This Weeks email from our sweet Sister Stephanie!

This weeks email!!  Salt Lake City East Mission!!

Tue 18

We had an appointment with this Chinese woman named Kaye.  Kaye flew down to Utah from China to help her daughter and son in law take care of their new born son.  The couple has crazy work schedules at certain times of the year so Kaye always comes to Utah to help during their busy months.  We found out about Kaye through a sister in the the stake, Sister Knight.  Through Kaye's many visits they have become good friends.  Kaye told Sister Knight that she wanted to learn more about American culture, so Sister Knight asked if she would like to learn more about the LDS church by meeting with two sweet sister missionaries.  (Sneaky, sneaky)  Anyway, we met at the Knights house and Kaye talked to us about her life.  She had been to temple square before and to hear the Tabernacle Choir sing 3 different times and loves it.

In the MTC i was told that i was going to meet people that are going to be so prepare to hear the gospel.  People that know they are missing something in their lives, and know that they want the gospel.  I thought "Yeah, yeah, in all our dreams."

WELL KAYE WAS A DREAM COME TRUE!

She said that she admires how happy we are, and how we seem to deal with trials a lot better because of our religion.  She told us that she knew that with religion in her life it would fill the gaps that she feels.  She knew that with religion she could be happier.  I couldn't believe what i was hearing, I literally started to tear up.
Just seeing this sweet little Chinese lady with the biggest smile on her face, and despite her wet cheeks, talking about the loss of her younger brother and how she wanted to learn more about the next life, and seeing him again touched my heart.  I thought... I have what she needs, I have what she has been looking for.  (There are so many that are still searching, and wanting to fill those gaps.)

This is where it gets sad, Kaye is leaving for China in 2 weeks to go take care of her 90 year old mom.  She doesn't have time to take the lessons because her daughter and son in law need her to take care of their son. BUT... Where there's a will, there's a way brothers and sisters!   We gathered all the reading material she will need in Chinese!  Any pamphlets,  a Book of Mormon, just the whole enchilada.  She wanted it all for her plane ride home!  We are also taking her to conference. I know that even if i don't see it, Kaye will get baptized.  The spirit that was in the room while we were talking with her was so strong, AND we have a sister that is going to China with her husband and she said that she is going to get in contact with kaye while she is there to see how shes doing.  Kaye was an answer to my prayers, and it seemed like we might have been an answer to hers. 

Wed 19

I GOT TO SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE! lol and boy am i out of shape!

The YW leaders in a ward had me come and teach the girls some Tahitian basics.  I made up a quick hula to a hymn and talked about how we can share the gospel through our talents, the girls LOVED it! The leaders were saying they want to get something put together with the stake. They really seemed to be on fire about it. I don't know if it will actually happen with the whole "no dancing" thing, but the mission president loved that i was doing it so who maybe it will happen. The best part was the fact that we had a chance to bond with the girls, and they got to know us better.  Now they know they can talk to us, and they can trust us if they have any friends that they want us to teach. 

Fri 21

Our week had been really busy but Friday afternoon we had to make some calls to fill up some gaps in our day. We left a couple messages and then we actually had someone call us back. Surprise, surprise....NOT!  We answered the phone and this dude went OFF!  "The church is full of lies", "Joseph Smith is a liar", "blah, blah, blah".  You could only imagine what was going on in my mind at this point.  I wanted to look his address up in the directory and introduce his face to the side of my scriptures.  As i was gearing up to give this brother my response i looked up at my companion, who at this point had made a heart shape with her hands and is mouthing these words to me "We love him, ask if we can do anything for him".  I couldn't help but smile, i have so much to learn from my companion.  Obviously, after this guy was done with his rant i said, "Sir im sorry you feel that way, we love you."  AND... then i hung up.  Which probably wasn't the nicest thing to do, but he had that one comin.

Sun 23

It was busy, busy as usual. We had meetings starting at 7:30 in the morning and it was non stop till 9:30. we had another lesson with Manuel, it was an awesome lesson on prayer, scripture reading, and keeping the Sabbath day holy.  He was interacting, and asking questions.  Things are really moving forward with him.

I also wanted to make my Mom's potato's and had to take a picture of them because they actually turned out pretty good!

