"You gotta kill the spider!"

Hello!! :)

Mom- Zone Conference was awesome. President Brown only called on me 97 times, and I only had three heart attacks and peed my pants twice; I think I'm warming up to him ;) Haha, nah, just kidding. Zone Conference really was awesome. I learned tons. I loved your pictures this week!! Thank you so much for sending those to me!! The General Women's broadcast was SO good. I missed you tons during it too. I kept thinking "Man, my mom is singing this same song right at this moment." Then I told myself to stop thinking about it because that made the ole heart ache a little. I love you. Mom! Good luck with everything this week. You're a champion. Emily- I'm so sorry to hear about your hip. You're right; "ain't nobody got time for that". I'll be praying for your diseased hip. I'm flattered someone thought I looked like you. You're the prettiest Mexican in all the land. Sounds like your crushing the whole high school thing. Keep having fun and making new friends. I love you, kid. Dad- You and I are the same person. Seriously, I'm never full. When I get home, we should have a day where we truly see how much we can eat. We'll both be big tubs of goo by the time I get home. Not even a little joking, I'm so squishy. Haha, I'm going to miss falling asleep with you during General Conference. I think it's sort of an unwritten rule that missionaries need to stay awake during General Conference. Lame. You'll just have to take a nap for me. ;) I love you, Dad! 

Quotes of the week:

1.) "Sister Green, you gotta kill the spider. There's no way I am going to touch that thing." -Me Plot twist: I killed the spider. On Tuesday, we were getting ready to leave our cute little home, and I opened the car door and a big ole spider was on the car door. I screamed, Sister Green screamed, and we spent about 10 minutes making a game plan on how we were going to destroy this little devil. After we made a game plan, Sister Green spent about 10 minutes trying to kill the spider with a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Fun fact about Sister Green: her reflexes are awful. SO, I had to do the grown up thing and get a crutch from our garage, and try and kill the spider. After another 10 minutes, I finally killed it. Yes, we spent a solid 30 minutes trying to kill a single spider. Thank goodness for the Atonement, because some repentance was needed after wasting 30 minutes of the Lord's time. BUT, the important thing is that we all came out of the experience safe and better people. ;)

2.) "Have a super sparkly morning!" -Darrell This quote basically sums up Darrell. A 50 year old, awkward man, with an excellent vocabulary. We did, in fact, have a sparkly day that day. I would even go as far to say that we had the sparkliest of all days. So sparkly.  

3.) "Scott needs to get a colonoscopy tomorrow, so we won't be able to make it to church." -The Didtsch's Two questions: Why is everyone in Ohio comfortable talking about colonoscopies? AND why was Scott's colonoscopy preventing the rest of the Didtsch family from attending church? I guess watching their husband/dad poop out everything that is inside of him is more important than taking the sacrament. Come on, Didtsch's. Get your head in the game!

4.) Us: "Hey, Lisa, are you going to be able to still meet today?" Lisa: "Um, no, I don't think I am going to able to meet with you guys anymore." Us: "Like not be able to meet with us anymore today or like forever." Lisa: "Forever".  Ouch. Come on, Lisa. I'll tell you guys what, it is not fun being dropped. It's not even the fact that we lost an investigator, it's the fact that Lisa kind of gave up on the most important thing in the world. We told her to continue reading and praying, and to call us if she changes her mind. I pray someday she'll change her mind. Imma miss Lisa though. 

5.) "Sometimes you're walking in boots and sometimes you're walking in pig poop." -Sister Rutledge Honestly, I have no idea why Sister Rutledge said this during the Relief Society lesson, but I laughed for like 5 solid minutes. At first I thought maybe it was some saying that old people use,  but considering the expression on everyone's face after she said it, I'm about 1000% that no one knows what the woman was talking about. It's moments like these that make me love that Lima Ward so, so much. 

6.) "Keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever." -Elder Holland. Something that I've learned on my mission is that this life is a time to keep improving.  Heavenly Father doesn't expect us to be perfect, but he does expect us to strive for perfection. You know how we can strive for perfection? By having faith, repenting, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. The gospel is so simple. 

That's all I got for today. Thanks for all of your examples to me. I love being a missionary. Have the best week ever. I love all you so, so much. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish 

"Where do you look when you throw a baseball?"

Mom- Some of my shoes are looking a little worn out, but that's okay. It makes me feel cool. I secretly hope people look at my feet and think "Man, she must work really hard". Dang straight, people. Shoes don't get worn out by sitting around, am I right? We have about 6 solid investigators right now; Darrell, Cloyce, Lisa, Lisa #2, and Louann & Scott Didtsch. They'll be baptized in no time. Probably. Thank you so much for the fun package this week. I LOVE the Disneyland ring, and all the food. Thanks for everything, Mom. I would die without you. I love you so much. Emily- Your grammar is awful. Seriously, kid? ;) I'm glad your hip is doing better! I loved reading all you stories from this past week. That's awesome that you were able to tell that dumb boy to change the song. Emily, you're so cool. I feel so cool that I get to be your sister. I love you tons. Dad- Ya know, I have been looking for a power cleanse of the intestines. Maybe you could send me some salmon jerky? I'm almost positive that a couple of days in the mail will make the cleansing more powerful. I am going to miss skiing this winter, but mostly I think I am going to miss the PB&J's with Doritos we would eat after skiing. I haven't had Doritos for a solid 4 months. Doritos are expensive. They're for people with "fancy scholarships and such". I ain't part of that crowd. You're awesome, Dad. I love you. 

