tithing envelope. Ah, the gospel changes lives. I love it. I love being a missionary!!!!!!! :) 

The H* family came to church yesterday for the first time. If you don't remember, they are a part member family...the husband is a member but hasn't been active since his teen years. The wife is a member of another denomination. She's so beautiful, sweet, and a wonderful mother. Their children are Bible scholars....holy canoli, its incredible. Anyways, it was great to see Sis H* make friends with the ladies in the ward. And the meetings were totally directed by the Spirit. One of her concerns was that we don't believe in Jesus Christ (because of all the bologna misconceptions floating around these days) and sacrament meeting and relief society was totally focused on the Savior and his atonement. The Spirit is incredible! Moroni 6....our meetings were conducted by the workings of the manner of the Spirit (sorry...that's paraphrased I think). Anyways. Too, too cool. :)

Finally, the last story I wanna share. Pay attention...this is my favorite missionary moment thus far! Its incredible! :)

We went to see one of the potential investigators that we met tracting last week. Last week, we had a powerful lesson with him on the doorstep. When we knocked on his door that night, he came out and was obviously not doing well. He was emotionally and physically ill. He was shaking, he expressed that he had lost all hope and that he was on the lowest of lows. We talked to him. I hardly even remember what we said and read to him out of the Book of Mormon because it was so guided by the Spirit. The only thing I remember sharing with him that night was reading out of the liberty jail chapter in D&C 121 about "peace be unto thy soul, thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment....." By the end of the lesson on his porch and after the prayer, all 3 of us were crying. 
Anyways...we went to see him yesterday. We walked up to his trailer and his wife (who was in the car) said, "Can I help you?" We walked over to her and explained we had met him and who we are. And then she said something along the lines of this: "I know exactly who you are. He told me that you stopped by. And girls..." [by this point, I was expecting her to chew us out or something....but nope...she started to cry.] "And girls, I don't know what you said to him that night and I'm getting emotional talking about it...but whatever you said to him and whatever you prayed for, whatever happened on that doorstep --- has changed his life. He is a different person that he was a week ago before you talked to him. His mental and physical condition has improved so much since last week when you saw him." Then, he came out of his trailer. We said hello and then we started talking to him. He said, "I need to tell you ladies that what you said and read to me on my doorstep has changed me as a man. From that night until now, I have felt so much better. I was able to go back to work. I feel like God loves me now. It was as if a burden was lifted off of my shoulders and it felt so good. What you told me has changed my life. When you came, it was like there were 2 angels standing on the doorstep. The feeling I had when you were talking to me was indescribable. I will remember that night for the rest of my life." 

At this point, it was hard to hold back tears. We then asked him if he read the book of mormon that we left him. He has! Score. We asked him when we could come back and we have a return appointment with him and his wife on Friday. They said they wanted to listen to whatever we had to say because they know we are sent from God. 

This is why I love being a missionary. The Spirit is incredible. There are prepared people who are ready and waiting to hear the restored gospel and our job is to find them. Not only can we be guided to them, but we can be guided to know what to say. We open our mouths and they are filled. I still don't remember exactly what we said to him and what we read to him on that doorstep...because we were teaching by the Spirit. And then, the Spirit acts on them to soften and prick their hearts. I am so excited to go back and teach them. I feel so blessed to have been able to participate in such a powerful interaction between the Spirit, a teacher, and an investigator. D&C 46 - we are edified and rejoice together. 

I love Indiana! I love all of you too!!! Thanks for more birthday cards! You are all the best! I don't deserve such wonderful family and friends. :) 

Keep smiling! D&C 4 is incredible! I'm memorizing it...you should check it out. :)

All my love (which is a lot of love...)  :),
Sister Donaldson :) 

Indiana parking job.....haha.

Sister Littles moving box. Sketchy, huh?!? :)

 Lilies of the Valley from the H* family (part member family that we are working with) I love these flowers so much! Grandpa, they remind me of you and your back yard! I love you!

Trio! Sister Gillman, Sister Little, and Sister me. :)

Week 8- April 16, 2012


Dear Family and Friends!

