Joylyn meets Sister Jardine

Joylyn and Jacelyn got to meet the mission Presidents wife at a church activity.  She is also with Hermana ? and Hermana McCloud from her meeting house.  It was fun to get this picture.

Awesome week

April 13, 2015

Hola Mamacita!

This week has been pretty awesome. Haha we had so much fun with Hna. Burke's birthday, the best part is that we're not companions and therefore I can be a little more sneaky. :P Hna Flores and I were able to heart attack her apartment and Hna. Flores made a sweet planner cover. 

Well, you know, I didn't really do anything for Easter, it was pretty much a normal day except for the fact that we had conference. Which is always a great day.

Leslie lives in the Spanish ward but she also goes to the YSA ward, she's pretty awesome and she's been out with us to visit people a few times. I don't really care if I have a card or not. It might be nice, but whatever. :P 

Health wise, I think I'm the healthiest person in the whole mission! Haha well, maybe not but I haven't gotten sick. I think it has to do with the fact that I kind of grew up here. :P I know Hna. Burke, Flores, and Greenfield have not been feeling well...I don't know what's wrong with me, because I feel great!

This area is a lot different from my last area. In my last area I could go on without speaking English if I really wanted to, there were so many Hispanics! Here, I'm lucky if I speak Spanish! There are so many white people, it's just scary! :) The other day we were phone-booking (looking in the phone book for Spanish names and hoping they speak Spanish) and we came across a Russian. huh? Haha they didn't speak any English so they said "Have a good day" in a heavy accent and slammed the door. Aww, but before we left I had to take a picture with their chicken that was in their front yard; he was pretty cool. :P 

Because the mission office is in our area, we've stopped by quite a few times. We always talk with the senior missionaries and they are awesome! I just had to take a selfie with Sister Ficklin :)

We finally got a new investigator this week! My first one in the area! His name is Al, he's 75 and from Spain. We brought a member out contacting and we almost let him go because he spoke perfect English and is white, but then he started speaking Spanish to our member and we realized that he was from Spain. OH! I'm not sure that we'll go too far with him because he said he'll never read the book of Mormon and that he only believes in something if someone witnesses it and then tells him in person. In other words he doesn't believe in the Old Testament and most of the New Testament, but he believes in God and Jesus Christ. Ummmm it's quite interesting.

Well, we're hoping we can find more people because right now we have one investigator and we can't find her. Ummmmm... hurray for Spanish work in Carmichael! It's a lot harder than in Sacramento stake, but it's still just as fun! :D

Para Siempre Dios este con Vos,

Con Amor,

Hermana Twitchell

Pics:

-me and the Russian rooster

-going out with a 15 year old in our ward

-Elaina's ring

-me and Sis. Ficklin!

Autumn having fun

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Autumn playing Model, she loves her mission and is having a great time.  

Hermana Burkes Birthday Party

We got this picture from a member of Hermana Burke's Birthday Party

Nerf Guns

April 6, 2015

Hola Mamacita!

That's so funny, I was just going to email you and tell you to write Hna. Burke for her birthday! Haha we're having a party on Friday and we are going out to eat sushi with all the Sisters in our zone. Sadly it's not Mukuni's, but it's a little far from where we live even though it's in our area. 

Well everyone in our zone has a nerf gun, so I caved and bought myself a nerf gun for zone sports :P . Haha It's not the one in the picture, it's Hna. Flores'. I just like the way hers looks. :P

Even though Hna. Burke and I aren't companions, we see each other every day and we eat food with them all the time! We went to her house the other day and the members she lives with have a ton of musical instruments: piano, guitar, violins, ukelele, and a mandolin! They convinced me to take home a violin so now I have a violin to practice with! I discussed it with Sister Schow and we're going to start a band! I'm going to play the violin, Hna. Flores will be on the piano and sing soprano, and Sister Schow will sing alto. It's going to be great!

We watched conference at our stake center and it was great! I loved it! I watched it in English, but when the Spanish speakers spoke, I got a translating headset so I could listen to it in Spanish. It's a lot better when you can hear it in their native language! I loved all the talks, they were so good! A lot of talk about the family, great stuff!

