Dear Family and Friends,
Surprise! I thought I'd send you all your letter today early, just to surprise you! Actually, the mission changed their minds about our phone calls and so I had to write today to inform the family. Now you all will have a suspenseful holiday weekend wondering did Sister Sorensen get transfered or not? And if so, where is she now? And, since that is the case would anyone who chooses to write me this week write me through the Mission Office since it is uncertain where/if I might go. To be completely honest, I don't know who is going, but personally I think I'm staying and that Sister Kawasaki will move on despite her urgent wishes to stay; but I can see some reason for President Perry to leave her here, so I just don't know.
This was a crazy week. We had to make a lot of preparations for a double baptism this weekend. But the baptism did go forward despite many, many things which just happened to happen and cause hitches. Including, the fact that the Lincoln 1st and 3rd Elders did not inform us that their 2:00 baptism had been moved elsewhere, which is how we planned to get into the building and have the font already filled. But we managed to get into the building and break into the font after several frantic calls to the missionaries in Rocklin to get the correct keys and Sister Kawasaki's resourcefulness (she opened the door into the font through the women's bathroom with a nickel) and had our baptism only an hour late with the water only half as warm as we would have liked. I'll save any more interesting details for tomorrow.
Other exciting events of last week: we actually were able to have two lessons with investigators we picked up the week before; return appointments that actually went through! Also we found one investigator and one good potential investigator last week and had 3 investigators at church!
I hope you all have a great Christmas Eve!
Love,
Sister L. Sorensen
PS Grimshaws thanks for the package, I haven't opened it yet though, so I'll have to write more specific thanks next week
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Santa Ran
Dear Family and Friends,
We had a pretty good week last week. We were able to find 3 new people to teach/try to teach and at least two of them seem pretty promising. One is from a part member family, and one we just started talking to while he was out on the street. We taught an entire Lesson One and he pretty much set up the return appointment. So we'll see how that all turns out.
Saturday we had the Santa Run. The Santa Run is when President and Sister Perry (well, and the Craners--an office couple, the Biglers--another ofice couple, and President Barnes) come around to the various zones and bring us our Christmas Packages complete with stickers from the Mission Office which say "Don't you dare open this until Christmas." Where is the trust? The Santa Run also included the opportunity to watch (gasp!) a movie. Oooh, ahhh. So we watched "The Chronicles of Narnia" and maybe it's just because the only other things I watch are church films, but it was pretty gripping. It was interesting to muse on a few other scriptural parallels I had not noticed before as well.
That is about it. We are trying to stay busy this week, and it looks like we should succeed. We have a baptism for a husband and wife this weekend and that is exciting. I don't know when I'll be emailing next week. It probably won't be until Thursday or Friday as transfers are on Thursday. I still don't quite have it figured out. Sister Kawasaki keeps telling people that I am leaving, which sort of ruffles my feathers, but we'll see.
Love,
Sister L. Sorensen
We had a pretty good week last week. We were able to find 3 new people to teach/try to teach and at least two of them seem pretty promising. One is from a part member family, and one we just started talking to while he was out on the street. We taught an entire Lesson One and he pretty much set up the return appointment. So we'll see how that all turns out.
Saturday we had the Santa Run. The Santa Run is when President and Sister Perry (well, and the Craners--an office couple, the Biglers--another ofice couple, and President Barnes) come around to the various zones and bring us our Christmas Packages complete with stickers from the Mission Office which say "Don't you dare open this until Christmas." Where is the trust? The Santa Run also included the opportunity to watch (gasp!) a movie. Oooh, ahhh. So we watched "The Chronicles of Narnia" and maybe it's just because the only other things I watch are church films, but it was pretty gripping. It was interesting to muse on a few other scriptural parallels I had not noticed before as well.
That is about it. We are trying to stay busy this week, and it looks like we should succeed. We have a baptism for a husband and wife this weekend and that is exciting. I don't know when I'll be emailing next week. It probably won't be until Thursday or Friday as transfers are on Thursday. I still don't quite have it figured out. Sister Kawasaki keeps telling people that I am leaving, which sort of ruffles my feathers, but we'll see.