Thank you all for the birthday cards and packages! Holy canoli, you all are the BEST! I'm 22 years old....practically dead, I know...I have more and more wrinkles every day. :) On my birthday, we served a lady who needed help picking up garbage around her fences on her ranch. Then we heard the news that one of the less active people we were meeting with died....that was really sad. Her daughter is having a really hard time. Then, we went to see Rhonda - a less active member in our ward. She brightens our day. I'll attach a pic of her. Then, we went out to dinner. 

This week has been crazy. So many highs and so many lows. I'm learning a lot about myself. For example, I over analyze everything and I need to stop it. Analyzing can be productive, but it can also be counter productive. This week, my analyzing was counter productive in a lot of ways. I overwhelm myself and make things a lot more complicated than they need to be. So, I discouraged myself many times this week....because I want to be the best missionary I can, and its not coming as fast as I want it to! 

Anyways....I'm learning to be more patient with myself and let the Lord take over. As missionaries (and as people, in general) who we are and what we are is far more important than what we say and what we do. When I catch myself going through the motions, I start to feel like a robot and I tune out the Spirit. So, my goal is to never be robotic! I tried this yesterday while we were tracting. A woman answered the door and she said some stuff - and basically said that she wasn't interested. Being the super stubborn person that I am, I wouldn't take "no" for an answer! So, I decided to leave her with a commitment. Haha.....I invited her to repent. Sister Gillman thought that was funny. I thought it was funny because of the lady's reaction. Her eyes went all big and then she shut the door. :) Oh well. I think that's what Christ would have done in that situation. 

We have committed Brother Charlie to a baptismal date of May 5. Sis Gillman and I are so excited about it! He has an amazing desire to follow Jesus Christ and improve himself. It has been a privilege to see how he has changed since we first met him a month ago. His countenance has brightened, he is happier, he sees the Lord's hand in his life, he is reading the Book of Mormon regularly, and is more active than most active members are! I love to see the gospel make such a powerful impact on his life! We are praying that his health will hold up well enough that we can stick with May 5. Keep your fingers crossed! He's a funny man - he asked us on the phone the other day, "So uh, do I have to recite the 10 commandments before I can be christened?" Haha....so funny. That's just like him. Because of his age, he has a hard time remembering things....such as the word "baptism." :) Too funny. He also hates the "no hugging" rule, so he's figured out a way around it. Now, when he shakes our hand, he grabs it really hard so we can't escape and kisses it. Kinda sketchy, huh? He also asks us about our boyfriends at home. Haha....yeah, nope. He says, "I'm much too old for my angels. If I were 30 years younger, I'd be in hot pursuit. But you deserve good men." He's a wonderful man and he (obviously) loves the missionaries. We are trying to get him more friends in the ward so he isn't so attached to us. 

Elder Peiper of the 70 came to stake conference yesterday. It was great! Mom, I wore the dress that you sent me!!! Thank you! I love it so much! :)

I love you all sooooo much and I feel so blessed to be here on a mission and have a front row seat to watch this work move forward! We had two tracting miracles this week - both were people who have lost all hope and have been praying for guidance and direction. We have appointments set up with them next week. Nothing makes me more happy than making people cry! Although, I cannot take responsibility, I'm only the mouthpiece.....:) The Spirit is the crucial element in this work. If we don't have it, our investigators and contacts won't feel it. That's why its so important for us to be worthy of the constant companionship and learn to tune in and find out how the Spirit communicates with us. 

Oh my, I love Indiana so much! I love being a missionary. I love the people here (no matter how many dogs they have). I love our investigators. I love this gospel. I love the Spirit. I love my Savior. I love LIFE! 

Keep smiling everyone! :)

Sister Rebecca Donaldson

Sister Gillman is a sweetheart! I woke up to find this on my desk!

picking up trash....during service on apr 13

Rhonda (one of my favorite people on the planet!), me, Sis Gillman

The new dress! I love it, Mom, thank you!

Full size tricycle!!! Too cool for school. 