We had three NEW investigators this week, which NEVER happens. When we scheduled the appointment for our 3rd investigator Sister Villoso and I started running and jumping around our room like cray cray sisters. This week was very, fulfilling.  Members will ask if being on a mission is hard and i say yes, but its a different kind of hard. I don't have to think about anything but the gospel, that's it.  I count myself lucky!  Sure, there are days that are rough, but my time is totally, and completely dedicated to the Lord and his work.  I doesn't get any better than that!

(This is something I made for a game my companion and I play with kids at homes that we teach at... I love the children...)

I really enjoy all the boxes that my family sends me but we really need to come to an understanding... NO MORE FOOD... I don't want to get fat!  (However, I couldn't resist a funny pic of me after a draining work out with Sister V)  Really though, we do run and try to get our exercise in as much as our schedule allows.

This next picture just cracks me up.  I want everyone to know that I never said I sing!

And finally... More of my creative skills at work.  My own homemade scripture case made out of a cereal box that came in my St. Patrick's Day box!  (Because they were getting scratched in my shoulder bag)

Funniest email from last week award goes to: DAD!

He said...
"So anyway, talking to this long time secretary at Southwire about nothing.  She was the North American Presidents secretary and now is secretary to the Pres of Marketing.  She knows everyone. Nice gal.  We got into this "all about life and where we've been" conversation that kept seeming like it was just going TOO LONG, and I needed to get back to work.  Anyway...I mentioned that Tim, from the AZ office, my friend, was coming out to Carrollton for an important meeting... and that we would probably go to church together.  When finally this secretary asks... "What church does he go to?"  BAMM! DOOR IS OPEN, HELLO! "Oh, Tim and I are LDS, you know, Mormons". " 

That story had me rolling, because I know Dad and can just imagine how that is exactly what went through his mind... BAM!  A close second was Debbie's letter about getting hit in the head by an elephant trunk, and about how Clint painted a stripe in the middle of the garage door. 

Best video from last week award goes to: Anything with Joe in it! hahahaha

 Well, Family... The Church is true... And I Love you all so much!!

Thank you all for another week of loving emails,  and thank you mom... for being 70% of all those emails!  On to another week!  Keep me and Sister Villoso in your prayers tonight, we need em! 

Love,

Sister Efnor

Salt Lake City East is the best ever! I love my Mission!

I have to start this weeks email out with a picture of the view that I get to see every single day!

Okaaaay, so this week was a little slow in terms of appointments.  Actually it was really slow.  Never the less, there were still miracles popping up left and right.

Last night we had a lesson with Maggie. She was the girl that was just recently baptized, we met at the Vincents (senior missionaries) and watched the Restoration DVD. I love that video by the way, the music and the actors, basically everything just reeks of inspiration.  Anyways, after the video we asked Maggie what she thought about it.  She LOVED it, because she said she really felt like she could relate to Joseph.  Maggie had been praying for a church that believed in Christ and practiced things that would help her become more like Christ and then SHABAAAM the missionaries showed up!  Maggie is such a sweet person and genuinely just wants to help people, hence her constant visits to Haiti where she looks to give service where ever she can.  I can already tell with her big heart, and big personality she is going to be a big influence in her ward.

We had Zone Conference this past week and it was the BEEZZ NEEZZZ! 

The main thing that i got out of it all was obedience, and the important roll obedience has in the lives of us missionaries.  Sister Eberhardt had an Elder who is serving in Wyoming right now, come up and talk about his experiences regarding obedience. this kids story was I N T E N S E..

Long story short, this kid fell off the deep end.  He wasn't being obedient at all, and one day he realized what he was doing.  He realized all the time he was wasting.  With tears in his eyes he told us about all the time he wasted that he can never get back.  It made me wake and realize that I might not be deliberately trying to be disobedient, but that every moment i have here is precious. The minutes i waste in one day don't get transferred to the next day like a bank account.  That time is gone.  Things like waking up on time and going to bed on time don't seem silly or unimportant to me anymore.  I don't want to come home with regrets.  I will come home knowing i did the best i could from beginning to end.

 Here are a couple pictures of the map they had up at Zone conference to show us where we all came from.  I loved seeing how many missionaries we have here in Salt Lake from Arizona!

Our Zone leaders taught in part of the zone conference, because they were last, and zone conference started at 10am and ended around 4pm.... they wanted to do something that would keep everyone awake.  You know those minute to win it games?  Well in between slides about how we can become better missionaries they would have two people (an elder and sister) come up in front and have them do a minute to win it challenge. They had asked me before hand if i would be in one of them because they knew i wouldn't get embarrassed.  I had to do the cookie challenge, how fitting haha... this is where you stick the cookie on your forehead and without using your hands you have to get the cookie in your mouth..pretty sure everyone got some really amusing pictures in that one minute.  Of course i creamed the elder, had to represent the family name.

  **Mom insert...  (That's my GIRL!)...

I shook L. Tom Perry's hand.  Boy he really does have the grip of a marine, and he's so tall! Needless to say it was a really powerful talk on the importance of strong companionship's. I didn't take a ton of notes because i didn't want to keep looking down, i couldn't believe i was sitting two pews away from him. 

(He is a really big, strong looking man)

 I also found my MTC companion!  So nice to see her again!

Then the very next day i attended a devotional with Maggie.  SISTER OAKS! BABAMMMM!  She spoke on service, gratitude, and happiness.  Sister Oaks told a story of a woman she visited in Brazil. The 70 year old woman had very little, concrete floors, a few plastic chairs, and she was blind. Sister Oaks told of this woman's heart full of gratitude.  We all would see her as someone lacking, but this woman felt as though she had everything because she had the knowledge that Christ lives and her Heavenly Father loves her.  Made me think about all the things i am grateful for. I remember when one of my YW leaders gave a lesson on prayer.  She put it into perspective when she asked us " what if you woke up and you only had the things you thanked heavenly father for the night before in your prayer?".  I find myself in more sincere prayer, on my knees a lot more than i had ever been.

This past Sunday was the best. I've had RMs tell me they hated Sundays but i LOVE EM!  We were busy busy from 9am till 9pm.  We're at a different meeting, different building, different classroom every hour or 30 min haha, but i love it!  Being busy and being productive is the best feeling.  I really love the members in this area, they are trying so hard. Constantly coming up with new ideas so they can help find us people to teach or help us get into houses of inactive members. I really don't want to leave this area anytime soon, transfers are in about two weeks, but sister v says she thinks im going to be in this area for a long time.  I hope her Filipino self is right! hahaha

Today when we went out to get some more groceries i tried to make better choices with my food even though i knew it would cost more. I'm trying to be "healthy" whatever that means haha anyways, when me and sister Villoso went up to pay a lady swiped her card for not only mine but for my companions groceries as well.  What a blessing, and i thought it was even cooler that the guy at the register got to see that happen.  I could tell he hadn't seen something like that before.  We said thank you over and over at the register and when we saw the lady in the parking lot we yelled thank you one last time to the giving sister we were privileged to meet. 

Then at the car wash (we are told to keep our car clean) the guy who runs it let us go in for free and gave us the highest priced wash. 

 My little companion with a big knife!  Cracks me up how small she is, but I love her!  Our can opener doesn't work by the way...

This is a dress that a member gave me so I thought Id just throw that picture in as well... I wear my Nauvoo boots EVERYWHERE!  Yes, they are falling apart, but that's what super glue is for!  Good as new!  **Mom insert...(She has expensive good shoes and boots and refuses to wear them!)

Funny story..

I have a lot of funny stories but some of them would just sound plain stupid to type out haha here is a quick one, so yesterday we went to these apartments to see a guy we had been told to contact through the mission office, anyways..as we are going in this guy is coming out of the apartments (clearly middle eastern decent) and my companion goes "holla! como esta?" I was dead hahahhahahahaha i couldn't stop laughing after he said in plain English "uhh i don't speak Spanish" after i was literally in tears the guy started laughing too, and we told him to have a nice day.  I've seen him at the apartments a couple times so next time we'll have to strike up a conversation about the gospel.  It made my day.

A couple pictures...

 My Uncle Sam lives really close to my mission home... He is to good to me, and always drops off care packages and $$... Uncle!  I love you, but I will do good even if I just have an email from you! 
**Mom insert (Love you Sam!)

I really love this work, and i love the people around me. Sometimes i love people a little less than others haha but im working on it through constant prayer.  I think i love Utah..Oh SNAP! never thought id say that hahaha  On to another week!  I love you all so much, and i love the Lord.  Being a missionary is waaaay better than what i imagined.  I hope all of you have a great week, and for those of you who actually read all this stuff, THANK YOU!

Love 

Sister Dodie (STEPH)
**Mom insert (Thank you so much for all the love and support Steph has been getting from you all... She loves the letters!  A couple things... Steph is getting to teach hula!!  She is so excited to get to work with some YW.  So we were able to send her some music this past week.  And lastly... Her Mission address is:   Stephanie Michelle Efnor
                                                                       Utah Salt Lake City East Mission
                                                                       3487 S. 1300 E. West Entrance
                                                                       Salt Lake City, UT 84106
She can get written mail more often than her once a week email.  If you include your address then she will write you back.  She has more time to do that then email.)
 

First, I'd like to clear the air for all those who said Steph would never be able to do her own laundry because I did it for her all the time... HA!

 

 

 

 Yeah... Like a CHAMP!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some experiences...

So we just got this new investigator.
She is Catholic and her husband is in-active.  She is older, and had a daughter who is in-active as well.  Our senior missionaries, Elder and Sister Vincent are the ones that found her and set up the appointment.
So there we are getting ready to start teaching the first lesson (restoration).  I pull out my pamphlet and start taking about the picture on the front of the pamphlet.  Its a picture of Christ holding a baby lamb.  I asked her what she noticed about how Christ was holding the baby lamb.  She gave answers like lovingly, like a baby, things like that.  So... then I go into how we are like that lamb, and how Christ and Heavenly Father love us so much... While I'm doing this I'm looking at the pamphlet when all of a sudden i hear a sound.  Like a sob, like a hysterical cry.  I look up and she is crying with her hand over her mouth.  First thing that popped into my mind was "SWEEET! I just reeled in the spirit and we haven't even gotten to the good stuff!".....Wrong.
She suffers from a sevier bipolar disorder that causes her to all of a sudden feel really sad...what perfect timing.  She went into the kitchen to gather herself and we moved on.
That was a huge blow to my ego haha!  Moving on to the first vision, having completely forgotten that Catholics believe that the Godhead is all one being. I show her the picture of the first vision and start explaining what happened, oh you should of seen the look on her face!  I guess it would helpful for me to educate myself before going on into teaching those things.  Anyways, the lessons with her have been going great and she is so eager to read the B of M.  Her husband is even wanting to help her read through it, he served a mission and had great insights on the scriptures. 

Met this widow named Nedra Robinson, coolest old lady in Utah. She was a teacher and a principal, after her husband died at a younger age.  When her kids were a little more grown she served a mission in the Philippines.  She has been to at least 30 different places outside of the U.S. like Hong Kong and Finland.  She showed my companion and I a book she made compiling her husbands life starting from when he was in kindergarten, leading up to when he was in the war.  She even had the locket of hair she gave him  before he left for the war.  HE KEPT IT THE WHOLE TIME!  In the back of the book she had a letter that they sent back and forth to each other while he was away.  She also had a book compiling all of her life and even the story about how she and her husband met.  It's a ridiculously cute story.  It was at a temple dedication.  He was coming around the corner with an ice cream in his hand and when they turned the corner they bumped into each other, and he got the ice cream all over her dress.  She then took all these books that she had put together and made copies for all her grand children and great grandchildren. Told ya she was the coolest.

First baptism, Maggie Hopkins.  Best experience ever.  

 

There was such a great turn out from the ward, Maggie doesn't have any family here in Utah so i was a little worried, but the place was packed and the speakers were awesome.  Seeing her get baptized was such a testimony builder for me, and the power of having your sins washed away and receiving the Holy Ghost.  Maggie is a doctor so she had one of those beepers because she was on call.  That thing would not rest!  It was constantly going of,f and no body cared as long as she got baptized!  Maggie even had to step out to call in a few times.  After the baptism she said, " i have never gotten that many calls before for work"  and then she said, " i know it was Satan trying to detour me, but i wasn't going to let him stop me from getting baptized".  Pretty neat huh?  First baptism, and ill never forget it...

 

 

 

Loving the mission!  Just found out that I live on the same street as Russell M Ballard!  Yeah, so I may just get a picture of him if I can ever catch him in his front yard!  haha! 

 Main staple in ones diet... Noodles! 

 

I spoke for the second time this past Sunday. First was in a family ward and the second was at the singles ward that we cover. There were so many people in the singles ward i though i was speaking at a fireside haha It was awesome though, i opened with... "Talofa my name is Sister Efnor, and i am from the beautiful island of..Mesa Arizona"  that one had them laughing pretty good!  I told the story of when Spencer Sam and Brooke all helped move those stupid, muddy, icy logs, and how when the lady came out of her house they were so sweet to her, and how willing they were to give service. ( I told it a lot better than that)   Then I tied it into how we need to have a heart of service like the Lord did.  I told that story in both of my talks and i have gotten so many people telling me about how much they LOVE that story... So you 3 are famous, your welcome.

Lastly, I went through the Salt Lake temple for the first time today.  

 

 

 

Had to wake up at 4 to be there for the session our mission president wanted us there for.  The temple president and his wife spoke to us, he said the Lord walks these halls. Couldn't help but feel the spirit.  Ive been walking outside of those temple walls for years taking pictures, i couldn't believe i finally got to be the person on the inside.
Still cant believe everyday how much the Lord continues to bless me.
I still stand true to what i said before, serving a mission was the best decision i have ever made. 

I love you all, thank you for always making sure my email is full.  It warms my heart knowing you guys took time out of your day to email me.  I'm so happy to be doing this work, and i see myself changing everyday. 

 

Keep it fresh, Keep it real, Keep it RIGHTEOUS...

PS~Somebody Loves her!! (Thank you!)

LOVE SISTER EFNOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okaaaay!   So i got all your videos!  I watched the one of Joe 5 times already. Someone really needs to tell that kid to postpone growing because i cant take it haha thank you for all the pictures, i opened up my email to 30 new messages haha what a treat!  I know I'm spoiled! 

Anyways, i got a letter into the mail today so that probably wont get to you till... well, forever from now...

Did I say... I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY??  because I DO!

(just skimming through my journal... Where to start this week...?)

We went to this older couples house a couple days ago. The wife is a member and the husband isn't, we were told that the husband never wants the missionaries over, but that he asked if we would come over...but just once.  So, everyone was super excited that we were finally getting to go into their home.  We get there, and they end up giving us a full tour of their house, all these paintings they've collected etc.  So after like an hour tour of their house i finally asked if we could share a message with them.  The wife said yes.  So i read a scripture and a quote by Holland.  In the quote it says "This is the true church.." as soon as those words slipped out of m mouth the husband stood up. He then said, "My hearing aid battery just died and i cant hear anything, excuse me while i go change it.." he promptly left the room..I continued with my message and while doing so i can see that the husband is now in the kitchen fixing himself a sandwich and sippin on some iced tea -__- Hearing aid MY EYE! lol  We asked the wife if we could come back soon and she basically said no... Come to find out AFTER we had already left their home, it took their home teacher YEARS to get into their house, and YEARS to get the husband to even sit in the same room.  Their home teacher has never shared a spiritual message because the husband doesn't believe in God... Wow, that would have been useful information to know!  We went back later and stuck a sticky note on their door saying we loved visiting with them, and we cant wait to come back...(We haven't heard from them)

So... we did exchanges this past week.  That is where you switch companions.  We switched with this three some companion ship, so sister V went to their place and one of the sisters came to our place with me.  So i don't know this area very well and i don't have a ton a of the streets memorized. Being the one from the area i had to lead out our day!  We only had one appointment and i was suppose to fill it up with people while i was carting around this new companion. 

