Week 27 - Another One Down

Hello Hello,

This week was weird, so many meetings! We had MLC at President's house and the best part about it was definitely the food. We have a mission cook. Basically my favorite lady ever. Then we had Zone meeting on Thursday and it was extra long cause we had to watch a 2 hour broadcast from Salt Lake to all the missionaries in the world. Pretty cool but so long! And I can sum it up in one line- Teach Repentance and Baptize Converts. That's what we do as missionaries! So having that has been great and really helped us focus on simplifying and just going back to the basics of missionary work.

Then I had to give a training to the zone on stuff from MLC and of course, just my luck, the APs decided to come to ours and there's me sweating even more than usual. Seriously I am melting right now in this heat. It is SO HUMID.  But at least I no longer cry every time I bear my testimony so that was a plus hahaha. Basically, as STL, I just go on exchanges with sisters and have comp studies with them blah blah blah. It's pretty basic. I'm hoping president gives me permission to go on an exchange with some sisters in Coromandel, which is a peninsula like three hours away through a windy gorge... but I heard its GORGEOUS. So, crossing my fingers on that one...

I can't really think of much else, the work is still slower than I would like and we still don't have a solid set for baptism, which is really rare for this area so the pressure is on a bit. But I know if we keep being obedient and following the counsel of our leaders, miracles will come. My comp is so awesome, we're like the same person. She almost cried when I told her there are no hot cheetos here hahaha. Love her.

The church is true, the gospel is the way!

Arohanui,
Sister Machen

Week 26 - I'M A MOM!

Kia ora,

So I'm training the only new sister that came to the mission! She's from Phoenix Arizona and spent the last year and a half at UVU, BUT she's full Mexican and grew up in Casas Grandes till she was 9. So basically we are bffs now. Her first language is Spanish so I have completely thrown her into the fire and taken her to all the Colombian families in our area. And she killed it! She doesn't even need to be trained. Honest. So after a gun lesson with one family (me being silent) we committed them to come to church and 4 came! So then she translated all of sacrament meeting for them and then taught gospel principles in Spanish just for them. I didn't say anything hahaha. There are two brothers in our ward that served Spanish speaking so they helped but she did most of it. I'm so proud of her and so excited for this transfer! Crazy how the Lord works to put you places and with certain people for a reason. I think I need her more than she needs me to be honest haha but it's great. Other than that, we had a great week, still a little dead around the university but people are slowly coming back from holidays! Also the NZ sun is apparently really strong... so I'm constantly burned and my hair is way blonde. Just a fun fact.

The church is true, I love the prophet and the apostles with all mi corazon. lol. But yeah. Great hopes for the coming weeks!

Oh, and I now look after the sisters in all 4 zones of Hamilton, so exchanges will be fun and interesting! The mission is the bomb.

Sister Machen

SISTER TAYLOR-She looks slightly like Tatiana Abbas for those who know her.... 

At the temple/VC with our two Fijian investigators and some YSA!!! I <3 the temple

Week 25 - Six Months!

 Rain Forces Ponytails

Kia Ora,

The word of the week is diligence.... We lost car privileges for two days (my bad) and of course it was the day we practically had a typhoon (my comp's words) and the next day of ridiculous heat and humidity. SO GRATEFUL for a car. And even though the weather sucked and we struggled to ride our bikes, I learned that diligence through trials brings so many blessings! But just some details, my umbrella got thrashed in the first five minutes, my comp wanted to change like four times, NO ONE is smart enough to be out walking in that weather so therefore no one to talk to, and mosquitoes go hyper active or something so now I have like 40 bites but it's okay cause BLESSINGS! People let us in easier to get out of the rain and more people were actually home, so we got to have a couple good lessons.

Also shout out to the best track team eva for the belated Christmas package!!!!! The taco seasoning is my personal fav.

We had a dinner with a single member lady and she is super health conscious, like super so we basically ate everything out of her garden and some very bony fish. Afterwards Sister Urgel's stomach was hurting really bad and so of course she does the only logical thing and eats like 15 pieces of chocolate. Miracle of miracles she is healed!

I don't have much else from the week except I learned that the most unlikely people can be interested in the gospel, you just have to try! So if there are people you haven't invited to learn about the gospel, DO IT. You never know who might need it, and the gospel is for everyone. Seriously.

Transfers are this week but we still don't have news, I'm probably staying and Sister Urgel could be leaving but either way we'll be all good! They changed transfers though so no more meeting up at a chapel together, you just take your bags on the bus and go straight to your new area... weird. That means a lot of sisters will have to get rid of stuff cause there are limits on luggage, haha suckas!

That's all, have a great week and read and pray everyday! Love yousssss.

Sister Machen

My comp having a blast (literally)














                                  JALAPENOS??? IN NZ??? S/O to EP

Week 24 - New Year!

Hey Fam,

First and foremost, I want to make a big shout out to the 17 year old girl from Auckland that jumped 15'2" or something and broke the world junior record. And she's probably one of the youngest to compete at the olympics, at least for track. So basically she is my fav now just cause she's from NZ. Watch for her at Rio!!

This week due to my speeding ticket (lol right before Christmas) and our limited mileage we actually had to bike. I know I'm spoiled with the car but seriously biking in a skirt is one of the worst things on the planet. Especially when it's so hot and humid and the hills are death and your companion hasn't ridden a bike much before. So the adventures began and the soreness set in.

Random fun fact, we met a Filipino couple on the street and the man kept saying I looked familiar to him, that I had come to his house the week before with a tall man....  He was set on the fact that it was me lol. So options here are that it was a dream and he saw me in his dream coming to his house, or he gets white people mixed up, OR I have a disorder where I don't remember things and I was disobedient cause I left my companion. So I'm going with the one that he had a dream about me cause he's gonna get baptized.

Fleas are a huge problem. I hate them; more than anything in the world I hate fleas. They itch for a whole week! I couldn't sleep I was so itchy and then they leave nasty purple scars, so yayyyyy. I think it's cause everyone and their mother here just had a cat that had kittens. Soooo many cats everywhere.

New years was pretty low key. We set our alarm for 11:55, woke up said HAPPY NEW YEAR and went back to sleep. Great times.

That's pretty much it for the week! Had a great training about change and it all starts with US. You have to just start where you are and have the faith to take the first step. Lots of things to change in all of us! We have a long way to go before we are prepared to live like gods with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again. The church is true!

Love you all heaps,
Sister Machen