Week 7- April 10, 2012


Dear Family and Friends,

Time is short!!! I apologize. First, I hope you all had a happy Easter! It was a wonderful day! We had dinner at a members home and they gave us easter baskets! Haha...so great! It made me feel right at home. :) I'll attach a picture of Sis Gillman and I with our baskets. :) 

Anyways....summary of the week and what I've learned:
We've done a ton of finding this last week. On Tuesday, we tracted for about 4 hours and found lots of people. Too bad many of them spoke SPANISH. Gosh...I should have taken Spanish. So, what did we do? I'd pull out a spanish pass along card with a Book of Mormon on it and say, "Do you want to read it?" Haha....they'd nod. So then, we got their information and sent it to the Spanish elders. Our zone leaders - Elders Mecham and Ovard live upstairs from us and they are both Spanish speaking Elders....but now they are serving on Purdue...so they are English right now. They're teaching Sister Gillman and I Spanish. Are you ready for this? Here come my mad Spanish skills: (typed directly from a sticky note in the back of my planner....) :)
Hola! Somos misioneras de la iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los ultimos dias. No hablamos bien el espanol pero hay otros misioneros que lo hablan bien. Este mensaje es centrado en Cristo y bendice a las familias. Podemos apuntar su numero de telefono para que puedan contactarles y pasar en otro dia?
I'm not sure exactly what it says....but I'm memorizing it anyways. :) I get the general picture....familias means family....Cristo means Christ. Haha...that's about it. :) Oh, and of course...Hola. I know what that means too. :)

Anyways....moving on. 

Last Wednesday was the best day of my mission so far. Oh my gosh, I think I'm still on a spiritual high. Sister B* - she's less active, but we meet with her weekly. She is the funniest person on this planet. Oh, good heavens! She's the best. Anyways....she is so much fun. She made us eat cake and then started showing us a book about....toots. Aka flatulence, farts, gas, etc. Oh my gosh, it was so random but I nearly died laughing. You'd have to know her....

Then, we had a lesson with a part member family. The wife is a member of another church and she's started taking the lessons with her husband who has not been active for over 20 years. We've only met with them 3 times and last week, we gave them a book of mormon. They (the husband and the wife) are reading the Book of Mormon and have already finished 1 Nephi. Its great to see how they have warmed up to it all! We had a powerful lesson with them on the Plan of Salvation. It was incredible. The Spirit is amazing. She has recieved a lot of resistance from some of her friends and she's already defending the church and correcting all those misconceptions. I admire them so much. They are fantastic. 

Then, we had a lesson with Charlie. He's amazing too. The ward mission leader and his wife came to that lesson....members add so much to these lessons!

Anyways....I think I'm still on a spiritual high from that day. Too good. :)

We had exchanges this week. Sister Freer came here to West Lafayette. She goes home in 1 week...at the end of this transfer. So sad! But she and I did a ton of finding. In only an hour and a half, we found 5 potential investigators. That's huge!!! 

What have I learned this week....I've learned a few things. First, now that I am gaining confidence in myself and my teaching skills, I'm motivated to find ways to become a more powerful teacher. I think my greatest weakness right now is that I don't know scriptural references well enough. So that's going to be my focus....to immerse myself in the scriptures and commit them to memory. 

I'm out of time! I love you all! Keep smiling! The Spirit is amazing! Good luck with finals, all you BYU students! I expect letters after next week. :) 

All my love, 
Sister Donaldson

Dandelions should be in Indiana state flower. Mom, you'd hate it here...so many dandelions. 

tracting shot!

Lucille and I. Lucille is my favorite bingo lady. :) She said, "people who don't go to church are HEATHENS!" And then proceeded to swear twice in the next sentence. Love it!

sister exchanges

Easter Basket

Phyllis - lady at bingo. Zoom in on the pin on her shirt! Get out of her way, she's going to bingo! :)

Week 6- April 2, 2012

Hello all of you amazing people!!!

Good heavens! Wasn't Conference just amazing? Oh my gosh, my life is so good right now. :) Sorry to burst all of your bubbles, but conference wasn't for you. It was for me, Sister Gillman, and the Lafayette 2nd Ward area. ;)

My top 5: 
5. Come thou fount (so beautiful! brings tears to my eyes every time.) 
4. Praise to the Lord the Almighty (how did they know that is one of my favorites?!?)
3. Everyone else's talks that isn't in my number 1 and 2 spot.:)
2. Elder Nelson (the human body ROCKS!)
1. Elder Scott (no explanation needed. It was amazing.)

