Happy 21st Birthday, Jarom!!

                       Happy Birthday Elder Jarom Odom!  Stay strong in the Philippines!

 

See his blog at jtomission.blogspot.com

 

Transfer to Camarillo!

Elizabeth has had her first transfer!  Missionaries find out every six weeks whether they are staying in their area or moving to a new one.  After she got the news that she was getting transferred, she packed up,

and said goodbye to Sister Xayadeth and all of the great people she has met in Newbury Park.

 

 

 

 

She will really miss everyone she has gotten to know there, but is excited to be working in another area!  She has finished her training, and is now a REAL missionary.  She says that she is now able to drive as the designated driver in her companionship, which makes her a little nervous, but she is glad to be driving a brand new Corolla!  I feel a little relieved that at least she can't drive very far!

 

Here is a picture that I found of her new area.  Looks beautiful!

 

 

 

Her new companion is Sister Shipp, who is waiting for a visa for her mission to Brazil.  Elizabeth is learning Portuguese from her in the meantime, but they will probably only be together for a few weeks.

 

 

She seems very happy doing the work that she is doing so far away from home; I miss her but feel better when she writes sentences like these:

 

"I can't imagine not going on a mission now. What I'm learning here would have probably taken me 10 years (at least!) to learn on my own! This past transfer I have changed so much. Every missionary hits a fork in the road - you either go all in or try to keep one foot back home, which would never work. It's time to jump all the way in, and it's so exciting! My training is over now, yay!"

 

I'm so proud of her!

  

Happy New Year!!

Well, December has FLOWN by, and Elizabeth has had her ups and downs in California!  First, she made it through transfers this month without having to move to another area.  She said good-bye to her companion, Sister Unga and now has a new companion, Sister Xayadeth!  Sister Xayadeth has been out on her mission for about 7 months.

They have been working hard every day, finding people to teach and volunteering at Church.  They are truly blessed to have such a great ward with so many members who are willing to help them.  Especially at Christmastime, it was a relief to know that Elizabeth is being so spoiled by the people in California!

After enduring some rejection and a nasty week-long stomach bug that made 28 families sick in her ward (including her and Sister Xayadeth), Elizabeth ended the month having some success with finding investigators.  One woman who has been attending her ward was baptized recently, and another inactive member has agreed to take the lessons!  She is so happy to be forming friendships with the members, investigators, missionaries and even strangers that she meets on the street!

Besides the Christmas cards and packages she received this month, she also has gotten treats from both of her grandmothers -

 

 

Missionaries LOVE to get mail, so keep those cards and letters coming!  She has promised to send some more pictures next Monday, so there will be a new post soon!