April 25th 2016

Hello!

Just so you know if you think it rains pretty hard in Utah, youre wrong. The rain here is awesome, but it down poors so heavy. I love it though. they say it there is supposed to be tornado tomorrow. There is a storm warning, and so I cant wait to see how that goes.

So This week has been the longest week. on Tuesday night I arrived in Oklahoma, the moment I got of the plane, it just felt right! I knew I am right where I need to be  and I met my mission president, who is 7 ft tall! haha, and his wife, they are the best. we had dinner with them and then we stayed in the mission home, and then the next day I met my companion, her name is sister hall and she is the sweetest girl ever! I love her a lot. She is a klutz just like me, so we get along real well. But I got placed in a town called Edmond, her and I are over the university of central Oklahoma, so we teach young adults, in the university. It is way awesome! Edmond has two sides, really rich and nice, or really poor! I got put in a way good area and I am way blessed. I love working with the young single adults, because I can relate to them pretty well!

The people here in Oklahoma are so kind and very down to earth, well.. most of them haha!

I have a funny story,

So my first day here we went to a referrals house, and as we parked and were getting ready to get out of the car to go knock on her door, there was two grown men with missing teeth, riding bikes that looked like a five year old should be driving and they were pulling a shopping cart behind them and it was full of groceries and beer, hahaha, and they yelled at us as they passed us saying, " watch out the rednecks are comin through", haha I couldn't stop laughing it was the funniest thing ever, it was my first experience in Oklahoma, and my companion looked at me and said, "welcome to Oklahoma"!!! so that was like the highlight of my week!

We have some amazing people we are teaching right now! I love teaching! I love the spirit that is felt as we help people see that the lord loves them and trying to help establish a relationship with him through the book of Mormon. IT is crazy! the lord is preparing people to hear the gospel.

IT is hard sometimes when we go tracting though, because there is so many different churches here that believe in Christ, like there is literally a church every couple blocks. so many. the hardest thing for me is tracting, because it pushes me way out of my comfort zone, but hopefully I will get better at it! it takes a lot of faith to do this work, and I have a lot of learning to do, but it is good! I love it!

one of the biggest things ive learned this week is having patience with others and myself. I think that is something that can be applied to all of you! We think we have to be perfect to qualify for blessings and to feel gods love! But god loves us always, no matter what! He is perfectly mindful of you and your needs, and he will take care of you and bless you, all we have to do is follow him, and as we do that, everything starts to slowly fall into place. I promise that is true! if you are looking for a good chapter to read in the book of Mormon read alma 32 versus 26 to 43 it is a great example of how god can work miracles in our lives if we just have faith! 

I love you all! Thanks for all the support you show  me it means a lot!

have a good week!

keep smiling!!!!!!!!!!

Week one! 4/6/2016

Well hello my friends and family.

life here at the mtc just has me exhausted! haha but i love it here so much! 

i want to start off telling you guys that i am already the class clown in my district, because i am constantly doing things to embarrass myself, nothing new right? haha. i have been laughing constantly here, i love it! I have fallen up the stairs, ripped my shirt, i fell off the top bunk on the bunk beds, and have been tackled down by a mob of elders that weren't paying attention, and i got tackled into the wall on accident, hahaha, luckily i have been a good sport about it. haha, everyone just makes fun of me and laughs at me haha, i must get that from my mom;) haha! 

But i love my district, we have all become so close and they are like my family. We are all so different, but we all are here for one purpose and we all have such a good time together! My companions name is sister smith, and she is so funny, we get along real good!  

Her and i got called as the sister training leaders so we help all the girls feel welcome and just report to the branch president any problems that are occurring! 

i have learned so much, it hasn't been easy because learning to teach the gospel in simple terms is harder than i  ever thought! i have a new profound respect for those missionaries learning languages, because it is already hard for me i can't imagine learning a language! Good thing its not the missionary that converts the people its the spirit! 

i can see how people call this place the spiritual prison, you literally wake up, get ready, do studies some more studies and some more studies, eat breakfast, study some more, work out, study some more, teach some investigators, then eat, then study.. i think you get the point. But the spirit is so strong and i love it so much, i have learned so much while i have been here!! 

I want to share something i learned that will stay with my forever. Christ is the ultimate example of reaching out to others, no matter the trial he is going through, instead of feeling bad for himself and turning inward and becoming selfish, he always reaches outward to others in love and service! He loves everyone even though others may not love him back. I want to invite all who actually read this to focus on being more like that in their daily lives, life can be so hard and we may feel like all we want is people to feel bad for us and help us, and do stuff for us, that's how i was feeling last week until i heard this talk that David a Bednar gave a couple years ago to the missionaries, and  i am going to try to focus on others and what i can do to help them and serve them every time i feel like turning inward and focusing on myself. i invite you all to join me in doing this! i know by doing this the lord will bless us and help us with what we are need of! 

i love guys and i can feel your prayers! They have helped me with this week and the hard adjustment of everything! Thanks to all those that send my dear sisters, they brighten my day every time i get one and get the chance to read it! 

have a good rest of your week! Keep smiling. 

Love,

Sister Grossgebauer! (ahhhhh so crazy to be called a sister haha)