20, Flu, Investigator - Oh my!

November 2, 2015

Week of October 26th to NOVEMBER (WHAT?!) 1st.

This has been quite the week... from 20th birthday to stomach flu to a new investigator (details to come). But on the bright side I am over my quarter-life crisis, I am no longer sick, and we still have that investigator.

Monday: Preparation Day. SEEMS LIKE AGES AGO. My first companion (actually my MTC companion, Sister Mather, from New Zealand) used that phrase all the time and ironically enough I hadn't heard that phrase in ages so I took it upon myself to use it. Well anyway, on that day we emailed and got Mona's. I treated myself to extra because it was my birthday the next day. Then we went shopping for a bit. We made ourselves some delicious pasta for dinner. And then headed to our first less active lesson of the week. It went well and we talked about conversion. Oh by the way, parents, I couldn't wait until Tuesday to open my presents so I kind of opened them on Monday. hehe. :/
 

Tuesday: Sister Bell and I made a great breakfast. I don't know if it quite compared to the traditional crepes but it was good enough. We made Lehi Roller Mill muffins and "Eggs ala Golden Rodda." You can get the recipe from me later. It is our specialty. We did a weed and feed in the afternoon. Basically we do gardening work and then eat afterward. We did it for a less active member and it was fun. Surprisingly good weather. We taught another less active that afternoon and then headed to dinner. We went to our Ward Mission Leader’s house and he was preparing burgers- they looked good. But then walked in our good ol' friend who specially made MY Shepard's Pie. For those who don't know, I only get this meal once a year because everyone else in my family hates it. I think that's why I like it so much. Not only did this member make Shepard's Pie but she made like 10000 different s'mores desserts. It was heaven. And she even surprised me more by giving me presents that Momma J and Poppa Husky sent me (EVERYONE, THEY WERE TOMS!) We met with a few more people after dinner and then it was headed home. Days go by so quickly as a missionary but by the next day things SSSLLLOOWWEEDDDDDD DOWNN.

TOMS Rainboots!!

Wednesday: Sure enough I woke up in the middle of night because I felt sick. Before I knew it I was throwing up. YAYAYAYAY- that's my favorite. JUST FOR THE RECORD IT WAS NOT THE SHEPARD'S PIE. We had district meeting that morning and I did okay through it. When we got back to the Island we did our studies and then it was time for our FIRST dinner. We went to a semi-active couple’s home. After an hour we traveled to our SECOND dinner. (Please remember I currently but unknowingly have the stomach flu.) This was with a recent convert and his nonmember brother and sister-in-law. The dinner was great. The brother and sister-in-law had lots of great questions about missions but made it clear they weren't interested. We were able to share a message and say a couple prayers so I guess that is a success. By this time at night my stomach was KILLING ME, but we headed straight to an appointment with our bishop.
 

Thursday: LEVEL C DAY #1 Thursday was a crummy day. Because I was sick and didn't feel well, our mission doctor put me on "level C" which means I needed to sleep in, have a long lunch (get out in the afternoon if at all possible) and come in early at night. We didn't get a lot done. We had to cancel one appointment. But we did go to dinner. At first I was okay with it because we were going to a cafe where I could get soup but it was closed so we ended up going to a Chinese restaurant. That was the last thing my stomach needed. We had two other appointments that night that we were able to go to. One to a less active couple and one to a recent convert family. They went well. I have never been so grateful for a companion who took control of the whole lesson. Sister Bell did AMAZING. She is a great teacher and she testifies with power. In the mean time I was a little out of it and just sat there and nodded my head. On the bright side, our Zone Leaders and our District Leader and his companion all came into our area this day to help us. They ended up teaching a guy and he is our new investigator! We haven't met him yet but we have a lesson this upcoming Friday.

Friday: LEVEL C DAY #2- LAME. Slept in, did studies, slept for a few hours, had a lesson with our returning less active, went to an hour of the Halloween party, and went home. Being sick is the worst, but being sick as a missionary is even worse. I felt so disobedient the whole day while I was laying in bed. And on top of it we didn't get a lot done this week because I was so sick.

Saturday: LEVEL C DAY #3. Saturday we were able to get out a little bit more. We were able to figure out where a referral lived, tried to contact another referral but he wasn't home, we taught a less active couple, and had dinner. Then we headed home. BUT NOT BECAUSE I WAS SICK THIS TIME! We had to be in at 5:00 on Halloween so that's when we did our weekly planning and cleaned up a bit.

Sunday: Ward council, set up chairs, greeted everyone, and started church. We had one of the best fast and testimony meetings. The spirit was great. Sister Bell and I both shared our testimonies. After sacrament meeting, we had the wonderful opportunity to teach Gospel Principles on eternal marriage. I was especially grateful to give instruction on this topic because we are professionals at this. There is a statistic that a companionship of missionaries who are together for two transfers spend more time together than a newlywed couple of two years. We have got this down.

BIG NEWS: I am getting transferred. I am really sad to be leaving the Island but it is comforting to know that Heavenly Father is over all and he knows exactly what is best. I am not sure where I will be going or who I will be with until tomorrow. But interestingly enough I know that South Whidbey will be in a three-pack (three sisters) which means that Sister Bell will be taking over the area AND getting TWO new companions. She will do great and it truly shows how much Heavenly Father trusts his children! I am so excited for her! And I am excited to see where I am headed.

PONDERIZING: Hayden, I loved your choice of Doctrine and Covenants 98:1. I felt like it was a great way to get us ready for November. Counting our blessings and really giving thanks is an easy way to find true and lasting happiness. It comforts our hearts to give thanks. Too often we look over these small instances of blessings or answers to prayers and fail to recognize them as miraculous miracles. The ponderizing scripture I chose for week Nov 2- Nov 8 is Mosiah 3:19. "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." 

