"Searching my Soul"

 Helllllooooo!!!!!
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> Man, is it already Monday again? These weeks are starting to fly by. Mom- HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY! I did get your package! Thank you so much! I loved the bracelet you gave me. I've worn it every day since I got it :) Sister Peralta gets so excited to tell me what you've said on Facebook. She said the other day "I could just talk to your mom all day." Me too, Sister Peralta, me too. You're great. Mom. I love you. Emily- Push, push in the bush, am I right? Although, from what it sounds like, not much pushing was required in the bush. That story was hilarious. I can't wait to drive with you!! Stay cool, aight, kid? I love you tons. Dad- From what it sounds like, you and Parker are BFF's now-a-days. I'm glad your choosing good friends. Friends are SO important. Can't believe that kid won't go to Taco Bell, though. That's like rejecting the gospel. That's why I'M your real BFF. True friends eat Taco Bell together. That's like a rule of life ;) A member told me this week that "next time you see your dad, you give him a big hug". I look forward to the day I get give my dad a big hug again. I love you, Dad!!
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> Top 6 quotes of the week:
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> 1.) "Isn't that right, John?" -Patricia (John's wife). Okay, not that funny of a quote, but let me just explain Patricia. SO, Patricia, literally yells everything she says. Everything. She's a middle aged woman, who has super crazy eyes. Like I don't even know what eye to look at because they both go in totally different directions. Sometimes she's talking to me, and I don't even real-"eyes" it (Haha, man, am I proud of that pun). But, anyways, she ends every one of her sentences with yelling, "Isn't that right, John?", and about 98% of the time John agrees and then calls her, what seems to be, a mean name in Spanish. I love going to teach them.
> 2.) "Oh man, you guys live by the Mormons. Do you girls have ANY idea what those people believe?" -Cloice (new investigator). Umm, I like to think I have somewhat of an idea of what those crazy Mormon's believe. Haha, people never realize that we're Mormons. They've never heard of "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints". Ya know what's the pits? People will be really nice to us, but once they realize we're "Mormons" they literally shut the door so fast. Cloice, however, let us tell him about our crazy beliefs. Must not be too crazy because he agreed to baptism. Awe yeah.
> 3.) "I saw a pillar of light, exactly over my head above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me, I saw two personages whose brightness and glory defy all description standing above me in the air.  One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said pointing to the other, "This is my beloved Son, hear Him". Man, do I love quoting this to people. I've heard a lot of bad things about Joseph Smith this week. People are so silly. You know what happens when people start saying mean things about Joseph Smith? The spirit leaves. I know Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for him, and that he was able to restore Jesus Christ's church back on the earth.
> 4.) "Now, I'm not saying you guys are going to Hell. That's not for me to judge. All I have to say to you two is I would definitely consider doing some soul searching." -Luke (former investigator) Thanks, Luke. I'll do some soul searching, and you can continue to be unhappy until you realize the Book of Mormon is true. Ya know, I've been told a couple times since being on a mission that I'm going Hell. Every time I kind of just want to start laughing.I don't know why, like that's a pretty mean thing to say to a person, but I just think it's funny. I ain't going to Hell, people. Imma be in the Celestial Kingdom! Psh, people are crazy.
> 5.) "Would you girls be willing to sing 'Called to Serve' in primary, please?" -Primary President. I don't know why, but people think sister missionaries are always musically talented. Well, guess what? The primary learned the hard way that sister missionaries are not always musically talented. Don't think they're ever going to ask Sister Jenkins and I to sing again. Now, we weren't awful, but it was one of those things that mom would be like "Oh, you guys did fine!" (We all know what that really means). We may have not sounded great, but we sang that song with every ounce of our musical talent, and I'm proud of us.
> 6.) "Now, don't tell anybody I'm helping you two. That would ruin my rep. for hating sister missionaries." -Brother Smith (1st counselor in bishopric). Brother Smith is a lot like Uncle Michael, ya know, really easy to make fun of and such. He's quickly becoming one of my faves in Ohio. I've missed the sarcastic humor Uncle Michael and me shared. Brother Smith's offensive comments make me feel at home.
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> Man, am I sick of typing. Mom, I hope you realize that I write these long emails for you... and so I don't look like the crap kid next to Joshua. ;) I had a real good week. We added 3 new investigators to our list. Missionary work is amazing. I have seen so many miracles.
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> I hope all of you know that my heart is so full of love for every single one of you. Have the best week ever.
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> Love,
> Sister Reddish

Thank you, Heavenly Father...