Elder Nelson....thanks for the anatomy lesson! The human body is amazing! What an incredible gift! You should all take anatomy.....here's why: We are created in the image of God....so when you study the human body, you are studying the anatomy of the Gods! If that isn't deepening the understanding of Diety (as Elder Hallstrom suggested we do to become sufficiently converted), I don't know what is! I gained a greater appreciation and understanding of God while I was with my cadaver friends last Spring semester than almost any other class I've ever taken. He's right..."anyone who has studied the human body has seen God moving and working within it." What an incredible gift we have! Lets take good care of it! 
May I also comment on how he talked about the body being a tabernacle of our Spirit. Our Spirit gives our body personality. Why, then, do we look at their bodies when we are considering who to become friends with, date, or marry? I hate the comment, "Oh, he/she is great...but [insert comment on his/her looks]" The guy I marry will love me for the right reasons....for who I am. Anyways....sorry for rambling! Moving right along....:)

Elder Scott rocks! What a solid talk! :) I loved it all. Especially because he talked about several ways we can receive revelation. 

1. From beings on the other side of the veil. President Collins (my mission President) told me that sometimes missionaries get eerie feelings because they feel like someone is right next to them during lessons, difficult times, and during study. He said that he knows that there are people on the other side of the veil helping us, comforting us, and helping us on our mortal journey. I have felt that on occasion - before my mission and even a few times here in Indiana during lessons with one of my investigators. I'm grateful for my guardian angels. Its interesting...if we are paying close enough attention, we can get an idea of who it is that is there with us. I love it. And I love that Elder Scott said that we can strengthen our relationship with them. So cool. I love my guardian angels!!! :)
2. Fasting and scripture study - sounds old school? Yep. But does it work? Totally! I love having the time to study on my own for 1 hour every morning and two hours with Sister Gillman (two hours because she's training me!) We can learn so much from the scriptures. In last general conference, Elder Scott talked about how scriptures can become true friends! We can recieve guidance from the scriptures when we carefully study and apply the things we read!
3. Dreams. Holy cow, wasn't that powerful what he said? That the Lord communicates with us in dreams by putting trustworthy people in our dreams that we will listen to? I need to pay closer attention to my dreams. One of our investigators said he had a dream a few days after he first met with the missionaries and he saw himself filling out some paper work and one of the questions was, "What religion do you belong to?" and he wrote "Mormon" into the box. He's working toward getting baptized now. Powerful, huh? Dreams are so cool!

Other thoughts that struck me:
Larry Wilson: "Wise parents prepare children to get along without them" ....but applied to missionary work: "Wise missionaries prepare investigators to get along without them."
Elder Soares: "Christ banished all bad influences that could have taken him away from his divine mission"
Eyring: "God wants her to be polished a little more" and oh my gosh, his entire talk was amazing too!!! 

Anyways....wow. Thanks for listening to my religious rambling/ranting. Haha....well, that's what I thought of conference! :) I hope you all enjoyed conference as well!

One of the pictures I have attached is of me eating octopus. Yes. Octopus. After Saturday evening session, Sister Sproat (a PhD student whos husband was going to priesthood session) took us to a Chinese buffet. AND I got brave and ate the octopus. :) Not too bad....just like a spicy rubber band. :) Haha....yummy huh? ;)

And one of the other pictures is of Brother C*....he's going to be baptized hopefully April 28. He calls us Charlies Angels. Oops....I just said his first name. Oh well. You don't know his last name though! :) 

The miracles have not ceased here in Indiana! This is the Lord's work and he's watching out for each of us! :) 

Take care everyone! I love you all more than I could ever say. :)

All my love, 
Sister Donaldson, Sister Dolphin, one of Charlie's angels....that's kinda sketchy...but oh well. :)

Week 5- March 26, 2012

Hello everyone!

 

OK, first I would like to announce that my little brother (he's so cute!!!!) got his mission call to the SCOTLAND/IRELAND MISSION!!!!!!!! Can you believe it?!? That's gotta be like....the 2nd best mission in the entire world....only after Indiana of course....:) Dang it, Daniel, I'm so excited for you!!!! I may or may not be crying right now.....;) You're such a stud! I can't wait to see my little Bruder in a kilt! Rock on, kiddo! You're the best! Unfortunately, you didn't tell me when you report....tell me! I guess this means that I'll have to come and pick you up from your mission. It's not optional. :)

 

That officially made my Pday. Oh my goodness! Missions are the best things ever. These last few days have been absolutely incredible for us here in West Lafayette. Yesterday, we had 5 investigators at church. Yes....5 investigators came to church yesterday. Apparently that's HUGE! Sister Gillman and I are so blessed. We have been trying to revamp our door approaches to be less robotic and more sassy. Well, I guess sassy isn't the word....but more "snap crackle pop." We've been pulling out the charming smiles, the stickers for the children, complimenting people's yards, and more importantly never leaving the doorstep until we have testified of the Book of Mormon. Haha...we've noticed that the second you mention the Book of Mormon, 90% of the people we talk to shut down because they've heard all the anti stuff and junk....but Friday afternoon, we tracted for a couple hours and we literally talked to half of the people on that culdesac for 10+ minutes on their porch testifying of the restoration and the Book of Mormon. We ask them if we can read a scripture about a topic (like Christ, the Atonement, Prayer, etc) and then find one in the Book of Mormon, but not tell them that it is in the  Book of Mormon until AFTER you have read it, asked them an inspiring question, and applied it to them. That way, they feel the Spirit, have their faith strengthened by the scripture, and then "BAMMM!" they want to read the Book of Mormon because they know that they feel like its a good book. Its powerful! And it works. The Book of Mormon + the Spirit = most powerful missionary tool. 

 

We actually just got out of a lesson with one investigator. He's a professor at Purdue. And he's an engineer. He's a brilliant man. His name is Y* (sorry, can't say his name!) Most people with an education have a hard time accepting our message simply because they don't see a need for it. He's the exception. He's used his analytical mind to "experiment" as it says in Alma 32. He's read the Book of Mormon and D&C and has prayed about it....he says that he knows it is true. And he's been facing a ton of opposition from some of his family and friends, and he says that they try to tear down the Book of Mormon and his faith. He simply asks them, "well, have you read it?" Of course, they say no. And then he says, "Well, you can't say the book isn't true if you haven't read it for yourself." He's not getting discouraged or disheartened....he knows that this church is true. Ah! It's amazing! I love it. It reminds me of JS-History, "I knew it, and I knew that God knew it and I could not deny it." Y* is wonderful! He wants to get baptized so bad and he will eventually.

 

Oh, so I had my first Bible bash last week. We didn't want to. We walked into a trap....we met a couple and set up an appt thinking that they really wanted to learn about the Book of Mormon. Yeah...no. They didn't. We walked onto the patio, and there on a small table was a book entitled, "Mormonism" or something like that. Obviously NOT written by anyone who had much good to say about us. So we start with a prayer and get talking about the restoration.....pretty soon we are being interrogated with questions trying to argue with us about authority. They pulled out scriptures, we pulled out scriptures. They picked at every little thing we said and if we said anything that didn't make sense to them, they completely discredited it and called us liars. Anyways....I won't talk about it anymore. Its making me contentious....:) The evening ended after they said, "You are ignorant and gullible. Joseph Smith was a nut case." We simply testified, "Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. We have to go now. Our curfew is in 10 minutes" We got out of there. It was just a really eye opening experience. We answered all of their questions but they wouldn't accept it. That's why an open heart and mind is such a crucial element of whether or not someone can be receptive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. There were 3 or 4 times when they both stopped after one of our answers because they couldn't argue with what we had just said. And then they'd ask us to tell them more. Urgh. It's making me frustrated even thinking about it. Moving on now.

 

Awesome experience....last week we had a lesson with C* - he's the one that is 76 and has colon cancer. We went to his trailer and asked him what questions he had. He said with tears in his eyes that he's never been so impressed by people than he has with us and the members. He continued to tell us that no one has ever cared so much for him, spent so much time with him, loved him so much, etc etc. He said that he knows that God brought us to him. And then he asked the ultimate question. "What do you want me to do now? What can I do?" Sister Gillman and I started crying! We taught him the gospel of Jesus Christ and he agreed to be baptized. Tentative date is May 5. He's golden! He called us Saturday....sick as a dog. He told us that he felt closer to death than he has ever before and that he knows that this church is the right thing for him to be involved with right now. He's still got a lot to learn, but he'll get there! We're meeting with him twice a week. He loves the church so much. He was one of the investigators that was at church yesterday....and we had another lesson with him and a older couple in the ward.

 

Oh my goodness, it's so beautiful to see Heavenly Father's hand in this work! There are miracles that happen every single day! Sister Gillman and I are trying so hard to be diligent, prayerful, and hard working in every aspect of missionary work. I'll be honest, it's hard not to get discouraged sometimes. But Heavenly Father always rewards us according to our faith and diligence.

 

Sometimes if I feel so inadequate....because these children of God - my brothers and sisters deserve a better missionary than what I currently am. I have so much to improve on. I need to be better at speaking by and understanding through the language of the spirit. I need to be more familiar with the scriptures. I need to pray more fervently. I need to be more kind, patient, and charitable. I need to strengthen my faith. I need to be happier. Not for me....but more them. They deserve more. Its so motivating. So I strive everyday to strengthen my testimony of some aspect of the gospel and learn the scriptures a little more.

 

Scripture of the day: Alma 26:22 - Look it up! :)

 

So remember how I'm terrified of tornadoes? On Friday evening and night, a huge storm rolled in. The wind was blowing, there were tornado warnings....but guess what? I'm alive! :)

 

Funny of the week....Elder Ovard, he's one of our zone leaders and lives just upstairs from us got bit by a 3 legged dog the other day. hahaha....I don't know why that's so funny. But it is. It's probably the way he told the story. Too funny. Poor Elder Ovard. :)

 

I love you all so much! Sorry for the horribly long email! :) Write me!

 

All my love,

Sister Becca Donaldson.....aka Sister Dolphin. :)

Me and the bingo ladies. :) Love them!

Picture out of car window on the way to Perdue....Notice the smog. So cool!

Sister Gillman and I tracting...just after meeting a presbyterian minister...:S

windmills + indiana sunset

Me and my obsession with spring flowers

Sweet clouds. Yes. Tornado clouds. That night, there were tons of tornado warnings

Me and the tornado clouds. :S

Week 4- March 19, 2012

Oh my goodness family, this last week has been AMAZING. Holy canoli. Where do I start? I wish I had the time to write out everything that has happened, so I'll write just a few of the many many miracles that have happened in the last seven days. 

First, before I get to the good stuff, I wanted to let everyone know that if you've sent me mail since I've arrived in Indiana, I haven't gotten it.....the mission office is apparently being overloaded with mail, packages, etc....so if you are sending a letter to me, send it to this address please: 
Sister Donaldson
2330 Northwestern Ave
Apartment #3
West Lafayette, IN 47906
I will be at this address until at least the end of May. 

Ok....on to the good stuff...miracles. Oh my gosh, the Spirit is AMAZING. We are being led to people every single day and it's all because of the spirit.

One thing I've learned since being out here: our plan Cs are usually Heavenly Father's plan As. 

My first week we met A* tracting. We got into her apartment and taught her the lesson and then set up a return apt. We went back, and she wasn't there. We called, she never answered. For an entire week, we tried stopping by her place and she never came to the door. After a series of super discouraging events (another atheist, a cancelled appointment, etc), we decided to drop by A*'s house one more time. Guess what? She was there. Guess what? She had just been reading the Book of Mormon and the pamphlet that we left her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Guess what? She had thought not even 5 minutes earlier, "Man, I wonder when those Jesus ladies are gonna come back. I may have to give them a call." We went in and started reading the Book of Mormon with her. Not even 10 verses into it, she told us that she thought the book was true because she felt "Gods love all up" in her body.  Score! She also said she wants to repent. I wish we had asked her to be baptized...but our time was so short. Oh well, we're seeing her again on Wednesday. 

We had an appointment with the progressing investigators, C*. He had a baptismal date for March 31, but he's been so sick that he's not prepared yet. He's 76 years old and has been really sick the last few weeks. Two of the ward members came with their wives and gave him a priesthood blessing. He loved it! C* is so nice and friendly, and he loves to talk. He reminds me a lot of Grandpa Chudleigh....:) Anyways, we got into the lesson about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we asked him if he's noticed a difference in his life since meeting with the missionaries. He started to cry. He told us that he has and then said, "I have never met anyone who loves Jesus more than you people....these two ladies here are of God. They were brought to me by God" Good grief. I almost lost it. I love it! The Spirit was so strong and he is working on C*'s heart! He came to church yesterday and as he was walking out, he said, "I've never felt this good going to a church!" Wednesday, we're going to set another baptismal date with him. 

Another miracle: we have been tracting our bums off out here! And the last house that we go to always seems to be the golden door. That was the case on the 15th. The last door on the street we were tracting, D* opened the door. She came out and started talking with us. I don't know how we got it out of her, but she started telling us that her son had been killed in a motorcycle accident last May and that her dad has terminal cancer. She started telling us about, "I kept on trying to convince my son to get baptized, but now that he's dead, he'll never have that chance." I opened my mouth and said, "D*, he can still be baptized." She looked at us, with a look of complete shock and joy and started crying....like out of control tears, "He can?!?" Oh my gosh. The Spirit hit all three of us like a ton of bricks. We all started crying. "How?!?" She cried. Anyways.....that was the most powerful moment I have had in a long time. We had a return appointment with her yesterday and she loves the plan of salvation. She's coming to church on Sunday and she is so excited. Words cannot express how powerful that moment was. Sister Gillman and I were crying for the next 30 minutes. Wow. 

Oh there are so many more that I wish I could tell you about!  

Now onto some funny things: 

I have a new name among the primary kids in the ward. They call me, "Sister Dolphin" because they can't seem to form the name, "Donaldson." 

You know you're in Indiana when:
You step in Canadian goose poop at least 4 times a day. 
People have to talk to you through the screen doors because they own 4, violent, ferocious, stinky pitbulls. 
50% of the people you talk to are missing at least one of their front 4 teeth (I love it!) So funny. 
The sunsets are some of the most beautiful things you've ever seen. Hawaii sunsets have got nothing on Indiana! 
People start talking to you because you have red hair and freckles (hey, I'll use it to my advantage!)

We do service twice a week at an old folks home.....we play bingo with them. It is the funnest thing EVER!!! The old ladies love to ooh and ahh at my red hair and many of them have actually touched it. Haha....I got called a leprechaun the other day....that's what I get for wearing green on St Patricks day.

That's all for today! I love you all! Keep smiling! Life is so so so good!  

Sister Dolphin. I mean....Donaldson... :)

Alma 8:10 (applied to my life right now) "Nevertheless, Sister Gillman and Sister Donaldson labored much in spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who were in the cities of West Lafayette and Lafayette; that he would also grant that they might baptize them unto repentance."

March 12, 2012


Hello all you wonderful people! 

Oh my goodness, there is so much I want to write! Again, I apologize for typos. Get over it. :) 

So here I am....in Indiana....as a missionary....like....for reals. Weirdest thing of my life. But I'm growing into it! And I am LOVING IT ALREADY!!!!

Here's a summary of my week:

Last Tuesday morning, we got up at 3 am (rise and shine!) to get to the bus by 4. On the drive up to SLC, my mind was so full of so many emotions. Mostly exhaustion and like, "I can't believe this is happening right now" feelings. It was weird to be walking around the airports, knowing that people are watching you and expecting you to like....I don't know....be a missionary. I couldn't believe it. I was such a scardey-cat. It was so wonderful to talk to you mom! Yes, I know I didn't sound like it....with me crying and everything. 

So anyways....we landed in Indiana and I was immediately disoriented. I'm used to the mountains. I could see for miles and miles and there was no sign of even a hill. We got off the plan and all 12 of us walked to the terminal. And as expected, there was Pres and Sis Collins and the APs. Oh my gosh, they are WONDERFUL! Sister Collins is officially in my top 5 favorite people now. She is so nice, so happy, and SO dang funny. On the ride to the mission home, she was telling us about herself and what she loves about Indiana. She loves the squirrels here....they are practically her pets hahaha....funniest thing ever. 

President Collins is amazing. When I met him, I felt like I already knew him from somewhere....one of the first evidences that I was foreordained to come here. I think we were friends in heaven. :) He is so kind, gentle, and just oozes the Spirit. I officially have the best mission president on the planet. Anyone who says otherwise is lying and should be shot...:) He is marvelous! I am so excited to serve under such a great, powerful man. 

The Elders that I arrived with (there are 10 of them....) are so wonderful! I was lucky to have been sent here with a awesome group of them. They will be awesome missionaries. 

We slept at the mission home and then went to transfer meeting. Apparently this mission has one of the highest baptism retention rates in the world....pretty cool, huh? Also, this mission is known for whitewashing....which means that President Collins double transfers people in and out of areas a lot....putting fresh, new blood into areas that need a boost. 

That's exactly what happened to me. My trainer is Sister Gillman. Mom...you will be comforted to know that YOU KNOW HER. Or, at least, SHE KNOWS YOU. I pulled out our family picture and put it on my desk the other day and she said, "Oh my gosh, I know your mom!" Sister Gillman worked at the Costco optical shop for like 5 or something years! She remembers talking with you mom! Your prayers worked. :) I have an awesome trainer. She is a super star and I have learned so much from her already. Like I said, her name is Sister Gillman and she is an older-ish Sister. She calls herself the "Granny." I won't say how old she is...but I will say that she's about 10 years older than 90% of the mission. :) But she doesn't act it! She's so fun and happy and PATIENT! Oh my goodness, she's maybe one of the most patient people I know. :) 

Ok...so my first area is the Layfayette 2nd Ward. Yep. This is Purdue town. Purdue is like a mile away from our apartment. A few facts about the ward: Bishop Call went to Timpview High School and knows Uncle Dan. There are 60 kids in nursery. There are 101 kids in primary. Yes, you read right. 101 kids in primary. Like....101 Dalmations, but with kids. Sacrament meeting yesterday was the funniest thing of my life! Kids crying, toys falling, doors slamming, haha...lights turning off during the closing prayer? So great! I absolutely love it! That means that about half of the ward is 11 years old or less. :) But the members are so wonderful! This town looks and feels a lot like Utah....until we get doors slammed in our face. :)

So yeah....it is wonderful here! We haven't been teaching as much as we'd like to....a ton of our investigators have been out of town, sick, or just had a baby. But things are looking up this week. Much of last week was focused on meeting some of the members and finding people. Sister Gillman and I did a finding fast yesterday and we're doing another one today. We need to find more people to teach and we are coming up with ideas on how to find them. We are tracting like crazy and teaching lessons here and there. I ran into my first atheist yesterday....that was interesting...:)

We are trying to work so hard! It's only been a week since getting here?!? Feels longer than that. But I'm learning so much! Every time we get a rejection, Sister Gillman says, "This is good! It builds character!" I'm learning to adopt that attitude....I have definitely had some "trial of your faith" moments, but I know its helping me refine my skills and helping me put trust and faith in the Lord. 

The first lesson we taught was about 3 hours after getting to Layfayette. I'm not allowed to say their real names on emails, so I'll just put their last name initial when I refer to investigators and such. We taught the R* family. The previous Sisters tracted into them. They are both reading the Book of Mormon and they had great questions. I'll be honest, Sister Gillman did most of the teaching....because I was so scared. :) These are real people! 

But over the last week, I have gotten over my fears and just open my mouth when I feel like I need to say something. And it comes out.....clearly and powerfully.The Spirit is great! "Open your mouth, and it shall be filled!" I love it! 

We visited a potential investigator, A*. That was my first "real world" experience. When she opened the door, cigarette smoke came billowing out of the house. She invited us in and there were 3 women there.....each with like 3 kids. And the house was chaos. The kids were screaming, the women were swearing on the phone, and....I don't know, I just hadn't been in an environment like that before. It was dark and sad. But she needed to hear what we told her. Dispite all the noise, I was praying so hard that she would be able to tune out all of the noise, put down her cigarette, and listen to what we had to say. And she did. You could see her countenance change as we talked to her. We'll have to go back and see her again. 

Oh, I'm out of time! I've gotta go! My first week: long, but so good! I'm excited to get to work! Keep the prayers coming! Pray for Layfayette 2nd Ward Area! There are people here who are ready to hear the gospel, we just need to find them!!!!!