Today I feel as though I need to bear my testimony on my Savior, Jesus Christ. This transfer Sister Bell and I had the great opportunity to really focus on the Atonement. While the congregation was singing in sacrament meeting yesterday these lyrics really stood out to me: "Let me not forget, oh Savior, Thou didst bleed and die for me." Because of this transfer I cannot forget the knowledge I have of Jesus Christ. Our purpose as missionaries is to invite others to come unto Christ and this transfer I truly believe that I invited myself to come unto Christ. He took upon Himself our pains of sin, trials, weaknesses, struggles, and heartbreaks. He willingly experienced those things because he didn't know what it was like to go through them. He suffered so we don't have to suffer alone. I know these things because I have diligently studied the scriptures, consistently pondered them, and sincerely prayed to my Heavenly Father. He answered my prayer by allowing the Holy Ghost to touch my heart and He helped me recognize the truth I felt by enlightening my mind.

I love you all. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE BIRTHDAY WISHES, PRAYERS, AND SUPPORT. They mean so much more than you will ever know!

XOXO

Sister Rodda

Meltdown

October 26, 2015

Dearest Family,

I, Rachel, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father (and mother); and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having tried to be highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.  (last week's "ponderizing" scripture was 1 Nephi 1:1)

We had a great week filled with miracles and lessons! We were able to teach lots of less actives and recent converts this week. I love the faith of less actives and ironically enough they seem to do the most missionary work.  I went to Lake Stevens for a day (on exchanges) and was able to teach a few other lessons there. One of the greatest lessons we had this week was with a returning less active member. He has been coming pretty consistently and this week we felt inspired to teach him about priesthood and auxiliaries. Our member present showed up and something to share. Instead of asking what he wanted to share I just said yes... then the whole lesson I was worried about why I said yes so easily and thought the lesson might get off topic. However, it worked perfectly. And we even answered a question this less active had without knowing his question. Next week he will be saying a prayer in a sacrament. That's huge for someone who was less active for 20+ years.

This week I had my first meltdown. I am pretty impressed I made it just shy of a year to have my first. I think it's a quarter-life crisis. The whole "turning 20" thing has really changed me. I am old. I don't like it. And ew. It's just going to get worse every year.

Sister Mahoni, Sister Jackson, Sister Bell, and I all had a "meeting" this week to discuss working with members. I asked Heavenly Father to show me my weaknesses and BOY, DID I SEE THEM. I have really failed to use my members effectively. I think my biggest problem was I didn't even know HOW to use them. We brainstormed a lot of great ideas and we have started to implement them already. They were going to come to the Island this week but it didn't work for us so we told them not to worry about it. But today Elder Egan (our district leader) told us he is coming over on Thursday. I think they are just coming to work in our area to help us. Whatever revelation they received, we are ready to see more miracles!

We had 5 less actives show up at church as well as ONE (lame that only one came) recent convert and a former investigator. It was a great week!

All my love from WA to everywhere else,

Sister Rodda.

If I Don't See You, You Aren't There

October 19, 2015
You may have seen my request on Instagram/Facebook - I am putting together a digital "birthday card" for Sis Rodda.  I need you to video yourself saying Happy Birthday and send it to me either text at 801-664-6088 or email jennrodda4@msn.com  I think a lot of people think "she doesn't want to see me" or "everyone else will do it so I don't need to"  or too shy or whatever.  No excuses though, ok?  Contact me with questions/problems.  I'd like these by the end of the week. Thank you so so much!!  Jenn

Week of 10/12/15-10/18/15 (kinda long, whoops)

Monday: Our preparation day was great last Monday. We went to the other side and went bowling with our district. I took second overall (I am humble about it too). Because we are the ONLY apartment in the mission without a washer and dryer (UGH) we spend most of our Mondays at members’ homes doing laundry (but I LOVE the members!). We also had to take a pit stop at Sweet Mona's of course! That evening we had 3 lessons with recent converts and less actives! Our first lesson was with a less active couple. They were really active in their last ward but for some reason people (like this couple) come to the Island to just "chill" for a while. When we stopped by their house a couple weeks ago we asked if we could "practice teaching" on them. We have to keep up our teaching skills with our lack of investigators, and they agreed. When we showed up on Monday they both came to the door, they turned off the TV, and we taught a 25 minute lesson including 5 minutes of feedback on where we can improve. We even set up a return appointment. After them we went to the Dowds. They are a recent convert family and are doing so well. We also practiced on their family and it was fun for them to take on the role of investigators. Following the Dowds, we taught our recent convert, Kristina! WE LOVE HER! She shared her conversion story with Sister Bell and the spirit was so strong.

Tuesday: We had a meeting with our Ward Mission Leader, tried to do service at a place in the community but they didn't have anything for us to do, and we went to dinner at this awesome pizza place with two members of our congregation. YUM YUM YUM (we even got to take the left overs home- the Islanders rock). We also got to teach another less active. I taught her a few times when I was with Sister Perkinson but we hadn't been able to get a hold of her in FOREVER (dang Islanders). Luckily, we stopped by and she let us right in (*cough* NEVER HAPPENS). She is literally a latter day Job by the way. You name anything awful and she's experienced it. She has even been blown up. I am sure she has been struck by lightning like 10 times too. Sometimes people get the unlucky side of the wishbone. <-- I made up that phrase just barely, pretty clever I say. Anyway, she has been struggling a lot (I would too if I was a modern day Job). And all that kept coming to mind was the scripture my family is "ponderizing" this week. John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." There is a difference between the peace of God and the contentment of life. Content consists of simply enduring and little satisfaction. Peace requires love, trust, harmony, and enduring WELL which brings temporal and eternal happiness.

