Reddish and Green

Sarah's new little trainee is Sister Green, too bad they won't be companions at during the Christmas season!

Hello, cuties!  

Man, whatta week it has been. Mom- I did end up driving to Kirtland. I felt pretty cool driving through Cleveland. I drove like a champ. All those times you had me drive to Rexburg in the Suburban really paid off, I suppose. Thanks so much for the package this week. I LOVED the Swedish Fish and caramels. You are an angel. Also, don't worry, Sister Green and I are drinking water. I don't want my baby dying of dehydration. President Brown would totes de fire me. Thanks for all you do, Mom. I love you so much. Emily- Awe man, I'm so excited that you are running x-country and that you are meeting new friends. You are already killing this high school thing. I am so excited to read your letter! You keep being the coolest, Emily. I love you. Dad- Seriously, your emails are hilarious. Tell Sam I think he's a tool too. This week I said "If you're waiting for me, your wasting your time", then I vowed never to say that until I see you again because it made me miss you. You're the coolest, Dad. I love you tons. 

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "Thanks for being my best friend. I love you forever." -Sister Jenkins. Man, I'll tell you guys what, it was not fun saying goodbye to Sister Jenkins. She really did become my best friend. I was so blessed to have her as my trainer. Heavenly Father knew exactly who I needed these first few months on my mission, and I will be forever grateful for her. 

2.) "Sister Green, you will be trained by Sister Reddish." -President Brown So, I'm training Sister Green. Training is a little different than I thought it would be, but I am slowly learning to love it. Sister Green is still in that phase where she doesn't say much in lessons, so I've had to talk a lot. Thank goodness for the Spirit...seriously, the Holy Ghost is the only thing that is preventing me from sounding like an idiot. 

3.) "Becky doesn't want to plan my funeral, so I started preparing pictures to have at it." -Sister Halle. I don't really know what's funnier about this quote... that Sister Peralta (Becky) has already told her 65 year old mother that she doesn't want to plan her funeral, or that Sister Halle has already begun the planning. I wanted to ask if she was planning on dying anytime soon, but I just acted interested and tried to act like what she was doing was normal. Haha, I love the Peralta's. So much. 

4.) "In Korea when woman has a bun like that, it either means there married or available. I don't know whether to stay away from you or hit on you." -Brother Kelly (creepy member in the Lima Ward). Hm, that's really interesting, Brother Kelly. Maybe I'll look it up on Google when I get home, but for right now, we'll just assume THAT YOU SHOULD STAY VERY, VERY FAR AWAY FROM ME.One big awkward mess of a life I have. I love it. 

5.) "Check your speed!" -Tiwi So, as you guys know, I finally got to start driving this week. You know what's dumb about mission cars? You can't speed. Freakin' Tiwi is throwing off my groove. It's not natural to go the speed limit (unless you're Amanda or Josh). Someone once told me that they were "grateful for Tiwi" and that it has made them a "better driver". Psh, that's a load of poop. ;)

Well, I think that's all I got for you guys today. This week has been hard, but I am so grateful to be where I am. John 14:27 says, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." I've never felt so close to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. They are aware of each of us- we just have to ask them for help. I love you guys. Have the best weeks ever!

Love, 

Sister Reddish

"Lead thou me on..."

Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?

Mom- I am going to answer ALL of your questions this week. Here we go: Yes, I will be picking up my little trainee tomorrow morning at Kirtland. It's a 4 hour drive, so I'll be driving a total of 8 hours tomorrow. Hip hip hooray, am I right? I have not been able to get a GPS yet, but I am going to Wal-Mart in a couple hours. I'm feeling saucy. Always saucy. Right now all I think all I need is for you to come to Ohio and make me a PB&J ;) For reals though, you make the best PB&J's. The "treat yo self" day sounded like a party. I'm so down for having one of those everyday when I get home. I love you, Mom! You're the best of the best. Dad- I really appreciated the first of your email. Thank you muchly. I also appreciated your pun about Amanda. Such a punny man you are. Dad, I hope you know I talk about you a lot. Every time I make a poop joke, I just think about how proud you would be of me. You're so cool. Sister Jenkins can't wait to meet you and Mom. Thanks for being my dad. I love you. Emily- SISTER PERALTA SHOWED ME THE PICTURE MOM POSTED ON FACEBOOK AND YOU ARE SO CUTE. Seriously, you're a stunner and a half. LOVED your first day of school outfit. If boys try to talk to you, literally don't even look at them. They're bad news. and you are TOO pretty for any of them. Good luck on cross country,  You're awesome. Love you, Emmy! :)

Quotes of the week:

 

1.) "Don't make her laugh, she'll pee her pants again" -Sister Sorensen (STL) Ya know, I always kind of wanted to be a "big deal" in the mission. Someone everyone knew. Well, I don't mean to brag, but at least half the mission knows that I pee my pants if I laugh too hard. Just call me Sister Cool. I'll be signing Preach My Gospels in the hallway.  