Quotes of the week:

1.) Darrell: "So, when your hitting the baseball, where do you look? Me: "Uhh, the ball? Darrell: "Yes, but WHERE on the ball?" Me: "The red stuff?" Darrell: "YES! THE STITCHES! YOU GOT IT!" Awe, yeah. Score! I get one point for NOT getting Darrell to stay focused on the lesson. Darrell is an eye doctor, and he could spend YEARS talking about eye sight. Do you have any idea how hard it is to try and link where you look when you hit a baseball to the Plan of Salvation? Really hard. Good news though: I now know where to look when I don't play baseball because I don't like playing baseball. 

2.) "So, can I come to church with you guys?" -Lisa Uhh, yeah, you can definitely come to church with us. Lisa is a new investigator we met last Sunday. Lisa is skitzaphrenic, and so logically I call her "Skitz" every time I talk about her. Is it very Christ-like to call her Skitz? No. Do I think it's funny to call her Skitz? Yes. Am I going to continue to call her Skitz? Forever more.  

3.) "Awe, you look so cute in your little apron." -Creepy man at Restore So, we volunteer every Tuesday at a place called Restore, which provides a free meal to anybody who shows up. Well, we're not exactly allowed to proselyte when we're volunteering there, so we just try to be really nice and hope people start asking us questions. I guess I was a little too nice to this creepy old man because now he compliments me on everything. Guys, I didn't look cute in that apron, he's just a really creepy man. Why do I have to be so attractive and charming? Goodness, my life is so hard ;) 

4.) "I got Sister Reddish a Beefy Frito Burrito because I know that she loves those." -Sister Peralta Dad, do you remember those awesome Tuesday afternoons after work when we would go and get Beefy Frito Burritos together? Those were the days. I think they taste a little bit better when you eat them with your favorite dad in the world, but they taste pretty good in Ohio too. Maybe we could eat one someday in Ohio together. That would be awesome. I don't know, just a suggestion.  

5.) "Jesus, our Savior, made it possible for exaltation and salvation and that we may live with Him eternally in the heavens above to feel of His glory and be forever with Him in His heavenly home." -Frank Frank is a recent convert who is probably my most favorite person in Ohio. This is a little excerpt from his prayer in Gospel Principles, and out of all he words in the quote, he probably only understands the meaning of about 20% of the words. Also, yes, the whole prayer was one big ole run-on sentence. BUT, in that long run-on sentence is some truth; Jesus Christ did make it possible for ALL of us to live with Him and our Father in Heaven again for eternity. I hope I can live a life that would prove me worthy of such an extraordinary opportunity. 

Well, my sweet family, thanks for being the best of the best. I love each of you so, so much. I am so thankful for the gospel, and for the opportunity I have to share it with the people of Ohio. My life is good. My life is reaaally good. 

Love,

Sister Reddish 

Sister Halle (Sister Peralta's mom)

Sister Gibbs (on exchanges this week)

"Lets go to Disneyland!"

Aye, family, what's the haps, yo? 

Mom- I can't even put into words how jealous I am of you. Seriously? Your life this week was so magical. I think that perhaps, me, you, and whoever else wants to join, should go to Disneyland November 2017. I don't know, seems like a pretty good idea to me. I'm in if you're in. ;) I'm glad you had the best week. You most definitely deserved it. I can't wait to hear more about it through snail mail. I love you, Mom! Dad- I'm glad your hip is doing better. Running does make ones bowel movements and life better.  I love you. Keep being awesome, Dad. Emily-  That's awesome you joined the Outdoor Club. Tell Mr. Morris that I say hi. Haha, I feel so cool that you posted about me on insta. I'll totes def like it when I get home. I'm sorry your hip still hurts.I'm still praying for ya, cutie. I love you so much. 

Quotes of the week:

1.) "My companion is a very crazy and awkward girl." -Sister Green Ya know, sometimes I'm not exactly sure what Sister Green thinks of me, but she basically nailed explaining me to her family in her weekly email, so that's good. That's me; crazy and awkward and a girl.  

2.) "Sister Reddish, we love you so much!" -Sister Peralta It's crazy how much I love the people in Ohio. It really is. Like people here are weird and crazy and toothless and have really dirty houses, and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. 

3.) "Man, you two girls are cool." -Toni (potential investigator) Thanks, Toni. I'm trying to stay hip and such. The only problem is that I am most definitely failing at staying hip and such. One time Dad and I were talking in the car and he was like "Sometimes kids need to be bullied a little bit to realize that they're big weirdo's". Yup, that's me. Bring on the bullying when I get home. 

