OH------------>ID

Well, I can't believe this is the last email from Ohio. We want to thank all of you again for all the love and support for Sarah. We would love to have any of you at the airport on Thursday at 5:56 pm that would like to come. Also one last reminder..her homecoming report will be Sunday December 17th, at 1:00 at the Caldwell Park building. If any of you need that address, just get in touch with me! Tomorrow Sarah will travel to Kirtland where she will spend the day and have a testimony meeting with the departing missionaries in the Newel K Whitney store in the upstairs (School of the Prophets) I'm sure this will be a highlight of her mission. Again, thank you for loving and supporting our girl. 48 hours can not come soon enough for me! Sherry 

Pics: Sarah and Angel (a newly baptized member) Sarah and Sister Golden with some primary kids 

 

Hey, fam. Thank you for all your testimonies. I loved reading them. My eyeballs were very wet. Very, very wet. All of you are amazing. I'm so thankful for you guys. 

 Not gonna lie, I'm pretty proud of this email..

Quotes of the week:

1.) "These are the things you've been missing out on for the past 18 months, Sister Reddish." -Elder Henwood (been out for 6 weeks) So, I guess they make man rompers now-a-days. I guess they call them "romphims". What? Also, how do you even ju-ju on that beat? (jk, you don't have to answer that one, Sister Golden taught me how to ju-ju to the Motab beat) JB and Selena Gomez might be a thing again? #jelenaforever THERE'S ANOTHER DIARY OF A WIMPY KID OUT? The world is a crazy place, my friends. 

2.) "You have nice shaped nails!" -Stephani The other day we were teaching Charles a lesson at the library and then this cosmetology student that we'll call "Stephani" came up to our table and was like "Hey, ladies, free manicures in that room back there!" Sister Golden finished the lesson and we were like "Hey, if we teach the Restoration to the people doing our nails, it can be a fun finding activity." So, we went. I got Stephani and Sister Golden got the gay guy. While we were both trying to get them to ask ANY questions to us about our lives, GUESS WHO WALKED IN.. Charles. Charles strolled right into that room, took a seat, and got a hand massage for like 10 minutes. Um, hello, Charles, she said "ladies". Also, Stephani did not want to hear about the gospel. Not one bit. AND I had to reach into my bag after the manicure to get the keys and everything smeared all over. Good thing I have nice shaped nails or the whole thing woulda been  pretty uncomfortable.

3.) "Sophie, you're not supposed to be sad on Thanksgiving; you're supposed to be barking your blessings." -Brother McCallum The McCallum family had us over for Thanksgivin'. The day was pretty good except for their dog, Sophie, fell off the bed the night before and like pinched a nerve or something. She was hurting pretty good right after dinner ended. Sister Golden and I somehow ended up at the table alone with Brother McCallum and Sophie. This quote is something he whispered to her while we sat there in silence. It was about as uncomfortable as it sounds. I'm thankful I got to spend my final Thanksgiving in that environment though. I loved it. 

4.) "Wow, I like your beard." -Me The other day, we went tracting in the ghetto. The best things happen in the ghetto. The second door we knocked on, this bearded man named Jason answered the door. This beard wasn't just "some beard", folks. It was so long. Like down to his tummy tum tum, and the last 3 inches of the beard, he put little Jasmine ponytails at the end. You know what I'm talking about? Like having an elastic like every inch or so? AND the last ponytail, he looped it under like a tiny little bun. It was beautiful. AND guess what.. He's a new investigator. I hope he goes to church and Jasmine ponytails the whole beard.

Quote of the last 18 months: 

"You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make." -President Gordon B. Hinckley  It's been a good 18 months. The BEST 18 months. I have learned how to talk to crazy people, to eat food with cat hair in it without gagging, what bed bug bites feel like... and I have come to know my Savior. He's real. He's my friend. He lives. And I love Him. I've seen Him change people's lives, and I have seen Him change mine. I have loved teaching people about the restoration of His gospel. I know Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I know that the Book of Mormon contains words straight from our Heavenly Father. One scripture from that book about 2 years ago changed my life forever: "For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy" (Mosiah 3:4). Heavenly Father loved me so much that He sent me to Ohio, and I will never be able to thank Him enough.  

See ya in 2...days. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish 

Thanksgivin...

Hello, my cute family! :) I'm sorry this email is going to be lame. Today's been crazy! BUT I will write a stinkin' awesome email this coming Tuesday. It'll be the grandest finale of weekly emails history.  

I just wanted to let all of you know how thankful I am that you're my family. I'm so thankful for the gospel and for the knowledge we can be together forever. 

I LOVE ALL OF YOU TONS AND TONS! Happy, happy thanksgiving 🦃

"21"

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "Happy Birthday, Sister Reddish! You can do so many things legally now!" -The Elders I celebrated my 21st birthday this week. I think that officially qualifies me as way too old. I woke up with our apartment decorated with toilet paper and the balloon Mom sent me (Sister Golden is awesome), then I opened up the present you guys sent me and put it in a ziplock bag (because the dress is for me, not for bed bugs), went out to eat (Subway, eat fresh), then we did some weekly planning (remember how I hated talking about the week ahead of us during FHE? I still don't like it.), then we had quite a few appointments (tender mercy from the Lord), and then we finished the night at the bar (just kidding).  It was a good day. And now, when we walk by any type of alcohol I tell Sister Golden "I can buy that legally." I think it annoys her, but Imma keep doing it cuz I'm annoying. WHOO! 

2.) "This one is my exes name...this one is another exes name...this is my cute flower....exes name..." -Kristine (investigator) The other day, we had a lesson with our investigator Kristine. I can't really remember why it got awkward, but it did, so Sister Golden was like "What do all your tattoos mean?"  I would say probably about 50% of them were exes names. Then her current boyfriend was like "I told her she's not allowed to tattoo my name on her; it's bad luck." How is one supposed to respond to that comment? I just awkwardly laughed and then it was silent. So, I guess asking about her tattoos didn't make anything less awkward, but it did make for a good quote in the weekly. 

3.) Brother Hess: "How many days left?" Me: "Uhhh...?" Sister Golden: "SIXTEEN!!" You wanna know something weird? I feel weird telling people how many days I have left. I guess I don't want them to think I'm eager to leave.  Good news: Sister Golden loves to tell people how many days I have left. SO, whenever someone asks me, I look like I have no idea. and then Sister Golden belts it. Comp unity. But seriously, folks, 2 MORE WEEKS. Ah! Let the nervous poops begin, am I right? I probably won't have solid poop for the next 15 days. 

4.) “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3  This wee we were able to see one of our investigators, Angel, get baptized. Angel is 11 years old, and has been waiting for her dad to get custody of her for so long so that she could get baptized. She loves the gospel so much. While teaching her, I've been able to see how simple the gospel is. She doesn't question it like stupid adults, she accepts it because everything about it is GOOD. I love Jesus Christ's gospel. 