Hellooooooo!!

Oh my word, all of you are wannies. Every single one of you. I bet that hike was hot...you know what else is hot? 100 degrees with 10000% humidity. ;) Juuust kidding. Sounds like it was an eventful week for the Reddish fam. Mom- Sister Peralta loves you. It's fun when she shows me what you guys talk about on Facebook. It brings me back to the good ole days of social media. Man, whatta a life I use to have. Thank you for the letter this week, and the subway gift card. Very much appreciated. Also, you're going to be those kids' favorite teacher of all time. You're awesome. I haven't heard much about the convention, but I know it's coming up. Pretty crazy stuff, for sure. And yes, I am drinking enough water. I promise. I know I say this every week, but I am really thankful for you, Mom. I love you tons and tons. Emily- I'm glad you noticed my awesome turtleneck. I got that turtleneck for free when volunteering at a place kind of like DI. I literally wear it every chance I get. Sister Jenkins can't even look at me when I wear it. She thinks it's the most horrendous fashion choice ever. I love it. Congrats on the permit, kid. I can't wait for you to take me on a drive when I get home. I betcha you're awesome. I love you, Emily! Dad- Everyone is playing the "Pokémon Go" game here too. What is this world? If a missionary knows about a new app, it's gotta be pretty huge. But, Pokémon? Seriously? Sounds like you're rocking the new calling. I bet those boys just love you. Dad, I know I've told you this before, but you're a good dad. There are countless reminders every day of my mission that I have got a really good dad. Thanks for all you do. I love you more! 

1.) "So, where are the gold plates? I need evidence to actually have faith in something." -Tyler (new investigator). That makes sense. Because "faith is something hoped for and seen". NOOOOOO. Tyler is a pastor at some random church in Bluffton. I was pretty nervous to teach him because he knows a crap ton about the Bible, but I'm about 200% that I know more about Jesus Christ's gospel than him. And I know it because of I have faith...not because I've seen evidence. Whatta nut that man is. What. A. Nut. 

2.) "And God made it all, yes, God made it all!" -Old, blind woman named Peggy singing one of her songs. Folks, the Lima Ward is the most interesting ward probably on this whole planet. A BLIND WOMAN PLAYS THE PIANO FOR RELIEF SOCIETY. What? She can play the piano perfectly. I know this sounds terrible, but sometimes I wonder if she's just faking, and she's fooling all of us behind those sunglasses. I'm watching you, Peggy. The scary part is she might be watching me too...freaky... 

3.) "Um, yeah, we actually have a concern...There's a ghost in our little house" -Sister Jenkins and I talking on the phone with our district leader, Elder Jones. Maybe it's from all of my days of participating in "Scary Movie Saturday", but pretty sure there's a ghost in our house. We've decided it's a nice ghost, but it sure does make a lot of noises. It could also be that we live in an old house and old houses have a tendency to creek a lot...but the ghost hypothesis makes my life seem more exciting...so we'll go with that.

4.) "Do we have 10 new investigators? I think we have 10 new investigators...when did that even happen?" -Sister Jenkins. Heavenly Father is blessing us so much. It has been a hard few weeks getting doors slammed in our faces over and over again, but people are finally starting to listen. Ya know what that means, right? Only about 10 more and we'll have every single person in our area investigating our church. All joking aside, I am so thankful for Heavenly Father. I couldn't do any of this without His help. 

5.) "You two are beautiful. Not just our faces, but the inside. I really, really like it when you two come to visit." -John (Mexi Investigator). Awe man, I love that cute man. What made this whole conversation even better is he was holding a dead bird in his hands while saying all of this to us. Haha, what the heck? Why are you holding a dead bird, John? It sure was fun shaking his hand when we said goodbye...Thank the heavens for hand sanitizer and public bathrooms. So grody. 

6.) "So, have you girls found a couple of missionary boys to marry when you get home?" -Chet (One of the elder's investigators). Working on it, Chet. That is, of course, the only reason I am on my mission; to find someone to marry. Just keeding. People really do ask us a lot if we date the elder's though. I don't think they realize that it's basically breaking the law of chastity when we accidently brush against each other's arms.

Well, I'm getting really tired of typing, so I'm going to end this email. I could, however, write a whole book about how much I love my life right now. I love this church, and there's no doubt that it is true. Being a missionary is my favorite thing on this whole planet. Thank you, mom and dad, for letting be here. I love all of you. Have the best week in the history of weeks. 

Love, Sister Reddish 

"Happy Day, All is Well!"

Hello, my family!!

Mom- Congrats on the calling. You know how you'll become those kids' favorite teacher ever? Bring treats. Every week. I'm happy to hear you got my letter. I met every word. Thank you for the pictures and the nice note. I hope you know that your letters to me mean the whole world. I love you. Emily- THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LETTER AND CONGRATS ON PASSING DRIVERS-ED!!! You're so grown up. Still stuck on the roll out bed, huh? I kinda thought those days would be over for you. Guess not. Life's hard when you're a young Mexican woman, I guess. Love you so much, Emily!! Dad- I know why Heavenly Father called you to be the YM's President...He knew Parker needed to have Taco Bell. Thank goodness for you. That call was definitely inspired. ;) Haha, man, sorry to hear you threw up at the Blue Lemon. Glad you treated yourself to some McDonald's though. That probably did your stomach some good. I love you, Dad!!

This week was hard and hot and humid... and I loved every second of it.

Here are some quotes that basically sum up my whole week: 

1.) "And should we die before our journey's through, happy day, all is well." We tracted ALL day in Bluffton on Tuesday. ALL DAY. Guys, do you know how hot and humid it is here? I sang this verse of "Come, Come, Ye Saints" at least 10 times. Not even a little kidding. Humidity is of the Devil. I hate Satan. 

2.) "I don't know your guys' thoughts on the trinity, but that's something I strongly believe in and I will never change my mind about that." -Angela (member referral). My thoughts on the trinity: who the heck made that up, and WHY does it make sense for the Godhead not to be three different people? Come on, Angela. 

3.) "Ya know that child that is on the 'pedestal'? 'The golden child', 'the sibling who can do no wrong'..? Every family has one." -Sister Peralta (member). YES, SISTER PERALTA!!! You just explained my main squeeze, Amanda Rose Reddish.I told you, Mom. Manda, I hope you're thankful for your spot on the pedestal. 

4.) "I really appreciate that you girls feel like you need to do this, but this whole thing makes me feel really uncomfortable." -Lou Ann. We literally had just asked this woman her name and how she was doing. I know I'm pretty socially awkward, but I really didn't think I was saying anything to make her feel uncomfortable. Sorry, Lou Ann. We were just worried about your salvation. Perhaps we'll go back with a better, more comfortable approach. 

5.) "Heyyyyyy, ladies. God bless. You girls are pretty."-Mah homies from the hood (car full of black guys). A lot of people in Ohio think Sister Jenkins and I are the prettiest girls on the planet. I mean, they're not wrong, but it's pretty weird how often we get called pretty by strangers. 

6.) "Thank you for the spirit the sisters bring into our home" -Sister McCardle (member). A lot of people have said this before, but it kind of hit me this week. Missionaries have a special spirit to them. I've felt it since I've been out, and other people can feel it too. I think that's pretty awesome. I thank Heavenly Father for that spirit every day. 

7.) "The overwhelming message of the Atonement is the perfect love the Savior has for each and all of us" -James E. Faust ("The Atonement:Our Greatest Gift") You guys, I love Jesus Christ and I love what He did for all of us. I love teaching people about it. Heavenly Father loved us enough that He gave us Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ loved us enough that He suffered and died for us. We are so blessed. SO blessed. I will forever be grateful for my Savior. 

