Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Meet the Mormons!

Hey President!!!!

Well.... I can see you took my plea for no change during transfer boards seriously and took away two of my best friends... My darling companion and Elder Cook. Sigh. Well. It was bound to happen. Sister Contreras is really one of my best friends in the whole world.... she has always been so kind to me and always been there for me in everything. She's corrected me so kindly and inspired me to be a better missionary. With the unity we've enjoyed, we turned around this area with the Lord's help. Everything is set up for Sister Horning to come up and have a great Mexican experience! I've served with Elder Cook for 9 months. My whole mission except for the MTC and my first transfer here. He is a fantastic missionary and just a really good person, we all knew that he was going to be made an assistant. I'm really excited for the mission!!!

Here we're doing good! General Conference was a great experience! None of our investigators came which was disappointing... but we had really good experiences with them during the week and we're determined to have them there this coming Sunday. 

We had a really good zone leadership meeting... I loved being there! Thank you for making it clear that Sister Training Leaders need to be a part of setting the zone vision... I was able to contribute a much different point of view and it helped us to shape our vision. It also helped me know what is going on in the zone. As the only sisters, I didn't realize really how cut out of the loop we've been. But now we know where we can help so much more. It was a very spiritual and unifying experience, thank you for making that clear. 

We've just started teaching a part member family.... the parents are not married but the wife is already a member. She said she's waiting for her husband to completely give up drinking before she's ready to marry him. He's already been weekly-sober... just struggling on the weekends. Well our first lesson was super powerful about families. A week later when we followed up he said he hadn't had ANYTHING!!!!!!! FOR A WHOLE WEEK!!!! it's a miracle. So hopefully that continues and soon we can get them married and baptized and in the temple!!!!

We also had a really cool contact. Right now we're working on talking with everyone. I've been really impressed with so many sisters on my mission how they take advantage of every opportunity and finally it's hitting me. Most of them go and talk to someone while their car is being filled with gas! So we've been really trying hard to do the same... I don't know why a gas station approach is so much harder for me than a door knock but it really is haha. BUT! I overcame my fear and just did it last week and talked to the teenage boy filling up right by us. He accepted our pass along card and we set an appointment for two days later! He actually was there AND he brought his friend!!!! Both of them accepted the invitation to be baptized!!!!! We still have to set a date, but it was a MIRACLE!!!!! I know God did that on purpose so that I get over myself and my fear and just talk to everyone, because you never know!!! We got 5 new investigators this week... we're doing really well! One is a member's friend, those two boys, the husband of another investigator that is the key to baptizing the couple (we spent a lot of quality time with them this weekend, helping them move, she's expecting their first child), and a referral from the English elders!!! It's been a very blessed week!

I'm really determined about this next transfer President. I'm going to be the best missionary I've ever been and we are going to WORK and not waste ANY TIME and we are going to BAPTIZE. I officially have four transfers left. My time feels so precious to me. I feel weepy every time I think about it ending. I'm not going to lose a second. 

Thanks so much for everything President! And from what I heard about transfer calls and talking to my sisters, there's a lot of new leadership!!!! Thanks so much for giving these sisters opportunities!!!!! Thanks for making me feel heard!!!!

You're the best!!! I love you and Sister Clark so much!!!!!

Sister Zollinger



Mom!!!!! I Love you!!!!

 My leg is getting better... played frisbee at like 30% last week but we won so that was awesome. We watched Meet the Mormons on Friday!! I saw it the Friday before at Mission Leadership Council with the departing missionaries, the ZL's and the STL's. It's coming out this weekend, you need to try and get everyone you know to go and post it on Facebook... it has a page on Facebook to, so make sure you like it! And like it for my page too please!!! how long it's in theaters depends on success opening weekend and it's a really great way for people to get to know mormons better! They said in an explanation by Jeffery R holland before our showing that 75% of the people that watched it (non-members) would reccomend it to their friends and a lot of them said that it dramatically changed their attitude towards missionaries!!!!! BIG DEAL!!!! SPREAD THE WORD!!!!



We had to get FLU SHOTS. Usually they cost money you know? But Walgreens had just done shots for the homeless the day before, and when they saw us all come in, they had some extra free homeless vouchers and so they gave the vouchers for us! And Elder Craven, the huge missionary, had duck dynasty bandaides... so we all matched. great experience.

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Carla's Baptism!

September 29, 2014

Hey President!!!!

Well, I am extremely looking forward to this upcoming week. No meetings. No exchanges. I'm actually going to work in my area. So excited!!!!

Thursday was just so great with zone meeting and having the Stake Presidency there!!! Completely changed my outlook on ward counsels. I think all zones should have a meeting like that. This Sunday when I went to branch counsel, I was actually looking forward to it and then I was able to make input about several activities that will really help our members and trying to help the branch better utilize it's home teaching and visiting teaching network. It made me feel like a real missionary, oddly enough, when I became a real member of the branch counsel. So inspired.

I really really appreciated our interview time. You make all of us feel like each of us is your favorite missionary. All of us individually feel so close to you. I also was so appreciate of MLC. It made me feel so much better. Things I've been trying to hint at to my zone leaders while not overstepping my bounds are now being taken care of and I just feel a lot more empowered to do good in my calling. I think the mission is heading in absolutely the right direction. Thank you for making me feel like my opinions and impressions matter!

This week our baptism happened!!! I really don't know how, seeing as we were almost never in our area with meetings and exchanges, but God willed it to happen and so it did! It was such a sweet experience. Her name is Carla and she's 17. She tries to look really tough and strong and somewhat aggressive, just because of the life she's had to live and the circumstances in which she was placed, but the Light of Christ is alive and well in her. One cool story: We were talking to her on Thursday about Prophet Monson again, just to pump her up for her baptism and for General Conference this coming weekend. As we were talking, without even thinking I told her "And modern prophets have also told us that women can only have one set of earrings in each ear! That's something I don't completely understand, but because I have faith in the Book of Mormon and I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet and that God wants us to be happy, I follow that commandment and only have one set of earrings." I had no idea why I said that, and immediately she reached up to touch her doubly pierced ears. I just continued to talk about the faithful women who without question removed their extra earrings when the announcement was made and their faith and desires to follow Jesus Christ. She said "You're making me want to take them out!" And I said "No I'm not, the Spirit it! And that says a lot about you as a person!" And then President... SHE TOOK THEM OUT! I was shocked. She's so tough, used to run around with gangs, unhappy family.... a LOT of trials.... and after 15 minutes of talking about that commandment, she just took them out! We didn't even invite her. Actually, I just invited her to pray about it. And she just took them out. So. Cool. So faithful. So she was baptized on Sunday. I felt so great about it. She said that she felt really clean. And her mom came to church as well. Missed sacrament, but her mom loved all the classes, so we're hopefully that more of her family will follow. Sister Segovia and Sister De la Cruz were able to come as well, they were the ones who found the family and baptized two of the younger kids!! Such a special experience.

Women's Conference was also inspiring!!

This is getting long... sorry. I just love being a missionary! I love my area, my companion, my stewardship, my leadership... please just don't change anything during transfer boards!!!!!! Haha!!!


Love you so much, we pray for you every day!!!!!

Sister Zollinger