There are so many Texans here in my mission.
Well, without further adieu, my experiences here in Fresno.
My companion is Sister Tupou. She is Tongan and has only spoken english for the last five months--and she's amazing at it! When I arrived to the area, the missionary I replaced was going home, so she used up ALL of our miles for the month. Sooo, Sister Tupou and I have been walking/biking everywhere we go. And may I just say, my bike is INCREDIBLE! Everyone was like "ooh" and "aah" when were were leaving the mission office and packing up our cars with our bikes and luggage. The locks are awesome and super heavy duty. The mission record is 6 days for having your bike stolen from arriving in the mission--but I am determined to not allow anyone to take my bike!
I am serving in North Fresno in the Riverview Ward. This area was just opened up to missionaries in October of last year.
We have a 2010 Chevy Mailbu--the newest car in the mission--haha as our wheels. And Sister Bolliger is the driver because Sister Tupou doesn't have a drivers license. Talk about stressful! They gave us all of this orientation about how we must take incredible care of the cars, etc., at the risk of us losing our driving privileges for the entire mission. When we actually get to use our car it will be interesting to see how I do driving it. Haha.
The California Fresno mission is the third mission in the world that has been selected from the First Presidency to try out something called "Church tours". Basically you invite people to come on a church tour, where we show them pictures of Christ in the building, invite them to church, explain the sacrament, commit them to be baptized, introduce them to a member, and teach the authority part of the first lesson. It is all rather intense. At my first church tour I was actually taking an investigator through--and he committed to be baptized! Ah! What a way to have the first invitation to be baptized on your mission be accepted! His name is Fransisco--and he lost his wife about nine months ago, and is still in serious mourning.
My first dinner at a member’s house was going well until I noticed this large hutch with glass windows. As I peered inside the little boy, Gio, said "sssssssssss". I thought he was being ridiculous until I realized.....this "hutch" was actually the cage for TWO MASSIVE BOA CONSTRICTORS. I seriously started shaking and ran away from it as far as I could considering this was literally a one bedroom apartment. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. They then kept threatening to take it out. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Thank goodness for the wife. Who promised me they wouldn't. Ahhh.
Soooo maybe since I arrived in the mission field I decided that I was just going to eat whatever the members and mission president's wife gave us to eat. (Random side note, Sister Gonzalez is the Mission Medical--she's a nurse!) Aaaaand maybe I was struck with potentially the most severe attack of both conditions at one time. Yes. It was death..So, let's just say. I have been humbled. Extremely. Again.
I know that I needed to tell the members, so I came up with a little thing:
B- bread/rice A-apples P-potatoes T-tons of veggies I-ice water S-salad M-melon
and announced it in Relief Society again. It was great!!! The ladies were all laughing. Apparently I was pretty funny or something.
And I am losing SO much weight. It's ridiculous. Probably at least 10 pounds since I've entered the MTC.
I dont' tell you about my health problems to freak you out, but to just show you how the Lord is taking care of me. :) I'll learn to obey. I will obey!
I am tackling our Area Book. Somehow, a part of me that I have not seen in full is coming out in full force. It's called Sister ORganization. Ahh! I can't stand for things to be unorganized or unclear. So dont' worry.....I'm doing well!
I am trying my hardest to be who the Savior wants me to be--even though sometimes it can be hard or a bit scary. But I know this is where I am supposed to be!
Love you ALL!
Sister Bolliger
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