Wednesday: We had zone meeting early in the AM which means we have to catch an earlier boat. YIPPEEEEE. I think the worst part about the ferry ride is you can't have your car on so you shiver until the friction of your jaw warms your whole body. Which first of all doesn't happen and second of all it isn't even winter yet. But here is the awkward story: A few months ago we were sitting in a big zone conference with half of the mission. In the middle of some instruction by the assistants, President Bonham points at an elder and calls him up to the stand. He whispers something to him and the elder heads back to his seat. On the way back to his seat he took off his suit coat and gave it to one of the sisters sitting at the front of the chapel who was freezing. Okay so now fast forward to last Wednesday. Sister Bell and I show up to zone meeting a little early because you are either 30 minutes early or 30 minutes late because, unfortunately, you can't control the captain of the boat. We are like ice cubes in a chapel of -10 degrees. Because of this elder experience and the "okay" from the mission president, an elder took off his suit coat and hands it to me. UHHHH AWKWARDDDDDD. I felt too bad to say no so I just took it. But 30 seconds later we left to go to the "bathroom" and I just so happened to leave the suit coat on the back of the pews. We also had the wonderful opportunity to give instruction at Zone Meeting on hope. It went well, I was so proud of Sister Bell. She is a great teacher. :) We had a lesson with a recent convert, Zaven, later that day and we had a meeting with our Bishop.

Thursday: We finally had a lot of working time! We went to one of the lowest points of our area (geographical wise- and probably in other ways as well). We were able to contact less actives, referrals, potentials, and we even sang to a very ill (would be active if wasn't so sick) member. Yes, you read that correctly. I don't know how I keep getting put in these singing situations, I even brought this one upon myself. Luckily he fell asleep while we were singing which meant it couldn't have been too awful. We taught two other less actives that evening. OH and Sister Bell and I got one-of-a-kind, original, Sea Hawks pillow cases! We are spoiled. This was literally a day of miracles. We have been praying and praying and praying to find prepared people or to have prepared people come to us and we got 3 texts that day with referrals. Unfortunately, one was texted to the wrong sister missionaries (not a funny joke to play), and one was a less active that didn't even live on the Island anymore. But we still had one! Pray for Jeff!

Friday: We had weekly planning so that took up most of our day. Our detailed planning might need to be cut down some so we actually get to the plans we are setting. Sometimes I get a little carried away. I like planning. We taught a returning less active! He is doing so well and we are looking on a temple baptismal recommend soon, just a few challenges in the way right now that we are working on.

Saturday: Known as the day Sister Rodda learned to sew AND to use a rotary cutter. We helped out at a service project and made hats, scarves, and mittens. After that we went to lunch with a recent convert and his great family! We got pizza. For some reason pizza was everyone's "go-to" this week. No complaints there. However, I thought it would be rude to take all the topping off and dip these gourmet pizzas in ranch... so I ate them normally. Mom, are you proud? (My dad always refused to buy me pizza because I would just eat the bread and sauce- sorry, that's what my taste buds enjoy!) We did some service later that day for a less active family and taught the young daughter who is going to be baptized soon. That night we contacted a few referrals and taught another less active family. The wife is a couponing queen and they always give us things they get for free. This week the special was body wash and those duo ice breaker things. They were a good tracting snack!

Sunday: I will keep this one short. It was stake conference. The best quote was, "If things aren't adding up in life then start subtracting."

Goals this week: Okay I am absolutely TERRIBLE at street contacting. I can tract hours on end but when it comes to street contacting I can't stop a single person. So whenever I saw someone on the street my goal this week was to STOP. Even if I didn't know what to say my goal was to plant my feet. It was really hard and pretty awkward at times. I know Heavenly Father put this one guy in our way just so I could be tested with my goal and I totally bombed it. My way of justifying it: At least I said hi and asked him how his day was going even though he didn't respond. It's so funny because people think if they don't look at you than we can't see them. It's like Coco and the hamster. "If I don't see you, you aren't there." I did stop one lady though and we even got a handshake. What a blessing- people think we are diseased or have cooties or something. Like, hello people of planet Earth, I am still a human being! Not some alien creature from planet Zod.

Something learned: One day I had this thought... I was in a good mood, singing hymns to myself (probably annoying Sister Bell- and making her headache worse) and then the thought came to me... "We choose to be happy. When we are upset, annoyed, mad, etc. we are only making ourselves miserable nobody else."

Additional Learning Experience: Sister Bell so kindly let me know that I talk in my sleep. Like how embarrassing. I guess one morning I was talking about cottage cheese... I don't even like cottage cheese. It would be one thing if it was like s'mores or donuts or dill pickle sunflower seeds... BUT COTTAGE CHEESE?! Gross.

All my love,

Sister Rodda.

Scripture Study

October 12, 2015
My dearest peeps,

These are the things I have learned from this past week: 

1. The Lord always provides. When we had nobody to teach we were given 6 referrals. 

2. Conversion is forever long and if nourished properly can increase rapidly. 

3. It is critical that God directs our path in order for us to accomplish all He has in store for us. Found in Proverbs 3:5-6 

4. Just because you are soaking wet, there is thunder and lightening, and 50 mile per hour winds doesn't mean people will let you in. President was inspired when he invited us all to get flu shots. They are working, haven't gotten sick yet. 

5. The ratio of times I have been offered drugs from my whole life to my mission life is 0:1. They were mushrooms too, by someone we thought was a great potential. Eh, I don't think so anymore. Oh and I said no. 

6. Being poor is not a sufficient reason for skipping Sweet Mona's on a Monday. It brings sunshine to the soul. 

7. Saying yes has it's downfalls when a hoarder invites you over for dinner. We prayed really hard for the 3 days prior to the appointment. God hears and answers our prayers- we are still alive.

8. Obedience brings blessings, exact obedience brings miracles and brownies. We won the obedience game at zone conference again. WOOT WOOT.

Proverbs 3: 5-6

I love the footnotes to this scripture and how it allows the meaning to go more in depth. The very first word is trust, we should trust in the Lord and not in ourselves. We should have faith in him. I also love the footnote "trustworthiness" because that can be applied to us. We need to be trustworthy so the lord can give us assignments/guidance. I also love how it says we need to trust with "all thine heart." We cannot just pick and choose when we obey or when we turn to God. "With all thine heart" means at all times, and in all things, and in all places we will trust God, exercise our faith in him, and be obedient to all his commandments. God's ways are so much greater than our ways and that is why it is critical we do not lean unto our own (worldly and blind) understanding. We can only see so much of Heavenly Father's plan and that is why we should put all of our faith in him rather in  our own limited understanding. As we humble ourselves and acknowledge the Lord in all things then he promises us that he will direct our paths. WHAT A PROMISE! I love the footnote for path. It says, "walking with God." Heavenly Father wants to help us so much just like any parent does for their child. However, he cannot help us and he cannot walk with us if we aren't worthy of his presence and if we aren't doing the basics. At my farewell talk I shared my "conversion story" and I want to share that again now because that is the time when I have seen this scripture so largely apply into my life. 

Once upon a time I was really, really into soccer. It was my whole life and first priority. Nothing came before soccer except school every once and a while. A mission had never crossed my mind. A mission was for boys after they had grown a foot or two. However, every once and a while the word "mission" would pop into my mind and I would just throw it into the junk file. But sooner or later it started to become more frequent thoughts. I think at one point I felt the spirit so strongly that I wrote on a program, "I want to quit soccer and go on a mission." I gently threw that to my mom in the middle of sacrament meeting when it would be quite inappropriate for a big gasp. But even then I still continued to throw it to the back of my mind, deny it, and think about all the future things I already had planned. Towards the end of October 2013 (which sounds like ages ago now) I started to become confused. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing and I had major decisions coming up in the next few months. I decided it was time to receive my patriarchal blessing. I wasn't expecting to be told what school to go to or what to study but I did expect to get a little bit of direction in my life. OH MY GOODNESS, my answer came much more clear than I ever wanted. I was told that I was to serve a mission. It wasn't the words I heard but it was the feeling I felt, it was a command to follow. And the worst part about it was I couldn't deny any of it. Especially because my parents were right there listening. My blessing helped me know which direction to go in. The following Sunday my dad gave me a missionary action figure that I think he stole from the nursery. And that's the moment I knew I was doomed. For once it wasn't all about me and what I wanted, but it was what the Lord had planned for me. For the next couple months I was still searching for some more confirmation- because you know, that wasn't a great enough sign or anything. Stubborn teenagers. One day my mom came downstairs to my room while I was doing homework and gave me a talk by Dallin H. Oaks. I don't know what it is about my mom but she has a sixth sense. And I don't know if all moms have this or if she is even more special than she already is but she always knows when something is wrong, when I am struggling, or when I need something and that day I needed this talk. It was titled "Good, Better, Best." In his talk he states, "We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We should begin by recognizing the reality that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it. The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them. Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives." So that's when I started to make prayer, scripture study, mutual, and other church meetings a priority in my life. This also helped me make the decision to get my young women's medallion even though I was already 18. After passing off some of the smaller and required values all I had to do was read the Book of Mormon. Night after night I read. You have to understand I HATE READING but I could not put it down. That's when I gained my own real testimony. At that point I didn't have to rely or depend on the testimonies of my parents (and my awesome brother!), leaders, friends, or other young women. I could rely on my own. And let me tell you that is the best feeling in the world. To me it was mind boggling that my foundation and my faith were based on the simple things. Before I knew it I was done filling out mission papers, I was opening my call to the Washington, Everett Mission and then I was reading this conversion story with 72 hours remaining before I left. And next month I will hit my year mark! 

I have always considered this my "conversion story" but really this is my "testimony story". I have only crossed the starting line of my conversion race of eternity. 

Previous to the knowledge I had of my family "Ponderizing" scripture, Sister Bell and I chose one of our own (I ponderized two scriptures this week!) It is Alma 17:31, "My brethren (or sisters, hehe) be of good cheer and let us go in search of the flocks, and we will gather them together and bring them back unto the place of water; and thus we will preserve the flocks unto the king..."

As I was thinking about this scripture and how it applied to me I remembered an experience I had in my last area. My companion and I were struggling to find investigators. We decided that we needed to fast. That day we were not trying to do missionary work (the Lord's work) on our own, we were doing it WITH the Lord. Just like Ammon said to the servants of the kind, "Be of good cheer, and let US go in search of the flocks," the Lord said the same to us in our hearts. That day we "gathered them together." We found two new investigators and got one of them on date. WE (the Lord and us- His servants) brought the one that was on date "back unto the place of water" where she was baptized. And "thus we are preserving her unto the king." She is now an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who surrounds herself with good people, good morals, and a great testimony. She is attending BYUI in the fall of 2016 and is considering serving a mission. 

Just like each of us she is on this eternal pathway of conversion. She humbled herself to the will of the Lord and allowed him to direct her paths. These paths were difficult at times and changed a lot of her lifestyle but nothing can bring as much joy or success as the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am so grateful for all of you! I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOUUUUU!

xoxo,

Sister Rodda

#HoldToTheRodda

October 5, 2015

Week of 9/28-10/4
So this week I just want to mention three things.

My companion, Sis Bell, of Idaho

First, Flu Shots. Can I just say those are of the devil! Literally, I think I would rather just have the flu. I had so much anxiety waiting for the shot that my arm hurt worse thinking about getting a shot than it did to have a needle stuck through my arm. The next day I felt as though my arm had been engulfed by the gaping jaws of a shark and it was dangling with nothing but shredded tendons hanging on for dear life. I am not being dramatic and I am not exaggerating. This is real life, folks. Pray for me. PS: My companion was bit by the same shark. Luckily we have both had time to heal and nothing is left but a giant transparent scar. Blessing do come to those with faith.

Second, walking. We walked like the pioneers this week. We were running low on miles so we traveled by foot. Luckily, it was good weather and we had some awesome members with extravagant handcarts. It was great to just enjoy the outdoors- while tracting house and street contacting- of course.

