Transfers

July 28, 2015

¡Hola Mamacita!

So, transfers went a little bit differently this transfer. And when I say a little, I mean a lot! We had transfer calls on Saturday instead of Monday, but we were only told if we were being transferred, training, or becoming a leader. We wouldn't figure out who we were going with and where until Monday morning when we met at the office and President Jardine would tell us personally in a large meeting with all the missionaries that are being transferred. So, on Saturday night, us five Hermanas went to sushi and stuffed our faces in, then we went to the meeting we had at 8 pm as a zone to find out our fates. Usually missionaries receive a call earlier in the night from President Jardine or the APs saying that they are called to train or be a leader. We knew that there are 2 Hermanas coming into the field, so who's going to train? Haha that's always the big question. When we got to the meeting, We hadn't received a phone call and neither did the other Hermanas. What!? I thought for sure one of us was going to get that call. We went on with the meeting and our zone leader said that Hna Webb and I are staying here, together... I love Hermana Webb and I know that she loves me, but... It didn't feel right. Then they said that the trio of Hermanas were going to leave and the area would have new missionaries. What!? So we were signing each other's bye books after. We just felt so weird. We didn't feel right. Then I went to the phone to call sister Schow and tell her about the news and I saw that we had a miss call from President Jardine about 20 minutes previous. Oh no! So we ran into the hallway and called him back. Hna Webb is training!!!! We were so excited... But then what was going to happen to me? The call said that I was staying. We asked him if we were going to be in a training trio and he said no. Then he said that we weren't going to be together and that he was going to fix it... What does that mean? Am I leaving or am I staying in the zone?  The sisters area is getting shotgunned, so am I going to shotgun their area? I had no idea. But what I did know is that I was moving out of sis schow's house and that I needed to pack. A few minutes later, Hna Kaaa noticed that she received a miss call from President as well. Hna Kaaa's training!!! I am so excited for her! She will do fantastic!!

Hermana Twitchell and Hermana Webb
only together for 2 weeks

East Sacramento Zone
(Said good-bye to them)

On Sunday we got to tell the members who was staying and who was leaving... The problem was that I had absolutely no idea if I was leaving or not! I had no idea what to tell the members! 

Monday morning came and I felt calm. I had thought about all the possible things that could happen with transfers and I was prepared! I was prepared with whatever outcome came my way, It doesn't matter who my comp is or where I go! I love all the Hermanas in this mission so much! 

The meeting started and each area would pop upon the screen with a missionary's face and name, then it would show their companion. A few areas had gone by, It was fun to see what was happening with everyone in the mission. The area "Elk Grove Zone: Vineyard & Wilton wards" popped on the screen with my face and name underneath. English work. Oh. I was not prepared for this. I shakily rose to my feet as my eyes were fixed upon what lied before me. I was terrified and I am positive that it showed on my face. My companion is Sister Lalomanu. It was a lot to take in. After the meeting, President Jardine told me, "It won't be for a long time. It's going to happen more often that Spanish missionaries go into English work." I was just the first. He was trying to comfort me because he saw the look on my face. I've never had a transfer call where I've been shocked or didn't know how to react. This time I had no idea how to react or to stifle my reaction and it was in front of half the mission. 

It's funny, because I jinxed myself quite a bit this past transfer. While I was in Rancho, I would tell Hna Fly, "I'm so happy that I'm no longer in Carmichael where there aren't any hispanics! And now I'm in Rancho where there are endless possibilities!" Then I got ETed back to Carmichael. I went on exchanges with my English STLs and I said, "I love Spanish work! It's the best thing ever! I couldn't imagine it any other way!" Then she asked, "What would you do if you ever got called into English work?" I responded, "eh. That's never going to happen!" :P

So I'm in Elk Grove now, the very bottom of the mission that borders Lodi, aka Modesto mission. It's a really great area and we basically live out in the middle of no where. It's super cool! I don't know my address.  