2.) "When you turn 70, I'll tell you what, it's like being on a Olympic adventure." -Sister Rutlidge (member) Speaking of laughing... Alright, my sense of humor has gone down the drain since being on a mission, but seriously when this woman said this to all of the Lima Ward missionaries, I couldn't stop laughing. Like tears rolling down my face. The hard part is that I didn't want her to know that I was laughing at her, so I just sat there silently shaking while tears rolled down my face. I seriously can't catch a break with awkward moments. 

3.) "Because of Him, everything in this life is good." -Sister Woodruff (member) A ward member said this little golden nugget during Relief Society this week. There is truly something good in everything because of Jesus Christ--even the bad or scary stuff.  There are no words for how much I love Him. 

4.) "Sisters, take a look at my port-fo-li-o." -Sister Halle (Sister Peralta's momma) Once again, my sense of humor is weird now, but in my mind, this quote is comedy gold. She said portfolio a little like the elder on "The Best Two Years" says "the gro-cer-y store". I don't know, maybe I'm just lame and all of you are staring at your computer screens with straight faces, but I thought it was funny. Sister Jenkins reminds me on a daily basis that my sense of humor is like a "40 year old mom". Again, just call me Sister Cool. 

5.) "He lives to comfort me when faint. He lives to hear my soul's complaint. He lives to silence all my fears. He lives to wipe away my tears. He lives to calm my troubled heart. He lives all blessings to impart." Honestly, I don't really need to add anything to this quote, but I know that it's true, and it meant a whole lot to me this week. 

Well, that's all I got today. Next time I email, I'm going to be a mom. Crazy beans. I love all of you so much. Thanks for every thing you do for me. It's crazy how much I have felt your prayers this week. I love being a missionary, and I am excited to see what adventures lie ahead. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the best. See you guys on the flippity flop. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish

Sarah and Elder Ravsten from Pocatello, Sarah used to take piano lessons with him when she was little.

There's a bun in the oven...some exciting news this week!

HELLLLLOOOO!!!

Dad- Man, it was weird reading your email first. Just didn't seem right. I'm not really "hip with the kids" anymore, but the emoticons seemed accurate if you were meaning to be laughing... get with the times, ya old man😉 I love you, Dad. I promise to stick around a little while when I get home :) Mom- thank you so much for sending me that life sketch of Ida Elizabeth. I loved reading it. To answer some of your questions: Sister Peralta is literally the only person who feeds us in the Lima Ward. Come on, people. I'm a hungry girl. AND no new investigators, but some more potentials. Things are looking up again. Mom, you're the best. I love you. Thanks for being the best "missionary mom" ever. Emily- I'm sorry you got so sick from running, but I am so excited you decided to run cross country! You are going to love it. Don't turn into a "troublemaker". Flandro doesn't like those. ;) I love you, Emily!! 

1.) "Could I maybe do studies on the couch today...?" -Me I kind of got a little sick this week. Not bad... I just kind of pooped out everything that was inside of me. I'll tell you what, I do not like just sitting around anymore. I was only laying down for 3 hours tops, and I couldn't even handle it. I'd rather poop my pants tracting then be inside all day. 

2.) "If the Book of Mormon isn't true then you two are awfully good deceivers." -Cloyce Cloyce is my favorite Ohio-an. I don't know if I've ever described Cloycey before, but he's 82 years old and is literally the cutest old man on this whole planet. He's going to be (hopefully) baptized on September 24. And guess what? He believes the Book of Mormon is true. Who doesn't, am I right? Seriously though, that book is the best. I love it. 

3.) "Happy 3 month mark, Sister Reddish!!" -Sister Jenkins Three months.. how is that even possible? Didn't you guys just drop me off at the MTC like 2 days ago? Time is flying.