I love all of you loads. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish 

You wanna melt wax with me?

Hello! First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY (yesterday) TO MY FAVORITE DAD AND FAVORITE LITTLE SISTER.  I love both of you so much! Second off, thank you Mom for the awesome birthday package. I love you so much. Third off, I don't have that much time to email, so sorry in advance for a lame email. 

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "What are you doing this fine Ohio, November afternoon?" This other day, we went tracting and it was FRIGID. Okay, it wasn't frigid, but it was like 40 degrees and I was so super cold. We knocked on a door and this lady named Donna was like "Do you want to come in and get warm?" and we were like "Um, that's the best idea ever! Yes!" and then we taught her the Restoration. We walked outta that house with a new investigator, and I was feeling pretty dang awesome (perfect timing for some humbling). Then we knocked on the next door... This man said this quote in such a defensive tone. We didn't really know how to respond because it wasn't a defensive comment, but his tone was the tone of a meanie weenie, so we just responded as if he wasn't being defensive and we were like, "We're the missionaries..." Then he interrupted us and he was like "Oh, missionaries for what?" BUT this was also said in a defensive tone and then we were like "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints..." and then he interrupted AGAIN and was like "That's all I needed to know." and then he slammed the door. Normally, I would be kind of sad, but I just didn't even know how to respond to any of what had just happened, so Sister Golden and I just laughed. Man, I can't tell if I'm going to miss experiences like that...? Probably. 

2.) "I brought out this wax to put in the fire to make it smell good." -Charles This week for our lesson, we sat around a fire that Charles had created. We were like "Okay, lets start a lesson, yeah?" and then he stood up and was like "Wait one sec" and he picked up those wax things that people put in those wax melter machine thingys...ya feel? Anyways, he was like "These will make the fire smell good!" So he threw the wax in the fire and it melted in like 2.5 seconds. I literally couldn't hold in my laugh. I laughed at this man's face. No holding back. Sister Golden laughed too, but she is more mature then me, so she was better at hiding it. Then we began reading a chapter from the Book of Mormon and halfway during the chapter, I started thinking about the wax and I started laughing again. I don't think Charles noticed, but I just couldn't control myself. Charles really spices up my life. I love him. 

I JUST REMEMBERED SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT THE WAX: Charles told us that they make those cube wax things so that when you hold hands with someone, you can put it between your hands and it melts with your love and also it makes your hands smell good. THEN he told us that he puts one of them in his pillow at night so he smell it throughout his sleep. Oh my heavens, such a funny nugget.  

3.) "I would listen, but it's cold outside..."  This week we went on exchanges and I had a goal to teach the Restoration at every door we knock on. WELL, guess what? We totally did that. We taught the Restoration so many times. They would open there doors and then Sister Davis and I would just start teaching and testifying. The annoying thing is that we would be in the midst of teaching and people would say this quote. I wanted to to be like "Hey, we can teach this in 3 minutes so just listen, K?" but instead we just pretended like we didn't hear them and kept teaching and testifying. Did we get completely through the Restoration ever time? Heavens no. Somebody slammed the door on us when I was reciting the first vision, BUT we did find like 4 new investigators. Awe yeah. That's what I'm talking about. Up top! 

4.) “Get on your knees and ask for the blessings of the Lord; then stand on your feet and do what you are asked to do.” -Gordon B. Hinckley Guys, I just love praying. I love it so much. There's been times this past week when we would be sitting in the car ready to go finding, and I just felt so tired. I didn't want to go. I said so many silent prayers this week just being like "Heavenly Father, I don't want to go finding. Please help me." and then guess what? He helped me. It's like He doesn't even care that I'm being a wanny panny, He still helps me. I couldn't do anything without Him. 

I love all of you so much. Have a splendid week. :)

Love, 

Sister Reddish 

Not leaving my mish on probation....

Sister Reddish will be home Thursday November 30th, flying into the Pocatello Regional Airport at 5:56 pm. We are all pretty excited around here!  We know she will make the most of the last few weeks, and we also know her heart will break when she gets on that plane. Sarah loves Christmas more than anyone else I know, it will help that she will come home to Christmas everywhere. Thank you for all the prayers, love, and support. Love you all. Sherry

 

Oh my heavens, I sent this without even doing cute notes at the beginning. I'm sorry. Mom and Dad, thanks for your emails. The people who dressed up like you for Halloween are people I want to be friends with. SO funny. I love both of you tons and tons. 

On Wed, Nov 1, 2017 at 11:18 AM, Sarah Elizabeth Reddish <sarah.reddish@myldsmail.net> wrote:

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "Then after their missions, they go home, find a husband, and have babies."-Brother Hess explaining our lives to a nonmember The other day we were eating some yummy dinner at the Hess' home and then all of a sudden a friend of there's came in WHO'S A NONMEMBER. Score! Anyways, we played it cool, just asking him about his family and stuff. Ya know, not making him feel like we wanted to teach the crap outta him about Jesus even though we TOTALLY did. Then Brother Hess started telling their friend about what we do as missionaries. After he said this quote, everyone at the table just casually stared at me. I can't really remember how I responded, but my face got super red and then I started freaking out inside about having babies. I distinctly remember in my mind saying "Hey, you don't have to have babies for a little while. It's okay." The good news is that most of the time, my mind doesn't really register that I'm not going to be a missionary in 4 weeks, so freaking out about having babies is USUALLY not a concern.

2.) "You go home soon! Are you excited?" "Um, yeah, but then yesterday I cried, so I don't really know how I feel..." "Ohh.." -Bishop Canonizado and me You know how in the last paragraph I said most of the time my mind doesn't register that I'm coming home in 4 weeks. Well, last Thursday, I woke up, doing fine, did my make-up... ya know the usual stuff. Then we started singing a hymn for comp study and everything fell apart. Sister Golden and I talked about my feelings, and then I was fine. Heaven help Sister Golden the next few weeks. She's an angel. 

3.) "I heard you giggling on the voice message. Did Sister Golden make a joke or somethin'?" -Charles So, we called Charles this week to see how he was doing with living the Word of Wisdom and stuff. He has always answered out phone calls, but this time we got his voicemail. It started off as a normal "Hi, sorry I couldn't get the phone right now..." then he said "but if you leave your name and number I'll get back to you...." then there was a pause and then in a western accident he semi-yelled "AS SOON AS I CAN!" Sister Golden started laughing, I started laughing, and then there was the peep. I couldn't get words out. The whole voice message was a disaster. When he said this quote, all I said was "Ha..ha..yeah... she's a funny girl." Did I lie? Yes. But I wasn't going to tell the poor man I was laughing at him. That would be rude.

4.) "You know what people say about Ohio, right? 'Come to Ohio on vacation, leave on probation'." -Timmy Shroyer (less active member) Here's a cool miracle: SO, the other day the elders call us and they were like "Hey, we saw Timmy Shroyer and he wants you to come teach his girlfriend!" I didn't know who Timmy Shroyer was but I didn't really care BECAUSE THAT'S AWESOME. Well, we went over, taught the Restoration, and then somehow this quote happened. Timmy and his girlfriend, Christine, have both been doin' some drugs for quite sometime, so their minds are a little...fried... the lesson was a bit scattered. BUT they felt the spirit, and agreed to begin reading the Book of Mormon together. YAY! :) Also, I promise I will be leaving Ohio not on probation. 

5.) “He is the Light of the World and the sure source of comfort, hope, peace, and joy.”-President Henry B. Eyring Now that Halloween is over, I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Christmas season. ;) Nah, but for reals, this past week, I've really been able to feel the comfort, hope, peace, and joy that only the Savior can provide. I'm grateful that He died personally for me, so that He can know perfectly how to help me even when I'm not quite sure how I need to be helped. I love Him. 

I love all of you tons. Thanks for being the best dang fam. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish 

Finding Joy in the Work...

Hellllllllllllo. 

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "Can Mormons tell people their age?" -Charles (investigator) Charles asks questions like this almost every time we see him. Most of the time we answer with something like "Charles, Mormons can do anything anyone else does. We have agency. We just try and use our agency so we do what Heavenly Father wants us to do." BUT this one was pretty random. After he asked this question, we were like "Yep. We're both 20." Then he looked kind of surprised and said, quote: "Really? She *pointing to Sister Golden* seems older. She's more sophisticated." End of quote. Ouch. Haha, what the heck? THEN we talked this past Sunday and Charles came (ISN'T THAT SO AWESOME? HE CAME TO CHURCH! YAY YAY YAY!). When we came down to talk to him after the meeting he said "You did good; she's still more sophisticated though." Then he tried to make me feel better by saying something along the lines of how "it's a good thing" and I should keep my "youthful personality". Yeah, yeah, Charles. I know I act like a 12 year old boy. It's fine. ;) Nah, in all seriousness, I'm thankful I have a companion who keeps me grounded. Maybe someday I'll be sophisticated like her.  

2.) "Okay, bye little nugget!" "This must be Reddish." -Me and Dan (investigator) on the phone Not even kidding you, the same exact day Charles told us Sister Golden was more sophisticated then me, we were talking to  Dan before starting a lesson and somehow we started talking about outhouses and Dan was like "You haven't lived until you've taken a dump in an outhouse!" and I thought that was the funniest thing to ever been said so I laughed pretty good. Then Sister Golden started talking about what we were going to teach him that day and he was like "You're mature. You keep me and Reddish focused." Ha, yep. I'm tellin' ya, she keeps me grounded. This quote is from a phone conversation a few days after the day I got told 2 WHOLE TIMES Sister Golden is more of a grown than me. The good news is that I'm pretty mature once we start teaching a lesson. I promise I'm not just goofing around. We've got souls to save. I'm a serious/not so serious missionary. Does that make sense? Probably not. 

3.) "It's getting late girls." -Everyone One of the real downers to this time of year is that it gets dark at like 6 PM. SO when we knock on someone's door at like 7, people answer their door as if it's midnight and then ask why we're out. Um, sorry, sir/ma'am, people still need the gospel when it's dark outside. ALSO, missionaries can't just casually "go in for the night" at 7. That would be ridiculous. The good news is that people who are prepared in the day time are still prepared at night time, so we're not giving up. Also, Mom, don't worry, we're staying safe.

4.) "Golden and Reddish. I like the color names. This ward needs more color in it." -Sister Capers (the only black woman in the Elyria ward) I don't really think this quote needs an explanation. It's hilarious. 

5.) "We can have confidence and trust that our loving Heavenly Father can and will rebuild us. His plan is to build us into something far greater than what we were—far greater than what we can ever imagine. With each step of faith on the path of discipleship, we grow into the beings of eternal glory and infinite joy we were designed to become." -President Uchtdorf Okay, so, obviously from this email, it may appear like I haven't changed much the past 17 months, but.... I've come to know since being on a mission that the more we study about our Savior, the more we become like Him. Yes, I still think poop jokes are funny and I still goof off a lot, but I do know that I have a loving Heavenly Father and Savior who are helping me become who They know I have the potential of becoming. AND I know that to be true for EVERYONE because Heavenly Father loves all of His children and wants all of us to come home to Him someday.

I love all of you loads and loads. Have a good week!

Love, 

Sister Reddish  

"It's mah bifday"

Hello, my sweet family. 

Mom- Thank you so much for the Halloween package. We loved it so much. As I was looking at the pictures you sent this week all I was thinking was "This is what I have to go home to. I'm going to look like a freakin' barbarian next to those beautiful creatures." ;) Thanks for everything you do for me. I love you. Dad- YOU ARE SO IMPRESSIVE. Holy shoot. Congrats on finishing another race that most Americans could not do. You're a super human. I love you. 

Quotes of the week:

1.) "Happy Birthday, Sister Reddish!" -EVERYONE So, the other day, Sister Golden's fam sent her Guatemalan candy. She was like "lets eat this together" and I was like "no, you don't have....yeah, okay." It's not everyday you get to eat Guatemalan candy; I was pretty dang excited. We ate it together and considered it a celebration for my birthday in a few weeks. We had a ward chili cook off that night and told the members we were sitting by about my birthday celebration. THEN, Brother Hess started singing "Happy Birthday" to me fully knowing it wasn't my birthday for quite sometime. I was like "Brother Hess, you stop that right now!" and he did. THEN Elder McInnes stood up and started belting it. AND that's when everyone in the ward (and vistors) began singing to me. People are still telling me happy birthday. Part of me wants to be like "It's not my birthday", but then I'd have to explain everything that occurred and I just don't want to, so I just give 'em a big smile, and that's the end of it. 

2.) "Now, anyone who showed up tonight can dance in the circle." -Rabbi Lori We were looking in the area book one of the first weeks we were here, and there was a Jewish potential. We were like "Heck yes, lets go teach a Jew." Her name is Vera and she was happy to listen to us. The hard part was that they don't believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world, so basically everything we taught contradicted what she believed, but she really liked us so she invited us to her Jewish temple (church) for their Friday night service. We walked in and everyone had there cool little caps on. There was a part of the service where this lady sang in Hebrew and then different categories of people danced around the room. I got up and started clapping like Michael Scott and saying "Skip around the room!" Ha, no I didn't. I just thought of that right now and I wish it wouda happened, but it didn't. Anyways, I was for reals like "Mm-mm, not tah-day. There is no way I am dancing in front of these people." This quote from Rabbi Lori was the final category. Sister Golden felt the same way I did so we just sat in the middle of the circle while Jews danced around us. It was pretty awkward. The good news is that they offered me a can of Diet Coke at the end and I gladly took it. So, we walked outta the Jewish temple with Diet Coke in hand, thankful that we belong to Jesus Christ's church. 

3.) "Okay, after your done with car inspections, go in and get your flu shot." -Doctor/Elder Lewis We had to get flu shots at Zone Conference this past week. I hadn't been that scared in quite sometime. There was like 30 elders and sisters in line. You could feel the fear when you walked into the gym at the church. I wanted to go up to Doctor Lewis and be like "I have a blood disease, so I don't think this is very good for my health." but I knew I needed to do it. SO, after saying like 10 prayers (not even a little kidding. I was scared.) the fear left me (Heavenly Father answers prayers) and I was able to successfully get the flu shot. I tensed up pretty hard core during the shot though so my arm was pretty sore for a few days, but I didn't die. Thank the heavens. 

4.) "God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son." -The Living Christ This past transfer, President Brown committed us to memorize The Living Christ. I'm still working on it, but holy moly is that thing powerful. I've learned a lot on my mission, but one of the greatest things I've learned is that Christ DOES live. He's a real person. He knows me and He loves me. This quote is the last sentence in The Living Christ and it's my favorite. When I think of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I fail to remember that there would be no Atonement if Heavenly Father didn't give us the gift of His Son. God loved us so much that He gave us His Son, and Christ loved us so much that He died and and suffered for each of us. Isn't that so awesome? Like I can't even handle how awesome that is. I'm so happy that through the restoration of the gospel we can know more about our Heavenly Father and His Son. They love all of us so much. 

Hey, have a good week, okay? I love all of you so much. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish 

DROPPED

 

Hey, Fam. Remember the good ole days when you wouldn't tell me anything about your week because you were scared that I would feel sad or homesick? Man, whatta a life that was. ;)  I loved hearing about your week and seeing the fun pictures. I'm excited to hang out with all of you again.  

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "I don't want to do this talking thing anymore..." -Lola This week we were tracting a neighborhood and this lady was sitting on her front porch (those are the best because they can't pretend that they're not home). Anyways, it was this cute older lady named Lola. We taught her the whole Restoration and tried to commit her to begin reading the Book of Mormon. Well, Lola is basically all the way blind, so that was sort of awkward. Could we give her a pamphlet? No. Could she see the large print Book of Mormon? No. Could she listen to it on the internet? No, she doesn't have internet. I think we just committed her to pray about what we taught her or somethin' of the sort. THEN we made a return appointment for the next day. When we got to her house, she opened the door with a pass-a-long card we gave her with the Salt Lake Temple on it. She was like "Here take this. I can't see it." That's when I was like "Oh, do you want a bigger picture?" NOT realizing that she hated us because she got anti-ed super hard core. That's when she said this quote. I wanted to be like "Hey, buddy, I don't like doing this talking thing either, but I got to and so do you. It's how we communicate." BUT she was obviously not in the mood for some sass, so we left. Dropped. 

2.) "These flies are really concerning me." -Mary Scott About three weeks ago we found Mary Scott tracting. She's an old, black woman. Well, this week when we went to go visit good ole Mary, there were flies all over her house. ALSO, Mary was going to drop us this lesson (you could feel it in the air), and so she was acting really awkward. After she said this quote, she smacked her arm with her other arm... I'm pretty sure she was "smacking" a "fly", but that "fly" didn't exist so she was just smacking herself. I wanted to laugh, but I just sucked my lips into my mouth so she wouldn't know I was laughing at her. THEN the quote from Elf came into my head "Why don't you wipe that stupid smile off your face before I come over and smack it off." and that made my face look even more stupid. What if Mary said that to me? Oh man, that woulda been funny.  Anywaysss, I guess long story short: she likes her Bible and that's all she needs and she didn't want us back over.  Dropped. Again. 

3.) "We're missionaries for the....are you picking up trash?" -Me Here's a story that won't end with "Dropped." We were walking down a street trying to find a potential investigator, and this black man was walking towards us in the distance (the race of this man isn't important for the story, I just really love black people). When we finally got to where he was at, I began talking and then I realized that his arms were FULL of trash. Guys, this man was just picking up trash because he thought the street looked "filthy". Isn't that the cutest?! Who does that? Shanon does. Whatta a cutie. Also, Shanon is totally taking the lessons now so that's a really good thing. YIPPEE. NOT dropped. Ha, take that Satan. 

4.) “What shall we give in return for so much?”-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf This week was kind of hard. Ha, ya win some and ya lose some, I suppose. You know how people say "there's always something to be thankful for". Well, there is. Sometimes when I feel like my life is hard and sucky, I begin to think of the Savior. His life was far more hard and far more sucky. SO, for now, I'm going to be thankful for my life and enjoy serving Him, because it's the least I can do for someone who made it possible for me to experience ultimate happiness. My life is so good. 

Have a good week. I love all of you. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish 

Josh the lady....

Hey, Mom and Dad. Thanks for your emails and for being the best parents around. I'm going to Cleveland for Preparation day, so I don't have to much time to email, but I hope you two know that I love you both more than I can say. 

Quotes of the week: 

1.) " Hi, I'm Josh! This is my wife, Peggy." -Josh This quote probably seems normal. A nice man named Josh has a wife named Peggy and they're happy and married. Plot twist: THIS Josh was a woman. A WOMAN. When she told me this, I tried to make it seem like I wasn't judging or that I didn't feel uncomfortable. I wasn't so much judging cuz like whatever "we all sin differently" and "Jesus loves everyone", but I DID feel uncomfortable. I'm pretty sure when she told me this I smiled, but then my eyebrows slanted down in a concerned matter and then all I could get out was "ohhhhh." What made this more uncomfortable is that we were doing a service thing, so my companion (we were on exchanges so I was with a sister named Sister Bussell) was talking to someone else while we served food to the less fortunate. I didn't have a companion to help me not be awkward. AND now I'm concerned because while typing this I realized that I won't have a companion to help me not be awkward when I'm home. Oh dear. I'm going to stop because I'm stressing myself out. The end. 

2.) "Trust me, I'd have to be dead to know "Him" more." -Random lady The other day Sister Golden and I went contacting on Main Street in Oberlin. This is sometimes a good idea, but most of the time we just talk to super liberal people who don't like us at all. Anyways, this lady looked like she was in a hurry, so we were like "Hey, can we give you this card with Jesus Christ on it." She was like "I already know Jesus." (you have no idea how many times I've heard that phrase come out of people's mouths) and we were like "Wow, cool. This card has a link on the back to a short video to help you know Him more." AND that's when she said this quote. She said it mysteriously, so it was pretty weird. Then we kinda just didn't say anything and she finally just took the card. Then she walked away briskly. Lame story? Maybe. I thought it was funny though. 