Sister Autumn Twitchell with her new companion Sister Lalomanu  (Autumn is now an English speaking missionary)

For Elaina and Lena

Our Front room

View from our front window

It's super rural. There's cows and horses, some roosters :P our house is a guest house next to a members home. It is HUGE! It's amazing! 

Sis Lalomanu is from New Zealand, she has been out for 3 months, just barely finished training. She is super cute and super awesome!!

Hna Burke is in the Elk Grove zone as well, but in Spanish work. They just opened up Elk Grove to Hermanas. we seriously have been in the same exact areas and we always follow each other around. haha I love her!

Para Siempre Dios esté con Vos

Con Amor,

Hermana Twitchell

New area

Hola Mamacita!

To answer your questions, there are currently 13 Hermanas in the mission and I've been companions with 6 of them. With the mission split they only took 6 Hermanas, but their areas were huge, so they will definitely be building up the number in Modesto. 

There should be 2 Hermanas coming in this upcoming transfer, which is awesome! The problem is that we really don't need more Hermanas because there are only so many Spanish areas they can create in this mission... Also the oldest Hermanas are going home in December, so we aren't going to be losing anyone for a while. Haha yes, I had to be the one to be transferred. President Jardine and the APs sat at the transfer board for 4 hours deciding who was to come to Carmichael. They were led by the spirit and I know that I'm the one that is supposed to be here at this time. Haha transfers is going to happen next week and it will be completely normal, I'm just super curious to see where I end up. 

 Haha those are the wrong apartments :P but ya, the same street. Dad sent me the email on Tuesday... So I couldn't really respond to it or anything until today :P haha I saw Aaron & Joylyn while we were driving away from the church, I tried to wave but they weren't paying attention :P they were just too late to church! Haha just kidding!

July 11, 2015  William's baptism

Thrift store shopping!! I'm not holding a Canadian flag for no reason, my DL is Canadian :P

New companion Hermana Webb

Well, with Carmichael being Carmichael, we literally have no investigators. We found 2 last week, but one had a fake address and the other wasn't home for their return appointment, but of course, we will try again!!! Haha thank goodness I have Hna Webb as a companion or I think I would literally go insane. :p she is super enthusiastic about the work and really positive about this area, where most missionaries would frown about it. Because we're only going to be together for 2 weeks (at least, there's always next transfer!), I was feeling super awkward as to where to get started with the work and how to make the best out of our 2 weeks. Well, we have a goal and its BAPTISM! As always! But we're super excited about it, so it's great! We still don't have anyone progressing, but we're working on it! 

I love being back with Sister Schow! She always has a pink bucket that she carries around on her Lamborghini (indoor walker) that has all of her important things she needs in the day. She has 2 letters, one from you and one from me. Haha she showed me that she was going to respond to my letter, but then I came back after only 4 weeks. Haha she says I'm the fastest sister to ever come back! Haha

Sister Schow and Hermana Twitchell

Well, I should probably go! Thank you for being such an amazing mother and for helping me be obedient!! I will try my best to fit in the clothes you sent me :P and if not that I can get them sent to you by Monday.

Para Siempre Dios esté con Vos,

Con Amor,

Hermana Twitchell

PS tell Austin I'm sorry I didn't send him a letter for his birthday. I meant to, but things got so busy last p-day that I didn't have time...

Bautismo!!!

July 13, 2015

¡Hola Mamacita!
¡BAUTISMO!!!! William was baptized on Saturday and it was so great! So I have some pretty big news. It all starts at the baptism. Hna Burke told me at the baptism that there was a problem (that she really didn't have much control over) and that she was going to talk to President Jardine about it and that she thought she was going to be
ETed (emergency transferred). Well last night while we were planning for our day today, we had an incoming call from President Jardine and we just stared at the phone for what seemed like 5 minutes. We both knew why he was calling... It was just a matter of who was leaving.  So Hna Fly finally broke and answered the phone.  He asked if I was there. Aw Man! So she put it on speaker and President asked me if I knew what was happening.  I said, "yes" then he asked me where I thought I was
going, I replied, "Carmichael." Yep, I'm going back to Carmichael in the East Sacramento zone tomorrow morning. Thank goodness I get to have my P-Day here in Rancho Cordova! After the call was over, Hna Fly and I hugged each other and started to cry. We had been having so much fun together and we've only been together for 4 weeks. We were making plans to go to Chick-fil-a and downtown and the Folsom outlets. We've made plans for me to come visit her in Virginia to go to the beach and
DC and everything on the east coast! Haha We also were able to find quite a few great investigators this past week. They are super solid!
Some other fun things happened this week, but they are all kind of leaving my mind as I try to wrap my mind on the fact that I'm leaving. It's crazy!

I love you lots and I'm going to have a great 2 weeks with Hna Webb!

Para Siempre Dios esté con Vos,

Con Amor,

Hermana Twitchell

PS you can have Aaron and Joylyn drop my package off at the office
since its in my area again :P

Our ZONE

11Jul15  --  Pictures from William's baptism but this isn't William

Hermana Twitchell & Fly enjoying ice cream the day before she was transferred

11Jul15  Landon's baptism

Happy 4th of July

July 6, 2015

¡Hola Mamacita!

This week has been super awesome! (Like always) haha our area is doing great! We've been able to find some of our long lost investigators that the other Hermanas were teaching, but we could never find them. Some of them are pretty solid! I love this area because you can pick streets to tract on and you will find a ton of Hispanics, it's fantastic! Hna Fly is doing super great! I love having her as a companion! Her and Hna Burke were best buddies in the MTC and now I get to see why! A lot of people have told us we look like twins and a lot of people thought Hna Burke and I were sisters, so if we were in a trio, it would be pretty fantastic! This week we were able to go to the temple and have a picnic with one of the families in our branch. It was so fun! I love going to the temple! Especially now that we are so close! We're thinking we need to tell people to meet us at the temple more often!

The next day was our Folsom day and we went to Chick-fil-a!!!! We forgot to take pics, but we're definitely going to go again. We had a little bit of free time during our dinner hour (we were so excited to be eating chick-fil-a that we ate super fast) so on our way to an appointment, we took a drive by our old house. It was Hna Fly's idea! Haha she loves Folsom. I’m happy to say that our house still has those rose bushes that you planted, mom. They are huge! Afterwards we talked with a bunch of Hispanics who are super catholic! How do we know? Well we asked them if they had faith in Christ and their response is, "I'm catholic." Bahaha okay. One woman told us she believed in the virgin, the saints, and her religion. ... What about God? Catholics are funny sometimes.

Yes, I do get to go back for the baptism with William on the 11th! Hna Burke just has to send me all the details through the APs. I am so excited for him! I knew he was going to get baptized!! He's the one that I sent you a picture of before I left Carmichael! Last transfer Hna Burke and I declared, we are going to get a baptism this transfer!" Well it didn't happen, but we have a baptism now that was a product of last transfer. We found William while we were contacting in an apartment complex. He's golden! I'm so excited for him!

The 4th of July was great! We volunteered 8 hours on the 3rd and 4th at a carnival in one of the parks. It was a lot of fun! 

Hermanas don't go over to the Nevada border in the mission. Now with the mission split, there are only 4 places Hermanas can go: Sacramento, North Sac, east Sac/Carmichael, and Rancho/Folsom. The only place I haven't technically served in is North Sac, but I've been there on exchanges. The border of Nevada is El Dorado and there's a Spanish group in that stake that is lead by one companionship of elders. There aren't any Hispanics there.  That's the one sad thing about the mission split, we're more limited on the areas we can go to as Spanish missionaries... But it's still awesome!

Well I have to go, but I love you the most! And your cookies!

I love the mission and all the miracles and pleasant surprises I see everyday!

Para Siempre Dios esté con Vos  

We sent her some homemade cookie with Aaron.

Con Amor,

Hermana Twitchell