Third, General Conference! Like, um, where do I even begin????? I think I might need to write a book on all the special insights, personal revelation, and incredible quotes I found! October is just the best month.  And I am not biased. One of the greatest things I learned this week is that life is hard. It's supposed to be hard. And we need to prepare because it is only going to get harder. The Gospel is simple and we need to apply those small and simple things so that "great things are brought to pass." Trials are going to come but we need to decide NOW what we are going to do in those moments. Are we going to #HoldToTheRodda or are we going to let go and try to swim by ourselves?  

This week I had an experience that made me think about this:

We had just visited the Lewis Family at 7:30 PM. As we left their home and started walking down their long, curvy driveway we realized we could not see a thing. With no street lights, no moon glow, and lots of trees it was pitch black and extremely quiet. I couldn't see my shoes right below me. As we tried to shuffle down the dirt driveway we found ourselves walking into bushes, tree stumps, pot holes, and even each other... This can be related to each of us here on Earth. Because Heavenly Father loves us he gave us the opportunity to come to Earth. Here, we are to "have joy and prepare to return to God's presence." However, it can be very difficult. Because "we are out of God's physical presence, we must walk by faith rather than by sight." Heavenly Father gives us tools like prayer, scripture study, families, and prophets so that we can walk by faith with "an eye single to the glory" Him.

What we do with those tools is our agency. The night before we visited the Lewis Family we were given a flashlight by some members in our ward. This would have worked perfectly as we were walking down their driveway but conveniently enough we left it in the car. We pulled our very extremely nice cell phone only to realize that it was bright enough to leave our eyes with white spots but not bright enough to light our path. It seemed to make it worse. This also happens here in our Earth life. Satan is so good at deceiving us. He uses attractive things that seem like they will get the job done. But really this is his way of keeping us from using the greater tools Heavenly Father has given us- flashlights. My dear companion is oh so smart. She pulled out the car keys and unlocked it. The lights would flash once or twice and we would have a destination to head towards. This is like the talk given by Vern P. Stanfill. "While we are struggling in the darkness, there is nothing wrong with relying temporarily upon the light of those who love us and have our best interest at heart." That person who loves us can be our Savior. The greatest tool that Heavenly Father has given us. The Atonement is the greatest light. That is always there for us. It doesn't take away our personal agency. We have to choose to apply it. But when we do, we can make it to the car- or the Celestial Kingdom.

I know Thomas S. Monson is a man called by God to share with us the things God wants us to know. The counsel given by prophets and apostles is counsel given by our Loving Heavenly Father! I know the church is true! #HoldToTheRodda

Have a great week! I love you all!

Xoxo,

Sister Rodda

Whidbey Island....an Isle of the Sea

September 28, 2015

Week of 9/21-9/27

How the heck is it already Monday again? Time is the weirdest concept as a missionary. You never get used to it. Well, Sister Bell and I had a great week!

Just a brief summary of this past week:

We were able to do lots of service. We had the opportunity to help some of the ill members of our congregation, help out in the community, and do spiritual service for everyone else. We had great lessons with some of our recent converts and less actives- Kristina, the Hellands, Iola, Zaven, the Lewis Family, and Lexie, etc. We were able to meet with both our Ward Mission Leader and our Bishop (miracle) to talk about member missionary work. WE CAN'T FORGET ABOUT ALL THE TRACTING!!!!!!!!! And of course, the General Women's Broadcast was just wonderful. I loved Elder Uchtdorf's parable (especially about the stalker cat- I can relate, people here love their cats and I am starting to as well. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?) Oh, we can't forget about church and partaking of the sacrament.
 

General Women's Broadcast

"We cannot play with Satan's fiery darts and not be burned."

"You can escape by accepting the Atonement" I love this because we cannot rescue ourselves, we need a rescuer- Christ.

"God is our friend"

"Spring in our step" I have GOT to remember this when we are tracting door 207.

And my favorite of all. "Dear child, now is part of eternity." We cannot wait until a certain day or time to be happy. Choose to be happy now. BE WHERE YOU ARE. Don't waste your day waiting for tomorrow.

A cute mom got up and bore her testimony yesterday about her son serving a mission. It was great to hear her perspective and to hear her put all her trust in the Lord. This is where my testimony stems from today.  This week I have come to enjoy trials of our faith. I have loved knocking on hundreds of doors where people are not happy to see us, I have loved getting the door slammed in our faces.  I have loved sweating in the blazing sun and freezing in the pouring rain.  I have loved being homesick, being physically ill, and feeling spiritually separated from God.  I don't love it because it is easy or fun to overcome but I love it because in those moments I have learned to rely on Christ alone. All my strength, all the hope I have, and the comfort I need is given to me by the love and mercy of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I have learned the importance of prayer, the importance of faith, the importance of positive attitudes, and the importance of relying on the spirit. I know that I am in my Heavenly Father’s care. Heavenly Father has a plan for each of his children.   

I found mine in the scriptures this week:

2 Nephi 10:20-21

"...but we have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea. But great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea..."

I came across this scripture in my personal study on Saturday. I love how this relates to Sister Bell and I on South Whidbey Island. We have been called on a mission, set apart as missionaries, and assigned to a specific area. There is no doubt in my mind that I am where I am supposed to be. I know that eternal, lasting happiness can only be found through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that God's church has been restored to the Earth. I know that it blesses individuals, families, and those who have gone on before us. I know that we are led and guided by a modern day prophet and as we abide by his words we will not go astray. I know that as we feast upon the words of Christ our hearts and minds will be enlightened with truth. I LOVE THE GOSPEL!

That's my testimony this week! I love you all and I am so grateful for the love, support, prayers, thoughts, etc that you bless me with. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
 

Love, Sister Rodda

Missions Change You!

September 21, 2015

Transfer: 8,  Week: 1 (BOO!)

Monday: On Monday we had P-day. We emailed and then took our typical chocolate trip to Mona's (only like the best chocolate/gelato place in the history of the universe). After that we did laundry at a members and then went to downtown Langley. We went "shopping". It's not the same with your own money. They had TOMS on the Island. I REPEAT THEY HAD TOMS ON THE ISLAND. AND THE EVEN BIGGER NEWS: I DIDN'T BUY ANY! Missions change you. Truly. We also walked down to the beach and just enjoyed the fresh Washington air for a bit as we watched yachts, cargo ships and cruise ships pass. Then we went and tracted for a bit. It is starting to get hard to tract in the evening because it gets dark early. In the winter it is pitch black by 4 PM.  Luckily, it gets dark at 7 right now, but with no street lights and a billion trees it is really dark by 6:30.

Tuesday: FULL OF SERVICE! We were able to do our studies in the morning (my favorite part of the day) and then do service for a sweet eldery lady in the ward. Then we got our mormon.org time. We get an hour every other week to get on all the church websites to look up talks and stuff. IF WE HAD IPADS WE COULD DO THIS MORE FREQUENTLY. I am not yelling so I don't know why that was in all caps. I am not mad or bitter or jealous or anything. After that we did service at a place called Ryan's House. Then we went out and tracted. Good ol' tracting. It never gets old. ;) And then we had dinner at the cutest couple’s house. They are new in the ward. They are in their 30's and OH MY GOSH THEY ARE YOUNG! We love them and it was great to talk to them about the Atonement! After, we had a lesson with JC about the temple. He is preparing to do baptisms on the 10th of October so that is so exciting! Next step: get sealed to wife!

Wednesday: We had district meeting so we had to catch an early boat. It was a great meeting about listening and inspired questions. We also had a lesson with our recent convert Z. He is doing so well and he is preparing for the temple on October 10th.

Thursday: Thursday was a day of contacting, tracting in the rain, and house checks (we passed!).

Friday: Our weekly planning day so we were inside a lot, then we tracted for a while. Then we meet M. I will tell you more about him in a second. We got to talk to this guy named J. He’s basically doomed to become a member because he has so many connections. He knows like the whole ward and he knows us through some service that we do. Anyway, this week we were able to talk about our beliefs with him. We were able to share our testimonies and it was great! Hopefully he will want to take the lessons.

Saturday: National Day of Service! We (the ward and the community) went and cleaned up a cemetery. It was great and we got to wear those really cool yellow vests that you see on mormon.org! Pictures to come! After that we met up with some elders. Our district leader and his companion and our zone leaders all came over to the Island to tract some areas. Not too much success there but we did get the number of a lady! We are calling her this week. :)

Sundayyyyyyy: We had church of course! And it was lovely. And basically our day was just filled with studies.

So here is a story: Two Mondays ago we were driving to dinner and saw a guy pulled over on the side of the road needing a jump. We stopped, and he said that nobody had stopped for 15 minutes. Well he didn't have cables and neither did we so we left and called a member to go help him. A few days later the guy was broken down on the opposite side of town and when he got out of the truck he turned around to see our members there again. So they jumped his truck. THEN just a few days ago we were grabbing our mail at like 8:30 PM. When we came out of the post office we hear, "OH MY GOSH, YOU ARE KIDDING ME?! YOU TWO GIRLS AGAIN?!" Well he needed another jump and this time he had cables. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH HIS TRUCK-just sayin. Anyway, we started talking about the church this time. He said that he had met with missionaries in the past and he has attended church before. He didn't know there was an LDS church on the Island. So we exchanged information and are hoping to set up a lesson for this week!

I know that Heavenly Father is a God of Miracles. I know he provides and blesses us according to His will and His timing. I know that prayer is a two way communication between us and God and we can receive answers if we ask in faith. I know that God is perfect and he has a perfect plan for each of His children. He provided a Savior so we can be forgiven of our sins, return to Him, and live with our families forever. I know that we all have talents and abilities that are God-given that we can use to strengthen, uplift, and help others.

I love love love love love you all! I hope you have the best week ever! Pray, read, obey, smile. xoxo

Sister Rodda

These Shoes are Made for Tracting...

September 15, 2015

This week has been a good one- as always. I feel like every week is a good week in the mission field! Sister Bell and I have been able to work hard despite a few sick days. Our district leader shared a quote with us last night that says, "Numbers don't show your hard work, the wear and tear on your shoes do." I love that. Even though we don't have a million investigators, we are still working hard to find and to teach.

Monday: P-DAY! We didn't do much. We went thrift store shopping... fun. And we just hung out with some members. That evening we contacted a few less active members. At one point we parked our car in a neighborhood and were walking down a main road to get to a house when these guys (40s or 50s) yell at us from across the street. "Hey are you real life Mormons?" We laugh and say yes. THEN the guy looks at the other one and is like, "quick take a picture." Then me being stupid- not really thinking- I stop walking and strike a pose. I don't even know where it came from. But the guys laughed and then we were able to have a good conversation. Sometimes being awkward has its benefits. They sent us to some Mormons they know (the ones we were already planning on visiting) and we acted like we had no clue there were members on that road. That night we also taught a recent convert, Kristina. I just love her.

Tuesday: We did our studies in the morning and then we went and did service. I am really bad at telling everyone what I do during the week so I am not sure if I have talked about Ryan's House. But we volunteer at this place where homeless kids or kids that have a bad home life can go to get food or just hang out. Usually they just send us to the back room to do inventory or help organize things. I love when we get volunteer work that has to do with clothes! Then we went tracting for a little bit. Sister Bell has been getting really bad headaches and she got one while we were tracting so we left and contacted less actives. We taught a lesson to a less active (who is like completely active now), JC. He is great and I am so excited for the day he goes to the temple to be sealed to his wife for all eternity. He comes to week every Sunday. This week he brought his grandsons for the second time! He is sharing the gospel with his family!

Wednesday: Wednesdays are our crazy busy days because we have meetings on the mainland so we have to catch the boat pretty early. We had zone meeting this week and it was great! During the meeting they dismissed all of us to go tracting and practice some things that we learned. We were assigned new companions for that half hour and were sent to these random apartments. Sister Lundeen and I tracted 5 houses. Only 1 was not home. The first door was a woman, a husband, and 4 daughters! Low and behold we got the elders a return appointment with this family later that day! Hopefully they became new investigators for them. The next two doors were also very nice people and we got return appointments for both of them. The last person we talked to was NOT INTERESTED. I tried to give her a pamphlet but she said she would just "toss it" so then not thinking again I asked her if she would just want to leave the pamphlet lying around her house but before I finished the sentence she slammed the door in our face. Sister Lundeen just laughed and laughed like, "what the...? would you mind just leaving this around the house?" but I told her that even though she didn't want the pamphlet if she had it in her home you never know who might pick it up to start reading. After zone meeting we had to get an oil change, stop by the mission office for ferry passes, and then we went grocery shopping. THEN we waited in the ferry line, finally caught a boat, and then came back and emailed. The library was closed Monday for the holiday and closed Tuesday for some sort of training. Then we contacted a few more people and did studies! OH AND THE BEST PART OF THE DAY: I GOT PANDA EXPRESS!!!!!!!!

Thursday: On Thursday we spent a lot of time inside. Sister Bell had some pretty crazy headaches from exhaustion so our mission doctor said that she needed to get caught up on sleep. We were able to do some service that day and we were also able to tract a little bit.

Friday: This our weekly planning day so we did a lot of planning. We also contacted more people and tracted. That's about what we do all day everyday! Missionary work is the greatest work on earth!

Saturday: WE HAD A BAPTISM! Well kind of. There is this guy named Francisco and he lives in Pencove (out of area), he is Hispanic, YSA age, but he comes to our ward. So long story short, he had like a thousand opinions of where to get baptized. He was being taught by the Spanish missionaries but he couldn't attend the Spanish branch because of his work schedule and same with the Pencove ward. He comes to our ward every week because that is where his fellowship is and that is where his schedule permits him to go. So weird situation but he was baptized in our ward. We had to plan the program and get everything ready. We even sang a musical number. I had decided after the first time I sang in sacrament that it got me out of singing for the rest of my mission but now that I sung at the baptism - I get out of it for the rest of my life! The baptism turned out great though and we got to eat tamales and delicious food afterwards. We got to teach another recent convert that day named Kirsten. SHE IS GREAT! And then we tracted the rest of the day!

Sunday: Yesterday we attended our meetings and church. We then went tracting for a few hours. We got to talk to some great people. One was a former investigator and we got to talk with him about the atonement. The other was a man who just moved into the area 2 weeks ago from Texas and is a pastor of a local church. Good thing he didn't bash. Nicest guy ever and he looked like dad so it kinda freaked me out. Then we talked to a really nice lady who invited us back for tea. She knows a missionary so we were able to talk about the things missionaries do! Overall it was successful!

One of the greatest things I learned this week is on increasing our faith. We can do that by living a life of gratitude, being obedient out of love, giving of ourselves and serving, know that we depend completely on God, and being anxiously engaged in a good cause.

I have also realized today how much you really do change on a mission. However, you only change if you apply the things you are learning. If you just go through the motions you will probably stay the same or even become "worse". It's like that commercial that came out right before I left about toothpaste... "If you aren't whitening, you are yellowing." If we aren't constantly applying the basic principles of the Gospel that we are sharing with everyone and we aren't striving to strengthen our testimony than we are "yellowing". Something else I read in Preach my Gospel today that I shared with Sister Bell is it says that if we are doing all the things the Lord has asked us to do, we will still experience disappointment but we will not become disappointed in ourselves. I have seen that over and over and over again as a missionary. Sometimes you do question how effective you are or question what could have been better but you are not disappointed in yourself because you know that in that moment of time you did your very best. So you go home, study harder, pray harder, and brush your teeth and when you get put in a similar situation you apply those things and show your white pearls off with a smile. That's the great thing about missions (or life)... you are constantly improving.

I love being a missionary. I am sad to know that I only have 8ish months left but I am so excited to take the things I have learned home and apply them to the rest of my life and my future family! Let's be real though... I still have 8 months. That's a long time! I still have so much to learn and so many skills/attributes to acquire. Missions are hard to describe but they really do change who you are and change your perspective on what truly does matter!

I am grateful for the Atonement of my Savior Jesus Christ and the comfort it brings to me. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the Earth. I know that we can live with our families forever as we keep the commandments and live righteously. I know that we can be used as instruments in the Lord's hands as well.

Have a great week my favorite people! I love you all and I am so grateful for all the love and support you give to me and all the other missionaries throughout the world. FAITH BEFORE FEAR. #HoldtotheRodda There is sunshine in my soul.

Love,

Sister Rodda

Run For Cover

August 31, 2015

FAMILY!

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN CRAZY.

The wind has been INSANE. The power was out on the south part of the island all of Saturday and some of Sunday.  People still don't have power. Luckily ours came on in the middle of the night.We got home at 9:00 after running home in the pouring rain. We were soaked. There was no light. And we only had one flashlight.  It was greeattttttt. Much sarcasm. But it was a good one for the journal. 

We have also been doing a lot of service. It has been nice because the work is kinda slow right now on the island. We taught a CUTE young family this week. Mom, dad, and two little boys (3 and 2). They are PERFECT. Not investigators yet because we want to make sure they are committed but they are so cute. They have been together for 10 years but they haven't found God until the last year when he became sober. So they are awesome and just so sweet.  Sister Bell is doing great! I love her work ethic and her desire to be the best missionary ever. I am like 100% sure that I learn more from her than she learns from me! I love her!

That's about all for this week. Not really sure what else to include. OH YEAH. we went to Boeing today. Like the coolest place EVER. You can fit all of Disneyland and the parking lots inside of it. Disneyland is still better but Boeing was cool. I have quite the interest in airplanes. Not the interest in working on them but the interest in riding in them. 

Welp, for real this is nice.  That is all! I love you all and wish you the bestestestest. xoxo

Sister Rodda

Keep reading for Sis Bell's version of Saturday's experience.  I guess Rachel didn't want us to worry too much! 

SATURDAY: it was super windy. Like our crazy wind, but with trees everywhere, which means that tree branches were everywhere. We were walking up to a house and the next door neighbors tree branch fell and it scared us....our road was shut down because of a fallen tree, but of course we didn't know that until we were already 10 minutes down the road...so we had to take a 15 mminute detour. Quite fun. The power also was out. We had one flashlight. Luckily we found some matches and were able to light the stove for dinner. And we needed to visit a LA down the road from us, so we walked. It was rainy and super dark....and the LA had moved. As we were walking back a car drove past us and then stopped. and just sat there. Sister Rodda said she started repenting of everything she had ever done. We past the car and it just stayed there and once we got around the bend we ran for it. We lived :) It was an adventure.

PROS - pray, read, obey, smile

August 24, 2015

Family of planet UT and other places other than WA.

This week has been... odd. On Monday we just chilled with some people in the ward, did our laundry, kind of just a get ready for the rest of the week day, in other words "preparation day". Then we had dinner with our ward mission leader and his family! That is always a bundle of joy!

On Tuesday: we did service at Ryan's house. This is where homeless teens can come to get something to eat, watch TV, take a nap, and get clothes or other supplies. It is really cool. And it is surprising how many teens are homeless on the island. You would be surprised.  But we got to go there and do some inventory stuff and help out. I love serving! Then we spent the rest of the day tracting and contacting people, visiting less actives, and talking to people.

On Wednesday we had district meeting. Wednesdays are like our busiest days. We have district meeting at 10:30 so we have to catch the 9 am ferry and then we get to do our shopping on Wednesday because everything is cheaper on the mainland. So we went and got some groceries and traveled back. Then we had all of our studies.  We had a lesson with Z, our recent convert, and JC (he the less active that hadn't come in 20+ years but has come for all 3 hours the last 5 weeks.) We had dinner with some members- ironically their son and daughter-in-law just bought a house in Kaysville and they work at Mountain High by Davis. Hoch is the last name.

On Thursday we met with a 13 year old less active who is also a convert. She hasn't been to church in 5 months or so but said she would come this week. We arranged a ride and everything but she wasn't able to make it because it was her brothers birthday. Next week though! And she plays soccer so we are going to play soccer on a p day pretty soon! We also met with another recent convert, K. She is awesome and she is doing great! The rest of the included lot of tracting and contacting.

Friday... that was a crazy day. We woke up at 6 and had to catch the 7 ferry for a "new missionary training in Mill Creek."  That was an all day thing.  We received instruction from President and Sister Bonham, the assistants, and do role plays and things like that. It ended at 4 and with the ferry... being rush hour and a Friday we were praying to be home by 9 to plan.  But we got in at 8:00 :) What a day of miracles. Hehe.  Then we only did one hour of studies and headed to bed.

Saturday.... we did weekly planning.  It's like 5 hours of straight planning. Oh yeah. Want to be a missionary now? JK. Serve a mission. It's great!  Then we contacted some people and had ANOTHER lesson with a recent convert. Her name is Kr and she is the most awesome person ever. She fed us dinner and she is a professional chef so it rocked. I even ate meat off the bone - that's how good it was!

Sunday: this week we felt like we didn't accomplish much. Satan was working hard in our minds. Our numbers weren't the best but you don't have numbers for the hours you spend tracting, only the lessons you teach.  But on Sunday we saw the miracles. Let's back track... my first or second week on the island we visited a less active named A. She said she might come to church so we needed to text her on Saturday. Well we did and she didn't reply and she didn't come but we kept texting her every week.  Well she showed up on Sunday!  First time in 30+ years.  JC also came and brought his two cute grandsons, probably 8 and 10.  All of our recent converts were there.  A girl in our ward gave a talk in sacrament that we helped her write.  It was very powerful. We taught the lesson in gospel principles and it went well! It was an overall great day.  And we talked to 2 really nice ladies who took up our offer to come and do service!

I love being a missionary and really seeing how the Lord provides. "doubt your doubts, before you doubt your faith."  I love the gospel and I love being able to share it with everyone that I come in contact with. The church is true and I know that it has been restored by a latter day prophet.  Thanks for all the love and support.  You have no clue the blessings that come to the missionaries that you pray for in the field.  Have a great week.  Don't forget to Pray, Read, Obey, and Smile. xoxo. Good luck with the first week of school to all. :)

Love, Sister Rodda.

Sister Bell

August 17, 2015

Family! I am doing great! BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY MY NEW COMPANION IS DOING GREAT! Her name is Sister Julie Bell from Blackfoot, Idaho.  She is younger than me - FINALLY SOMEONE YOUNGER! And she used to play soccer so yeah, we get along. This week was great. I was in Bellingham until Tuesday. picked up Sister Bell around 5 on Tuesday and then traveled home. The ferry traffic and travel time takes forever. Wednesday we had zone meeting. and Thursday-Saturday was a lot of finding! We tracted in the pouring rain for a few hours! It rocked. I always feel like a missionary when I am tracting in the pouring rain, soaking wet, and everyone says no and slams the door. Those literally are the best days. But it would be nice if someone said yes every once in a while or at least offered us hot chocolate or anything really...

We both had to speak in sacrament. I spoke on service and Sister Bell spoke on charity and love. They were both great. I wasn't nervous at all until my sweet companion started bearing her testimony. Then I got sick inside. I think singing in church last week was so nerve racking that I can literally do anything now. Good thing I got that over with!

Mission life is great! Doing a lot of finding which is nice because I love tracting! My companion is ready to work hard and I have been able to learn so much from her! Recent converts are doing well and the less actives we are working with have been coming to church! I love being a missionary. Sad that I have only 9 months left but ready to make the most out of it!

Thanks for all your love and support! You are all greatly appreciated! I LOVE YOU!

SISTER RODDA