"Praying and having fun"

Hiiiiii. 

Mom- What the what? Bishop Wight, huh? That is crazy beans. I seriously can't believe I've been out 6 months. 18 months doesn't seem like a very long time at all anymore, and I don't really like it. I do, however, miss you like crazy too. Every day. I got the best mom. I loved the package and the sweet letter this week. I'm the most spoiled missionary ever. Thanks for everything you do. I love you. Emily- I am so jealous you get to see Mr. Morris all the time. Do me a favor and tell him he has an egg shaped head. Do the same thing Ms. Flandro. Whatta egghead, am I right? Does she not realize how awesome us Reddish kids are? Obvi not. Also, my dear sister, you have been talking about a letter for like 5 decades, and I never get one for you. It is going to be a miracle the day I get mail from a Miss Emily Faith Reddish. ;) I love you, Em!  Dad- Oh my heck, the story about the Taco Bus. Crimes in Pocatello are so different than crimes in Ohio.  Dad, if you get attacked by a mountain lion, imma be so mad at you. Be safe, aight? I think I'm allowed to watch the Face to Face with Studio C. I was actually gonna ask if it was worth watching. I don't think it'll be as good without the doughnuts, but maybe I'll try to watch it this next coming week. I love you, Dad! 

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "Sister Reddish! I have missed you so much!" -Grandma Pat It's always a good week when ya get to see Grandma Pat. We had exchanges this week, and I got to go to Bowling Green! Honestly, it was kind of culture shock going back. Bowling Green has more than 10 people living there; I am definitely not used to that life. It also has more than once grocery store? What? Some people are so spoiled ;)

2.) "What have you girls been up too besides praying and having fun?" -Sister Weaver (less active) After Sister Weaver asked us this, I started thinking about what else we had been up too...literally nothing came to my head. Praying and having fun. That is my life right now. I guess I'll keep it. It's a pretty good life.

3.) Me: "Do you remember the quote from President Uchtdorf "doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith"? Margie:"Where's the logic in that? Ohhh, wait, I think I got it. Two negatives equal a positive, and then the negative with a positive...would equal a negative...but plus the positive would equal a positive. I always thrived in math." Uhh.. pardon? Mr. Morris didn't teach me crap if that's how math works. In my head right after she said this I was like "What the heck do I even say to that?" But, don't worry, Margie saved the day and spent an additional 30 minutes talking about her days in Algebra 1. Long story, short, we had a REALLY spiritually uplifting lesson with Margie.  

4.) "Sister Reddish, what is up with your profile picture?" -Seanquez I remember one time, about a week before I left on my mission, Mom said "Sarah, are you sure about your profile picture? You never know who's going to look at it". I looked at her as if I had never been so sure of something in my life. Well, Mom, I see where you were coming from now, BUT I think I'm too prideful for anyone to change it, so for now it shall remain. Also, I still think it's awesome. I'm the coolest of the cool. 

5.) "You may feel that your life is in ruins. You may have sinned. You may be afraid, angry, grieving, or tortured by doubt. But just as the Good Shepherd finds His lost sheep, if you will only lift up your heart to the Savior of the world, He will find you. He will rescue you. He will lift you up and place you on His shoulders. He will carry you home." -President Uchtdorf Since being on a mission, I've gained a stronger understanding on Christ's love for each of us. There isn't anybody on the earth that He did not die for, and is not worthy of rescuing. I love being able to testify to people that there's still hope, and that they have a Savior that can help them. Everyone needs to know that. Am I right, or am I right?

Well, looking back at this email, I'd give it 4 stars. Not my best, not my worst. You can't be the best all the time, I suppose. ;) Have the best weeks ever, cuties. I love you so, so much. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish 

"What an awkward week it has been..."

Hello, cuties.  

Mom- I did get my suitcase! I opened it up, and I got a big ole whiff of home. After crying for 4 straight days, I think I can maybe open the suitcase again. Ha, JK. It did smell like home though. I even wore one of the sweaters in 80 degree weather just to be able to smell it all day long. Us Reddish's smell is delightful. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sending that to me. You're awesome. As far as people feeding us, we have someone else besides the Peralta's feed us like once a month. Obviously the Lima ward doesn't realize that I'm a party and a half, and can totally share a spiritual thought with them if they feed us. They have NO idea what they are missing out on. Am I right, or am I right? UP TOP! Thanks for the freshest gossip. I love it.  Also, thanks for being the mother of all mothers and queen of all queens. I love you so much. Emily- It's okay to just admit that you peed your pants. Seriously, it happens to the best of us.😉 Bad days make you appreciate the good days, right? I hope your Monday was much better today :) That's cool about the kid in your art class. Emily, you are such a good girl. Like serious. I love you. Dad- Your email was hilarious. What I usually do is write the quotes in my journal each night, and then bring my journal to the library. I quite enjoyed your quotes. I played a game where I tried to guess what swear words you were bleeping out. Knowing the quotes were from Mom, the possibilities were endless. That woman has a mouth of a sailor. ;) Haha, I love you so much, Dad. 

