No bras. No teeth. No problem

received from Sister Hart 7/29/13 -- privacy edits by her mom


Okay so wow. It has been a great first 6 weeks! And I get to stay here in St. Cloud with my trainer because President Berry believes in the full 12 week training. CRAY! Yes I am SO excited because I love it out here. It is soo sublime. So like I've said-literally no one has teeth. but better yet no one wears a bra. Like no one. Every week we get flashed ALL the time. Poor Elders. JAJAJAHA! (yes I laugh in Spanish because now I am trying to speak Spanglish because my comp cant speak Spanish but I have to practice somehow. AYAYAY! It is definitely a challenge but Ive already seen growth...sorta)

so This week went a little something like this:
 We met LOADS of people from trying to achieve the goal that Pres Berry set for us. Although many of them are rude or uninterested it is still a great time to get to talk with people and find those few (4/45) who are ready to receive our message. I love it. Tracting is easily my favorite thing because going from house to house is HILARIOUS! We count how many shirtless people we see, how many people are drunk, high, or just intoxicated, and of course how many were actually wearing a bra... it is seriously ridiculous that THAT is a trend down here. Not like 90/2000s trend either- like its not an episode of friends-its an episode of like some elderly show where 60ys on up acts like the people from Friends. PS one of my ward families LOVE friends! The couple are hilarious and they call each other their lobsters! hahah! I love it! Then one rad thing we had was that when we were walking down the street (depending on the street....Flight of the Concords always pops in my head while we tract....give it time im sure it will go away.) We waved to some cars (as usual) and then one came and pulled up next to us - it was a guy that we had just waved to and he had Mormon friends and wanted to know more! SO RAD! I always wanted a missionary experience like that and I totally got it.

Oh check this out: so yesterday we had our first official apt with our new PI(our gator who chased down the missionaries in McDs and asked to know more) he said we couldn't teach him at his house because everyone is catholic and they wont appreciate us - so he told us to go to his friends house-saying that they need God and the missionaries are the professionals who plant seeds of faith in people (HOW IS HE NOT MORMON?!?) He said that the sons of this family is who he is friends with and the parents are Cuban Americans... cool. So we got our stuff and headed out. As we pulled up to the house our PI called and said his friends weren't home but the mom was (actually gma) but she only speaks SPANISH...just our luck.. I felt SOOOO nervous but Sister Baagas was with us and just told us how we would be led by the spirit and that it truly was in the Lords hands...she was right. I prayed I would be able to understand her and be able to talk to her as best I could. AND I DID...well sorta I felt horrible because I didn't have a Spanish book of Mormon and I didn't have anything ready in Spanish so I just said the prayer in Spanish and set up another appointment with her...Thank you BYU Spanish class. But it was such a cool experience to talk to her and our PI because our investigator is Vietnamese and has a super thick accent but he loves this other family that he just met because he JUST moved here from Maryland! Crazy guy but he just wants everyone to have a good influence in their life and be friends and know God. WOW. Cool.

This week I also got to have interviews with our President. WHOALLLLLE.. IT went great! He is so great and told me that I need to keep doing what I am doing so I can be even more ready to train next transfer....GULP! gah! but secretly so stoked because lets get real who ever I would have to train is going to have a good time. haha! Anyway that was great! Also we planned a temple tour with our first PI. We hadn't heard from her all day and were super worried she wouldn't meet us at the member's house. But sure enough at 6 on the dot she pulled up. Then we started the drive to the temple and it started pouring! Like we couldn't see cars or the raod! AH! Sister scheckman had us pull over and told the missionaries to pray. So Sis Parker did and after it slowly started clearing up so we started driving.Then it STOPPED ALL TOGETHER and the RAYS of sun BEAMED through the clouds and the temple was beautiful. The tour was amazing! I love the temple! Then the guide was bearing his testimony and right as he said Amen It started pouiring again! AHHH I loved it! The little girls had to use the bathroom and so we got to go inside the waiting room of the temple! I love it there - Our PI felt amazing she said it was like heaven in the movies. AH, Take advantage fo the temple. For me the moral of the story: Prayer Works. Elder Kopische comes this next month to speak to the mission...I'm so stoked because his talk in GC was UNREAL and great just like all the others. I love GC! I miss going to firesides EVERY Sunday night at the Grove. It was some of the best times. But I am learning a lot out here so obvi NO REGRETS! ;) jaja!

Lets see Oh yeah soo the great thing about our gospel is that we are always learning - and relearning even. What a great thing. I love learning - people we meet always ask what we want to do once we are done here and when Sis. Parker says teacher they say that's great and teachers are amazing. Then I tell them I want to be a doctor and its always followed by - well you'll be in school for the rest of your life, or wow.... or well that's nice.. Good luck with that. I don't let it get me down EVER because I just think about how much I have learned and the JOY I find in learning! The Gospel helps you accomplish whatever you want - even in school - It blesses our lives in so many ways that I didn't even recognize before! I love it! I read the GC talks by Ann Dibbs called Stand in Holy Places and another one I can't recall the title of but it talks about the same thing. She said how our holy places can be actual places or just moments in time. She then shares Joseph Smiths Holy PLaces. WOW Nature, his bedroom, and liberty jail. All of those places brought huge experience of personal revelation to him and can do the same for us. We can have similar experiences in our own holy places by doing what is right and living our gospel principles and keeping our commandments. It is a commandment to pray. Our Heavenly Father wants to hear from us. In order to hear answers from him we not only need to ponder but also look to the scriptures for those answers. It is there that He will speak to us. I love that. I love that we can have such powerful personal spiritual experiences in our own holy places. It reminds me of the end of winter semester at BYU and I had just finished the BOM and decided to take Moroni's Promise. I prayed there in my little empty dorm room and asked my Father if the things I had read were true. Like a bucket of water pouring over my head (just like when coaches are drenched in Gatorade) I felt the spirit surround me and reassure me of my previous knowledge and testify of the truthfulness of the words in that book. It basically came over me and said YOU KNOW THIS IS TRUE...YA GOON...basically. I love that I can experience a holy place as I testify of this Restored gospel on someones doorstep - I receive reassuring feelings everytime someone opens their door and I Open MY MOUTH! I would invite all of you to OYM. To open your mouth - Open Your Mouth and pray, OYM and testify of this gospel, OYM and stand in Holy places as a witness of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel-OYM because when you do GOOD things happen. I know this to be true! I promise you that you will feel of the goodness that comes from Opening Your Mouth. Challenge for the week: OYM. and Read Ann Dibbs talk from YWGC and We are One from Priesthood sesh. I LOVE YOU ALLL SOOO STINKING MUCH! Xanxan thanks for the letter-I laughed. and when it was a huge envelope I thought it may be a wedding announcement and almost had a hart attack. ha. oops. ha. . anyway. I love you all seriously to pieces and although I may not be homesick I do miss you and think of you and pray for you often. (mostly at night because that's the only time I really have time think of you) GPahart I totally did what you told scotty to do on his mish with my MTC comp... it truly does help to look for those good things everyday. Well hasta luego!

Ay Caray!!!!!

received from Sister Hart 7/22/13 - privacy edits by her mom


AYAYAYAYAY! CARRAY! I have to learn the gospel in Spanish!!!! AHHHHHHHH! I had a freak out when my district leader told me that was the revelation he received-that I was in St. Cloud now to use my Spanish....AH! I FREAKED! but then he told me to "Trust in the Lord with all thine..HART!" soo I prayed and keep praying that as I learn and teach the holy ghost will teach and prick their hearts so they can know. I got to teach one lesson to a guy I contacted on the street during exchanges on the 6th, and all I could do was read the intro to El Libro de Mormon and bear my testimony... I felt the spirit and so did my comp and I certainly hope he did too.. it was definitely some rough Spanish and if Ms. K heard me she would be shaking her head hahaha.

This week was hard. Good but hard. We yet again cleaned our PI's house but this time it was her bathroom. Yucky. Oh and while we were cleaning one of the kids pointed out the sticky fly paper hanging in the corner - I made sure to keep a distance. then I was cleaning the sink and the same kid opened the door too far and the next thing I knew -- my hair was stuck in it... I held back my wooohuul yelp gag sound and just thought of that house that Aunt Jessi went to while she was on her mish... it made me laugh in this moment of pure disgust. When we cleaned up all was well.

We also went tracting this week and didn't have much success there.  We stopped by two houses and no one was home so we tried one more before our dinner apt. We knocked on the door and waited. No one answered and I said I didn't think anyone was home. Then sure enough a man came to the door saying that yes someone was home... He greeted us saying sisters my wife has been trying to get a hold of you- she wants to take the lessons and be baptized. say WHAAAAAAAAAT?!?! Crazy. I loved it. We talked with him and got some info and told him we would call and schedule an apt with her when she would be home. RAD! We also got to visit some great other people like this guy named who is rocking and found some missionaries telling them he loved the church and wanted to know more. He lives in our area with his family so we will start teaching him. Miracle when we met him was that we went to drop off some treats to his new house. As we pulled up a van was about to drive away but stopped and rolled down the window. I rolled down mine and asked if he was our investigator he said he was and that we can at the perfect time because he and his family were about to go to the beach for the weekend his brother just had to get a charger so they came back real fast - coincidence I think not.