I'm just scrambling to figure out what im going do with this sister all day long when i get a phone call... What?  My appointment cancelled...my only stinkin appointment, GREAT!  So now i have zero. 
We ended up finding an old relief society president who gave us the name of widows we could visit, thank goodness for widow. They seem to be the majority of people that will actually let us into their homes.  Anyways, we visit them..which turned out to be great visits.  So I'm really grateful we got to do that. 
Then we go home and go to bed.  The alarm clock rings and i asked (lets call her) Sister A, if she wanted to shower first, and she said yes.  So she gets in the shower, girl is in there for 45 MINUTES.  What the heck are you getting ready for?!  Your wedding?!  Anyways...she finally gets out and right as i am about to get in the shower the phone rings, its brother and sister Nielson reminding me that they are going to be over around 8 to check our place, uhhh EXCUSE ME?!  8 oclock was gonna come around in 15 minutes!  So i jump in the shower, where in i soon find out that sister A has used allll the hot water.  Yipee, So i take a 5 minute ice bath, run out tooth brush in hand as I'm putting gel in m hair with nothing but a towel on.  I'm running around picking up stuff off the ground, at the same time trying to put some clothes on because I'm down to like 2 minutes at this point.  All the while sister A is blow drying her hair like shes getting ready for prom -__- oh mom, i was praying for patience hahhaha!  I hear a knock at the door and as i am running to the door i am putting on my shirt..our place looked fine for brother and sister Nielson.  What i learned that morning, take a shower first, and always appreciate your Filipino companion hahaha 

We are getting everything ready for Maggie's baptism this Saturday!  I am so excited!  We met with her last night, and she said that she didn't want to get to excited about her baptism...We asked her why, and she said it was because she didn't want Satan to try and detour her.  So she's trying to lay low and fly under his radar haha I thought that was really sweet.  She is so excited to be baptized, and she has such a strong testimony.

The work is moving along here in the Monument Park stake!

Thank you all for all the emails, I'm sorry if i didn't write you back this week.  I really do gain so much strength hearing from everyone.
 

The Gilbert Temple Celebration sounded like a blast and the clips mom sent me were awesome! I miss all the youth that we got to teach those dances to!  You guys were awesome.  I loved when they all held up their flags, it touched my heart.  So inspiring to see all those youth standing together.
I love you all!   The church is true!

Keep it fresh

Keep it fly

 

 

KEEP it RIGHTEOUS!

LLOVVVEEEEEEE!

Sister Dodie 

January 29th... Leaving the MTC... and a WEEK out in the field!!!

Leaving the MTC was sad but also exciting!!  I learned so much there and will never forget what a blessed, wonderful time I had there... Miracles and many lessons learned...

First week out in the mission!  What a wild ride its been!  So, i get off the bus that brought all of us to the front runner, I'm helping unload bags (because there were some wimpy elders not helping haha), I turn my head and who is walking/running toward me?!  My Tuinei family!  What a tender mercy that was, seeing them was the best thing that could have happened to me before i had to leave to the field.  I was so happy, it had me smiling the whole way to the mission office.  

So we get to the mission office and they fed us breakfast, and we met a bunch of our leaders... Who by the way, are all amazing people and I love them!  The mission president and his wife are the sweetest people and i feel so blessed to be in their mission helping the work move forward.  Transfers were that same Tuesday that i got there.  We each had to go up to the mic and say where we were from and bare out testimonies.  When i said i was from Mesa a ton of people started yelling and whooping.  Like half of the people called to this mission are from Arizona... well maybe not half, but there were a lot.  :))

After all that I finally got to meet my companion... Dundundundunnnnn... They called out, "Sister Efnor your companion is....Sister Villoso!"  I stood up and looked for my new companion..then she stood up... She is half my height and from the Philippines!  

She is such a sweet sister, shes been out 11 months and i have learned so much from her.  It was so funny when they called hers and my name because then we went to each other, and hugged i had to bend down haha!  I think it's funny because shes my trainer "mom" and I'm her trainee "baby" and I'm way bigger than her hahaha.  

Anyway, we are living in the bottom of a members house, she is the sweetest lady ever and her name is Linda, so i just imagine that I'm living in Omas basement!  It makes it feel more like home :) I have absolutely been loving it here, there were a couple days that snowed but then it would warm up and melt away.  My first day was so nice, we went around to different member families.  They were all so nice and loving.  

Our senior missionaries for our area are brother and sister Vincent, they are so helpful and it literally feels like all these senior missionaries are my grandma and grandpa, it's weird, but i love it.. 

My first dinner was a salad, which was a blessing from above, ill tell ya that! my internal organs couldn't take any more of that mtc food hahaha.  Waking up every morning hasn't been hard, surprise, surprise... And going to bed at 10:30 is no problem for me either.  

The first night i got here i knocked out like a light! Our first couple of days were kind of slow in regards to getting referrals and actually finding new people to teach..but then we went to one members house and he gave us like 13 referrals all for less active or non members in the area. That was such a blessing, my companion and I were so happy we finally had new people to  see...

So the next day we started knocking on these peoples doors, one by one, ...all told us in their own "special" way to never (emphasis on the never) EVER come back..(insert door slamming in face) haha

The first couple of doors didn't phase me, and then when i realized that we weren't going to have any success that day.. that's when i started getting depressed/angry haha not very sister like of me... Anyway, that day was just awful and i didn't feel motivated at all...then i had my first Sunday here..i had to speak in Sacrament meeting on missionary work and i talked about service..i had them laughing pretty good and guess what?  I only used one piece of paper!  Just little bullet points, and my talk lasted over 10 MINUTES! I thought that was crazy because if you know me you know I'm very nervous and would write pages.  I messed up a couple times, but i had a lot of people come up and tell me that they loved it. Whether or not they were telling me that out of pity i didn't care because it made me feel good!  Then from sacrament we went to go check on an investigator we have been teaching.  We talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ and guess what?....We committed her to be baptized!  She said yes!  Right after we gave the lesson my companion asked her and asked her to kneel right then and there in this members home..and that's exactly what we did!  We knelt in prayer and she prayed to her Heavenly Father if she should get baptized and, with tears in her eyes she opened them, and said that her answer was YES!  I wanted to stand up and yell "HECK YES!", but i figured that would drive out the spirit... :))

When we got into our car my companion and I were yelling so loud!  Can you believe it? 

That was a blessing!!... In my first week we have already committed someone to be baptized!  I'm  so pumped right now!  The rest of our night all of our lessons went great! 

I was told by the area missionaries that this is the second toughest area besides Park City in our mission... Because if the people here aren't already members then they have already been hounded by missionaries so they wont give us the time of day...

It doesn't matter to me because i have been so blessed by the Lord, and I'm going to try and take this momentum from scheduling this new baptism and carry it on through my mission. 

I love it out here, everyday that i am here is another testament to me that the Lord knew exactly what he was doing when he sent me here. 

Side note, we woke up yesterday to three eggs smashed on the side of our car..who new Salt Lake had haterzz haha probably one of the referrals that we talked to that one day...lol 

As for my visitors center stuff, i don't think ill be doing anything with that until i get assigned to Park City where the family center is. I don't know my address off the top of my head but i sent you guys letters with my new address on it.  Its the mission office, because if you send it to the house I'm at, i could get transferred and then its a hassle to get the mail from where ever it got sent. 

Anyway, sorry there are so many spelling errors... 

I love it here guys, its the best place on the earth (and the best mission)!  Teaching people about he gospel and growing to love them is the best feeling in the world.  I love this gospel, and I love my family, and the knowledge that I can have mine FOREVER.

Thank you all for your prayers ( i need em!)

Love Sister Dodie (Efnor)

PS... Pictures coming, and snail mail sent!

Pictures of our girl in the MTC... February 14th, 2014

Ok, well here are "some" of the pictures that Sister Stephanie Efnor

sent via email today.  Please excuse my amateur blogging skills.

I hope to become as good as Jolene Ridd in the future! haha!

What she does on Courtney's page is beautiful.  

BUT

for now this is it.

Stephanie looks amazing, like her same old HAPPY self.

Hopefully next time I'll be able to include the pic's on the letter post!

 LOVE THIS!

 Love from Home

 She knows I'm shaking my head at all those wrinkles!

 Valentine Decorations sent from home...

 Sisters/friends from back home... Courtney Ridd off to Paris and Steph off to Park City Utah!

 I sure miss that big beautiful hair!

Finally! Our second letter from the MTC...

I really do hate this whole "mail" communication thing, it has me so confused. I never got to email oma, I just sent her a letter, and because its like the twilight zone over here I really wouldn't be able to tell you what day I sent any of those letters on haha. My perception of time right now is so warped!  MOS GARLIC ROLLS?! I'll most definitely be checking the mail after i get off my emai!  Well...i cant remember all the stuff that ive already sent you guys in emails so i apologize if some of this stuff is old news to you..

So, I had to wait more than a week to get on my email because i started my visitors center training! Due to the change of schedule my pday was changed to today, so sorry about the confusion.  Anyways..this past Wednesday all the visitors center sisters got to take a bus to temple square, it felt so weird being outside of the MTC.  At temple square we took a tour with some sister missionaries and they told us about the importance of being a visitors center sister. It is way harder than i thought it would be, so all ya'll hatin on people getting called to visitors center missions can just pipe down. :-) They told us about their experinces that they've had and then we went to an orinetation on visitors centers, it had me seriously pumped! 

I dont know if i already told you but i am going to be at the visitors center in Park City!  It is really small hahaha its all about family history, and i was told by the guy giving us the orientation that it had the highest return rate, because everyone loves learning more about their family! 

I was really happy to hear that.  Sister Nelson and I are leaving the MTC Tuesday morning..it was pretty funny when the others sisters in our district were all getting their traveling itineraries in the mail, and it was telling them what flights they needed to take and then mine and sister Nelsons came in the mail and it was telling us when the front runner was going to be leaving the train station! hahaha

For our visitors center training we got to chat online with people! How cray cray is that right?!  We all got our own laptops and headsets.  I felt like i should have been directing a space shuttle landing haha, but yeah, so when someone wants to chat it would pop up on both mine and sister Nelsons screen and we could talk to them together!  We had some pretty cool experinces with people really wanting answers to questions they had, and then there were some...ODD ones..hahaha. 

For example, this one guy wanted to know if realating the gospel to Thor was blasphemy... Sister Nelson and I looked at eachother and started busting up laughing...which i guess wasn't very nice, but you would of had to have seen the other stuff he said before that haha... He felt like he could help non members come unto Christ better if he could relate it to Thor, which i kinda see where he's coming from with the whole "Thor gets sent down to earth by his father, he saved the world, and then gets to return home"  BUT we promtly sent him some links to church websites that would be helpful to use haha... so that was a pretty funny experince. 

All of the other sisters in out district are gone, they all left to Canada this past Tueday, so its just Sister Nelson and myself, all alone in our rooms..Which has actually been pretty nice because now we can use one of the desks as a pantry. Mom, we literally have a pantrys worth of food in our room, its kind of riduculous.  We have shelves stocked with food and i dont know what we are gonna do with all of it..  We might open up our own store in our room and make some profit? hahaha 

Im still loving it here, just when i think that ive had the best day ever, i go to bed and wake up and end up having an even better day the next day.  Im loving my visitors center teachers they are amazing sisters and they have such strong testimonys. Im really excited to be able to go out in to the feild but ive learned and grown so much here that i dont want to leave at the same time.  

I have been getting so many packagas from people and i am so grateful for that, (If I haven't had the chance to write you personally please know how much I love that you thought of me!) Saturday is my last day to get mail though, so tell anyone if they were planning on sending me something to not do it or to wait until im at my mission home. just an fyi :)  Debbie i loved those cookies and our letter!  Tell Clint his letter is coming soon so he can stop crying about how much he misses me.. Ronnie i love getting letters from you about school.  I miss picking you up all the time and getting to here about how your day went.. Dad i love you so much and i really appreciate you writing me all the time and all you share with me about the scriputres. Mom im pretty sure your the reconrd holder for most dear elders in a day hahhaha, but i love it!  Give grumpy a pat on the head and treat for me.  Thank you for giving me updates all the time on my baby hahah!  

I love you all so much and everyday i am reminded more and more that this was the best decision i could have ever made.  I love this gospel with all my heart, and being here has changed me in ways i didn't know were possible. 

I love you all so much!

Love Sister Efnor