3.) "That bird's poor digestive system..." -Me So, every time Sister Golden "backs" me, I have to roll down the window so she can alert me of any potential accidents. The other day I turned my body in the drivers seat (because that's what people do when they put their car in reverse) and I began to roll down the window. That's when I saw somethin' sick on the back window. I was like "Sister Golden, what the heck is that nasty crap?" and she was like "I think it's bloody bird poop." That's when I replied with this quote with a single tear falling from my face. Ha, just kidding. I didn't cry, but I did feel kind of sad for the poor bird. When I got out of the car, I went to go examine the poo. After some close examination, I realized that it wasn't bloody bird crap.. someone had smashed some sort of berry on our window. Betchya you weren't expecting that plot twist, huh? Seriously though, who the heck does that? You don't just "accidentally" smash a berry onto someone else's car. That doesn't happen. I laughed for like 10 minutes. This happened on sort of a crap day, so I would just like to publicly thank whoever smashed a berry on our window.  

4.) "As we embrace the gospel in faith and deed, each day and every hour, we will draw a little closer to our God. Our lives will be better, and the Lord will use us in remarkable ways to bless those around us and bring about His eternal purposes." -President Uchtdorf Conference was so, so good this last weekend. Lately, I've been sort of worried about coming home and not really knowing what to do with my whole life. Throughout conference, I felt like Heavenly Father was telling me "Hey, you don't need to be a missionary to help those around you." I realized that even though I'm not going to be passing out pass-a-long cards and trying to teach the Restoration to everyone I see in a few months, I can still help people around me because your not just supposed to represent Jesus Christ when you have a black name tag on. SO, I guess moral of the story is that everyone who talks in General Conference is inspired, and they really helped a sista out. I love being apart of Jesus Christ's church. General conference is remarkable.

I love this gospel, I love being a missionary, and I love all of you. Have a dang good week. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish 

"I got it at Walmart. 6 or 7 dollars baby"

Mom and Dad- You two sure are a couple of cuties. Happy Anniversary! Thanks for dating and then getting married and then having children. I'm glad you two are my mom and dad. Also, thank you for the package this week. I love both of you and I'm so thankful for all you do for me. 

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "I got it at Walmart. 6 or 7 dollars, baby." -Sam (member) Abut 60% of the Elyria ward is less active. Out of the 40% that are active, about 10% of them are halfsies. To the halfsies people, they gave them the calling of being an "usher" to keep them active and involve, but not risking them saying anything that could shatter someone's testimony. My whole mission I've stood out by the door and said hi to people before church started; now I can't because there's like 2 ushers for each entrance of the chapel. It's fine. I'm not bitter about it. Anywayzzz, Sam is an usher. Sam has been borderline creepy deeky to Sister Golden and I since the first time we met him. He's not completely mentally stable, so it's nothing to worry about, but it's still weird. When we were shaking his hand this Sunday, I noticed he had a necklace on with a rectangular box shaped thing on it. I was like "What is that?" He then lifted it from his chest and turned it just right that I could feel air on me from the box. In order for me to more fully feel the air, he moved real close to me. I did my awkward laugh that I do when I feel uncomfortable and that's when he semi-whispered this quote to us. It was one of the most uncomfortable things that I've ever been apart of. That's all I have to say about that. 

2.) "Speaking of family history..." -Me (missionary) Do you remember Shelley? The lady we taught last week and I fell asleep during the lesson? Yeah? Well, we taught her again this week. Let me tell ya, this lesson was WAY....too much the same as the last lesson and we need to figure out a different strategy when teaching her. But, I thought to describe how the lesson went, I would just go through a short history of what Shelley talked about for a solid hour. Here it goes: She found family in Ukraine in her family history >> us bringing up a calling for her to be a family history consultant >> her asking to visit teach a less active, heavy set woman in the ward >> her talking about protein shakes to help her lose weight >> her cat liked drinking protein shakes >> her cat died >> her dog died >> her other dog died by falling off a cliff >> she likes exploring caves >> hieroglyphics >> indians in her family history >> US FINALLY TEACHING ABOUT FAMILY HISTORY AND TEMPLES FOR LIKE 5 MINUTES. The impressive thing is she somehow looped everything back to family history. Another impressive thing is that she had like 10 conversations with herself without us saying anything. She's an impressive lady. 

3.) "What's your younger sister's name again, Sister Reddish." -Jacob (investigator) The other day we were sitting in our car getting ready to say a prayer before we went out to knock on some doors. While we were sitting there, this kid came up to my opened window and was like "What are you doing here?" We told him about how we're missionaries and that we were getting ready to knock on some doors. He then was like "Wow. What do you guys believe?" That's like the most perfect question you can ask a missionary. We taught him the whole Restoration and he loved it. At the end we were like "How old are you?" he told us he was 15 and I was like "OH MY GOSH, I KNOW A 15 YEAR OLD!" and I told him about Emily. Now, I'm pretty sure he wants to marry Emily because he's asked about her several times. I want to be like "Hey, buddy. Back off. She's not available." But I just vaguely answer all his questions. BUT on the plus side, Jacob talked to his family about us, and we have a return appointment with the whole fam damily this Saturday. Emily has the whole "flirt to convert" thing down and she doesn't even need to talk to them or see them. Nice job, sista. You're a good missionary. 

4.) "I did request missionary visits, but I read some things on the internet, and I'm not quite sure I'm interested anymore." -Dan (investigator) While I was emailing last Wednesday, we got a headquarter referral for a man named Dan Powers. We called him that very day, and tried to set an appointment up with him. That's when he said this quote. We were like "Well, Dan, hows about we come over and you tell us what you read, and we'll talk about it a little bit." Then we went over AND HE WAS THE MOST PREPARED PERSON TO EVER EXIST. After explaining to him that Mormons can swim and drink milk and casually teaching him about how salvation comes through being baptized with the priesthood authority, we invited him to baptized and he accepted. November 18th is what we're shooting for. We met with him 3 times last week. He loves learning about the gospel. I love Danny boy more than Arctic Circle french fries. 

5.) "If the bitter cup does no pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead." -Elder Holland This week we had a lesson with a recent convert named Betty. Betty has had the hardest life ever. She's been abused most of her life and has more health issues than I thought was possible. She hasn't finished up her new member lessons so we were planning on just teaching her about keeping the Sabbath Day holy to just get those lessons done. During studies, Sister Golden and I felt very impressed to have a whole lesson on the Atonement. Lucky for me, I have an angel mother who sent a talk that was perfect for Betty. We read the talk by Elder Holland to her and testified of how Jesus Christ knows EXACTLY how she feels. With tears in her eyes she said "This lesson really hit home." The Holy Ghost was there and everyone could feel it. I know the gospel doesn't take away everyone's trials, but it sure does make life better. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: I love missionary work.

Well, fam, thanks for being the very best. I love all you.

Love, 

Sister Reddish  

"Baptizing Lettuce"

 

Hiiiiiiii. 

Mom- Thank you so much for the shoes. I love them. I took a picture of my feet while I was wearing them because they look so good on me. I'm glad you finally got to meet Sister Jenkins. I hope you gave her a big hug for me because I miss her. Also, question: Do you call her "Sister Jenkins" or do you call her "Brindi"? It's not that important of a question, but it's a question that I have had for the past week. Thanks for all you do for me. I love you, Mom! Dad: You're breakfast sounded delightful. You've got yourself a good wife. It's crazy all the things happening in the world.. it's also crazy that I didn't know hardly any of what you told me.. I sure love you, Dad!

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "I had the craziest dream during that lesson." "Wait...what?" -Sister Golden and I Sister Golden fell asleep during a lesson. Psh, greenie. ;) Justtt kiddingggg... I fell asleep during the lesson. We have this recent convert in our area named Shelley. We were pretty excited to meet with her because our teaching pool is pretty slim pickins if ya catch my drift. To start out the lesson, we were going to just get to know her; ya know, ask her a few questions. We asked her ONE question, and she talked for a solid hour. The question was about family history (we met with her in the family history center at the Oberlin Library), so I felt bad interrupting because she was so passionate about her family. After about 30 minutes, my body decided to take a little snooze. Just a small one. During this small rest, I had a dream that we were teaching a woman who was wearing a dress made completely out of lettuce. I invited her to be baptized and she was like "My husband got baptized in this lettuce, so I don't need to." I then taught her about the importance of full immersion, and then woke up. Good news: The woman accepted the invitation to be baptized in my dream AND I don't think Shelley noticed I fell asleep. Success!  

2.) "And we're still in your area. Isn't that crazy?" -The Groner's The other day, we had a dinner appointment with the Groner family. They took us out to eat. They decided that while they had us in their car, they might as well take us on a tour of half our area. It was only like 30 minutes of my life, but I got SO car sick. So, so, so car sick.Sister Groner kept saying this quote. At first I was like "Wow, yeah, this is so crazy. Our area is so big." towards the end, I was just like "Mmhmm" and then dry heave a little. I've been blessed to be able to be the designated driver for most of my mission, and I'm grateful that I get to be the designated driver the rest of my mission. That evening was brutal.  

3.) "You two should meet with Bryan. He knows everything." -Everyone in the Elyria Ward SO, typically everyone in the Elyria Ward (and every adult member of the church) go by Brother or Sister and then their last name. Not Bryan. No one, not even the Bishop, calls Bryan anything else besides Bryan. I don't even know Bryan's last name. Anyways, everyone was telling us to meet with him because he's been a member of the ward since he was a tiny nugget, fresh outta the womb, and he knows everything and anything about the Elyria area. Well, we DID talk to Bryan because we're not stupid. Bryan was actually pretty helpful. He told us that the Sisters and Elders that have been in this ward before we showed up had been super disobedient. He said that the ward is struggling because 1.) they're all old and 2.) they don't want to help with missionary work because the past missionaries have been idiots. By the time the meeting was over, I felt really motivated... with a hint of the nervous poops. There's a lot to be done in the area. I don't know how much of the fruits I'll see of my work in this ward, but I'm going to work hard the next 2 months. No time to get trunky. On a positive note: we have found a ton of people the past week, and they're all mentally stable, so things are happening. I love missionary work.

4.)  "I can promise you that Heavenly Father knew what He was doing when He sent you to this mission." -President Brown We had the opportunity to go to the trainer/trainee meeting this week. This was round 4 for me going to this meeting, and I still learned tons. This quote from President Brown really stuck out to me. From the very moment I read my call letter, I knew I was supposed to serve here. I know that my call to the Ohio Cleveland Mission came straight from Heavenly Father. I love Him and I love my mission. 

Have a great week. I love all of you. SO MUCH. xoxoxoxo

Love, 

Sister Reddish 

"I just don't want you to hurt yourself"

Hiiiiiiii. 

Mom- I appreciated the subject to your email this week. I can't wait to watch Holiday Engagement. That'll be one of the first things I watch when I get home. Such a good movie. I didn't get the shoes yet (they're probably at the mission office) but I did get the license! Thank you for figuring that our for me. Also, thank you for the shoes. You're such a good lady. I love you so much. Dad- I'm thinking the speedo would be a good idea for the run in a couple weeks. Also, maybe you should just wear it to church as well. That'll make all the newbies respect you. I sure love you, Dad! Emily- Good luck with trig, cutie. I love you! 

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "Sister Golden you will be trained by Sister Reddish." -President Brown My new companion is Sister Golden. I think President Brown thought it would be funny to put me with yet another companion with a color as a last name. ALSO, all three of my trainee's have last names that start with G. There are so many things that are right about our companionship already. This time training will be a little different; Sister Golden did a 2 transfer trial mission in Washington before she went to the MTC and came to Ohio. She's already a really good, hard working missionary which has made my stress load WAY less. She suffers pretty bad with anxiety but she's not letting it get her down. I call her my step daughter because she was already half way trained... Guess who she was companions with in Washington? Mikayla McCrae. Isn't that the craziest thing ever? We were pretty excited about it. Anyways, this whole paragraph was pretty scattered, but moral of the story: Sister Golden is golden. Ha, I've waited a whole week to put that in my email.
2.) "Oh man, I don't want to talk to them. They look normal." -Me This week I have suffered from major culture shock. We literally only talk to normal people all day. I think there was like 2 people who were normal in PA.. and that was Sister Grant and I. I am currently living in Oberlin, Ohio (address: 190 E Oberlin St. Apt. D, Oberlin, OH 44074). It's a small college town. I think the college is like a "private" college. That's what the people are telling us anyways. It's also super liberal. We've been told that if we see "two men or two woman holding hands, don't be surprised" by multiple ward members. SO, to fit in, I just hold Sister Golden's hand everywhere we go. Ha, nah, I haven't done that.. yet...  We've been able to find a ton of new people to teach the past few days though, so that's a blessing. Heavenly Father has been preparing this area like crazy. Plus, there's tons of black people and I LOVE BLACK PEOPLE SO MUCH. I'm happy I get to finish my mish in this area. I think it'll be a good one. 

3.) "I have 50% of my hearing left, so you gotta speak up." "More like 70%." "WHAT?" -Brother Karl (ward mission leader) and Elder Ballard (district leader) The Elyria Ward is full of elderly people...which is fine, like I don't have anything against old folks, but none of them can hear me. I feel like I'm talking as loud as my voice will go without yelling and they still have no idea what I'm trying to say. A lot of time I say things that are semi important, but not important enough to yell... so I want to be like "nevermind"... but then I don't want to seem rude... it's been a real struggle the past few days... I guess my life is pretty good considering this is the biggest struggle I've been having, but it still is a struggle and a half, let me tell you. Sister Golden and I are trying to find nice, young families, so that in about 5 years when basically everyone has passed on, the Elryia Ward will remain standing. #kiddingnotkidding

4.) "Are you sure you're okay? I just don't want you to hurt yourself." -Random lady Here's the awkward story of the week... and of my mission...and of my life. SO, we were tracting pretty late at night (like about 8:30) and we tracted into this nice older woman. While we were talking, I started feeling a little tipsy. I STARTED FALLING OVER. I was standing with my legs crossed (Why was a I standing like that? I don't know.) When I tried to catch myself with my foot, my foot hit one of their yard decorations so that made me fall even more. Luckily, Sister Golden caught me before I totally fell, but it was a close one. Then I think the lady was concerned for my well being (probably because I almost fell over on her porch and I wasn't even moving) so she didn't want us to leave...but she also didn't want to hear about the Restoration...so I was like "Oh, I'm fine. I promise. I'm just awkward and have a hard time standing." We awkwardly walked away from the door into the darkness. As we were walking away all I said to Sister Golden was "Stuff like that happens to me all the time. You're going to witness so much awkward the next 12 weeks." She laughed like I was telling a joke, but she will soon realize that I was not joking. Not joking at all. 

5.) “What shall we give in return for so much?” -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf A lot of times this week I had thoughts like "Wow, you know what would be nice? If President Brown would send me to an area that already has investigators." and  "I don't really want to tract anymore." stuff like that. Wanny thoughts. I read this quote in some of my notes a couple days ago, and I guess it kinda humbled me. You know who had a really hard life? Jesus Christ. No matter how hard it gets here in Elyria, it will never even be comparable to what Christ has already suffered. AND because He suffered, He can not only help me change and become better, He can help everyone we talk to change and become better. That is a miracle. I know I will never be able to repay Him for everything He's done for me, but I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve Him and to teach my brothers and sisters about how He can change their lives just like He's changed mine. 

I love all of you tons. Have a good week! 

Love, 

Sister Reddish 

Third times a charm....

Hello, my cute family! I don't have tons of time today...sorry! BUT, I hope you all have great weeks. I love all of you so much!! 

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "I'm a faster speed walker than most people." -Carl The other day we were walking with Carl (again) and he was walking so quickly. PA isn't super mountainous, but there's a couple hills (and I'm chubby), so I was like "WOW, hold on Speedy McGee." He then said this quote. We then told him to challenge on of the elders in our ward to a speed walking race. SO, on Sunday he walked super confidently up to Elder Hershey and said "Hey, I hear you speed walk..." At the end of church there was a 10 second race across the gym floor...Carl lost...poor guy... BUT he gets an A for effort...and confidence....and for being Carl. I'm going to miss him a lot. 

2.) "Hi, Joe...hi, Don...hi, Izo...hi, man that I saw your butt that one time.." -Me while driving up State Street  I have absolutely loved serving in Youngstown, but man am I excited to meet some new people. I will miss Joe, Don, and Izo... I won't miss the random man or his butt, but I still love him because he's a child of God. I think my emails are going to begin to be a lot more vanilla... Farewell, crazies. 

3.) "Sister Reddish, we're going to ask you to train one more time. This time will be a little different; you'll open a new area while training." -President Brown  So, I guess I'm going to birth yet another missionary. I blame my tragic blood disease; factor 5. I can't take birth control so the babies keep comin'. ;) I will be shotgun training in Elyria (just west of Cleveland) for my last 2 transfers as a missionary. I'm pretty nervous but excited. The other day I was like "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?" Then I realized that this area is going to literally "kill" me (in a mission sorta way) and then I fake/real cried for a couple minutes. Sister Grant and I are sad to leave each other, but she's going to kill it in Youngstown with her new companion. Plus, WE BOTH LIVE IN IDAHO SO WE'LL PARTY HARD IN DECEMBER 2018. 

I'm going to really miss Youngstown. I think I've grown more as a missionary and as a person here than in any other area. I know that President Brown was inspired to send me here, and I will be forever grateful for it. A big chunk of my heart is going to stay here, but I'm excited for the opportunity to go to Elyria. 

Thanks for being the best family in the whole world. I love all of you tons and tons. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish 

"I'm just a little weird and slow..."

Dad- The shirt you got at the playmill place is so disgusting. I love it. You're the coolest. I sure love you. Mom- Thank you for your letter this week. It came on the perfect day. I sure am grateful you're my mom. I love you. 

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "Hold her right wrist...no not your right wrist....that's her left wrist..." -Bishop Carl The other day, the elders had a baptism. This baptism was for an active 9 year old that just somehow didn't get baptized when she was 8. Sister Grant and I invited one of our investigators, David, to come to the baptism. When it was time for the actual baptism, we all went to the room with the font and watched as this little girl and her grandpa walked into the font. It was a really special moment...until the grandpa had no idea how to hold her for the ordinance. He began grabbing both of her arms...and then he was just holding her waist...and then Bishop Carl freaked out. It was so funny. THEN after the poor man figured out how to hold his granddaughter, he said the prayer perfectly. Right before he dunked her he yelled "ALRIGHT, BABY GIRL, HERE WE GO!" He then proceeded to GRAB HER NECK and hold her under the water for an uncomfortable amount of time. I loved every second. At the end, David was like "I feel so honored that you invited me to this. It just seemed so special." I feel so honored that I was able to go as well. It was the best thing that has ever happened. 

2.) "I would come out with you girls if I could. I'm just a little weird and slow." -Brother Adams Brother Adams is literally the weirdest person I have ever met...in my whole life. BUT I love him a ton. The other day his wife left us a voicemail letting us know that she had to cancel coming with us to an appointment. We called back to let her know that we got her message. She didn't answer so we had the blessing of talking to her husband. After he said this quote, I didn't know what to say so after a few seconds of silence all I said was "Ha...well, thanks for trying." That wasn't a good response. I should have been like "Oh, you would be great!" or something sister missionary-ish. Nope. That's not how Sister Reddish rolls. Not ta-day, not ever.
3.) "Oh man, you go home pretty soon, huh?" -Too many people People have been saying this to me a lot lately. Every time I have a mini heart attack and then say "ha..ha...not really." This morning I was singing "I'll Be Home For Christmas" while Sister Grant was in the shower and I STARTED CRYING. I don't know if I was happy or sad or both but there were tears and it was very strange. I'm just very grateful that I still have 3 months. 3 more months of awkward missionary experiences. I'm gonna try and love every second. 

4.) "You seem really good at talking to people, Sister Reddish." "Sister Garvin, I'm literally the most awkward person that's ever been in the mission field." The other day we went on exchanges with the STL's. I was with Sister Garvin for a whole day. On the exchange, we were able to teach the Restoration to this older couple named Barbara and Walter. They weren't really interested in learning more, but we asked if they would allow us to leave them with a prayer. I offered to say it. When I was companions with Sister Jenkins, she would always crawl towards me during my prayers because she knew it freaked me out, and now I automatically pray with my eyes open. I really do try and close my eyes, but somehow they always end up opened by the end of the prayer.  Anyways, while I was saying the prayer, my eyes started to creep open. When they became fully opened, I MADE EYE CONTACT WITH WALTER. I was talking to God and staring at this random old man. It was so uncomfortable. I then tried to handle the situation calmly, so I began to slowly close them. Ever so slowly. (I don't know why I thought this would be the appropriate route to go in this situation but I did) In the midst of trying to close them slowly, I also started to talk slower. The whole thing was just so bad. SO, so, so bad. This quote was said right after this awkward encounter occurred. Sister Garvin's eyes were closed during the whole thing because she knows how to act in prayers, so she still doesn't know what happened. I didn't tell her because I wanted to die a little bit. Can the Ohio Cleveland Mission handle 3 more months of me? Hopefully. 

5.) "Shall we not go on in so great a cause?" -D&C 128:22 This week was sort of hard (and awkward). Appointments fell through, investigators dropped us, people were meanie weenies. Sometimes things don't really go the way you want them to on a mission..or life in general. BUT, that's okay. Without weeks like this, there wouldn't be any growth, and there was definitely some growth this past week. I'm grateful for a Heavenly Father that is aware of me and loves me. I love being a missionary and I love the people I serve. 

I love all of you a ton. Have the best week. 

Love, 

Sister Reddish 

Cat Missionaries

 Mom- I can't even believe that Sister Grant is done training in two weeks. It feels like I've only been with her two weeks. I don't want to leave her. The eclipse   sounds awesome. The eclipse was kind of cool here...haha not really. BUT Sister Grant's mom sent us some glasses so we got to take a gander at it. Thanks for the letter this week. And thanks for being the best mom. I love you. Dad- "I told mom to let me know if she heard any kind of voice introducing "The Son"  so I could quick grab hold of her, cause I didn't want to get left out." You're a funny guy.  I hope you have a good week. I will be praying your YSA folks make good decisions and don't cross the chastity line. I love you!

Quotes of the week: 

1.) "We can promise you as representatives of Jesus Christ that we are in our bathtub with a mattress over our heads." -Sister Grant and I texting the Chapmans The other day we were eating din din at the Chapman's house and teaching Jennell a new membah lesson. WELL, during dinner the tornado sirens went off. The weather was pretty crappy, but it didn't seem like anything to freak out about. The Chapman's have a tendency to freak out about everything, so they began to act like we were basically going to die. They were like "Hurry, go home! If the tornado comes, get in your bathtub with a mattress over your head." Sister Grant and I drove home pretty quick because they freaked the poop out of us. When we got home, we had some weekly planning to get done so we stayed in for about an hour. After we finished, it was like 8:15, so we had some time to go do something productive. We texted the Chapman's and asked if we were okay to go out and proselyte. They responded with telling us to get into our bathtub right that instant. We were like "Wow, I guess this is more serious than we thought.." AND SMUSHED A MATTRESS IN OUR TINY BATHROOM AND GOT IN THE BATHTUB. They didn't believe us, so we sent them this quote. Theeeeen they called and told us that it was all a prank. No tornado...just two very gullible sister missionaries. Bill Chapman posted a screenshot of the text messages on Facebook, and now we're the talk of the whole Youngstown Ward. Bishop couldn't even look at us during ward council because he was laughing so hard. The Elder's we work with in the ward texted us on Monday and said "Sisters! Be home and in your bathtub by 1 pm. There is a solar eclipse today and those can be very dangerous." Soooo basically we wasted about an hour of the Lord's time in a bathtub with a mattress over our heads, and now everyone makes fun us for it. You know what I have to say to them? SAFETY FIRST, SAFETY LAST. I regret nothing. 

Wow, that's a lot of words I just typed and honestly I was boring myself typing them. Sorry. It was funnier in the moment... I peed.

2.) "Would it be easier if we just take the coffee from you?" -Sister Grant Guys, I love Sister Grant. She never raises her voice or says anything mean or sassy to anybody. I've learned a lot from her about loving the people around us. She said this quote to Perry (investigator on date for the 2nd of September) because he can't seem to stop drinking coffee. When he said "Nah, I think I'll be fine." That's when the overbearing missionary in me came out and I was like "Um, no. We're going to take your coffee. Satan wants you to drink that because he doesn't want you to live with Heavenly Father again, and we're not going to let him win." Perry looked a little shocked at my response, so Sister Grant came in again and was like "We know that Heavenly Father will help you quit coffee, and maybe it would be best if we just took some of that temptation away from you."  She never freaks out. Never ever. I wish I could say that I taught her everything she knows, but obviously I didn't. She's an angel. Anyways, after she said this Perry walked into his home, got his jar of coffee, came back out, and handed the jar to us. No more coffee for Perry the platypus. HA, take that, SATAN! 

3.) "What do you call two cats in a car? Cat missionaries." -Carl (recent convert) Every time we teach Carl at the library, he feels the need to walk back to our apartment with us. EVERY TIME. I love Carl, but usually a good 20 minute lesson is all I need for my weekly dose of Carl. This past week, he spent the whole time telling us jokes. They all had something to do with 2 of something or missionaries OR both. This quote was the first one he said. Not too bad, I laughed harder then a normal person would have, and I thought that was going to be an end of the jokes. Nope. Definitely not the end.  He said a lot of jokes. None of them were funny. Sister Grant (my angel baby) laughed at all of them. Every single one. The funny part was that she was actually laughing. I stopped laughing after a while. He was like "Sister Reddish doesn't get my jokes!"... I replied with "No one gets your jokes, Carl. Sister Grant isn't laughing with you, she's laughing at you." Ha, jk. I didn't say that. I wanted to though. It was so hot and so humid and I was so grumpy. I love Carl though. I love him a lot. I promise. 

4.) "I'm trying to be like Jesus; I'm following in his ways." This week we had the opportunity to sing in sacrament meeting. We sang a children's hymn book song because we can't sing and it was short. Anyways, we sang "I'm Trying to Be like Jesus". The singing wasn't great, but the song sure was. Obviously I could do tons better, but I really am trying to be like Jesus. I'm grateful He came to earth. I'm grateful He set the perfect example for all of us. AND I'm grateful that He died for each one of us so that when we don't follow His example, we can repent and become better. I love Him, and I love His gospel. 

I love all of you. Have a splendid week!

Love,
Sister Reddish