Fruita

Hello Everyone!

Wow this work is amazing. I love it so much! We had a lot of success this week with less actives. We got this family to go to a high priest BBQ. When they said they would go we sent a huge mass text to everyone we could think of and so many people were like, "don't get your hopes up, they always say they will come." Well we drove to their home 15 minutes before because we told them we would and they were already in their car! It was soooooo exciting. They had a blast. We didn't even sit near them because they had so many people talking to them. They told us they felt like they fit right in. We were really excited. Sadly they had to go to Durango this weekend, so they weren't able to go to church. 

So we had a little car issue. We ran over a huge rock...it was raining and freezing! I didn't have a coat with me, but luckily Sister Noffz had an extra. The zone leaders came after this photo to awkwardly watch the guy that was already helping us out. They gave Sister Cowan their suit jacket to put on, so that was nice of them. The car is okay. The Tire wall just fell off, but we got it back on and their was no damage to the tire or the car besides a dent mostly underneath. Who put's a random huge rock on the side of the road! And why did we hit it!? I don't know. Just had our mind on the work I guess. 

We had some people come to church that normally don't. We were really excited. This man that we are teaching wants his son to be baptized and he wants to really get back into church. His wife is not a member but she is a sweet heart. Well we asked him who would baptize his son, trying to push him to be worthy for the priesthood. Sadly he said he doesn't think he can do it. I asked him to talk to the bishop. He is such a sweet father and cares so much about his son. I feel like children are often the push to open our hearts for the gospel. He came to church alone this week for the first time in a while. His family was in Denver. 

I had an exchange in Fruita. Our neighbors were cows and they mooo all night long. Just so you know. 

We had a zone meeting this week. We made the zone breakfast before with the zone leaders. I did a training on getting people to sacrament meeting. I really focused on the way we present church to the people we teach and getting them excited and thinking outside the box to get them their. Well in the beginning. I had this nice looking red velvet cake and I asked an elder if he wanted a piece. I really talked up how delicious this cake would be. I cut it all nice and I handed it to him. I than asked another elder if he wanted one. He said yes all excited and I SLAMED my hand in the cake and SLAPPED it on the plate and handed it to him. I said. "Presentation is Everything." It was pretty intense and the zone really liked it. 

We found some really solid new investigators this week. We are really excited to get them going in the lessons. I love this work so much. I will push till the end. Enjoy to the end. I love you.

-Sister Gampe

General Conference

Hello Everyone!

This was a tough week because we didn't have as much time to be out working, so I kind of felt like my feet were in mud. But! General Conference was AMAZING! We had such a wonderful time. I felt so much guidance and inspiration. The guidance had nothing to do with the talks, so I'm really excited to go back and read the talks and study them out. The words of each apostle was perfect for the people we were with. What a blessing that we have apostles and a prophet in this time! We get to see so many miracles everyday!

This week we not only had conference, but we had mission leader council in Frisco, which was 3 hours away, and we also had zone conference. Both meetings went really well. I bore my testimony at both of them. President asked me to bear my testimony at the end of the mission leader council because it was going to be my last time there. I strictly kept my testimony towards the Savior and this gospel. I allowed the tears to just flow so I could get through it. I looked up and saw the other missionaries, my friends in more tears. I love working with representatives of the Lord. I love President and Sister Murdock. I love everyone here. We are starting a new finding technique! I am so excited!! It's an 8-step door approach... survey/questionnaire! It is sooooo amazing!! Our mission president and his wife found it in a missionary book, and one of the sets of assistants to the president took it and read it and started doing it! You ask if you can do a survey and that it doesn't take much time, and all the questions are actually soul-searching questions that missionaries always want to know the answers to! I will have to type it up one day and send it. :)  It is seems really good!! And fun!! And bold and direct and amazing! ...I have yet to try it... BUT, I can't wait!! Stats are that you get in so much more doors and more return appointments which means more new investigators, and GOOD ones! Because then you know what they need/want/are searching for in their lives and you know how to help them!! I'm excited. :) We haven't tracted in this area because we have found so much work other ways, but we want to try it out.

 I was able to sing at zone conference. I can't believe how often I sing out here. I was terrified to sing in Pennsylvania. But every time I sing, my goal is to just invite the spirit, not to sound amazing or anything. I know angels take over my voice. 

John Aubry went to see his family this week. We were really bummed because we wanted more contact, so we texted him scriptures everyday. When he came back late Sunday, we went over there. He is doing amazing. He told his family that he is getting baptized. We are so proud of him! I will never forget the voice in my head to go talk to him. What an amazing find! He was so prepared. 

John Covington watched conference at another members home. He was so funny. He called us late the night before saying he wasn't feeling well and that he might not make it. So we rushed over to his home to be PERSISTENT. He went the next day. He actually was really sick. I felt a little bad watching him struggling through it. But I know he will be blessed. After Conference he received a beautiful blessing. He knows we love him so much. It hit me hard on Sunday that he is 77 years old. His health can decline at any moment. We need to get him baptized and sealed to his wife fast! 

My companions have been really sick this week, so that also cut into our work. Wanna see something funny? Trap Sister Gampe in an apartment all day after long meetings. I learned how to play a Kalimbas. (video coming) I went crazy trying to get rid of ants. They were all in our cabinets! It was awful! I had to throw out so much food. We took a trip to walmart to get a million traps. It's getting better. I haven't seen any cockroaches. Sister Noffz was about to kill a daddy-long-legger in our apartment and I yelled at her to not do it! If I can remember correctly they eat other bugs. So hopefully our friend can stick around and hopefully none of us eat him while we sleep. Someone just told us that humans eat an average of 10 spiders every year in their sleep....I don't know how you can possibly have that statistic. 

I love you so much! The church is true! Tell all your friends! 

-Sister Gampe

Cockroaches AHHHH!!!

Hey Everyone!

This has been one crazy week! We worked really really hard. We had a competition with the elders. Our ward mission leader said that whoever has the most contacts written down gets Coldstone ice cream. Well....we smoked them. haha We contacted over 80 people. They contacted 50 something. We had 25 lessons, 6 new investigators! Seriously it was awesome. I crawled under a bush to talk to this man. That's what we really focused on was talking to everyone. I was pulling over and we would all jump out of the car to talk to someone....I'm not competitive or anything. haha But it really got us to push ourselves and even work harder than we thought we could. It was successful for the elders too because they taught more and saw more than they have ever done before. We were proud of them. Next week we are working more as a team with the elders. Our ward mission leader created a point system and if we get 300 points as a team with the elders than we get to go to Red Robin with our ward mission leader. Yummy. After this area I'll gain 20 pounds. Yeah as you can see my off sweets thing had to stay in Alameda. It wasn't working out here! The people wouldn't let me get away with not eating their desserts. 

Another crazy eventful night was when we discovered COCKROACHES! and NOT baby ones either. HUGE COCKROACHES. Everywhere! Seriously I wanted to cry. I was so grossed out. We didn't know what to do! Neither of us would squish them! (I couldn't handle the pop feeling!) Well anyways those things were fast too! So we ran over to the other sisters that live in the same apartment complex and they came over and killed them...how embarrassing. Plus the people above us got really mad because we were screaming....and laughing. Laughing because we were so embarrassed we were all so whimpey. They were huge though! Well anyways, we called around and basically we were told that they weren't going to do anything about it. So we had to just get over it. We have a system. Sister Noffz and Sister Cowan take turns squishing them and I whip them up....gross. During weekly planning the zone leaders came by to give us a white board and Elder Redd put a huge cockroach in front of my face, and I screamed and jumped back. Turns out they bought a fake rubber one....JERKS. Traumatizing week with the cockroaches.

John Aubry went to a baptism with us this Saturday to watch an 8 year old be baptized. It went really well. He was in tears. I love him so much. He came to church this Sunday for the first time. Our lessons with him always go so well. On Monday, he was talking about all his feelings and concerns. We just listened and without saying anything he just looked up and said, "and I've realized that...I want this." I wanted to jump out of my seat. He got his answer that he should be baptized! 

Ronald Covington. He's the old man in the photo. Boy is this man a character! He's 77 years old. He is constantly singing. haha It is so hard to teach this man because he never stops singing. He hummed during the sacrament. He hummed during Sunday school. He is crazy. He absolutely loves us and tells us that we are his girls. He keeps asking when/ if we know we are leaving soon. I haven't had the heart to tell him. We just tell him to not worry about it. We are trying to get him to the point where he knows he should be baptized. He agreed to a date, but he hasn't prayed about it. 

I loved General Women's Conference. I was such a baby during it. My eyes were tearing up like crazy. I just felt an overwhelming peace and love from my Heavenly Father. I loved how much it was emphasized that we are daughters of our Heavenly Father and that we are all Sisters. We had a lesson with a new investigator, Ann. She's a girl version of Quasimodo. She doesn't believe she is a daughter of God. She doesn't believe he loves her. She has a low self confidence. I felt power given to me as I testified to her how much He loves her. I told her about her self worth. I felt the spirit so strong.

I still love this area so much. We have had a lot of success finding those part-member families. They are inviting us back too. The ward can see how hard we are working and they love us so much. They give us a lot of support. It's amazing!

This upcoming week is going to be tough because we have Mission Leader Council in Frisco and we have Zone Conference and General Conference. We have every single hour that is not in one of those meetings booked with less actives and investigators. It's great! We are excited. It's just going to be tough. 

I love you so much! We are working hard. I am giving my heart, might, mind, and strength. Thanks for all your love, prayers, and support!

-Sister Gampe

PS! I've met 3 Golden doodles this week! Golden Doodles galore! This Dog's name is Ginger. I think my love for the dog got us into this home.