December 26, 2016

Week 44

Hey Mom! It was so great to Skype you yesterday! I'm sorry it went by fast, it went by too fast for me too! I really loved it though! I wish I would have let you ask more questions. You look really good too. It's obvious how much better you are getting! So, I'll answer your questions as best as I can.

*Tell everyone that asked about me and sent me messages thank you and I love them all so much! Give them all a huge hug from me.

*Seriously don't worry about what you send me in packages, I have what I need, I promise.

*Yes, the scripture I quoted in Turkish was 3Nephi 5:13--VERY powerful verse!

*Haven't washed my bed sheets since we moved in--sorry

*(What things are you doing to stay close to the Spirit?) All you have to do as a volunteer to stay close to the Spirit is be obedient and just be ready to act on it-it's really that simple once you're set apart :)

*(What are three ways in which your testimony has strengthened)1.The experiences that we had with our friend I told you about on Skype yesterday 2.The experience I told you about with Yasli Mazzei, no joke 3.Seeing the miracles of the branch here while we were in Germany

*(What was your last prayer that has been answered?) The last time I received an answer, it was one simple word that came to my head: LISTEN

*I'm happy with any kind of mail that you send me, whether it's on the computer or paper :)

*The last meal we got from a member was back in October and we don't expect more any time soon.

*I explained Christmas in the group email.

*Yes, we did get a CD player. I love the CDs and Yasli Nahle and I compromise sometimes with what we listen to. He's half Arabic, so I get where he's coming from.

Thanks for sharing that experience with me that you went through, Mom.That is really awesome. I hope you have a great rest of your Christmas break.  I lovveee youuuuu!

Group Email

Esekler en Guclu Hayavdin

Donkeys are the Strongest Animals

Hi Everyone! I hope you all had an awesome Christmas! Ours was great, mostly because we were able to skype our families! The 40 minutes went by super fast but it was still great to see and hear from them. Church was great as well. A lot of people came, some great talks were given, and we were able to watch  "The Testaments" movie in Turkish :) As a district, we all had breakfast for dinner at our senior couple's apartment. It was so nice to have bacon haha. Christmas Eve we had a big branch party and there was a huge turnout! We had tons of fun games, great food, and us volunteers did a Nativity scene. I was the donkey. On Tuesday we had to stay in for some security reasons. Everything is okay now though. The next two days, Yasli Nahle had a cold so we stayed inside those days too. Friday after district meeting we gave everyone some prayer rugs for Christmas. Mom and Dad, some are on the way soon. Also some Tesbihs! On Friday we got some new rules in terms of our schedules. It isn't really any important news for any of you, but I thought I'd keep you all in the loop. This apparently is happening to all volunteers around the world and not just us in Turkey and Kazakhstan. We still do the same things every day; for example, wake up at 6:30, all of our studies, talk, teach and serve people during the day.  However, we don't have specific times when we do them. As long as we get them done by 9 p.m. when we do them is up to us. It's so nice because having to wake up at 6:30 EVERY morning and having to work out as soon as I got out of bed was almost impossible for me. But now I can wait til I'm awake to get ripped:) Preparation days are a lot more laid back too. In the morning all we are required to do is personal study, cleaning and shopping. The rest of the day is ours, well until 6. We also have 2!! hours of emailing which is way nice! Also, nightly planning is in the morning now. So, as soon as we get home we can take off our ties and just relax. So, things are pretty different now and it'll take some getting used to, but it'll be nice. It's awesome to see that the Church is trusting us a lot more with our time, which is really significant, because that is the biggest thing we can waste out here. Two years go by super fast. Every time I logon to email, I feel like only two days have passed since the last time I got on. Our friends that we are meeting with are doing great. I don't know if I mentioned last week, but we have one friend scheduled to have a pool party on January 14th! We are so stoked for him! No joke, he is a Turkish version of Yasli Nahle, they are like bffs haha. I love you all!  Thanks for all of the love and support!