Vine

Dear Family,

I am so glad to hear that all of you are doing well. It makes me happy to know that everything is good! I am really busy with missionary work, but know that you're still in my thoughts and prayers constantly.

This week was really wonderful;  I got POST because of transfers! I haven't gotten Savannah's letter yet, but I did get a package from Aunt Jeri Lynn and letters from Katie, Macy and Abigail. I am honestly SO blessed! I'm pretty sure I have some of the BEST friends (and family) ever!!!

It was transfers this week, but it didn't effect Sister Appleby and I at all, we'll probably be together for another couple of transfers :) Our district did change though, and its always exciting to get new missionaries in. 

 

A picture of the Zone before transfers

 

Some happenings from this week:

 We're teaching a part-member family and they have a pet baby snake named Vine. Sister Appleby was holding it after dinner and asked "Do snakes poo?" Literally 2 seconds later, the snake pooed ALL over her hand. I was pretty much on the floor laughing. And I was really grateful because I'd just passed the snake back to her; I completely dodged the bullet!

This week with S4 we experienced some frustrations because she kept on canceling on us and then caught a stomach virus and we were planning on it being a big week for her as far as commitments and conversion. We'll see what happens this week with her, hopefully next week I will have good news to report!

Another miracle, we began teaching another part-member family this week! The mom joined the church a few years back, but the partner has shown no interest until recently, and now we're teaching him and the rest of the family the lessons! I'm pretty excited about that one, especially because this is possibly one of the coolest families I've met on my mission so far. The gospel really does bless families. I know that it is through living the gospel that we are able to be the happiest in this life and after.

Now, some more funny stories! We were biking to this woman's house which was ages away on Saturday and I got a flat tire!! And we hadn't taken the bike pump with us....so we started walking home after we visited her and then is started POURING rain. We're talking torrential downpour of ice cold rain with the wind going full force and whipping at our faces. It took us 2 hours to walk home, and we were SOAKING wet. 

 

 Sister Appleby biking my bike and her bike at the same time when I got bored of pushing it for a couple minutes :)

Then on Sunday, we were walking home to eat dinner and it started pouring rain again, and then it started HAILING! That was one painful walk home! But, I have a joy deep down inside me that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ that can not be changed or burned out by any weather or anything else. Even as we were getting rained on when we were walking home Saturday and Sunday, without a SOUL in sight, my heart was full of joy. We were just plodding a long, singing our favourite hymns in the pouring rain :) It is the message of the restored gospel that gives us a much deeper happiness than we can get from anywhere else. 

 

In the hail storm

This week I have been filled with love, hope, happiness and faith despite the many things which I could choose to let get me down. I know the Saviour lived in this earth and that He overcame death and sin for US. We just have to choose to follow him and experience the happiness that results. In a way, by choosing to follow Jesus Christ, WE CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY, despite anything else that might be going on around us.

 I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!

Thanks for your love and support!

Sister Roscher

Monty

Greetings from England!  This week has been pretty sunny and not too rainy so I don't really have too much to complain about. It is hard to believe that it is getting to the end of January. I am happy to say that I am so happy, and Sister Appleby is seriously hilarious!

We had flat inspections this week, so we spent half of our p-day deep cleaning our flat. The senior couple that does our inspections is INTENSE. Let me say- our flat SHINED (and smelled like bleach and all other manner of cleaning chemicals!) It really did look good. I'll take pictures this week to send you.

We had Zone meeting on Tuesday so we trekked out to Gloucester and had a really good Zone meeting. I learned so much! It is always nice to get together as missionaries and learn more.

Wednesday night we went on exchange and guess who I was with?? SISTER MILLER!!! My trainer! It had been WAY too long since I actually got to spend time with her, and it was so refreshing. She's still a rockin missionary. Everytime I even see her my IQ goes up. She helps me learn so much about being a good missionary and the scriptures. LOVE HER! We laughed SO much and teaching and GQing with her felt so natural because we'd done it before. Except it was way better because we've both learned a lot in the 6 months since we've been companions.

Also, let me tell you about S4. She is so cool! We started teaching her a couple weeks ago, but it wasn't until this week that we really started to see her progress. We taught her the plan of Salvation after reviewing the Restoration with her. She felt the Spirit when she read through the Restoration pamphlet by herself and she really loved the plan of Salvation. She said it 'clicked' and it answered a lot of questions. She has researched a lot of churches, but she disagreed with certain things. We had a beautiful experience with her; she promised us she would pray this lesson because she wouldn't in the first, and we got to witness her praying for the first time EVER out loud. She wrote a beautiful prayer down that was just all gratitude, and she talked about how she felt peaceful when she read the Book of Mormon. S4 is really cool. We should be setting a baptismal date with her this week, so YAY!! and we held her pet snake while we were there. Crazy! He's a python and his name is 'monty' :P

Anyways, this week should be a good one!! I have a good feeling. Also, the book of Acts has the coolest missionaries EVER! If you ever feel like your life is hard, read about Paul.

The church is true, and God is mindful of us in all areas of our life. He knows what we need and He knows what we need to become!

These pictures are from Zone Meeting:

 

LOVE YOU!
Sister Roscher

Let's Go on a Bike Ride!

I am happy to report that this week has been much better than last. I have had some HUGE tender mercies and am really glad that I am able to be out serving a mission right now. My new companion Sister Appleby is pretty much amazing! I don't know how I have gotten so lucky on the companion front. I am so blessed!  Sister Appleby is hardworking, intelligent and funny. Score!!!! We've got some pretty epic plans for this area. 

This week we had interviews with President, and that its always nice to talk with him for a few minutes. He is a pretty incredible man. I don't know how he does it!

We got my bike helmet on Wednesday night and then hopped on the bikes Thursday morning. First, its not my original bike helmet. I have no clue what happened to that one, but it's Elder Kulow's bike helmet, and he goes home in a week and a half and is in a car. Sooo, I have a grey camo helmet! Its good looking and is way nicer than my other one!

Being on bikes is SOOO fun! I got a pink Mickey Mouse bell, which is pretty epic and useful! I've only fallen off my bike once, and it was a dumb accident and neither one of us has died. in the past 5 days we have biked close to 50 miles, and let me tell ya. I'm getting strong legs! Especially going up hills. It hurts so good hahahaha

This week we got one new investigator, her name is S5. She's way cool. She play's skittles and does roller derby too. She's so legit and totally open to finding out if the church is true. We will hopefully get a few other new investigators this week as well. We've been really blessed and have been getting to know that ward better too, so I'm really grateful for that! We really do have an amazing ward. Also, they feed us well. Sometimes I come out of their houses waddling!!! Its been all in all a good week though. I'm feeling excited to tear up Swindon and bring some people unto Christ!! I've relaunched studying the first three lessons in depth again and I'm pretty excited about that. The beauty of the gospel is in the basics! Also, I've been reading a chapter of Acts a day, and Acts has the COOLEST missionaries ever!! We've also been listening to missionary work talks in the morning so that's been a great start to me day each morning.

The more I learn about missionary work, the more I learn that its not about us We go to work, we find the elect and then we strive to help them make and keep commitments.  Our job is to be the instrument and then to get out of the way so the Spirit can be the teacher. Not me. Its all about the Spirit!   

I'm grateful for my knowledge of this restored gospel and for the chance I have to serve my Heavenly Father. I know I will be forever grateful for this opportunity!

Now for some pictures (since I forgot last week)

 

 My helmet and my pink bell :)

 At interviews Sister Appleby and I got to see Sister Boots and Sister Miller. Sister Boots trained Sister Appleby and Sister Miller trained me, and they're currently companions too! Fun!

I LOVE YOU!!!!

Sister Roscher

Happy New Year!

Well, this week was pretty crazy. I said good-bye to Sister Forbes. My new companion is Sister Appleby from Brisbane, Australia. She has been out since June 20th, so one transfer less then me. She's a really cool sister, and she's got an aussie accent!

 

This week was new years and it felt really weird... its doesn't really feel like a new year, mostly because mission life pretty much stays the same. The weather has been pretty intense, but that is why I wear lots of layers.

This Sunday in our ward we got a new bishop, so that was pretty exciting. As a missionary, I think its great when you get a new bishop with some fresh enthusiasm! We have a wonderful ward here with some really incredible families that really exemplify what it is to be disciples of Jesus Christ.

Our washer and dryer have been broken for 2 and a half weeks, but good news! Its getting fixed tomorrow. Hooray! I learned that hand washing clothes is not a very enjoyable or effective way to clean clothes  ;)

On Wednesday I'll get my bicycle helmet from Harborne (the zone leaders are going to pass it off to each other) and then Sister Appleby and I will hop on our bikes. Its definitely the most efficient way to work in Swindon. I think I'm probably going to have a pretty fun week going up and down hills though... Hopefully I will lose the belly I have gained over the Christmas holiday!

Funny story, when Sister Appleby and I were training back to Swindon after dropping Sister Forbes off with the Zone leaders our train got detoured because of a landslide so we ended up going into the London South mission for about a half hour. That's how close I am to being out of the mission! It was pretty funny. I had a heart attack that we were on the wrong train haha but then I was assured by the train man that we were headed to Swindon it was just going to take longer.

This week we'll (hopefully) see some new investigators start popping up and get more settled in.

Love you all!

Sister Roscher