Things are going really well with Hna. Flores, she's been a bit sick this week, so we really haven't worked too much, but I feel like everyone is sick. I'm hoping we'll be able to work more this next week. 

Haha I don't even have my bike with me, it's still in Sacramento! So no, I have not had to ride my bike yet :P Eventually Hna. Clark will get it to me when there's a mission leadership meeting or something, but for now I am bikeless. :) Honestly, I don't think it would be very hard to go my whole mission without riding a bike, it's just not very effective in Spanish work.

Picture: I found my own apartment complex off of Auburn Blvd! Yes! 

I'm so happy that you could be with the whole family! That's so fun! Please tell everyone that I love them!

Para Siempre Dios este con Vos

Con Amor,

Hermana Twitchell

Service Project

March 30, 2015

Hola Mamacita!

I'm not sure that I'll be able to write a long email, but I have tons of pictures! You'll love it! So first I have this picture with Elder Milner and Elder Kastigar giving me my package on Saturday haha thanks for all the candy, I'm making sure other people help me eat it :P There's me and Hna Flores, yes she is Philipino!

Elder Milner and Elder Kastigar took Autumn her package

Last Wednesday we went to the mission office to pick up Hna. Clark's trainee (Hna. Stevens) and for me to wait for Hna Flores and Kaaa.  I got to go to the new missionary ceremony to see them meet their trainers; it was so fun! I saw Hermana McCloud (one of my coworkers at the MTC)! It was so good to see hna Kaaa before she went down to Stockton! I also had to take a picture of our beloved car, Shaniqua, a ford fusion. It's so beautiful! I loved driving the Chevy cruze, but the Ford is amazing! We call it the AP car because only them, us, and our zone leaders have a ford fusion in the mission. :P  

So I know what my area is called and what my boundaries are after being here for a few days. We are the Del Norte Ward, East Sac Carmichael area. We don't even cover the East Sacramento stake, but we do cover pretty much the whole entire Carmichael stake. It's so weird! We went to Deseret book and the DI and we've driven past Mukuni's and have stopped by the mission office.  We border the Folsom stake. Oh my, it's crazy! I'm pretty sure also that the Folsom 2nd ward goes to church in my area. :) 

So far I am loving this area! We haven't done too much proselyting with all the service we did on Friday and Saturday, but it is such a nice area. We went outside for a walk for one of our morning workouts and it was so great! In Sacramento, we wouldn't have dared to go for a walk. But here oh yes we can!

There are 20 people in our zone, 8 of them are sisters! It's really weird working around sisters :P but it's fun! There are 2 sets of Elders and 2 sets of Hermanas in our ward for a total of 8 missionaries serving in the Del Norte ward.  A lot of missionaries! It is so much fun! Hna Burke is over the central East sac area with her trainee, Hna. Greenfield. I've seen her every single day since I've been here, it is SO much fun!!! A little too much fun. We've gone out to lunch and dinner, meetings, and service! It's so fun to be with her again!

On Friday night our zone went out to Leatherby's after service and Hna Burke and I shared a sundae. It was so good!

 

We had a huge service project with the CDA on Friday and Saturday form 1-7pm at the Cal Expo. It was basically to give dental services to those who can't afford it. Our job was to escort people around or take them to their car and make sure they knew what they were doing or where they were going. If we knew another language we wore yellow shirts so that people could just grab us to help translate. I don't know any dental terms! Haha it was great! There were a ton of Hispanics there so there was a lot of translating to be done, it was a lot of fun! I love being in the states, because there are so many translating service opportunities. Translating hurts my head, but it's great! It's cool to see how much I comprehend. There were so many missionaries there from about 6 different zones (almost half the mission). It was so great to see a bunch of missionaries that I have served with. The Sacramento zone came so I got to be with Hna. Clark!

 *pictures include a bunch of missionary friends, me and Hna. Clark, All the Hermanas in the East Sac zone: Hnas Burke, Greenfield, Flores, and I 

Hna Flores and I doing weekly planning!  Hna Flores is super awesome! she has been out almost a year, she is such a sweet person, I am very excited to be working with her! 

I had to take a picture with the woman that we are living with, Sister Scow! She is 84 years old and she is so cute! I love living in her home! We live in Carmichael but she attends a ward in the East Sacramento Stake.

I have to go, but I love you the most! Thanks so much for the package and for not trying too hard to find me :P 

Para Siempre Dios este con Vos

Con Amor,

Hermana Twitchell

We were in Sacramento for the weekend for Jacelyn's blessing we kept asking all the missionaries if they knew Autumn.  They had all seen her on Saturday at the service project.  We were also able to go to the temple it was so nice.  Beautiful area

Hermana Sanchez, me Hermana McCloud

Translados !!

March 14, 2015

Hola Mamacita!

Well now is the time that we have all been waiting for!!! Transfers! So the past few days, Hna Clark and I have been making guesses about where all the Hermanas are going (there's only 20 of us, how hard can it be?). Well we definitely did not get it right, we were thinking our area would split and we would both train or something :P Haha Then we thought, No, we'll get a trainee that has a last name that starts with an R and our initials would be CTR! That didn't happen either... It turns out that I AM BEING TRANSFERRED! Haha it's so unreal part of me was hoping I would just stay in Sacramento my whole mission I just love it too much! but alas, it was not meant to be :P Anyways, I have been called to serve in the Del Norte Ward in the East Sacramento zone!  Which means I will be taking Hna. Kaaa's place and her companion (my new comp is Hna. Flores and she is awesome!), I'll be working in the same ward as Hna Burke! and the mission office will be in my area! Oh no! haha bien cercita a Folsom. It's crazy!  but I am super excited! Hna. Clark is staying and she is going to be training!  Hna. Kaaa's going to Stockton, we totally called it haha.

Last week we had some pretty awesome meetings. I got a call from the district leader and he wanted me to give a 5 minute training on charity and love. So Hna Clark and I thought it would be fun to go all out as any Sister would.  So we made cupcakes and handouts and I made the Elders in our district make commitments to write their companions a letter before transfers. :P Haha it was a lot of fun, the Elders got a little taste of Relief Society. :) 

The next day all the sisters in the mission got together and had a meeting with the Jardines.  It was really great! I got to give a hug to all the Hermanas otra vez and I got a picture this time!

Yesterday, we did a bunch of things as a zone for man-up Monday (Monday that isn't a P-day). We did service in a member's yard. Then the sister said she was baking us a casserole, but it was going to take some time. So we started playing a bunch of games. It's funny being in an all-Elder zone because they really do forget that there are Sisters and we as Sisters cannot do a lot of things with the Elders. :P So Hna. Clark and I just watched :P Haha we could've just left, but we didn't want to miss the opportunity to get fed, we haven't had American food in a while.  Even when we don't have dinner with the members, we tend to go out and eat at Taquerias :)  Then for dinner, we had a big waffle/stew/cake/cheesecake party with most of our zone before our transfer party and it was so fun! Hna. Clark got a phone call from President Jardine telling her that she was training,  then he told me that I was going to East Sac. Haha He asked me if I had been there before, well... I don't know :P 

Today we got to go to the temple and it was so much fun! We had to get a ride from Hna. Vasquez (our relief society president) and Hna. Sanchez because we're running out of miles on our car, but it was really great to just sit in the car with them and talk.  I love Spanish :) I've come to realize on the mission just how amazing the members of the church really are. They are so willing to sacrifice and help out the missionaries, it truly is amazing!  I love the Sacramento temple so much!  I got to see Sister Tullis again as well! Haha it's always so fun to see people I know :)

I have to tell you, I was reading in Moroni during one of my personal studies and I came across a scripture that made me think of you. Moroni 8:3  I know you are always praying for me mom and I love you so much for your example that you have set for our family.  It truly has blessed my life incredibly. 

Para Siempre Dios este con Vos

Con Amor,

Hermana Twitchell

Pictures: handouts and cupcakes, Hna Kaaa and Burke! My companions, A good breakfast for Man-up Monday, the temple!

PS. Sister Garvin is taking Hna Clark and I to the mission office tomorrow so I get to spend a car ride with her! It will be fun!

Hermana's Bowen - Burke - Twitchell - Kaaa - Clark