Then we had an epic ward party at a member's home-- it is unreal! I loved it and so did our LAs and our PI's family. So prime.

Oh side note before I peace out. We went on visits with a women in our ward, and she said that when we tract it is like 2 Nephi 32 and all those scriptures about Christ knocking on our door. We are, as representatives of Him, like Christ knocking on their door. They must choose to let us, Him, in.

Wellp how are the challenges I gave dad and bro coming along? how is the fam? mom I haven't heard from you.  Challenge this week ; start a personal or family mission plan. set a goal for how you are going to spread the good word each month. (pass out 5 cards, a bom, testify to someone, etc) then set weekly and daily subgoals to help you accomplish that. I know that as we set goals and seek out and act to accomplish those goals the lord will bless us and give us the opportunity to achieve those. I promise you this. I love you all sooo much it is CRAYCRAY! hope all is well in the grove.
hasta luego! z

HEYO. seriously

received from Sister Hart 7/15/13 -- privacy edits by her mom


HELLLOOOOOOOO! well howdy how how. haha! Hope the grove is doing finnne!  Thanks Michael Hatch for emailing me - da bomb!
Okay so this week was cray.. in an odd way.  So monday chilll pday as usual. Except we got to go to WILD FLORIDA (google it) and I got to hold an ALIGATOR!!!! I want one.. Seriously I do. They are so great to cuddle with. Call me that crazy ginger from rescuers but i want a gator. They are seriously the greatest. Okay but we also got to have froyo from HighFive Your LIFE(wife) haha - yogurtland all over again... it made my day haha! Then we got home and wrote letters and chilled because it was pouring rain and we had no dinner apt(first time all month - the ward feeds us like crazy but the elders hardly get people to sign up....sorta sad but its a bonus for us) right as we were about to eat our ZL called and asked sister Parker and I if we could do a musical number for the special President meet and greet on Wednesday. I LAUGHED thinking that he was kidding.... HE WASNT! ahhH! Who does this Elder Nedierhauser think he is!? jk. sorta... but we agreed because according to Sister Parker "we are missionaries....we cant say no." so if someone asked us if we could smoke we would say yes? she wasnt a fan of that haha but we laughed and agreed. gah!

Lets be real for a sec. I like singing - i dont think i inherited any talent from the Nelsons and its not the Hart's forte so I don't like singing because I do not think I am very great - and I don't like doing musical numbers when I can't do something RAD like a Hart girl (XCPZ) musical number or something. But it went fine.

Tuesday was a weird day because it rained and such so our plans got all wishy washy. Wednesday was the day of the M&G...GULP! we studied for a little and then we were off! It went fine. the best part was when it was over for sure! President Michael J Berry is DAH BOMB! such a sweetheart! He is the complete opposite of President Hall. Loved them but the Berry's are great! They told us that our mission is the Promised Land (it seriously is) and that we are here to rescue! We have to do whatPresident Monson said and "reach out to those who need our help - lift them to higher ground." they also gave us a coin - or a symbol for our mission. On the front it has a little picture of Florida with our mission in red and a gold star in the middle and around that it says charity-obedience-diligence-service-joy. On the other side it is gold with a white border and says D & C 50:14 on the center with 100% committed below that and on the white it says preach my gospel and I am disciple of Christ. They told us that we are "his angels sounding the trumpet" like angel moroni. We are gods angels rescueing his children. they gave us JST Matthew 1:37 to read more about that. he promised us alot of work as we continue to grow and our misison will have 250+ missionaries within in the next 6 months. CRAZY! We will also begin using social media within the next few months. Cool. They gave us a lot to look forward to but also a lot to do to be able to be prepared for that time. One of which that i would extend to you is to study Preach my Gospel - on a mission or not this book is filled with divinely inspired words and will help ANYONE come unto christ and help them become a better Follower of Christ! President closed by telling us that we "serve for 18 (or 24) months, but have a lifetime to reflect on it." basically telling us that dont screw up because you'lll regrett it for the rest of your life. So I am striving to do my best. The rest of the week was chill. We taught 18 lessons and met a couple potentials. My DL found out about my spanish and now his spanish comp and I have to talk every night because he says I may get transferred spanish speaking.... uh oh. nbd though because I got a spanish Mtc book so it tells you the basics of every lesson and missionary lingo.So im growing there haha.

Wellp thats all i got. The Church is true. The blessings that I have received throughout my life are endless when i look at some of these people That i teach. I know now that it is never too late to pick up your book of mormon and take moroni's promise for yourself so that you can know for yourself the true goodness of this gospel and be able to share this message to others. every member a missionary.

Love you loads! zoë

HEEEEEYYO

received from Sister Hart 7/8/2012 - privacy edits by her mom

Heyo errrybody

FUN FACT for ya: I get to hold a gator today-freak yeah!

 

uh this week was rad - LOADS of MIRACLES!

Monday was an ultra rough day because my PI told us some pretty intense events that happened in her past... It was emotionally draining... we had to talk to our president about some things and it was only his 4th day out - poor guy-but he did work like a champ. He is the nicest guy in the world! It is crazy that he had only been out that long but still made it seem like he has been out for a while now - they are truly men called of god and set apart to do this work. tuesday we spent the morning and part of the afternoon cleaning our PI's house....Xan you know how on hoarder's the cleaners come in and there is old food and bugs errywhere? yeah that was this home-BUT now it is ultra clean. The mission truly gives you gifts that you never had before because if I had to clean something like that I home I would have totally made some crazzzy sounds-but I was preeeetty chilllaxed while i was cleaning. Then we visited some part member families..okay one family. She lives in a beautiful home that her non member husband (not interested in the church...YET) built and it is in its own little area - totally movie status and it has a huge round window like in series of unfortunate events. soo rad. So this sister served in temple square with MO! Rad - She said those two (mo and her friend) were crazy and always singing. It sorta reminds me of my comp and I - except instead of singing we do different voices and accents. Its dsa best(nacho libre voice - obvi.) Wednesday was prime time - we prayed to see some miracles because we had sort of a down week sooo we went out tracting to an area we'd never gone to and the first door I knocked was this guy getting ready to leave for medical school in aug. and he wants to know more...siiick! Then the last door I knocked was this kid who wants us to tell him more too..church is true my friends! It was sublime.. then the last house we went to that day had a huge glass window in the door and all these kids walked up to the window stared at, turned there heads to talk and listen to someone, then they hid behind the curtains...classic. As we turned to walk away-IT LITERALLY started pouring sheets of rain.. BUCKETS. we started runnning to the car but bailed cause it wasnt even worth the run. already soaked in 1 second. That night we changed and went to the lake front and met another kid who wants to know more sick!

Then we got to have zone meeting - cool- a kid from the grove is in my zone..it was bound to happen. then we had 4th of july celebration in this place called harmony with a recent convert and our ward mission leaders family..it was cool to watch fireworks...weird to not be on temple lawn with xanxan and making kids yell freedom at the top of their lungss. oh well though. Our prez. President Michael J. Berry (his full name is way cooler than just saying prez berry) let us stay out till 10:30. rad., I was exhausted though - just like every other night.

on Friday we had a trainers meeting - so i got to see and meet the pres and wife( greatest people cant wait to get to know them better) and the people from the mtc and my old comp... everyone is having a real hard time with their comps but me. so that is a huge blessing. president hall told me i would have a comp or two that were ultra quiet so im waiting for that. anyway welpp.

Then saturday were exchanges.  We saw tons of miracles on our exchange. Like we met 3 people who want to know more (none of them live in my area - one is from columbia!) one just got out of prison and her ex is one of the predators on tv...she was telling us how she didnt want to be involved with him at all and wanted to start a new life and prayed to have some comfort and guidance.. then some ginger and another girl walked up to her to find out what was wrong... divine intervention... RAD! we shared a message of comfort and now the elders will get to keep meeting with her. I also got to use my spanish skills and talk with this little chica who just wanted to talk. sublime. haha my exchange comp was like that is crazy how much spanish you know and now my district leader knows and wants me to tell the president even if i dont wwant to because he gave me dc60:2-3 to read so i cant back down

 

Anywho that was my week. I love you! one thing that has really helped me through the hard times especially when i feel like i wont reach my potential is the quote by elder ballard from conference : "AS literal spirit children of our heavenly father we have divine potential." he has given it to all of us as long as we put our trust in him! I love the work and how much i learn everyday!

thanks for all that you do and your love and support!

i love you and love the lord!

St. Cloud Has Great Clouds

Letter received from Sister Hart 7/1/2013. Privacy edits by her mom.

The skies are either blue with fluffy white clouds (full of rain) or just grey and raining. Earlier this week there was basically a hurricane storm. Like those videos you watch on Youtube with the palm trees blowing and rain is pouring from every direction that the world actually is all hued grey? Yeah i watched one of those from my couch. HA.

Fact. My District leader calls me sister fart... and asked me if i had a soul... nothings changed.

Also no one thinks I have a family because i am the only one without a picture... its hilarious actually.

Scotty, you'd love the people down here.. well you love people everywhere so it wouldn't be that different, but you'd like it. ESPECIALLY in St. Cloud. It seriously is the greatest place - forget coco and the the beach *although i still pray to go there* St Cloud is great and the people are great. This morning, this old man, who we see at the lake front where we run, stopped us to "chat". He is from Boston and is always saying when we don't see him that we "Giiiilllls youre breakin mah haart." Just like that in a bostonian accent. Anyway this morning he invited us over for wine...at 6:30... he was two sheets to the wind already soo we happily declined.

Other news my gator from day 1 is SUPER prepared to hear the good word. I love teaching her. We told her about the restoration and she was like yes I want to know more. give me something to read... OKAY - you don't have to ask me twice. I love her sweet spirit - not in an actual "sweet spirit" kind of way either.

Our new pres is here.. no news on changes or anything yet soo we shall see. Also, so I don't forget - one of my favorite ward members, (convert of 11 or some odd years ago - was devout catholic - great conversion story) anyway she is a fellow ginger and LOVES DONNY OSMOND! She has a signed photo of him in her kitchen cabinet that she opens everyday hahah! I died laughing and she asked me why and i told her my connection...she proceeded to say that if he ever came down and needed to go to a church to go to st cloud - i couldn't agree more. The testimony meeting that the Osmonds had after a concert in kansas city i believe is what helped her seed sprout in her conversion story. so yeah. Also a lot of people in the ward work with disney and would see him when he would perform down here- they are still impressed by the fact that he chose to ride the employee bus to the stage rather than take a car... cool. Way to be Donny - you've helped a lot of the members down here with their testimonies and I thank you for that.

I have become the "cool" missionary in the ward....CHYEAH!!!!! haha. All these cute girls - one a redhead that reminds me of 14 year old me and one of Ellery - they are always asking about what my insta name is and what not. They couldn't believe that i got my "cute" clothes from a thrift shop and i told them that i had pulled a Macklemore before he even did...they were like WHAT you know who that is.... yep kids still think that you have been a missionary your whole life.. oh well.

This week was rough. not going to lie. They never tell you that once you leave this- literally- spiritual high from the MTC that you will have to work 12x as hard as you ever had to feel that again... SO ROUGH. (thanks to all you RMs in my life who failed to mention that) It seriously gets so discouraging when you get doors slammed, bible-bashed, and it starts pouring rain - BUT i just think back to a quote that my MTC teacher told me that she always thought of as she got discouraged on her mission(she served in nebraska at the winter quarters visitors center) its by Francis Webster, he said

"I have pulled my handcart when i was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope, and I have said, I can go only that far and then I must give up, for i cannot pull the load through it. I have gone to that sand, and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me! I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the angels of God were there. Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No, neither then, nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come with the Martin Handcart Company."

Every time I read this it brings a new hope, (yes i am now thinking of star wars) it reminds me why I am out here - to bring others to the light and knowledge that I have so that they can overcome their hill slopes and sand just like I do - by putting my trust in the Lord.

I do not know what I would do if I didn't have the gospel in my life - the atonement is real! I feel privileged to wear Christ's name everyday, and I am continually learning how to better represent Him! I have learned that repenting isn't only for the big stuff - its for the little things too. TO repent means to change. I pray every day that I can change to become a better tool in the hands of the Lord - that i can have that faith to raise my voice and to share this "good message." I am so grateful for the blessings of the gospel that have been evident throughout my whole life. I love it!

I would encourage and invite each of you to find out how you can be a better tool in the lords hands. remember "Every Member a Missionary" you don't need the tag, in fact you are more successful at finding without it more times than not.

Thanks to all the letters and notes and support from you all!

I love you soo much and hope all is well!

I love you and I love the Lord!

xoxo

sis. zoë hart