4.) "Wow, I haven't seen skirts that long in a really long time!" -Karen (Potential investigator for missionaries that aren't me or Sister Jenkins) Alright, folks, there's a long explanation for this one. So, we were tracting the other day (story of my life), and there was this creepy trailer that we decided to steer clear of. Well, we had to walk past it again to get back to our car and that's when Karen (woman who owned the creepy trailer) commented on our skirts. Believe it or not, most people don't usually want to start conversations with us, so obviously we were pretty happy when she started talking to us. She invited us in and introduced us to her daughter, Janet. JANET HAD A BEARD, GUYS. A BEARD. They then started talking to us about how their trailer was haunted by a Yankee soldier. We bounced out. Not ever going back there. "NOT TAH-DAY!!"

5.) "Sister Reddish, we have a new calling for you in the mission. You've had a really good trainer, and now we want you to be responsible to train a new missionary." -President Brown You know what's scary? When President Brown calls you. You know what's scarier? When he asks you to take it off speaker so he can "just talk to Sister Reddish". So, I guess I'm going to be a trainer? It's going to be hard to train a missionary when I feel like I still need to be trained, but I guess Heavenly Father knows I can do it. Heaven help my little trainee. This is going to be the blind leading the blind...can't tell if I'm excited or terrified..

Well, I hope you guys know that I love the gospel. So much. I also love being on a mission. I'm a pretty lucky girl. I hope you guys have the best week ever, and I'll try to do the same. I love all of you tons and tons. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish

"Nice weather we're having..."

This week's letter WAS longer. Still editing. Sheesh Sarah.

Greetings, loved ones. (I think that's a Katy Perry quote...)

Mom- I would love for you to send me that family history stuff! Haha, I'm glad the radio doesn't make you sad anymore. It's weird there's all new songs. It feels like time stopped once I left. Thank you so much for the package! I have shared everything with Sister Jenkins, and I told Sister Peralta about the sucker, but I keep forgetting to bring it over. Thanks for all you do, Mom. I love you so much. Emily- Wow, your week sounded exciting...NOT. Whatta, loser. ;) Haha, just kidding. I'm jealous you got to hang out with Mom and Dad. They're the coolest. Cooler than Maddy, Jess, and Aubrey combined. I love you, sista. You're such a cutiecutiecutie. Dad- I'm impressed about the speakers in the truck. Whatta a handy guy you are. I miss Ridley's doughnuts and the cabin!!! I had Sister Jenkins read the paragraph about Griffy jumping in the pond in your email. She laughed and said "This is your dad?!?" Haha, you're so cool, Dad.I love you!!!  

1.) "Wow, this is like Disneyland except really scary and everyone looks like they want to hurt me.."-Me This quote basically sums up my whole mission. We were actually mini golfing as a district when I said it, but I realized that's my whole life right now; Disneyland happy while surrounded by a bunch of sketchies. Whatta life I am living right now.  

2.) "Well, Sister Reddish, it appears like you are becoming a really good missionary." -President Brown. Ya know, I don't know why I'm scared of President Brown. He's a really nice man. But when he was interviewing me on Tuesday, I literally almost pooped my pants. It made me feel really good when he said this to me though. Thanks, President Brown; you're not as terrifying as you may appear. Also, nailed the discussion. Just saying. 

3.) "You two are very good at what you do." -Elsie (Investigator.. kinda) Awe, thanks, Elsie, you cute old lady, you. Perhaps that's why WE CAN'T GET YOU TO EVEN TOUCH THE BOOK OF MORMON. People love their Bible round these parts. Don't worry, we'll get her to touch it next time... and maybe someone in the spirit world will be able to get her to read it... But until then, we're going to keep helping her feel the spirit. 

4.) "Hi, Lisa! How are you? How was your colonoscopy?" -Sister Jenkins. Sister Jenkins has taught me a ton on my mission, but one thing I got to teach her is THAT YOU DON'T ASK PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR COLONOSCOPIES. Haha, what was that poor woman supposed to say? "Oh great, I love getting something shoved up my poop hole". The good thing is, people in Ohio are crazy, so Lisa took it as a normal question. She told us that it went good but she is sore. Wowzers. 

5.) "Awe, you're not a greeny anymore!" -Sister Viola (Bowling Green Ward member) That is the best compliment EVER. It's a hard life when everyone around you expects you to be awkward, and bad at teaching. The remarkable thing is that I AM awkward and bad at teaching, but I'm just getting better at hiding it. 

6.) "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever" (Alma 26:12). Since being on a mission, I've learned to rely on Heavenly Father a lot more. I truly believe I would have come home a long time ago, if I didn't know He had my back. Boy am I grateful that I know Him, and I know how much He loves me. This life would not be very fun without that knowledge (Just ask the lady glaring at me from across the library. I betcha she doesn't know how much Heavenly Father loves her.)

Well, that's all I got for you guys today. I hope each of you have the best week ever. The Church is true, and Heavenly Father is so happy that we've chosen to be apart of it. I'll catch you guys on the flip side! I love all of you so, so much. :)

Love, 

Sister Reddish  

"What are you guys even doing here?"

Hello! :)

Wow, this week sounded like a fun week for all of you. Mom- Sister Peralta is taking pictures of us all the time. I'm happy you're appreciating all the pictures. This way, you can gradually see me getting more and more chubby and wearing less and less make up. Ha, I wish I was kidding. ;) I'm doing pretty good with all my clothes and shoes. Transfers should be in about 3 weeks, and Sister Jenkins and I are hoping we have one more transfer, but honestly, I'm not sure what is going to happen. This life is crazy nut balls. I love you, Mom. Thanks again for everything you do. Emily-Well done, kid. Edit, edit, edit Also, McCall sent me some pictures of the reunion; Emily, you are getting so tall. Such a tall, beautiful, Mexican lady. Love you so much, Ems! Dad- I totally get ya with the Fiber One bars. Those do wonders to my tummy.  I hope you found some time to photobomb all those Asians in Yellowstone. I know how good you are at that. I love you, Dad!

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "I believe that Jesus Christ came to earth and that He is my Savior and you guys don't believe that, so goodbye." -Butthead MaGee. Ummmm, excuse me sir, but I literally just told you that we're missionaries from the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints. We believe in Jesus Christ, I promise. After he shut the door, I pretended to kick his house. I probably looked kind of weird, but I was mad at him. A good pretend kick never hurt anybody. Guys, I know Jesus Christ died for all of us, and that this is His church. I may not have been able to tell Butthead MaGee that, but I can tell you guys.   
2.) "Aaaaaallelujah... Whenn... the... moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie.." -Sister Jenkins. I'm not only spreading the gospel to my friends in Ohio, I am also spreading the good word of John Daker. Folks, you need to watch that video for me this week. I didn't realize how much I loved it until I didn't have it. John Daker is queen.   

3.) "I like you two girls. You give me hope for America's future!" -Jerry (new investigator) This quote may not seem very awkward, but he said it in front of his 19 year old daughter who is pregnant with her second baby...and then looked at her in disappointment. Yikes. I'll tell ya what, my whole life is one big awkward mess. I thought this mission was going to help me become less awkward, but it's just going down hill. Heaven help me. 

4.) "Sister Reddish, will you give the discussion this next district meeting? No pressure, but President and Sister Brown are going to be there, so make it pretty good" -Elder Russell. Well, lucky for you, Elder Russell, my middle name is "Make it pretty good". Just kidding, I'm really nervous. President Brown is the scariest man on this earth. I just want to impress him so bad, but every time I see him, I poop my pants. Wednesday should be interesting...

5.) "Hey there girlies" *Smacks my butt* -Betty (One of the Elder's investigators) Woo-hoo-hoo, Betty. I guess that one time we sat next to each other in Relief Society really paid off, because obviously we're pretty good friends. Was not expecting that one. Again, my life is a downward spiral of awkward. Haha, so embarrassing. 

6.) "Umm...I'm less active. Like really less active. What are you guys even doing here?" -Brother Thornock (less active...obvi) Hmmm, I don't know why we're here, Brother Thornock.. MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE LESS ACTIVE. So, just FYI, we have about 40 members in our area, and about 30 of those are less actives. Of those 30, about 28 of those hate us. Haha, I've never been hated so much. Why do I love my life right now? Seriously, I can't figure it out.

Well, that's all I got for you. I can't tell if my emails need to be less goofy, and more spiritual, but I promise all of you that my testimony is growing every day. I know that that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true and that it's Christ's church restored on the earth today. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. Seriously, that's the greatest book ever. I love reading it. I know that we get to be as a family forever and ever. That is the greatest blessing. I love all of you so much. Peace out, homies. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish