5-14-2012

So i don't really have too much to say today because we just talked. AND IT WAS WONDERFUL TO TALK TO ALL OF YOU! I was debating whether or not I should divulge my ukulele secret or just wait til I got home and surprised you all... but I love it so much I had to share it! Megan and Justin your puppy is so stinking cute! I can't wait to get to see him for real! He'll be so big by then! I love the picture of him hiding under the couch. It reminds me of Rachel falling asleep under the table cloth and we couldn't find her anywhere... haha. So to all of you... I love getting pictures on email but send me real pictures too so that I can look at them all week! Dad, I definitely want to learn those songs, especially Come Thou Fount" so if you could find some music with the chords and lyrics... that would be awesome. Even if it's just the words with the chords written above them. That's perfect. Although if piano music is also involved that's okay with me :-) I would love to have something I can play! Currently I raid old new eras and pull the music out of them. There are some awesome songs in there! So I won't send a ton of pictures but I wanted to send some...but apparently that is also something that doesn't work on my camera anymore... It was just a picture of me and ElDee and then one of me with the skeleton of a fish that I had eaten clean and one of me and a golden retriever. I walked into a memeber's house and there was a golden! I was so excited! Anyway... I'll send them after I get a camera (friendly reminder daddy :-) haha) I'm very excited because we have another appointment with Josh tonight. It's going to be awesome. We are teaching about the Plan of Salvation. Just the first half though becuase we are going to take it very slow to make sure he understands everything. This kid is so awesome. I just can't even tell you how awesome he is. So my heroes today are Ammon and his brothers. Read Alma 26:27-29. He is talking about their missions and how they went door to door and taught in the streets and were rejected... sound familiar? It does to me! But then he talks about how they were persecuted. spit on, smote, taken and bound, stoned. I am so lucky that I don't have any of that in my mission! They went through all that and kept the faith and always relied on our Heavenly Father. They are such wonderful examples of missonaries! Why? Because they totally gave themselves to the work. They really worked with their hearts, might, minds, and strength. They dealt with so much and kept going. It just reminded me that I have absolutely nothing to complain abuot. Not that I have anything to complain about anyway. I love being a missionary. I love being able to teach and invite others to come unto Christ. This is the greatest work ever! IT brings so much joy! Now read verse 30 in Alma 26. I would like to echo Ammon's words. "That perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some." Not if we could save some, but if we could be the means of saving some." This work is not ours and we cannot do it by ourselves. It is the Lord's work that can only be accomplished if the Spirit is teaching through us. In chapter... 8 (?) of Preach my gospel (How to begin teaching) one of the points is that we are imperfect teachers, we are guides, helping people come unto Christ. How lucky that we have the Spirit, who is a perfect teacher, to help us! Well that's really all I have for today. I love you all! Keep smiling! I do! :-D Annie PS Tealofa ei te oi! PSS Fiafailemu! PSSS that means I love you! Take it easy!

SEVERE CHASTISEMENT!

As her sister… may I just say that we had no idea that her P day was a day earlier than the week before… that’s why there were no e-mails!

Dear Family,

I am SOO tempted to not write you toady. Wanna know why? I DIDN'T GET A SINGLE EMAIL FROM ANYONE THIS WEEK! Can I tell you how depressing it is to open my email (its a very exciting time when I get to read your letters) and there is NOTHING THERE?! Seriously I almost cried. I was expecting at least 4 emails just from Saturday telling me how awesome your day was and about a new puppy... It's a good think I got a card from mom this week. And a bunch of letters from friends otherwise it would have been really sad! :-( Okay, now that we have that out of the way...

How is everyone? I hope all is well. Landon, you got to go through the Temple on Saturday! I was thinking about you all day! I'm sure you had an amazing experience! I can't wait to hear about it! Megan and Justin you got a new puppy! I'm so excited for that! What did you decide to name him? Have you been getting any sleep? Send me pictures soon! On Saturday night we were going to sleep and I told my companions I had got a new nephew that day. THey were like... what? I said ya, my sister and brother in law got a new baby today! And they were super confused...until I told them it was a baby puppy! It was funny. I love my companions so much! They are awesome. Speaking of awesome... I was in church yesterday, leaving the chapel after Sacrament meeting and this lady comes up to me and says "I thought I would go to church with you today" it took me a second to realize who she was... ELDEE! That was super exciting! It was awesome to see her and chat with her. And I discovered that her grandson, Ben  was best friends with one Trey . So, Brother Elton if you are reading this, please pass the word along to Brother Sikehema that his good friend Ben is the grandson of my aunt :-) awesome huh?! Also, remember how I was telling you about Brother Lowell (the man from Green River) well he took piano lessons from Aunt DeAnn! and I learned that Buffalo Bill is a Lowell so next time I see him I will be asking if he is related to Buffalo Bill. If he is he'll know who I'm talking about! haha.

Yesterday while we were tracting we knocked this door and a man opened it wearing...nothing but his underwear. It was weird. So he stayed behind the door and we definitely focused on his face. We had a lovey conversation about keeping the commandments and doing what God wants us to do and believing in Christ, the Savior of the world. I felt strongly that we should sing him a song (with the ukelele!) so he went into his apartment and put on a sweater....but still no pants. and we sang him "choose the right" and then we left. It was an interesting experience to say the least. But we'll go back a little later to sing another song (that he requested) and hopefully teach him. Wouldn't he have the best conversion story ever!? ha! Something I have learned is that while we are tractng I have two options. I can get discouraged becasue there aren't a lot of people who want to learn OR I can stay happy and positive and remember that even if they don't accept the gospel now we are planting seeds and they will hopefully be open to the message of the the gospel in the future. Knowing me...which one do you think I choose? The happy one of course! So I have basically been skipping from door to door. I love being on a mission and having the opportunity to teach God's children! It really is awesome. Landon, I'm so excited for you to get out here in less than a month! It's going to be awesome for you! You will love it!

Something I have started doing in my study every day is pick a hero of the day. Someone from the Book of Mormon in the scriptures that I read that day that jumped out at me beacsue of their faith, diligence...whatever it was. I write it in my planner so I can look at it and think about it all day. I also have a special Book of Mormon just for my heros. I mark the passage and the date for everyday and write a list of my hero in the back. The hero of the day becomes my inspiration for the day and I try to remember them and live and do like they did all day. I have had some awesome heros! Nephi, Ahaz, Alma, another Nephi, Zoram (the servant of Laban), the other Nephi... It's super awesome! What are things that you do to help in your study and help you live the gospel? Think about it and if you're not doing anything specific, pick something and do it! Study with a purpose! You will learn so much more! There was something else I wanted to say here but I forget what it is... maybe it will come to me later. C'est la vie. So I will call home on Sunday. I'm not sure what time exactly it will be but I'm thinking around 6 my time... if everyone could be at home that would be great. That way I only have to call one and I can spend more time talking with all of you.

I love you all! Try to repent and improve in your letter writing... ;-) I'll talk to you on Sunday!

Annie

PS keep cold water bottles in your car all the time and when you see the missionaries out and about give them to them.

PSS NEVER go a a whole week without writing ever again. It's sad. I don't like it at all.

A nose in need deserves puffs plus indeed! 5 - 1- 12

Unfortunately, the MTC doesn't believe in that. Or they haven't seen the commercials. But let me tell you... I LOVE PUFFS! So I am getting over my cold...not completely there yet. My companions made me stay inside one day and sleep and although I didn't want to it was really good because I got a lot better that day. So hopefully I'll be completely over it soon. So the flights were unevenful. On the way to detroit I talked to this man who is like 72 years onld and rock climbs and is a scuba master and like a master roofer. He goes all over the world helping archeologists figure out how roofs of buildings went together. Like the parthanon. No big deal. And he spends a lot of time in Israel and Jordan and really knows a lot about the Bible...but he's Buddihst! So that was a way fun conversation. Also, when I get back I'm going to learn to how fly. So dad you can renew your pilots license and I'll get mine. Won't that be fun!? When we got the airport in Columbus President and Sister Nilsen were there waiting for us with the APs Elder Cannon and Elder Robbins (who is like 6'8") We went back to President's house and ate grilled hamburgers and homemade mac and cheese and strawberry shortcake... oh my gosh. After almost a month of MTC food this was heaven! Not that MTC food is bad, for how much they have to make it is actually really good! But this was just awesome! The hamburgers were really juicy so one of the elders, Elder Hein, was like squeezing it and was like... "It's bleeding..." it wasn't. it was just juicy. Plus juicy tomatoes. It was awesome lol. Okay, really quickly becasue computer time is almost over and then I'll write a letter with more. My trainers are Sister Va'asili (Va (like Vaughn) ah (like at the doctor) silly) and Sister Finefeuiaki (Fine (Like Tina) Fey We Aki (like in hockey) Sister Va'asili is from Samoa and Sister finefeuiaki is from california (but is Tongan) They are way awesome. and I love them a lot! I am learning so much here! I love the ward and the people! There is a man in the ward from Green River! and he is related to the walkers in lyman. so... a lot of people lol. The hardest thing for me is tracting. it is so hard when people say that they aren't interested in the gospel. How could they not be interested in something that brings them so much joy? It's just heart breaking. But The work is great and brings great joy as well! You know what else brings great joy...? LETTERS! (hint hint). So I'll write a letter today and tell you more! Bye!

Sister Annie Webb

Pictures: (sorry I couldn’t download them all for everyone to see)

 

My trainers!

5140- Beautiful flowers I got! Thanks! and Elder Herzog loved them too! (whenever I walked around campus with flowers everyone thought it was my birthday... it was awesome!

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!