Another week in... La Jolla!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Wooohoooo!

I was so happy! Sister Tanner and I survived the transfer and we are staying in La Jolla singles for another week! The transfer process caused a lot of anxiety, though, because they tell us before hand who gives the tour for the brand new Sister missionaries that come in, and usually those two are companions and it means they are staying together. This time, however, they had Sister Tanner and Sister Young give the tour together so there was all this speculation going around. But it was all good and I gave her a HUGE hug when I saw her. I was a little bit bouncy! I finally get to stay with a companion for more than two transfers and I am ecstatic that it’s Sister Tanner. =D

This week though, after our fantastic week last week, was super duper slow. I felt like everything was in slow mo! Ha-ha, but it was a good learning experience, definitely set in the lesson that God has been trying to teach me that it is HIS work and not mine, and if I'm working hard and being obedient, God will give and take away according to the needs of his children. So, life is going well, but here is not much to report. We did get to visit with and teach my favorite people, =D Sunny, Alfredo, Jill, and James and they all have their own struggles and own concerns but I know that the gospel will help them if they will allow it to touch their hearts. It is kind of scary to take that first step, but when you do all these blessings come. It is also really funny that I'm so much happier now than I was before, that my sound affects have started to come back, especially when I'm driving, ha-ha. Sister Tanner just teases me about it, but I think she's secretly happy that I've finally come out of my shell and am able to be myself and the missionary that the Lord expects of me. It has been great, fantastic in fact.

Finding investigators is hard. We need to figure out a new way to find people, because even in the six months I've been here people have become less and less likely to answer their doors. We don't go tracting in this mission, but we do contact potentials, former investigators, and referrals and it is like knocking on doors of a ghost town. It is all about the members and us helping them to help their friends to come to activities and to church and yesterday someone came up to us and said that we were "just the people they were looking for" and said they have a friend she wants us to teach. Miracle!

We had another miracle! The Temple is closed on Mondays. Actually it is closed for cleaning but we went to go contact a referral that lives right outside of the Temple and we saw these two people. So we went to talk to them. They are from China, and they saw the Temple on the Internet so they came to see it. Their names were Chen and Ivy. He asked where we went to school and I said BYU and he said "I'm planning on applying there!" He asked me all sorts of questions about the school and the living situation and if he had to be a member to go there. We got his e-mail. He has our phone number so hopefully I'll see him at BYU. =D He wants to get his masters in accounting. It is going to be really funny because I'll go to BYU and have all these Chinese friends and people will wonder where I served my mission - San Diego? Yep! That's right!

This week was great! Another week of mini miracles and lots of the Gospel. Next week we have a mission conference so we'll see what I get to learn. I'm pretty excited though!

And Congrats for Susie being engaged. =D Hurray!!

Love you all!

~ Sister Tardiff

Some more pictures

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Hey Everyone!

I think this is arguably might have been the best week of my mission
and it is the last week of the transfer which means that tomorrow we
will find out if I stay or if I go, and if Sister Tanner stays or if
she goes. I'm a little bit scared because I want BOTH of us to stay. I
have grown to truly love La Jolla for all its quirks and all of its
wonders, but most importantly for all the people. Last night our ward
had FHE at the Battalion and Sister Tanner and I were in our pioneer
dresses and everyone was just so excited to see us. I love these
people. So we will see what and where tomorrow brings.

But the most exciting news of the week is that we added an
investigator named Marrinna who accepted a baptismal date for April
14. Please pray for her! She just started her second job and she works
literally 20/7. The time that she is not working is used for sleep.
So it will be hard for her to go to church. We need miracles with
her but she is so cute, so prepared, so ready, if only the world
wasn't in the way.

Our other investigators are doing well also. We might not have tons
but the ones that we do have are progressing really nicely. I'm
teaching some of my favorite people in my entire mission, and it will
be really hard to leave them all.

We had another really incredible lesson with Jill yesterday. I just
love her so much. I love her sincerity, her prayers and how willing she
is to learn and to ask with real intent. I told her yesterday that
when she gets married in the temple I better be invited, ha-ha, and she
of course agreed.=)

Yesterday was a hilarious day. We were in our area in the morning and
nothing went right, not even lunch. We were planning on getting Carne
Asada fries as an end of the transfer lunch but instead I decided to
poke my head into a place called Honeybaked. The guy loved us into
buying food there. He gave us samples, and wasn't pushy. It was the best decision
ever. We got this HUGE meal for only 6 dollars and he added some
cookies and soup for free. Yes I am converted, and yes mom, I will
write him a thank you note. =D

Then we got lost because the GPS lost the satellite signal and the map was
gone from the car so we drove the ENTIRE wrong way down a road and
then realized we had to go ALL the way back. At least it was a nice
and scenic route. I tried to take a picture. =D We just had to
laugh because the address that we had was wrong, so we spent all that
time lost and it ended up being the address for a school - lame? Yes.
Funny? - most definitely! Even funnier? It was right next to a church
for Jehovah Witnesses. A guy came up and said "Are you sisters?" We were like "Yeah!!" We started talking about wards and churches and
the Mormon battalion and I asked if he had been on a mission and he
said - I'm actually a Jehovah Witnesses, but... it’s OK. It was nice to
meet you." hahaha. It was funny. He was a really nice guy. =D

Anyway! So that's a snap shot of my week.

I love you all! Thanks for your support and your love. You are incredible!

Love,

Sister Tardiff

I'm out of creative titles, ha-ha

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Hey Everyone!

So this week was pretty great, pretty normal, but pretty great! I
went on two exchanges; one in Logan Heights which was a Spanish
speaking area and one in La Jolla where I stayed with Sister Young, my
Bostonian twin. So that was last Monday, but I can't remember if I
told you about it, so I'm just telling you again. =) We almost ate at
Boston Market but it was too expensive so we decided to go to Little
Caesars instead, ha-ha. It was not very Bostonian but it’s OK. We were also
able to practice teaching the plan of salvation to some of our members
and they gave us 4 referrals. It’s so awesome! Hurray for members! I'm a
big fan of this ward. They do well.

The one in Logan heights was really funny. We prayed to have an
opportunity to teach in English together and half way through the day,
the Elders in the area called and said they needed help with one of
their investigators. We went and she spoke fluent English and reads
in English better than Spanish. It was awesome! Prayers are answered
every single day, and God micro-manages everything. Her name was
Beatrice and I really felt a connection with her. She's 25 and has a
10 year old daughter and she can feel the Spirit. It was awesome.

I'm not the driver anymore! I'm so happy!!!!!! Sister Tanner is a funny driver.

We had a funny experience last night at dinner with some members.
Somehow we got into a conversation about how different Sister Tanner
and I are, which is funny in and of itself. We came to the conclusion
that our similarities were: not from Utah, we like cheese, fruit and
vegetables, pizza, and we love the Gospel. One of the members, Sarah,
said - "I wish I could u-tube this for all the people who want to go
on missions but are worried about companions. This is the perfect
example. You can be polar opposites, but still love each other!" Ha-ha
so funny, but so true.

At the temple shift we had I was able to see like half of the Chula
Vista ward. The youth were there for baptisms and they came running
over "Sister Boston! Sister Boston!" It was so cute. I feel really
blessed to have been able to serve in that ward. They were all really
surprised that I still had so long left on my mission, ha-ha. Apparently
I seemed a lot more "veteran" as a missionary there then I really was,
which is funny, because I've seen so much improvement and learning
since I left, but that's what life is about; learning, growing and
progressing.

Jill is one of my favorite people, she might be my favorite
investigator I've ever taught. She's the doctor. She's so sincere. She
wants it. She has spiritual experiences and everything is in her favor to
know it, be changed by it, and be baptized. She also wants to be sealed
in the temple. I feel extremely blessed to be able to teach her, help her, and share my experiences with her.

Also we met one of the funniest people yesterday. Antoine. He's one of
those 32 year old's that we just have to pass off, but he's hilarious
and sincere. He told us he wouldn't have given us his number (he ASKED
to give it to us) or taken our book if he wasn't serious about
learning. He does hate all Boston sports but I think we can be friends anyway. =) A miracle of yesterday.

Today we're going to the temple. I'm really grateful. I need it. 90
days is a long time between going to the Temple. You are lucky you get
to go so frequently. =)

I have such a testimony of this Gospel, of the work that I'm doing, of
the Atonement, and of how the Gospel truly changes lives and help us
individually and as families. Recently I've been able to tell people a
lot about our family and how its brought us together, about our
sealing and about the love I have for them. It has been really special. I
feel blessed and I am so happy right now. I'm probably the happiest
right now that I've been on my entire mission and it isn't because
my area is doing well (it’s a little slow right now actually ha-ha) but
because I’m finally gaining that eternal prospective and seeing me and
the work I'm doing through how God views it. It has been great.

Anyway that's pretty much my week. =) I love you all!

Love,

Sister Tardiff