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "I want to go to Hell. I'm going to be a missionary in Hell. Imma be a Hell missionary." -Tedd (86 year old investigator) Always a good day when your investigator tells you he wants to go to Hell. I didn't really know how to respond to it, so I just said "Wow, that's awesome". That, my friends, was probably not the right response. But honestly, what was? They don't train you for stuff like this in the MTC... 

2.) "I hope in the eternities I play the trombone. Oh, also, I hope I get to sing." -Darrell Darrell then proceeded to sing us 3 hymns. Now, folks, this man had a pretty decent voice. Like I'd give him 4 stars. BUT, I have this problem that when I feel uncomfortable, I start laughing. So, guess what happened? I might have laughed while not smiling the whole 3 hymns. And yes, there might have been tears coming down my cheeks. And yes, Darrell probably thought his singing moved me to tears. And yes, my life is awkward. 

3.) Margie: "Can one of you girls say a quick prayer? I need to use the restroom." Me: "Yeah, I can say a quick prayer!" Margie:"Just kidding, I got to go now. I'm taking medicine that makes me do this!" So there Margie ran.   (Edit Edit Edit.....maybe when she turns 20 in a few weeks she'll grow up) It is a blessing I have a silent laugh. It truly is. 

4.) "I'm going to get all my teeth pulled out because they hurt all the time. I think it's genetic because my mom was the same way." -Lisa I think bad dental hygiene is more of a choice than a gene; nonetheless, I thanks the heavens I don't have those genes. Back when I was young and foolish, I use to think people in Ohio  didn't know what the purpose of a tooth brush is. Now that I'm older, I still think that. I have seen so many yucky mouths. So many. I'm literally starting to gag thinking about it, so that's all I have to say about this quote. The end. 😷

5.) "Yeah, I can be baptized on November 12th. What time?" -Seanquez (coolest, black investigator to ever happen) Um.. whatever time you want. We've met with Seanquez twice, he's come to church 3 times, and he's being baptized my birth week. I'm really, really excited! 😆 I knew that my black soul would come in handy on my mission. ;) I love seeing the way the gospel just makes sense to people. It makes sense to them because sharing the gospel is just reminding people of what they already know. This church is true. It really, really is. I'm so happy to be a missionary.

Well, that's it, I believe. I love you all of you tons. I have been blessed with the best family in the whole world. Have the best week ever. TTFN.

Love, 

Sister Reddish

"Rough Beans"

Hello, my family. You all sent separate emails today; that's a fun change! It sounded like an eventful week with the Reddish Fam. Mom- I did kill another spider this week. Guess how I killed it? With toilet paper. Didn't even get the crutch out. I'm an adult! There are some changes happening in both my zone and district this week, but good news: I am staying exactly where I am. Woohoo!  Thank you so much for the CD's this week, and the letter. Sounds like the concert was awesome, and the drive to the concert was terrifying. I'm glad all of you are safe. I love you so much, Mom. Dad- Watching conference in a church building in your Sunday best is not how God intended us to watch conference, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I would be lying, however, if I said that I wasn't excited to again watch it in my PJ's while eating Doritos. I love you, Dad! Emily- I'm glad you liked the concert, and that Eric Hutchenson smelled good. Everybody at Century knows who I am because I was literally the COOLEST kid that has ever hit those nasty halls. Haha, just kidding. I was just an awkward creature who some how was able to find Lauren to be my friend. You are already cooler than me. I promise. Love you tons, lady! 

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "We're kind of busy right now. Can you come back later?" -Everyone in the small village of Ada Puh-lease, people. Sister Green and I know exactly what that means. "We're trying to politely reject you". I HATE when people act interested so they don't hurt our feelings. The only thing that hurts our feelings is when we go back, excited to teach the Restoration, and they don't even answer the door. Do they realize that we won't bug them anymore if they just simply say "we're not interested"? It saves time for the both of us, and we can go and find the people who actually WANT to hear the gospel. G-dang it, people. 

2.) "Now I guess I'm a medium. What the freak does that even mean?!" -Crystal (Lisa's friend) So, Lisa, our investigator, lives all the way in Waynesfeild, which is like 40 minutes away from Bluffton. We drove all the way there to meet with Lisa, and she wasn't home, BUT Crystal was. In my head I was like "we didn't drive 40 whole minutes to teach nothing", so I started talking to Crystal about the gospel. She then started talking about all her problems, and eventually started talking about how she was a "medium". I actually kind of had an idea of what it meant to be a medium, but I was going to start laughing, so I politely shrugged my shoulders and looked at Sister Green. This may make me sound like a bad trainer, but I am just preparing her for the real world. You're welcome, Sister Green.

3.) "*farts really loud* Man, that has been happening all day... I like your shoes" -Lisa Plot twist: Lisa did show up that one fateful day in Waynesfield. After trying to teach Crystal about the Restoration, Lisa pulled up. I honestly didn't think our day could get any more awkward or weird, but Lisa came through for us. Guys, this fart wasn't like, "oh man, did she fart?" it was like "oh man, did she poop her pants?" I honestly didn't know whether to gag or laugh. The smell was awful, but the memory is priceless. I love my life.  