Love,
Sister L. Sorensen
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Minor Miracles and the Work Goes On!
Dear Family and Friends,
Thank goodness for minor miracles! We finally pulled out of our very, very low finding slump last week. Not by a lot, we only found two and one wasn't there when we went back for our return appointment, but we broke the 1, 0, 1, 0 trend! Also we had some really good lessons with investigators and set two baptisms for this month. I know that will please President Perry. Finally Sister Kawasaki finally snapped out of her something, I don't know exactly what it was but it was wearing, and was much happier this week. Plus we were able to get 9 people to go out with us on lessons and other missionary activities this week. And on top of all that we had exchanges with the Sisters in Auburn and Sister Kawasaki got to go on her very first mission "sleepover" as she went to Auburn to work with Sister Furhriman while Sister Fultz came up to Lincoln to teach with me. We didn't really have too much else exciting go on. No snakes in our car--of which I'm glad because one that would be slightly creepy and two Sister Kawasaki has an intense fear of snakes. I did prepare a little Christmas surprise for many of you, so look forward to having that come your way. I think that is about it! I'm sorry things are short, but we're in a hurry. We are only having a half p-day because we have our "Santa Run" this saturday.
Love,
Sister L. Sorensen
Thank goodness for minor miracles! We finally pulled out of our very, very low finding slump last week. Not by a lot, we only found two and one wasn't there when we went back for our return appointment, but we broke the 1, 0, 1, 0 trend! Also we had some really good lessons with investigators and set two baptisms for this month. I know that will please President Perry. Finally Sister Kawasaki finally snapped out of her something, I don't know exactly what it was but it was wearing, and was much happier this week. Plus we were able to get 9 people to go out with us on lessons and other missionary activities this week. And on top of all that we had exchanges with the Sisters in Auburn and Sister Kawasaki got to go on her very first mission "sleepover" as she went to Auburn to work with Sister Furhriman while Sister Fultz came up to Lincoln to teach with me. We didn't really have too much else exciting go on. No snakes in our car--of which I'm glad because one that would be slightly creepy and two Sister Kawasaki has an intense fear of snakes. I did prepare a little Christmas surprise for many of you, so look forward to having that come your way. I think that is about it! I'm sorry things are short, but we're in a hurry. We are only having a half p-day because we have our "Santa Run" this saturday.
Love,
Sister L. Sorensen
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
The Dread Pirate Roberts
Dear Family and Friends,
Okay so truthfully, my week did not include any encounters with men of the nautical or mariner persuasion of any degree of infamy. Tuesday, however, I did come down with that dreaded disease of every winter more commonly known as the flu. Luckily it turned out to be a pretty quick case as I was back in Pros (for non missionaries this is a mission term short for Proselyting and is in reference to the clothes worn by missionaries for Proselyting purposes) by Wednesday--even if knocking a fairly easy street for an hour did require me to sit down in the car afterwards and do a practice teach with Sister Kawasaki to gear up for heading out again. The highlight of that experience was that I completely passed out for the very first time in my life; an interesting experience probably more indicative of my own lack of thought than the severity of the sickness. It was fortunate that I managed to pass out at a time and in a location where the event was unwitnessed by either Mary (the member we live with) or Sister Kawasaki. I did learn on this time around with the flu that Gatorade is an effective combatant because you can drink it just a few sips at a time, which will keep your stomach from becoming fully aware of the nutrients you are sneaking in and getting too angry with you, and it helps replenish the sugars and salts in your body. You can also heat it up in the microwave and have it hot for when you're cold. Things to keep in mind Elder Sorensen in case you are ever in need of such remedies. I have to admit, however, that it is strange drinking hot Gatorade. Anyway I'm glad to have gotten somewhat innoculated against the flu, and to be better.
The work the last few weeks has been going quite slow for Sister Kawasaki and I. Our finding has been so low and our investigators so flaky that it has been quite difficult getting lessons with a member present. I have been rather fretting over this for a few weeks now, but the Lord has been patient and last week I finally was able to connect a few dots, have a very effective weekly planning session, and I think put in place a plan for this week which should yield some more results. I do, however, plead with you all to do what you can to help your local missionaries including asking them if they can/will take you on a tour of your local meeting houses. I realize this is not fully implemented in all missions, but it is something that we have been trying to focus on since this summer and the members have been so slow to get behind this great finding method. I crunched the numbers myself this week (based on the average from the British Columbia mission who have been doing chapel tours for a while and have 1 in 7 of the people who go on these tours with members take the lessons and be baptized) and in our mission it means that if we could take 10 nonmembers on a tour per stake per week we would double our baptisms, which is something President Hinckley asked us to do as a church in 1997 and which we have still not been able to accomplish. That's it 10 people per stake! That is typically less than one person per ward. And then when missionaries do what missionaries do on top of that (tract, do service, street contact, work with part member families etc) imagine the results! So please, just take 30 minutes and go on a tour I promise you will see the possibilities and will be able to think of someone you know who you can invite on a tour. And your missionaries will be very happy!
Love,
Sister L. Sorensen
P.S. Here is a picture of Speedy, the hero of last week's entry. As you can see, he is not on my head, you will just have to imagine that particular scene on your own!
Okay so truthfully, my week did not include any encounters with men of the nautical or mariner persuasion of any degree of infamy. Tuesday, however, I did come down with that dreaded disease of every winter more commonly known as the flu. Luckily it turned out to be a pretty quick case as I was back in Pros (for non missionaries this is a mission term short for Proselyting and is in reference to the clothes worn by missionaries for Proselyting purposes) by Wednesday--even if knocking a fairly easy street for an hour did require me to sit down in the car afterwards and do a practice teach with Sister Kawasaki to gear up for heading out again. The highlight of that experience was that I completely passed out for the very first time in my life; an interesting experience probably more indicative of my own lack of thought than the severity of the sickness. It was fortunate that I managed to pass out at a time and in a location where the event was unwitnessed by either Mary (the member we live with) or Sister Kawasaki. I did learn on this time around with the flu that Gatorade is an effective combatant because you can drink it just a few sips at a time, which will keep your stomach from becoming fully aware of the nutrients you are sneaking in and getting too angry with you, and it helps replenish the sugars and salts in your body. You can also heat it up in the microwave and have it hot for when you're cold. Things to keep in mind Elder Sorensen in case you are ever in need of such remedies. I have to admit, however, that it is strange drinking hot Gatorade. Anyway I'm glad to have gotten somewhat innoculated against the flu, and to be better.
The work the last few weeks has been going quite slow for Sister Kawasaki and I. Our finding has been so low and our investigators so flaky that it has been quite difficult getting lessons with a member present. I have been rather fretting over this for a few weeks now, but the Lord has been patient and last week I finally was able to connect a few dots, have a very effective weekly planning session, and I think put in place a plan for this week which should yield some more results. I do, however, plead with you all to do what you can to help your local missionaries including asking them if they can/will take you on a tour of your local meeting houses. I realize this is not fully implemented in all missions, but it is something that we have been trying to focus on since this summer and the members have been so slow to get behind this great finding method. I crunched the numbers myself this week (based on the average from the British Columbia mission who have been doing chapel tours for a while and have 1 in 7 of the people who go on these tours with members take the lessons and be baptized) and in our mission it means that if we could take 10 nonmembers on a tour per stake per week we would double our baptisms, which is something President Hinckley asked us to do as a church in 1997 and which we have still not been able to accomplish. That's it 10 people per stake! That is typically less than one person per ward. And then when missionaries do what missionaries do on top of that (tract, do service, street contact, work with part member families etc) imagine the results! So please, just take 30 minutes and go on a tour I promise you will see the possibilities and will be able to think of someone you know who you can invite on a tour. And your missionaries will be very happy!
Love,
Sister L. Sorensen
P.S. Here is a picture of Speedy, the hero of last week's entry. As you can see, he is not on my head, you will just have to imagine that particular scene on your own!
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