Guys, I don't know why, but I really, really love my life right now. I miss all of you, but I am really happy to be in Bluffton. We're still struggling to find people to teach here, but Heavenly Father is blessing us, and we're going to find tons and tons of people who are ready to hear about this gospel. This church is true, and we are so lucky to have it. I hope all of you have the very best of weeks. I love all of you more than I could ever say. Stay cool, aight?

Love, 

Sister Reddish

New Area, New Us! Bluffton... watch out.

First things first, HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS TO AMERICA! Listen to Lee Greenwood and Neil Diamond for me today. 

Emily- I mainly just have a PB&J, cereal, or quesadillas with some fruit or veggies. I'm not really good at the whole "grown up" thing yet, but one day I will be able to prepare a well balanced meal that will make my pooping schedule go back to normal. But until that day, heaven bless me. Good luck finishing drivers ed! When I get home, we'll have to go for a drive. Love you so much!! Mom- I'm hoping to answer most of your questions later on in the email, but I would absolutely love if you would send those emails to me in the mail. Thanks for being the best. Sounds like now that your released from being Young Woman's Pres, your going to start getting super buff. Atta kid. Love you so much, Mom!! Dad- Good luck with your race! You're going to do awesome! No matter what happens at the race, you will always beat, mah lady, Joshua, at being a man. 

Well, this week was a weird one. We decided to call the mission office right after we got home from emailing last Monday to see what the plan was for Wednesday. Thank the heavens we called because they failed to tell us OUR WHOLE APARTMENT HAD TO BE ALL PACKED UP BY TUESDAY MORNING. This "packing up" business didn't just include our stuff, it included all the crap other missionaries have left there the past million years. MILLION YEARS, FOLKS. What the heck, mission office. So, you know what we did? We went and got a milkshake. Then we got work. It was a long night and morning, but by Tuesday at 11 o'clock, the apartment was completely empty, and we went and said goodbye to our peeps in Bowling Green. By 7 that night, we were in Bluffton.

Bluffton is not even considered a town; it's a village. We are in the Lima ward, so we have to travel about 30 minutes to get to church. We also cover about 8 other villages around Lima. The people of Bluffton are actually fairly normal. I mean, no one in Ohio is really considered "normal", but for Ohio, they're normal. Everyone basically already knows us. A lady in our ward said we were the talk of Bluffton. I guess you could say Sister Jenkins and I are a big deal 'round these parts. I really am growing to love it here. The people are awesome. Not too much activity...YET! We're going to baptize all of Bluffton. Probably. The Elders left us with a total of zero progressing investigators, so that's discouraging. We have been doing lots and lots of tracting. There's about a total of about 9 members in the Bluffton, but we're going to bump that up to whatever the population of Bluffton is. And then we're going to baptize the other 5 people in the villages we cover.

We got to move into a cute little blue house (376 W. Elm St., Bluffton, OH, 45817) . The only downer to this cute little house is Elders use to live in it. I don't know what is wrong with boys, but for serious, there were 0 clean dishes in the house. 0. They put them all nicely in the cupboards, but were they clean? NOOOOO. There was nasty stuff all over them. In the words of dad, "the stupidity of men is almost more than I can take." Mom, thank you for teaching me how to clean. We are still in the process of cleaning all the dishes. We do have a washer and dryer in our closet though. That's pretty awesome. No more laundromat for us. Ha-ha! Seriously, though, it's a blessing to have a washer and dryer. I thank Heavenly Father them all the time. Especially when I just really need something to be thankful for...like when I am scrubbing boy germs off dirty plates. 

Wow, sorry if this email sounded super negative. I really am super happy still, it has just been a weird change. I know Sister Jenkins and I got transferred here for a reason, and I know that Heavenly Father is helping us out. There has been countless tender mercies every day. I love the gospel, and I love sharing it with people. Whatta life. What. A. Life. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish