Hello everyone! I am now officially back from my mission. Yesterday was one of the hardest days but happiest days of my life. Leaving behind Salt Lake City and the people I served was so hard for me but I will be back often to visit them. I have now started a new chapter in my life and I want to thank everyone for their support and prayers during my mission. It was the best time and I learned so much about myself, others, and my Savior, Jesus Christ.

My homecoming talk is July 19, 2015 at 11am. The building is Thayer Drive building in Richland. All are welcome to come!

Surprise! New P-day

Hola familia! My pday got changed to Monday! We are now officially in the new mission. My new mission president is President Everhart. 

 

Last Tuesday, I had an exit interview with President Moffat and we went to his house and ate dinner and talked about the "life hereafter"......

 

On Wednesday we had district meeting and we were learning about family history. I signed into family search and i started to look at all of our families and the people that we still need to find! I am so excited to do family history work when I go home! I want to help my recent converts to find a name and to take it to the temple to do baptisms for the dead,

 

On Friday, I got sick :( I had a horrible cold with a sore throat and fever and I was inside all day. The temperatures have been in the hundreds and I knew that I couldn't make it on a bike. Sister alcala had to do weeping planning by herself haha while I slept. I am still not over it but I feel a lot better. 

We had a farewell fireside last night. I was crying like a baby! Because we are all splitting up in different missions and there are a lot of missionaries that I won't be able to see anymore. President and sister Moffat gave farewell testimonies and I sang "I know that my Redeemer Lives". Elder Valdez, the assistant from Guatemala, played the piano for me. He is an awesome missionary, and an awesome piano player. I will send a picture of him :)

We had a baptism this last weekend! I was so happy to end this mission with a baptism. But we got a call he this morning from the Wisharts, saying that our convert was ALREADY BAPTIZED IN  MEXICO! I just started to laugh....of course this would happen my last week in the mission! But whatever, I still count her as my baptism :) 

 

I had my last district meeting this week. I had my last mission meeting this week. I saw President Moffat for the last time. I had my last baptism. I am now having my "lasts" in the mission. Today is my last normal pday. I was crying this morning, thinking about the last day that I wear my plaque, and how hard that time will be when I have to take it off. I don't want that day to come.

 

It doesn't seem real still.......it kind of hit me last night, especially when we were singing, God be with you til we meet again. I don't know why people choose to sing that song, no one gets through it. 

 

BTw: Jess, I have some boxes for you :) sorry......I am still not sure about the bike situation. We will be meeting with the new mission president tomorrow so I will ask him about that. You can keep this boxes with the bike, for when I come back down to school. Hopefully, they will let me get in contact with you about how to get the bike.....they might even let me stay the night with you before I go home.....who knows! I will keep you posted.

 

That is pretty much it for now. I am saving all of my stories for when I come home. I hope that everyone is doing well. Email me when you can, I will have my iPad with me all day. I love you all!

See you next week!!!

 

SLY 

HERMANA WARREN

Two more weeks!

Hello!

So this is going to be short.....I have to be at the mission office
today at 3:30 for a farewell dinner and testimony meeting with
President Moffat. I will be there all day......I am basically doing
what I would have done if i went home with President Moffat still as
my president, I should be fun.

Thanks for the emails. I hope the girls have fun at camp. I love and
miss girls camp.

That is a crazy story about Jenna and Sammie, I didn't know that that
happened! God is always aware and wants to help us.

We had two baptisms on Saturday. I am trying to leave this area better
than I found it. We have another baptism on Saturday. I love helping
people get baptized.....there is no better thing in the world. I am so
blessed to have served here in Utah, serving the Spanish people.

I am just trying to focus these last few weeks, taking it a day at a
time. Sometimes it gets distracting, with going home and I definitely
need to think about it but I want to give everything that I have for
the next two weeks, bearing my testimony whenever I can and inviting
everyone to be baptized. Thanks for taking care of school stuff for
me, that makes me feel a lot better. I still need to figure out
housing stuff. People said that there is an apartment catalog that
talks about all of the apartments and the cost and quality. Can you
find one of those? I will pray for Heavenly Father to help me find
something.....
These are my "daughters"  I trained them.
I am very excited to see everyone, I bought a dress today, sister
Alcala is very good at shopping and so she helped me a lot....you know
how I LOVE to shop!, hehe.....it was weird being in a mall again. I
love not being in the world :)

Well, I need to do my hair for this dinner thing tonight, I love you
all and can't wait to see you in two weeks. These next two weeks will
just fly by.........and then I will be flying home :)
SLY!
Hermana Warren

P.s. I will save all my stories for when I come home. My emails will
just be super short haha

Last Month in Midvale 6/9

Hola Familia!

I am emailing earlier today....we are having a mission p- day again! Do you remember when we did that last year? Me and sister Gonzalez wore the superman shirts. Today we will be wearing red shirts so we will buy some cool shirts today and take a picture of us and send it to you. I love the mission p day....it is the only day, other than Christmas, that we don't proselyte at all. Sometimes you need a day like that. 

This week was a great week. We had two baptisms this weekend and they went great. These are my first two baptisms here in the Midvale 9th ward. We are planning on having three more on the 20th and probably one on the 27th. I am still looking for my family of six to put on date for the 4th of July. Even thought I won't be home to celebrate that with you, the best thing to do on that day would be to baptize a family. I fasted for that and we are going to work hard this week to find them and help them. 

We hit the Standard of Excellence for the mission and that means........CHEESECAKE FACTORY! Sister alcala was pretty excited to get it her first week in the mission field. 

We are getting along pretty good. It has been a little bit harder for me this time because she is already so into the work and loves to lead....usually missionaries aren't like that when they first come out. Sometimes I forget that I am training her, because she doesn't act like it. And sometimes it gets a little frustrating because she tries to tell me how to do missionary work when she has only been out in the field for two weeks.....and I have been out for 17 months. She doesn't know that I am going home after this. She only knows that I have been out for a year or so. I am trying to help her and we get along pretty well so no worries. It has also been hard because I don't have anyone to talk to when i start to freak out about going home. I have to keep it all in and sometimes I panic at night. It is really weird. I will probably ask for a blessing from President today. But at the same time, it helps me to stop thinking about it and to focus on what I am doing right now.

My back has been hurting really bad....and my allergies have still been a problem. Satan just keeps throwing things at me! I shouldn't be surprised though....it is my last transfer. I am not sure what to do about my neck, it hasn't hurt me until now....I don't think I am doing anything different so I am not sure what is causing it. I will buy some icy hot stuff today.

Our investigator bore his testimony in church on Sunday! He shared the experience about how the bishop came over and have him a blessing for his foot and how his foot healed the next day! The whole room was silent and the spirit was so strong. I have grown so much as I have taught this man. He has a very special spirit.  We taught him last night at our stake mission leader's house and there was a young man there that is going to Mexico on his mission. That lesson was awesome and the investigator even asked us if he could be baptized sooner! I have never had an investigator ask me that before. He is so prepared and we first met him on the street and we talked to him and opened our mouths. The lord will put people in our path of he knows that we will talk to everyone. 

There are so many miracles in the mission.....I don't have time to write them all down. I am excited to share more stories with you when I come home. 

I will contact sister

harteluis today and coordinate a time when she can get my stuff. 

I think that is it for now, I will send pictures from the baptisms we had this weekend. 

I love you all and miss you! Can believe that I will see you in about 4 weeks! Yeah...four weeks from now, I will be on a plane home:) be ready for lots of hugs

Love, Hermana Warren 

"Put me in Summer and I'll be a .........Happy Missionary"

Hola Familia!

Summer has now arrived! it was 93 degrees yesterday and it was beautiful! I love the summertime on my bike, getting a SWEET watch tan and sock tan. I am going to look pretty dark when I get home....you might not recognize me haha

Thanks for the emails....yes, I got the stuff from Jess. I heard that is should rain pretty soon so I am really grateful for the poncho. 

So we had transfers on Wednesday and my new companion is Hermana Alcala (accent on last "a"). She is from Los Angeles, California and she speaks PERFECT spanish. She is so cute and loves to work hard and want to be super obedient in EVERYTHING! I am really glad that I am training for my last transfer. I love working with new missionaries, they have an excitement that a lot of other missionaries lose after awhile. She participates in the lessons....I almost feel that I am not training her...just on the rules and schedule and things like that. She is a great missionary. A great way to end my mission :) She doesn't know that this is my last transfer....SSHHH! :)

We will get a picture to you :) We don't look too cute today but we will take a nice one and send it. 

I didn't change areas, I am still in Midvale :) I love this area, there are so many different people to work with and slowly, the ward is getting excited about missionary work. We invite members to help us and sit with investigators. 

I can feel myself getting warn out though.....missionary sundays are getting more and more tiring and I am trying to keep the energy up for Sister Alcala, but sometimes it is hard. The heat does make me a little bit more tired. I remember when one of my companions went home, she would sleep a lot and I can see why...your body starts to give out! Hahaha but I am doing ok. My allergies are coming back again but I still have medicine.

So I have some boxes that I need to give to someone....some boxes with winter stuff for BYU and a box for me to go home. Maybe I can leave these boxes at a member's house and Jess can come and pick them up? She can leave the BYU boxes at her house and bring the other box with her when she goes back up to Washington, along with the other boxes I gave her a few transfers ago. I will coordinate with a  member and let you know. But I am trying to send a many clothes home through boxes as I can because I want to put other things in my suitcases. I hate packing....-_-

About schooling, Sister Merrill emailed me and told me that I should get an apartment, that all the young freshman use the dorms. I can barely stand being around young, immarture missionaries....I think I might freak out if I have to deal with 18 year old freshman. Maybe I will try and get married really fast when I get home, that way I know who my roommate will be hahhaha just kidding :) I am sure there is an apartment that isn't bad that I can get, right? ......I hate dealing with school stuff.......I am sure I have a friend that I can room with. I will email around and see who I can find.

this week was a really good week....our numbers were pretty good and we are planning on two baptisms this weekend. We were so busy last week, we taught a lot of lessons and our nights were very busy. Being a bored missionary is the WORST! I always need to be busy and when I work hard each day, I feel great! I feel like I am doing my job. 

I really love teaching...it is my favorite part about being a missionary. I love seeing my investigators progress. When they receive an answer for themselves, it is the best feeling EVER! It just shows that I am nothing because I CAN'T convert people, I am just an instrument for the Spirit, he does all the work.

this week, the assistants gave us a referral for a woman who I taught in Union Fort. She moved to my current area and she knows Irene, a recent convert who got baptized right after I left union Fort. We set up an appointment with her and we went by and saw her. Then there was a knock on the door and Irene was there with her family. She came to be part of the lesson and she bore her testimony to her friend on how the gospel has blessed her and her family. I almost wanted to cry because I could see the change that had occurred in my recent convert. I was so overwhelmed and wanted to cry but I controlled myself haha. I LOVE seeing the change in people. As David Archuleta said in my lesson with his grandpa, "The Gospel is about change, we are supposed to change!" That is so true. If we aren't changing, we aren't LIVING the Gospel.

Yesterday, I had my last Mission Leadership council and it was really sad. The Moffats are in their last month......he feels like my mission dad, someone who loves you but isn't afraid to correct you and even yell at you. But it is all based off of love for you, the Lord, and missionary work.

I love you all so much. I always pray for you :) Thanks for your prayers. I can't wait to see you all....but I don't want to leave my mission. Change is hard and I can't even IMAGINE the change that I will experience when I go home. Be patient with me :) 

Keep sharing the Gospel! Enjoy your last week of school :)

SLY

Hermana Warren

Mojadas En Midvale

Hola Familia!

 Yep! It is still raining....... -_-

ok....ready?

I am STAYING! I am dying in Midvale WOOT WOOT! I am also training a new sister missionary so I am really excited. I will have 3 "girls" :) Sister Uelese is going to Murray, where I was born. I told her to get the Roman Family to the temple to get sealed....that way I can go with them to the temple. That is my goal.

Thanks for the updates on everyone....sounds pretty busy there! Being busy is the best! It makes time fly so fast and you feel so satisfied each day. I hate days in the mission where you feel like you did absolutely NOTHING! Some days, it is raining so no one is outside and no one lets you in...those days are hard for me. But it helps to appreciate the good days. like yesterday. 

Yesterday was a really good day. We contacted some referrals, we taught our investigators who are progressing for baptism and we had our bishop give one of our investigators a blessing. That experience was so sweet for me. Our investigator is an older man and he has had a lot of hard things happen in his life and when we knocked on his door, he just started crying about everything that has been happening and our bishop came over 15 minutes later and gave him a blessing. I know that the Priesthood has been restored to the earth and that we can receive so much peace and comfort through the Priesthood. A lot of people ask me if I am mad that I can't hold the Priesthood but I just tell them that we all receive the same blessings from the Priesthood, I don't need to hold it to receive those blessings. Some people still don't understand but they will someday.

We had our first Missionary ACTIVITY! We had a movie night and we watched Meet the Mormons in Spanish. We had 3 investigators there and some ward members. Not a lot of people came but we will do another activity and get more people there. Ward activities is what keeps a ward alive,,,,and we've seen the bad side of not holding ward activities. I miss going to ward activities were EVERYONE is there. That will be my other goal for this transfer: bring back the ward, find a family of 6 (thanks for praying for my family, we will find them)

 

I can't believe that I have now arrived to my last 6 weeks in the mission field. It makes me want to cry when I think about it. I never thought that I would get to this point. And the thing that makes it harder is that this is the last month of the Salt Lake City Central Mission and the last month for President Moffat. This is going to be a really hard transfer but I am going to make it my BEST TRANSFER EVER! I am excited to still be here in Midvale because there is so much potential and I am learning to being SUPER BOLD with people. We can be really bold with Latinos. You find some amazingly prepared people here.....people who the Lord brought so they could be taught the Gospel and help their families at home. I love serving in SPanish and I don't plan on losing it so be ready to speak in spanish all day :)

I might need a rain poncho to be sent to me. WalMart is ALL OUT! iit has been raining so much this last week....it is really annoying. Those glove-mittens I have are about to die and pretty much everything else I have but I will endure to the end. Perseverar hasta el fin!

I also want to buy a cute dress for when I come home....I will probably hit up DI for that but I don't know how much money I have.

I am doing great, feeling good, really excited for an awesome transfer. Sister Wishart said that she will let you know as soon as she knows about my release date. She is assuming that it will still be the 8th of July.....but still not sure. 

How is school stuff coming? I will ask Sister Merrill about housing, she is there right now. Just let me know if I can help with anything. Thank you so much for all of your help with this. 

I love you all! Keep sharing the Gospel! Help the Sisters. That is really weird that they came to the house and did personal and comp study....I don't know if that is a mission rule for them but don't be afraid to question anything that you think is disobedient. We had 3 missionaries go home this last week from disobedience :( 

I love you and miss you and pray for you. Only 6 more emails until I see you all ;)

SLY!

Hermana Warren

Missionaries can only use the bathroom on "P-Day"

Hola Familia!

Thanks for the email. You make we all excited to come home and help the Sister Missionaries there! They sound great and keep helping them. The member helping us today told us that when members help the missionaries, the members receive so many blessings. 

I love the Jason Lee food stand, that was really fun when I helped. That is weird that it is your last year. 

I am glad that Jenna is doing ok. We were in a lesson last night and this investigator was explaining how he sometimes doesn't understand why things happen in his life. He always asks "where is God?". I explained my experiences in the mission field, where I have had to learn that God is in control and I shared Mosiah 4:9. I love using the scriptures to help answer people's questions because I can say "God is saying this....not me!" It brings more authority to our words. I am so glad that I get to study the scriptures every day.....I heard that the study schedule is the hardest thing to continue after the mission. Keep studying the scriptures every day. I am going to use scriptures with my kids when I have a family. They will basically be my eternal investigators :) haha

I can't believe that the Hunts are moving! I hope they are still there when I go home....that way I can finally give Becca a hug :)

This week was busy! it has been raining a ton and I look like an idiot with my poncho while riding my bike. I always hear Mom in my head saying "It is better to stay dry than to look cute!" haha On the mission you really don't care what you look like....you just want to stay dry! Hopefully the rain dies down a little bit. 

The work is progressing here...we had 4 investigators at church!! YAY! That was an improvement. Sundays are CRAZY! I won't miss missionary sundays......I need my day of rest back. :)

So we have transfers next week.....I will give you updates next week on where I will "die" haha........sorry to use that word :) I hope I go back to Murray, that would be awesome! But I could stay here though. This area is awesome! I could be training next transfer. If I am training, I want her to believe that I have been out about 9 months......then she will be really surprised when I have to get up and give my departing testimony. That would be so funny! But I will let you know next week!

Tomorrow we are going to the TEMPLE! Salt Lake CITY! YAY! I love going to the temple so much...I really miss it a lot. WE will have a chapel session with the temple president after the session. I need a lot of help. I have so many goals for the last part of my mission that I want to achieve and I really need God's help. The Temple is the best place to go.

Let me know if you get any emails from the Wisharts about departure dates. I haven't heard anything I would like to know when I leaving so I can know how long I have left to lose weight haha :) I am sure that I will hear something soon. 

I can't believe that school will be out soon! I can't believe that it is P-day again! Time goes by SO FAST...sometimes it makes me sick to my stomach. 

But I am having fun here in old town Midvale with my Polynesian companion.....we are going to tear it up here this last week. I am going to baptize EVERYONE! We should have  a baptism this saturday. Please pray for Hermelinda. 

I love you all! Sorry no pictures right now. I will take one at the Zone activity and send it later today. Love you and miss you. Keep sharing the Gospel!

SLY

Hermana Warren 

Lake Green Leaf

Hola Familia!

Thanks for the great skype on Sunday :) yeah, I am sure that it would've been harder to see you crying hahaha, but don't worry. I just couldn't believe that this was my last skype. It really hit me that the next time I see you all, it will be in person :) 

Dad, your job sounds really fun and scary! You are awesome for doing it. I always want to keep learning new things. The mission experience has been the biggest learning experience of my life. Just from entering the CCM, learning a new language, entering the field, being a REAL missionary, new companions, new areas, making dumb mistakes, finding those who are prepared, being called to train, being called as a Sister Training leader, giving trainings in zone trainings and zone conferences.....EVERYTHING has helped me so much and I have learned so much about myself and I have gained a lot of courage and changed and become better. I have learned from my mistakes and learned to trust in God. I think that we should continue to have "scary" experiences, where we don't know if we can do it and we don't know what it is going to be like. It is in those experiences that God can help us learn more about ourselves and we can become more like Him.

I hope Lydia gets to stay for one more year at Jason Lee, I will pray for her. 

I miss singing in CHOIR! Enjoy it, Ronnie! I really want to sing at BYU but we will see what happens. I loved helping at Special Olympics. The girls should join Buddy club at the high school. My friends and I did that and it was really fun. You learn a lot from working with those sweet kids. 

My companionship is really fun. There was a spider by my bed last night, around dinner time. I was SO scared to squish it because it was big and I was scared it would jump on me and every time I would get close to it, it would move a little bit and I would just JUMP off the bed. Hermana Uelese took a video on her Ipad.....but you can probably see it in your head :) For Christmas, you bought us that Harry Potter game on the Wii and I played it and there is a part when you have to run through the Chamber of Secrets and the spiders jump on you.....I remember throwing the wii remote in the air because I would get so scared haha

It is supposed to rain this weekend again...Pray for me! 

We had a fun day yesterday! We taught Seminary at Hillcrest high school and it was fun! Seminary students are intimidating haha...but we got a lot of referrals. This seminary is HUGE! There are 5 hired teachers and the building is so big! We talked with the teachers for a little bit and they are so fun. I believe that a requirement for being a seminary teacher is being a little sarcastic and just so funny. I was laughing so hard, I missed seminary a lot but I like being a missionary more :)

We also had an FHE at a members house with our investigators and it was really fun. The family got baptized about 2 years ago and they are amazing. The husband is a ward missionary and his testimony is so strong. Our investigator said that she really wants to be baptized now and wants to go to church every Sunday :) MIRACLE!

I love seeing the little miracles in the mission. But we don't have to be a missionary to see miracles. If we look for miracles everyday, we will be more grateful.

PRAY FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE THE GOSPEL EVERY DAY! The Lord has done harder things.....he can give you the courage to share it. President Plum, a member of the mission presidency, looks for one opportunity to share the Gospel every day and it is AMAZING how he always is sharing the Gospel. He is a great example for me, you all need to meet him one day :)

I love you all so much and miss you :) I pray for you all everyday and I love serving the Lord.

SLY!

Hermana Warren

Pics:   1. ME and sister Banka,  2. a man who let us borrow his jackets when it was raining, 3. the "sea" of the Green Leaf apartments, the drain doesn't work too well when it rains​

Feliz Cinco De Mayo!!

Hola Familia! Como estan? Estoy muy bien :) 

I will skype you all at 6, so it will be 5 there at home :) You have to call me, I can't call you........ I don't want to talk about a lot here in the email but I will share one story with all of you :) If there is any school stuff to talk about, we can talk on Sunday ;)

Also, I keep you all in my prayers, especially Jenna. I was happy that you are going to be home when I come home but I know how hard that much be. YOU CAN DO IT! Turn to Heavenly Father for help and comfort :)

We had the cool experience yesterday. We were talking to a man, sitting outside of some shady apartments that we are always in and we gave him a Book of Mormon and set up a return appointment. When we walked away, I felt like I should invite him to an FHE that we were heading to right then. I was rationalizing, saying that he wouldn't want to go or that he was going to say No or something! HE wasn't doing anything! Why not invite him, right? .... but I pushed it away. Sister Uelese and I both stopped walking and we looked at each other and Sister Uelese apparently got the same impression and we both turned back and she invited him to the FHE and he said that he would come! We told him that we would come back to pick him up. We picked up two guys that we are teaching and then another girl we are teaching and then we knocked on the guy's door and there he was! All ready to go and he came with us and we taught Lesson 2 and he said that he would prepare for May 30th for baptism. It was the coolest experience for me! The Spirit doesn't usually make himself known when he needs us to do something, we just get the idea to do something or say something. I learned a lot about the Spirit and how we shouldn't doubt at all! And we should always look for opportunities to teach people. i have learned to be really bold here in this new area, I want to be bolder with others and I learning and changing.

So this Sunday, I am giving a talk about Mothers and Missionary Work. Mom, I don't know if you have time but can you right a small paragraph about how you have felt while being a missionary mom. and you can write it in Spanish :) You would be the best source because I don't know what it is like. You can email it right to me, I can read emails during the week, I just can't respond.

We are doing a lot more with our ipads.....we are putting our WHOLE area book in the ipad and we had a whole training meeting on it :P Sometimes technology gives me a head ache but it will make organizing teaching records a lot easier and we will have all of our potentials in the ipad with us! That is really nice!

My companion and I are having a lot of fun. My spanish is getting better because I have to help her a lot and it makes me realize EVERYTHING that I do know and EVERYTHING that I don't know haha, I am excited to speak in Spanish with Mom and Dad and Sammie when I get home :) haha

I am trying to think if there is anything else that happened.....I am getting pretty tan :) I love being on my bike in the sun, it is the best!

I love you all!! See you on Sunday!

SLY!

Hermana Warren

Busy, Busy, Busy!!

Hola Familia!!

Thanks for the updates, I know that everything will be fine with Jenna, I will fast for her on Sunday. Maybe they will move her date for August haha :)

But sounds like Dad is pretty busy with the jobs and Mom is busy with YCL stuff. When is camp this year? 

I have been pretty busy too, every day go by so quickly. We found a lot of people to teach last week and I am learning how to be really bold with people. We meet a lot of hispanics that need a little nudge so we can get in the door. We meet a lot of single men, so we can't even go in! We have to wait until we can a member with us. We are actually teaching a lot of single guys but don't worry! I am one tough gringa and they are always surprised at how well I speak spanish. I did get asked to going dancing last week by a guy we met on the street but I handled it pretty well. I am learning so much about this culture and how you have to know how to joke but be serious at the same time. I find myself speaking like them, being sassy and blunt. hahaha it is really fun. I love speaking spanish :) I plan on using it for the rest of my life. There is a reason that the Lord wanted me to learn it.

We are teaching a few people but we are always looking for more people to teach. No one is really progressing at this point which is really hard for me. Sometimes people aren't home for their appointments and we have a hard time getting in contact with them. In my other side of Midvale, we had a hard time finding people to teach but those we found would usually progress. Here, there are SO many people to teach but most won't open the door again. The hard part is finding those who will progress towards baptism. But I know that there is a family of 6 waiting here, I can feel it!!! I just need to find them.

I realized that I haven't used a talent that Heavenly Father gave me as much as I should. We took two of our investigators on a chapel tour and finished in the Chapel and I sang "Soy un Hijo de Dios" and the spirit was very strong. My investigator said that he felt something in his heart. If I could, I would start each lesson with a hymn, to bring the Spirit. I love music so much. Singing in Spanish is probably one of my favorite things to do :) I sang "Yo se que vive mi Senor" in sacrament meeting and it went great! 

MOTHERS DAY!!!

What time do you have church? I have church from 1 to 4 and so we would have to skype in the evening. We could it at 6? It would be 5 there in Richland. Let me know!! I will send you the skype info next week. 

I got a letter from Grandma and Grandpa Warren this week! thank you for that! It was an answer to prayer because last night was a bad night and everyone was bashing with us and we lost two investigators because Mom pulled permission. That letter helped me so much! Thank you :)

I am staying busy and working hard! I am leaving my mission better than I found it!! I am so close to my mission goal for baptisms! Pray that I can find 6 more people to teach and baptize!

Thank you for your support! I love you all and can't wait to talk to you on Mother's day!

SLY!

Hermana Warren

West Side Story

Hola Familia!

 

That will be my theme for probably the rest of my mission. Being on the west side of State street means that you have now entered into little Mexico. Watch out, my Spanish is going to get super good because I am using it with almost EVERYONE that I talk to.

 

This week has been the craziest week for me. Thanks for all the emails and support. The week went by really fast but it was very busy and kind of stressful. 

 

I am so glad that you are all having missionary experiences. Even though we might not be able to know the outcome, we can do our part to share our testimony to others. I loved your testimony, Dad. 

 

I hope Jenna and Ronnie are ok. I will keep them in my prayers. I hope that Lydia gets to go to Camp Wooten! 

 

MY new address it:

198 Center St. Apt. B

Midvale, Ut, 84047

 

We live in the basement of a 3 apartment house. It is very small but cute. It gets really cold though.....thankfully we are getting a heater today :)

 

Sister Uelese is really fun. She actually went to BYU- hawaii before her mission but left right before Jenna came in. She said that she has a lot of friends there. We have a lot of fun together and we laugh a lot about the things that happen during the day. 

 

You can be released as an STL, i saw it happen once. But I think that I will stay one until I leave. I love being an STL, sometimes it is stressful because we are supposed to have a high baptizing area as well as help our sisters baptize. But the Lord has helped me so much and I know he will keep helping me.

 

Transfers were the craziest thing EVER! Heavenly Father was definitely playing a joke on us because He decided to have it SNOW A LOT when we were trying to move houses and get settled in and bike and everything. That was the craziest snow storm I have ever seen. I don't think I will ever live in Utah because the weather would drive me nuts! 

 

It has been a hard transition with the transfer. I haven't transferred for a long time so it was very hard for me. I did ok with saying goodbye to everyone but it was still hard. When getting to my new area and seeing the people they were teaching, I had no idea who they were or what they needed or how I could help them. We didn't do so good with the key indicators last week, but we will do better this week. I am starting to get to know the area now and know the people too. Everyone here is SHADY though, there are so many people that we could teach but they aren't interested or give us a fake address or phone number. But I know that there are people here who are waiting for the gospel and I am going to find them. I guess the number 1 thing that I have learned on my mission is that God has a plan and if we are diligent and obedient, He will lead us to His children that are prepared for the Gospel. But sometimes I forget that.

 

I went on exchanges with Sister Montoya on Friday. Heavenly Father knew that I needed to be there with her because she was struggling a little bit with the transfer and our investigator that yelled at us on Monday. One of our other investigators who got baptized on Saturday also sent us a text on Friday, saying that she wasn't going to get baptized. We went over and she was so happy to see me! I had only been transferred for 2 days but I know that me being there to teach her helped her to get baptized on Saturday :) I am sure that it is hard for the investigators when the missionaries transfer as well. I cried during that lesson because it finally hit me that this wasn't my area anymore and these weren't MY investigators. It was hard but I am doing better :) 

 

I know that the Lord has GREAT plans for this area. I am so excited that I get to work with so many Hispanics and I am still looking for my family of 6! There is a reason that I am in this area and I am looking for the people that the Lord wants me to find. 

​ I love you all so much​ and thanks for everything that you do for me. 

 

LYDIA: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I will have a card in the mail for you. Jenna, I have a present for you too but I am trying to figure out how to send it to you. Don't worry, it will come :)

 That is so weird that Sister Montoya saw Becca!! Man, I was going to be at Walmart at the same time but we had to clean our apartment and have apartment inspections......I will run into her soon :)

Have a great week! Let me know if there is anything that I can do. I won't send a picture of us this week......we want to look cute hahaha

 

I will send pictures of our apartment!

 

 

​SLY!!! 

 

Hermana Warren​

Transfer!!

Hola Familia!

Guess what? I am heading over to the West side!!! Yep, that is right. I am being transferred!! After 8 months of being in one area, it is now time to go somewhere new. I could feel it this time. I was saying Goodbye to everyone and giving people hugs. I feel good about leaving though. Sister Montoya will take care of all of our recent converts. There are a lot of hispanics on the west side of State Street, so I am looking forward to speaking a lot in Spanish :)

My new companion is Sister Uelese. She is Samoan but lived in Alaska. She just finished training with Sister Montoya. Sister Peralta was her training (she goes home tomorrow :( )

I don't know my new address because they are moving houses. I will be going to a new house with sister Uelese. I will send you the address as soon as I can.

I am glad that everyone is doing great!

DAD: I am so happy that you got the job. I am sure you will do great and thanks for doing this for our family. It will make going places a lot easier and cheaper. 

MOM: The stake meeting sounded very fun! And that talk by Elder Nelson is awesome. I wish I could be home for FHE with all of you. I volunteer to teach a lesson when I get home :)

JESS!: Happy Anniversary! I can't believe that it has been a year! I remember that day a year ago, it was a hard day for me. But I learned so much from that experience. I can't believe you ate your cake! EEWW. But that is cool that you kept the tradition.

JENNA: How is your mission prep coming? I would love to give you a hug before you go on your mission but the mission handbook says that "visits from family members and friends are against church policy". I need to be exactly obedient and you will really understand once you go on your mission. It is easier to stay focused on the mission when you don't have distractions from your friends and family. Don't worry, I will give you the BIGGEST hug when you come home, we will both be RMs :)

VERONICA: I have met SO many people with your name :) It makes me smile whenever I hear it. I got your letter, thank you so much for writing me. I will try to write you back as soon as I can. you sound like you are growing up a lot, just from the way that you write :)

SHONNA: How are you? How is school? Are you playing any sports right now? What are you plans for the summer time?

LYDIA: How is 4th grade? Are you still playing teacher downstairs? You should go on a mission because you get to be a teacher EVERY DAY! I am always teaching people and it is really fun. I have a friend for you to meet, ok? She is just like you and wants to be a teacher too. She got baptized a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Maria :)

We had a baptism this weekend. Jason, 11, got baptized and the baptism was so nice. He was so happy. I love that entire family.

With Hermana Peralta

Norma, Aixa, and Sol are getting baptized on saturday!! I won't be able to be there unless I bring an investigator from my new area :(

So my last day in this area was probably one of the worst days of my mission so far. The worst day was November 8 and now also April 13. 

A women that we have been working with for baptism dropped us. She was supposed to get baptized on Saturday and we went by on Monday
 morning to go see her. She opened the door and he just looked different. She yelled and us, mostly me because I was the one who knocked, and she told us that she doesn't want us to come to her house anymore. She slammed the door and I was just in shock! I didn't even move. Apparently she knew that so she opened the door again and told us that she doesn't want to see us or anyone from the branch. I tried to ask her what happened but she just slammed the door. We walked away to our bikes and I just started to cry. I never cried like this before. I felt like someone ripped my heart right out of my chest. I was so confused and hurt and heart broken. I have been working with this couple for the last 5 months and they were progressing and doing so well. I wasn't crying because I was sad that I wouldn't have the baptism or anything like that.....I was crying because I love her so much and she CHOSE to yell at us and drop us. It was really hard for me,especially being my last day in this area. We found her husband outside and he explained some more things to us and that helped me. He is really struggling too and it hurt me to see that. I think Heavenly Father let me feel what he was feeling yesterday. He felt the same way as I did. He loves her as much as I do, and even more! And only He knows that she really needs and what happened.  The day got better as we found new investigators and taught my recent converts, but it was on my mind ALL day. 

It was a pretty interesting day but it turned out pretty good. Transfer calls are like waiting in line to get on a roller coaster, your heart is pounding because you don't know what is going to happen. But everything turns out fine. I am about to start packing, I have about 8 months worth of things to pack haha

Just keep me updated about school, I need to find a place to live also, I totally forgot about that until now. 

 Other than that, I am doing pretty good. I am healthy and working hard and excited to baptize my last two transfers. 

Thanks for everything that you do for me. I love you all so much and miss you all!

SLY! 

Hermana Warren