11/18/13

OH MY GOSH HAS IT BEEN A CRAZY WEEK!!!!

 

Saying goodbye was super hard. I was actually pretty proud of myself though, I kept it together for most of it. Packing was pretty easy, I had known for a while that it was coming so I had been packing for a few days already. We had to pick up some other sisters in Tallmadge and then went up to Kirtland for transfers. I had heard people talking about an elders area where both elders had gotten their visas to Argentina and they hadn't had missionaries there for about a month and then people started saying that's where they thought I was going to be put with my new companion. I decided I wasn't going to assume anything, you never know what Pres is going to do. So we go into the room where all of the trainers wait to meet their new companions. There were 8 new greenies who walked in and sat in front of us and then President told them to "go find your trainer" and sweet Sis. Lemmon walked up to me. She is adorable. She is 19 from Tooele Utah. VERY young. She went to Snow College for a year before coming out here. She is the youngest of 4. We got to know each other a little bit and then I asked her where her paper said we were going. And she said St. Marys! That is the elders area where they hadn't had missionaries for a month. It is the largest area in the mission. It is the farthest south west corner of the mission. I'm right on the Indiana/Ohio border. There is a tiny branch here, about 40 people come every Sunday on a good day. It reminds me a lot of the East St. Louis branch, super small, same building set up and everything. The people here are really nice, very friendly. The towns are very small and really spread out. In Massillon we had 1050 miles for the  month, here we have 1500 and the area is A LOT bigger than Massillon. Our house is really nice! Mom, our closet is bigger than yours!!!! It's quite exciting! We have a 2012 Malibu - its super swanky! I like it a lot! I'm not used to driving such a big car though, my last one was a tiny Subura Impreza, this thing is huge compared to that! but it's been fun.

 

The area is a hard one. everyone has been making sure we understand that! Most people out here are Catholic and aren't interested in changing. It's been hard to talk to investigators that the previous elders were meeting with, no one returns phone calls. But we are trying. Things are just going to be really slow for the next couple weeks I think, which sucks but oh well. The branch president here is great! He's a lawyer and has a great family! We had dinner at their house last night with the senior couple that is serving here. (they are the Jensons. WE LOVE THEM! They are the best!) While we were there we were under a Tornado Warning so we had to go down to the basement and wait till things calmed down. Quite an adventure for my companion who didn't really know what a tornado was... haha!

 

Well I hope things for Sarah get better and that Rex's visa gets figured out. Sis. Trussel was telling me that one of the elders she knows, his mom went and did the visa process herself and was able to get it before everyone else. She also said that because people were doing that it made it harder for everyone else too! haha! But if the lady from the church said you could do it THEN GO FOR IT!!! Let me know when you're going, I want to fast with you guys. I hope he's getting excited and is preparing! He hasn't emailed me in a while, so I don't know how he's doing. I loved the pics of Haleigh and Cory and Steph! They look so happy! I miss you guys all so much! I am happy though that I'm out of the super homesick phase, Sis. Lemmon is having a really hard time with it. She breaks down at random parts of the day and needs a hug... I feel bad for her. Hopefully things start picking up here soon and we get busy and she won't have time to think about it.

 

Well I love and miss you all! I hope everyone has a great week!

 

Rachel

 

P.S. I'm sending a couple pics. my new comp, a buddy of mine that was in my first district, some families that I said goodbye to in Massillon and some other stuff...

11/12/13

WOWOWOWOW!!!! That is some crazy news about the family... Did not expect that...

Well I Hope Gma is having a good time down in OK with everyone! I miss them all so much! I hope you guys have a good time with the fam in Utah! I miss them so much too!!!!! I am so jealous you guys are getting to see them all! Tell them all hi for me!

 

Things here are good! It snowed pretty good last night and this morning, we have a few inches. But I think the sun's going to melt it all before the day's over.

 

I got a call on Tuesday morning last week from President. I'm training again. I seriously couldn't believe it. There are only 3 sisters coming in this transfer, so I thought for sure I would be off the hook. nope, lucky me. And He told me that I would be transferred from Massillon. So I'll be training in a new area where I know nothing about the ward, the members, the investigators, or my companion who knows nothing. It's going to be interesting. But I am excited. It should be fun!

 

Friday I had to go to the Trainer's meeting in Cleveland up at the mission home. That was fun to get to see Pres. and Sis. Vellinga for a little bit. They're so great!

 

Saturday night was the adult session of stake conference. SO GOOD! I was so excited about the topic that the first presidency chose - the work of salvation! It's a pretty great topic. Pres. Vellinga spoke and then he and Sis. Vellinga spoke Sunday too. It was great! Our stake president is really awesome, Pres. Talley. He is a very spiritual man and made some prophecies about the stake. It's a long story, but if you look back at church history this area, the Akron Stake, was very rich in church history. there were a lot of apostles that lived here and the prophet visited here often. And when the Lord scourged Kirtland, this area was cursed as well. Well Pres. Benson came and lifted the scourge a while ago and in the D&C it talks about how the wasteplaces of Zion would be built up. So Pres. Talley said that our stake was one of the wasteplaces of Zion and prophesied that our stake would see many new wards and branches be built in the next year. And he also talked about another Kirtland Temple being built. Elder Ballard was in Kirtland for their stake conference and talked with the priesthood leadership about that possibility! HOW EXCITING IS THAT?!?!?!!?!?!? We could be getting a new Temple in the future in Kirtland! Where the first temple in this latter-day dispensation was built! I am so flipping excited! I can't wait for you guys to come out and see Kirtland. It's awesome.

 

Then the closing hymn for conference was "God Be With You Till We Meet Again". I completely lost it. It was pretty bad. Pres. saw me and asked me about it after. I am having a really hard time leaving Massillon. It's become my home and family and I love the people here so much. And I have no idea where I'm going or what to expect. I'm super scared and anxious and nervous and alkdfjhieufhnejnflskfh. This has been a hard week. Saying goodbye sucks. BIG TIME. But I told them I would be back in July with you and dad, so that was good.

 

OH! Sis. O'D had a doctor's appointment here yesterday so she just SHOWED UP at our apartment!!! It was so good to see her! Especially since I don't know if I will get to see her tomorrow at transfers.  She's doing well and is liking her new area. That made me so happy to hear. I have missed her so much!  I can't remember anything else too exciting that has happened here lately....

Mom, you have to add Margie Colman Morrison on my facebook. She is seriously going to shoot me if you don't do it soon! She said she has been waiting for you to accept her friend request for months now. C'mon mom - got to get on this! haha! just joking - I love you! but seriously, add her. She has pictures of me that she wants to post for you. and there was a lady at stake conference that took a pic of the sisters, she had never seen them before, and wanted to send it to our moms, so she probably sent that to you yesterday. Don't know if you got it or not, I think I remembered your phone number... haha!

 

I don't really need anything right now. You can always send stuff to the mission office and they will send it to where I get transferred - 2070 west 117th street cleveland OH 44111. Just make sure you address it to Sister Rachel Chapman. But I will send you something when I get to my new area so you have the address. There is an elder chapman here and I would hate it if he got my awesome packages! haha! I'll have to send you a pic of he and I. We look NOTHING alike. He's a ginger... but he's awesome. he's one of the assistants.

 

But anyway... things are good!!

 

I love you and miss you all so much! Please tell everyone hi for me!

 

you're the best momma!

11/4/13

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!! It sounds like it has been a good week! I'm so glad to hear that.

This week was a good one for us here too! We had Zone Conference one Thursday. It was really good. I love being around President. He always says something I need to hear or that I the Lord wanted me to know. We found out WE'RE GETTING IPAD MINNIES!!!! It's going to start in 2014, not sure which month though... But still, EVERY MISSIONARY WILL HAVE THEIR OWN IPAD!!! I'm pretty stoked. It's going to make missionary work so much easier! I can't wait.

When Elder Bowen from the 70 came for mission conference he talked a lot about believeing in miracles. President Vellinga elaborated on that this week and talked about how if the Lord is hastening His work, we need to hasten ours. If we expect to have miracles we have to be even more obedient. He asked us to raise the bar on obedience. I'm a pretty obedient missionary, but I know that there are things I need to work on, so I was grateful for his comments.

 

Saturday was Rachael Bennett's baptism. It was incredible! After all the stress and worry, it went perfectly. I was so happy for her. She even bore her testimony and it was awesome!!! The spirit was so strong. there were a few investigators there that got to see it too! And she comes from a part member family and her extended family aren't members, so that was great for them to feel the spirit and see her make this decision for her life! It was a great weekend!