4.) "Imma bout to *beep* beat someone the *beep* up  *beep* *beep* *beep*" -Heather (Headquarters referral) I'm not going to lie, I was pretty scared when this drunk woman started to yell at us. Sister Green weighs like 5 pounds...if this woman was going to try anything with us, I was going to be the one to "save the day". I said the most sincere prayer I have ever said in my heart, and I just sat and listened to this woman's poopy mouth. She then all of a sudden settled down, and gave us a hug.Do miracles happen? Yes. Are we going to go back to Heather's? *beep* no. 

5.) "Do we know about the Savior, or do we know the Savior?" -Elder Bednar I absolutely LOVED Elder Bednar's talk this past weekend. It really made me think about my relationship with Jesus Christ. I like to think I have a pretty close relationship with Heavenly Father because I get to pray to Him whenever I want to, but how does one truly get to know the Savior? Elder Bednar answered this question later in the talk by saying "We come to know the Lord as we feel His love". I'm not saying that my relationship with Jesus Christ can't become stronger, but I do know that I have felt of His love. I love Him right back. He truly has become one of greatest friends. 

Have the best weeks ever! I love each of you more than I could ever type. Thanks for being the best family. I am so, so thankful we're together forever. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish

"Mormon Hipster"

Hey-o.  

Mom- I should be receiving the suitcase in a few short hours. Mail usually comes around 1 (I guess 11 for you guys. I'm in a different time zone, and that makes me feel pretty cool). We have about 4 promising investigators right now. No baptisms yet, but they're going to happen. I think... The trip to visit Joshua and Kaytlyn sounded awesome. I personally believe that I would be a really good asset to the long car ride to see Josh and Kaytlyn. Perhaps we could do that when I get home? Yeah? ;) Thanks for everything, Mom. I would die without you. I love you so much. Dad- Sister Green doesn't think "12 year old boy humor" is as funny as I do, so I thoroughly enjoyed reading your email. It's crazy it's already deer hunting season again. Wasn't that like last week? Have so much fun! I love you, Dad! Emily- I just want to say, that I would have also finished the line you were singing, and I would have done it better than that boy. Seriously, could you just not tell me when you talk to boys? I don't like it ;) Jk, tell me. It's a love/hate thing, but mostly love. You're sucha little cutie. Love you so much, Em. :)  

Quotes of the week:

1.) "I'll have to research if there was any other gold artifacts from 600 B.C." -Darrell This is all Darrell had to say after we gave the boldest, most powerful lesson on the Book of Mormon. Seriously, Darrell? All I could do was just looked at him with like a halfsies "Sherry skank" (He's lucky, I didn't give him the full thing. He woulda pooped his pants from being so scared). All I have to say is thank the heavens for my sweet companion. She saves the day when literally the only thing in my head is sassy responses. 

2.) "Tell me something about your church"..."Um, well, it's the only true church on the earth." -Me talking to some random guy we did service for Awe man, came in a little too bold with that response. Sister Green and I, the zone leaders, and the other set of elders from our district all went and did service for this crazy old man this week. After he had spent two straight hours talking about how "awesome" his church he looked directly at me and wanted to tell him something about our church. Well, you know what I did? I told him exactly what made our church different. Was there different responses I could have said? Prophets, the Book of Mormon, temples, preisthood, ect.; um, yeah, there was better responses. Do I regret what I said? Nah. It felt good. 

3.) "Could you help me clean up a little" -Sister Fowler Guys, I love Sister Fowler. I really, really do. But her house looks like the houses on that TLC hoarding show. No joke. So nasty. And when we're meeting with her, we can hear little mice running all around us. Do you have any idea how badly I wanted to say no? BUT. after 30 minutes of cleaning, organizing, and praying she doesn't have bed bugs, I was happy to get in the car and put a whole tube of hand santizer on my hands. Mom, thanks for being the cleanest woman on the earth. You are an angel sent from heaven, and I can't express how happy I am that our home is clean.  

4.) "You're from Idaho? That means you're not a real Mormon." -Tedd Wow, the things you find out about yourself on your mission. I guess I'm not a real Mormon... I guess none of us our real Mormons. I like to think we're like "hipster" (do people even say that anymore?) Mormons. We're the coolest of the cool. WAY cooler than all those Utards that are REAL Mormons. Am I right, or am I right? Up top. 

5.) "Bless our efforts day by day" -Hymn 170 I read this hymn for part of personal study this morning, and I loved this line. Everyday there are multiple times when I don't feel completely adequate. The awesome news is that Heavenly Father loves us and He blesses us for trying. We truly do have a loving Father in Heaven. 

Well, folks, this letter only mentioned poop in it once. I think I'm growing up...ha, nah. Have the best weeks ever. Stay cool, share the gospel with everyone you meet, and thank Heavenly Father everyday for how much He has blessed our family because, seriously, we are so blessed. I love all of you so, so much. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish