SISTER DeGOOYER - WEEK 61

 Sister Brooks and I were walking down the busiest road in our area. I say walking DOWN, because we were quite literally walking down the hill. As we walked I thought of the not too far away winter. "Sister Brooks! I have an idea, when the snow and ice hit we can just sled down this hill!" "Great idea, we'll sled down the busiest road, into the busiest intersection in our area." "...I can see it now. Two sister missionaries..." Hahaha, I feel like this is an accurate demonstration of what we talk about while we traverse this broken road. We have come up with 10 different headlines for the newspaper headline, announcing the stupid decision and the untimely death of us both. It's morbid, it's dark humor, but dang, is it fun.

Also, I have been in a writery [copywrite] mood as of late. Updating our area book gets the brunt of it. Back ground for all of y'all non-missionaries. In the name of accountability we have to say how we used our time. I.e. we went to the park for an hour and met some interesting people and talked about God; we walked down Whitaker Rd. for 30 minutes and waved to a couple people who ran away from us; etc.

This is an update from the other night:
"As we were walking Sister Brooks and I smelled a hint of vinegar in the air. Though the sun had set and the world was lost in shadows, we decided to stop and investigate. A small family of three were playing with a bottle rocket. We asked if we could join them, they said they were finished-- but that they would do it again tomorrow. We will be there for the rocket launch, tomorrow at 1pm MST." ---update they lied to me. Taking a step back and looking at the situation, a random girl coming up to you and getting really excited about a bottle rocket and asking if she can set it off with you next time is a little weird....

Also this:
"The man walked past us as if he were in a hurry. I yelled him down, trying to find an address in the area... we were quite lost. He didn't seem to know, and unfortunately he didn't seem to want to stick around. I pointed to his shirt, trying to find common ground, but my love of Iron Man seemed to only make him uncomfortable."

In other news: we moved! 576 Pheasant Ridge Dr Apt B Chubbuck, Idaho 83202-1869

Oooo this week I got to teach with President! We taught a man who wants so desperately to be baptized. He has a few road blocks, but I am praying, my comp is prayin, half the ward is prayin, and I know we will see miracles! This man's story is so powerful, and goodness I met this family and just felt so much love for them! I'm excited to see what comes of everything.

Lets see:
I flew my first kite this week.
I almost launched a bottle rocket.
I judged a chalk competition.
I attended a bomb institute class.
We are getting a car and so are the Kimberly Elders (hallelujah-- already warned my comp that if I see people out walking, I will pull over)
We tried to save a cat that got hit by a car. I named it Zeezrom and then it died. I have to stop naming little hurt things that, they always die. We had to bring the news to his brothers and sister. I named them Helam, Nephi, Moroni. The last one Sister Brooks named Esther.
We found 3 people to teach!!
We met a sheep named sheep- who is also home bound.
I got swindled.
I ran through some sprinklers and contracted a cold.
I pet a dog named Albus.
Yeeted myself through a bar wired fence and ran across some train tracks... #talktoeveryoneyousee 🤷‍♀️
Read an excellent talk @garyestevenson
I worked out... hard.... I'm still sore
Had a dance party ;)
I won Blokus!

So, last night I prayed and asked God to send some rain. I've had this desire for rain all week; I want to dance in the rain and just feel that timeless feeling that comes when there is thunder, lightning, and energy! Oh I love it! I woke up this morning and first thing looked out the window. God has sent me rain! Oh goodness, there have been so many moments this week where all I can say is: God is good!

Y'all miracles are happenin! I can't express to y'all how amazing God is and how grateful I feel to be on this earth at this time! Yesterday, I laid down in the grass to study, and decided to read two random chapters. Both were about missionary work, and by the end, oh goodness, I was so ready to go out and work! I live for those moments of connection with people. I live for this work! Goodness, my heart cannot hold all the joy I feel! GOD IS GOOD! 

Muchas love, 

Sister DeGooyer 

we forgot our facemasks.........

we went running!! And I died.

randomness

Getting balloons for Hermana Erekson #yearmark 

AGE IS A PRETTY HIGH PRICE TO PAY FOR MATURITY

 I'm 48!  And I love celebrating!  I got spoiled with lots of love, and my grandmother's famous apple/cocoa cake.  We had to share the cake with "my" Bettenhausens!

My Birthday with my favorite Kids!

The other AWESOME part of my birthday is sharing it with Jelly Bean!  And this year, he turned 8!  Eight is truly great because he was baptized!  There is nothing better than sharing my birthday and celebrating it with a baptism for one of my favorite young men EVER!  

Jacob baptized his little brother!

OUR Birthday!

The Bettenhausens!

The Lillywhites with Jelly Bean and Skittles

Mom and Dad are so proud of their little man!

Katia got to Zoom in!  She loves Jelly Bean too!

We love this guy!

And then... we go to celebrate another day with my re-scheduled Spring Recital.  It was Broadway themed, my personal favorite!  I love these kids soooooo much!  I love sharing the gift of music!  And it was fun to watch each of these guys shine!

My musicians!

I love these crazy kids!

What a wonderful 3 days!  I'm truly blessed!

BONUS:  Skittles and Starburst

The sun looked AMAZING this evening! (It was bright red but turned yellow in the picture?!)

SISTER DeGOOYER - WEEK 60

 Sooo, this week was solid! 2 exchanges and I've got three comin up this next week! Boy is it a pleasure to serve around all of these amazing women! I am learning so much from them and God is teaching me along the way too!

Happy Birthday to Mom! Happy Birthday to Mom! Happy Birthday to my mama! Happy Birthday to Mom! - Happy Birthday Mom!

This week I learned how to professionally arm wrestle- no joke! My technique: roll over the top and then pull to the side- using every ounce of strength I have. We also, had some lessons this week- which was SO incredibly nice. I love teaching!

There were some hard moments this week, and some that were not as hard. All in all, a solid week! Oh dang, I had to start college hour this week... that was terrible.

I went to 3 district councils! We had interviews with President. Those are always so good! We got to chat with Sister Southward a bit, while we were there, which was also incredibly good!

I have been diving into my studies and scriptures and getting so dang excited for General Conference! I am counting down! 40 days left! Y'all it's gonna be good, spread the word, this is one of the most important events of 2020!

Muchas love to all of my amigos. Oh! That reminds me, I went to dinner in a "all spanish" household, which was fun. They fed us real argentinian food, oh goodness, it was amazing! The only part I really understood was the question: "How old are you?" I told them, 20, and then they asked why I look like a baby....... hahaha, I laughed, they laughed, it was fun!

Alright, I love you guys! Keep on sharin your testimonies at EVERY opportunity you get!

Love,
Sister DeGooyer

I went through a portal 

Vote for Me ;) 

My adopted district 

We are the champions, my friends

Exchanges with Gilson!

SISTER DeGOOYER - WEEK 59

 The following are some excerpts from my notes/ideas book: 

Which way do you face? 

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point." -C.S. Lewis 

Courage is to do what is right when you are afraid, because it is right

This work is more certain than life itself

This is not a perfect church, it is a perfecting church.

DID I REALLY TRY? 

The possibilities are endless

The Lord expects great things of us!

Write down every crazy idea

KILL THE COW

"latterday saints don't have friends, they have meetings" 

If you want revelation, pray for it!

We came here to be changed!

There are things that simply cannot be clothed in words

It's not fair, it's not right, it's TRUTH

D&C 50:24- "the whole gospel in one verse" -Pres. Hinkley

What legacy do you want to leave?

The first thing Jesus taught when he came to America was obedience. 55 words, 3 lines, and he taught obedience. 

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY AARON!! 

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We had MLC, Zone Conference, and a Stake Leadership Conference this week! It was soooo good! Especially, since Elder Cornish, was able to attend over Zoom call. That man is incredible and I learned so much from him; about leadership, about the gospel, about who I want to be! It was incredibly inspiring, uplifting, and exhausting. On Tuesday it was 10 hours of meetings. Good thing I like meetings. Not many people do... I think it is just my love of learning. If it is a meeting where we can get stuff done or I can learn, sign me up!! 

I went to a funeral on Wednesday. Sister Wardel passed away about 2 weeks ago. It was rough, the talk entitled "Doors of Death" by President Russell M. Nelson got me through it. For all of you that don't know who she is. She was the member that I lived with when I was back in Kimberly. She was the sweetest, funniest, most opinionated lady. I loved her! I learned from her what it means to give and to love deeply. She had an inner strength that stemmed from her deep love for her family and God- goodness, I love her! I still have some of her applesauce, that I brought with me from Kimberly. I am holding onto it. 

We found a kitten this week. It literally followed us home and entered our habitation. We named it Vanessa Santoro, after one of the best characters in a mutual favorite book of mine and Sister Brooks. I am, however, allergic to cats.... so I lived off of Benadryl for that day. We had to let it go after feeding it and giving it some love. Missionaries can't have pets, although it was fun to have one for a day! 

I went on exchanges with Sister Holmquist. [shotout to Zane and Tara McCallister] We talked about you and your family all day, hahaha. We're not too far from y'all, if you come over to Poky you can take us both out for lunch! Sister Holmquist is honestly one of the best missionaries I have met and she has only been out for 2 months. It was fun to go into her area and work!

Life is good! I can't shake the feeling that I am slowly running out of time. I LOVE being a missionary and I want to do as much as I can before I leave! Oh, dang, I wish I could be a missionary forever! Which brings me to a good point. I can be! As members of this wonderful gospel, it is our job to go out and share what we have with our friends. Elder Cornish said it this way: "Members aren't afraid of sharing the gospel, they are afraid of sharing themselves." I promise you that sharing that part of yourself is joyful! Rejection is real and it is hard and sometimes heartbreaking; however, it also shows us just how important this gospel is to us. When everything is said and done what matters is our testimony and conversion to God. True conversion is knowing and realizing what you have- that realization leads to action (temple work, missionary work, and fulfilling your callings). Missionary work is the easiest of the three! It just requires being yourself! :) 

Sure love ya! 

Sister DeGOOyer 

P.S. Elder Cornish's story....

Once there was a boy who lived with his mother on the edge of a cliff near a small town. The boy and his mother lived on a little farm, with one cow for their sucess. The cow wasn't the most dependable of creatures. When the weather was bad, it produced very little milk. When the weather was good, the boy and his mother prospered. One year the weather had been exceptionally bad, and the mother and her son were in bad shape. The boy heard tale of a wise man who had come into the town. He asked his mother if he could go and inquire of the wiseman how they could help their situation. The mother didn't seem to like the idea, but after missing a couple of suppers her heart softened and she let the boy run into the village. Not too much later, to the mother's surprise, she saw the boy come up the drive with the wiseman at his side. The boy brought the wiseman up to the cow and the wiseman nodded his head and said "I think I know your solution." 

Excited the boy and his mother watched as the wiseman led the cow to the edge of the cliff. They watched eagerly and then in surprise as the wiseman shoved the cow off of the cliff. The son and his mother ran to the edge of the cliff and to their horror watched as the cow dashed in pieces against the rock. The wiseman nodded his head and said to the widow and her son "That should do it. I'll come back and check on you in a couple of years" 

Well a couple years passed and the wiseman, as promised, came back to the village. As he walked through the town he saw a mansion standing tall in the middle of the town. He stopped a passerby and asked "Who lives in that big house?" 

The man replied, "There was an old widow and her son who lived right outside our village at the edge of a cliff. They live there now." 

The wiseman nodded his head and said, "I thought so." 

Now the question is: 1) Why did the wiseman push the cow off the cliff? 2)What happened in the years between the wiseman's visit?

Smores with my Sisters

Hiking with Sister Southward

Jamba

Sister Holquist

Our kitty...

with my companion

Celebrating the 12th anniversary of my baptism.

Our doggie...

Sister Erikson is my bestie!

Great Elders made sure I wasn't cold.

SISTER DeGOOYER - WEEK 56 & 57

Last week's email was kinda sad... so Katia asked me not to post it.  But she did send pictures...  So here's week 57's email and LOTS of pictures:

"I've never been in charge of my stories, they've been in charge of me."

This quote, while one of my favorites when it comes to writing, seems pretty accurate for my week. We often don't write our life stories, if we did it would be a different picture. Instead we live them, building our wings after we jump; landing on another cliff and realizing that our wings are too weak for the next jump and again jumping anyway- because jumping and building are the only ways to really live this life.

Haha, I guess that is a glance into my head...

This week was hard, but good. Much like all of the rest of my mission, funnily enough. I neglected to mention last week that I was most likely going to be transferred. SURPRISE! I have been transferred, back to my homeland: Chubbuck, Idaho. My new area is almost touching my first area. It's crazy to have driven the streets that I now walk. Yes, I am again in a walking area. 6 months to sexy is no joke.  Although, I have less time than that now. :/

Saying goodbye to Kimberly was hard, every aspect; the area, the zone, the district, my companion. I made the last days stretch as much as I could, but ultimately the feeling of both needing to go and the reality of having to go was settling on me.

My last two days were full of goodbyes, down to the last minute. It hurt to say goodbye to so many people we had started teaching, I know they'll be in good hands though!

By the time we got to Chubbuck it was almost 8pm, I was exhausted! I had also forgotten to eat a meal that day, so I was pretty hungry, but life was good! I met my companion, Sister Brooks, who is honestly the best. The first night we talked for two hours about books, she is definitely a kindred spirit. :)

The past couple of days have been a blur, but they have been so good! Especially Sunday! I got up to bare my testimony in one of the meetings and in that moment I felt the strength to make this change. I felt a love for my new area, my new companion, and everything about this change. It was so exhilarating! The rest of the day was incredible, we got out and worked! It was 106°F outside, but I didn't mind it. We were and are on the Lord's errand! Goodness, I love my God! He puts us where we need to be in the right moment. Out of the billions of people who have lived, are living, or have yet to live; we have the chance to become close to those few around us!

Anywho, sorry, there aren't too many details! More to come next week, I love y'all!

Sister DeGooyer 

Horton made me food because I didn't feel good...

Exchanges

Sister Copeland and I

Weird, Random Cacti Fruit

Sister Brooks, my new companion

My home, thanks to these wonderful members, for 9 months!

Saying Goodbye to my Kimberly address

Crazy is as crazy does.

Eating....

US - Horton and I

Not sure what happened....

My Sisters in Christ (and in Kimberly!)

Besties Forever!

Saying Goodbye is soooooo hard.

Look how strong I am!

Just kidding....

A fun pastime

My weekly "Naked" picture....