 

mom to answere your  question, Sis. Trussel was supposed to go to the Brazil MTC but because she didn't have her visa they sent her to the Provo one instead. So if Rex doesn't get his he will go there for 6 weeks and if he still doesn't have it after that they'll reassign him temporarily to a stateside mission. He will have to do 4 hours of study for his first 12 weeks! haha! I do not envy him in that area, it is hard to be at a desk for 4 hours. I'm glad Sis. Trussel's extra hour of study won't be necessary after next week! It's been a little difficult lately...

 

No new investigators yet, but we have a few potentials we're going to be working with.

Not much else has been happening... Just staying busy and working with the members. So what kind of meetings are the ward mission leaders having? I want to know what they're doing so maybe we can impliment something like that here! We could definitely use it!

 

Well I don't know what else to tell you...

 

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

 

P.S. With transfers being next week I won't email till Tuesday

10/28/13

	Rachel Chapman (rachel.chapman@myldsmail.net) This sender is in your contact list.
	Mon 10/28/13 3:13 PM
	Darlene Chapman (darchapman@hotmail.com)

YOU ARE THE BEST MOTHER IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got all the packages and they were the best thing EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!! I love it!

 

It has been a good week! We were able to get Rachael in for a baptismal interview and SHE PASSED!!! So I will be having another baptism this weekend! I'm so excited! Especially for Rachael. She has been an eternal investigator that no one ever thought would get baptized. She had had 3 sets of missionaries before I got to the area and I had taught her and dropped her twice. This last time we started teaching her things were different. She was ready this time to make the commitment. She is awesome! I can't wait for this weekend. Her less active dad also started coming back to church! It's a really good situation.

The Padilla's have moved out of our area once again. So we don't really know what's going to happen with them. They aren't ready yet. They're not willing to commit.

I think that's a problem a lot of people have. Being a member of this church is such a huge commitment, a life long one. and I think for people who haven't tried it are really intimidated by that. But when they actually make the commitment and start working toward that goal they realize it's not a sacrifice and they are richly blessed for the step that they made into the dark. I wish more people would just take a chance on it, they have nothing to lose. They may think they do, but they don't! Only more to gain.  Linda has gone crazy and we have pretty much dropped her. Bonnie we are still trying to get into contact with. We have an appointment with her tomorrow and I really hope she remembers. She could be a really great mormon!

 

I get so invested in these people that I am trying to help and be a vessel for the spirit to help them and I'm able to teach them the tools they need to help themselves. They take them and use them and see the blessings and get baptized and are the happiest people in the world and then they start to use these tools less and less and forget about the things we taught them. And then before you know it they don't come to church all month and their lives are falling a part. I HATE PEOPLE'S AGENCY! Sometimes I just want to take it away, but that's Satan's plan. And the Lord meant for us all to have agency and choose for ourselves. Even if it hurts the people around us. This is something I have been thinking a lot about. How our agency is a precious gift that the Lord has given us and we have to respect it and cherish it and use it for what the Lord intended us to use it for. CHOOSING THE RIGHT! Sometimes that's easier said than done, I will be the first to admit I don't use my agency to choose the right all the time. anyway.... I'll get off that soap box.

 

We have this incredible couple out here, the Hildebrands, who I love so much. I can't wait for you guys to meet them when you come out and get me! Are you guys planning on doing that? Well I'm planning on it... They fed us last night. We have the best time with them. They do so much for all the missionaries. They are an answer to our prayers and yours. they make sure we're getting fed and that we have enough coats and pots and pans and shoes and anything. I'm so grateful for them. Pam has been huge emotional support too! Totally been our moms while we're out here. She keeps me going!

Things are going really well here though. We are trying to get some new investigators, we really need some. We have a few solid potentials that we can hopefully start teaching this week. I'm excited for it.

 

The fall here is beautiful! It reminds me a lot of our drives through Alton. Grandma Grimes would love it.

 

Sis. Trussel still doesn't know a lot about her visa. They are saying by January she should be in Brazil. She also said that the consulate in Oklahoma is one of the faster ones, so hopefully Rex gets his in soon! How is he doing? I hope he's surviving down there! haha! I bet it's good mission prep being with Chris and Katie and Sam.

 

Is Sarah doing better? How is her mouth and the kidney infection? I hope she can get a break from pain soon!

 

I love you guys and miss you all so much!  Rachel