4.) "Heavenly Father, please help me not be grouchy even though today was THE WORST!" -Me This week was rough beans, folks. ROUGH BEANS. We had a day that literally everything fell through. Those days suck butt (not even sorry about using that language...okay, maybe a little sorry). I am so happy it's a new week. SO happy. 

5.) "You have the countenance of a 30 year old woman." -Louann Didtsch (new investigator) Yikes. 30 year old? Seriously, Louann? I mean she meant it as a compliment, but seriously? Again, bring on the bullying.

6.) "Life is to be enjoyed not just endured." -President Hinckley Amanda sent me this quote in her letter to me this week. There were times this week when I was grouchy and I was not enjoying myself. Not one bit. But, I only got 14 months left of this experience, and I definitely don't want that 14 months to be enduring. That would suck. This also applies to everybody. Who wants to "endure" life? Lame people, that's who. We've got to enjoy life, because there's so much of it to enjoy. Because of Jesus Christ there's always, always, always something to be enjoyed. This life is great because of Him. 

Thanks for being the best family on the whole earth. I am so, so grateful that we are together forever. Have the best weeks ever, and I will do the same. I sure love you guys. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish   

Hey, Macklemore, can we go thrift shopping?

First off, the subject of this email has nothing to do with anything that happened this week, I just remembered "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore  existed this morning. I woke up with "I'm gonna pop some tags, only got 20 dollars in my pocket.." in my head. Considering I can only listen to Mo-tab for a while, I think I'm going to request for them to sing it for General Conference in a couple weeks.  Also, Happy Labor Day.  

Well, it sounded like a pretty chill week in the Reddish home this week. Mom- I think training is going well. I kind of just act like I know what I'm doing and Sister Green believes it. I pray every night I'm not screwing her up. We got a few new investigators this week. A whole family; the Didstch's! They came to church this week. It was glorious. Thank you for the package this week. You are truly the best...I think I say that every email, but seriously, you're the best. Enjoy every minute at Disneyland. I am so beyond jealous! I love you, Mom!! :) Emily- That's the pits about your hip. I'm sorry, little cutie. I will be praying for your poor little body to start feeling back to normal. I never had a coach named Brian.. If he's ever mean to you, just give him the finger and tell him to step off. ;) Just kidding. Have a good week, Emily! Work hard at school, and don't make friends with any boys. Love you so much! Dad- My week was FABULOUS!! You're having hip issues too? Who the heck is next in this family? I'm  going to be honest, I'm a little jealous that you and Emily get to eat Taco Bell and Arctic Circle all week. That sounds like my kinda life. As for the vacuuming, perhaps Emily can learn how to vacuum this week. It'll be good for her. ;) You're awesome, Dad. I love you. 

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "You're here for 18 months and you don't get to go home at all? Oh man, I would be crying so hard if I were you." -Random lady we starting talking to Obviously, this woman doesn't understand how awesome my life is. I tried to explain how it's hard sometimes, but for the most part it's amazing. She didn't really believe me, and would you look at that, she's not a new investigator. Good conversation, Sister Reddish. You're an awesome missionary. 

2.) "Sister Reddish, will you please wheel me to the senior citizens center?" -Sister Halle Guys, I got to wheel Sister Halle around Bluffton. That is a very big deal for me. The whole way she was giving me a tour of Main Street. Now let me remind you that I've walked up and down Main Street about a trillion times since I've got transferred to Bluffton. I wanted to be like "Sister Halle, do you remember how I've lived here for over 2 months?" but I just enjoyed every minute I got to spend with that cute, crazy woman. 

3.) "If you ever have any questions in your soul, you are always invited to our church." -Larry You know what's the best? When people let you into there home when your tracting and then they try to convert you to THEIR church. Man, I love that ;) Psh, Larry, I don't need your poop church. I got Jesus Christ's gospel. How's about if you have any questions in YOUR soul, you give us a call, aight? Freakin' Larry.  

4.) "Sisters, we are having a very yummy dessert tonight! Fruit cocktail bread!!" -Sister Peralta Fruit cocktail bread is not tasty, people. Not tasty. I was praying the whole time I was eating it that I wouldn't gag. Good thing Heavenly Father answers prayers, or a certain someone who made fruit cocktail bread would have been very offended. I am willing to bet  a solid $5 that every one who qualifies for Hell has fruit cocktail bread for every meal. 

5.) "We never need to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord’s service because we never are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right to bear us up. And He always keeps His word." -President Eyring ("Mountains to Climb") Man, I started getting a little teary just typing this quote. There have been times these past few weeks where I felt pretty alone. I think a lot of times we, and especially me, forget that Heavenly Father is aware of us ALL the time. He doesn't ever forget about us; we just have the tendency to forget about Him. I love knowing that I have a Father in Heaven who is helping me. Life wouldn't be any good without that knowledge. 

Well, have the best weeks ever, folks. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true. I love it a whole bunch. I also love each of you. Catch ya on the flip side. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish