New Companion.

Introducing to the Walters area... Hermana Clement!

 

Hermana Clement is from San Diego, California. She has been serving for almost a year now, and she is a killer missionary. I am so pumped to be working with her!

Already in our short week together, I have learned a ton. We have been trying new things in the area and it has been awesome.

 

It has been quite an eventful week. We have been trying to build up our friendship with members in the ward and find new people as well. We are so busy and it is great! There hasn't been a dull moment.

 

Like I said, Clement and I have been working at getting to know each member in our area really well. We decided to make cookies for a bunch of them with a cute little note (made by crafty Hermana Clement). We left the cookies on a bunch of members and investigators porches, and had a blast doorbell ditching. Well apparently this isn't a common thing in areas like this. One member told us she thought that we were robbers, another called making sure they were really from us haha. It sure is a different environment here than in Utah and Cali. Despite the fact some people thought it was a little sketchy, we loved doing it!

From doing this, we also had a miracle with our investigator who has a baptismal date! For the past week and a half, we haven't been able to get ahold of her. We had tried calling, texting, going to her house, etc... all with no success. We decided we would leave some cookies at her house too. We had planned on leaving them on Thursday, but weren't able to get over there until Sunday. When we pulled up to her house, she was outside with her husband! She told us that her phone has been broken, then asked us when we could come back! So we have an appointment set to see her this week! We are so excited!

 

Saturday, our ward mission leader and his wife invited Clement and I to go to a birthday party/FHE at their house. They had invited six member of the ward, three of which are less/inactive. We decided to go because we don't know these families at all. We hung out with a bunch of senior citizens and it ended up being a blast! After having a really great lesson, we had a feast. Each couple is from a different place, so we had food from Peru, Mexico, Chile, and Equador. Talk about heavenly!

The couple that is from Peru brought a dish that had potatoes in it because apparently that's a popular thing there. I was sitting next to the Hno that brought it, and he started talking to me. I had another awesome experience with the word "papa" (which can be potato, pope, and dad depending on where the accent is). He asked me how old my dad was, but because I was eating potatoes, I thought he had asked me how old my potatoes were! We eventually understood each other and had a good laugh.

 

We have been tracting like it is nobodies business this week trying to find new people to start teaching. This is always the best because you meet some of the most interesting people, as well as some of the coolest people.

One night, we saw a guy sitting on an electrical box and decided to go and talk to him. When we first got there, he had music blasting and he didn't seem that excited to be talking to us. He gave us his information anyways though, for us to refer to the English missionaries. The next night, we were knocking in the same area where this guy lives. We were knocking the doors of the same apartment building, but had his apt number so we wouldn't run into him again. Right when we were at the door across from his, we shows up and starts talking to us. He sat down  on the stairs and he starts asking us all sorts of questions. Turns out, he is a really cool guy and is working to change his life around. We were able to give him a short version of the restoration, and we gave him a Book of Mormon, which he was really excited about. That night we went there planning to basically avoid where this guy lives, but sometimes God has something a little different planned. It was really cool!

 

I am so happy to be out here sharing this life changing message! The people in Houston, Texas are some of the greatest people I have ever met and I feel so privileged to be able to be here with them!

 

Love,

Hermana Rupp

4 Months.

After 18 weeks, I am finally done with all of my missionary training! What a process it has been, but I am so grateful of my trainer, Hermana Ordonez, and all of the other great people who have been helping me out!

 

Last night, we got the news that after nine months in the Walters area, Hermana Ordonez will be moving on! I will be taking over the area tomorrow and getting a new companion! It should be pretty exciting!

 

I also hit my four month in the mission field mark this past week! Time is flying out here!

 

It has been another great week!

 

Taking members to lessons is always so good because they can share their testimony and sometimes older people really don't love listening to a bunch of young people, who haven't really had a ton of life experience. So on Wednesday, we decided to take a member of the ward that we have brought many times before to lessons. It ended up being quite interesting!

We had a really great lesson on family history. We asked this sister to share her experience with it and she did, but then she moved onto other things. She began to tell our investigator that she had recently found out the "mysterys of God" while reading in the scriptures. She then informed us that after a lot of studying, she knows that Christ will come in the summer. Sister Ordonez and I just smiled, were a little shocked.. and moved on quickly! We had a good laugh about it later on.

 

One of the members in our ward is from El Salvador and is seriously a chef. She cooks like a champ. On Thursday, she invited us over to her house to learn how to make the best thing I have tried so far... Pupusas! It was so much fun, so hard and it will take a miracle to be able to ever make them without this lady there haha.

 

On Sunday, we had another Mission President Fireside! It was AMAZING and exactly what I needed to hear. The testimonies of recent converts are some of the most powerful things that I have ever heard. Elder Bednar once said that sometimes the spirit works by bringing things to our remembrance, and that is what it did for my that night. I was able to remember why I decided to serve a mission and reminded that this is exactly where I need to be right now. It was really cool.

 

We have seen so many miracles over here. I know that the Lord is hastening his work right now and that His hand is in everything just like we are taught in Jacob 5:72. We are never alone in the Lord's service!

The church is true!

Love,

Hermana Rupp

Rain, Rain, Go Away.

Miracle of the week:

 

About three weeks ago, we got a referral. We tried contacting the lady a few times, but she never answered. When we finally did meet her, she didn't seem too happy to see us and told us to come back another day. We decided to try again and we were able to set up an appointment with her. When the day of our appointment came, we got to the door and knocked a few times. Nobody answered.

We thought, "Well obviously she isn't interested.. she probably just set a time with us to blow us off" (terrible attitude, I know.. I have been humbled). While walking back to our car, she opened the door and invited us in.

We taught her The Restoration and the lesson was AMAZING. Everything just clicked with her. The spirit was so strong, so we invited her to be baptized at the end of the lesson. She said yes! We invited her to read The Book of Mormon and pray about it to know if it is true for herself. She told us that she already felt like it was just in that moment, but that she would do it.

Talk about someone that the Lord has been preparing! It was such a special experience.

 

Crazy experience of the week:

 

Since yesterday (Monday) was a holiday, we weren't able to e-mail and we had a lot of extra time. Sunday, we made plans with a set of Elders in our district to go downtown to the zoo. Everything was set in stone and planned. It ended up being the craziest day of my mission.

 

5 AM- We woke up an hour and a half early so we could do our laundry, go shopping, and clean the car and apartment. Turns out, we woke up an hour too early. We were done by 7, so we went back to sleep until 8.

 

9:45 AM- We get a call from the couple planning to give us a ride to the zoo. They tell us they are on their way. Two minutes later, the lady planning on picking us up tells us that she is sick and won't be able to. We start calling people and finally find another member who is willing. Things are still good.

 

10:00 AM- We get picked up and head off. It starts to rain. We figure it will pass. It always does.

 

10:30 AM- We get to the zoo in one piece. It stops raining. We have two hours to blow before the Elders will be getting there. We decide to go on a walk around a nearby pond.

 

10:45 AM- It starts to pour. Luckily we have an umbrella and we run and take shelter under nearby trees.

 

11:00 AM- It isn't just pouring, it is dumping now. The trees and umbrella aren't doing squat. We are drenched and freezing at this point. We are stuck though because there is no other shelter nearby.

 

11:15 AM- The rain lets off just a bit, we are already soaked.. so we decide to make a run and find the nearest shelter. We find an covered, outdoor amphitheater. Turns out it is also a hotel for hobos. We run to it and find about 13 homeless men hanging out. We decide to stay, because the rain gets crazy again.

 

11:45 AM- Still hanging out with our homeless friends. They are all great for the most part besides the creepy one asking us to come warm him up and the other who starts changing his clothes in front of us. We get a text from the elders telling us that their ride cancelled and that they won't be coming to the zoo anymore.  

 

12:00 PM- It is still raining, but we decide it is time to move on. Since the elders are no longer coming, we decide to make a change of plans and go and find the museum. We get lost.

 

12:30 PM- We find our way back to the zoo parking lot and find a little café. Never has something looked so promising.

 

1:00 PM- The rain FINALLY stops and we find the museum. We have a grand old time.

 

4:45 PM- We call our ride home to confirm that she is going to be there for us at 5 like we had talked about. Turns out she isn't coming after all. She changed her mind and had forgotten to tell us= we were stranded in downtown Houston with no way to get back and we had an appointment at 6.

We start calling as many ladies in the ward that we can think of. Problem is, most can't drive. We finally make something work out with a recent convert and another girl who are YSA.

 

5:00 PM- Our appointment at 6 cancelled. Tender mercy because there was no way we would be back.

 

5:45 PM- They get there and pick us up. An hour later, we finally made it back alive after getting lost a few times downtown.

 

IT WAS QUITE THE DAY.

 

So many great things are happening here!

 

Love,

Hermana Rupp

Happy October!

 

This is one of my favorite times of the year! It sure is different here in Houston than Utah though. We welcomed in the month with weather of a whoppin' 102 degrees. Houston heat is real.. I still feel like it is summer!

 

It has been an eventful week! So many trainings, exchanges, GENERAL CONFERENCE, and USU beat BYU (ward members are the best and make sure to keep us updated). Basically nothing went according to plan, but everything turned out a lot better than we could have imagined!

 

Monday night, a cute family in our ward invited a nonmember friend to their house to have an FHE. They invited us to come and give the lesson. When we got there, we waited for a while and the friend never showed. This really discouraged the family, who has been trying to invite people to learn more for a while now with no results. They felt as if their efforts were wasted and pointless. It is so important to realize that when we as members do missionary work, the success is in the invitation! We have done our part when we have invited, the rest is up to the other person who has their agency.

 

Tuesday, I went on a day exchange with an English sister. For the past almost four months, I have been praying out loud only in Spanish, so when I had to pray with this sister in English.. I had the hardest time! I would add all sorts of Spanish words in between the English.  I literally stuggled praying in my own language. I was pumped.

 

Wednesday, we were teaching an investigator about the resurrection. We read the promise given in Alma 40:23 which talks about everything being restored to it's proper and perfect frame. I know that this is true with all of my heart! I have been blessed with having in my life, a little sister who one day, thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, will be made whole. I felt so blessed to be able to share this with others. I know that this is a sure promise for everyone!

 

Saturday was day one of conference! It was awesome. So many lessons learned and prayers that were answered.

The night before, our golden investigator told us that she was only going to come to both of the morning sessions. She showed up, loved the first session, and decided to stay for the afternoon as well. In the second session, she was able to listen to a talk given in her own language (Spanish) which addressed EVERYTHING that she needed to hear. It was a miracle.

 

This same investigator has also been having some worries with her health. We decided to ask her if she would like one of the Elders to give her a blessing. In between conference sessions that same day, she received her first blessing and it was so perfect. Being able to listen to what was said was such a great testimony builder for me. The words which the Elder spoke were only things that God could have known.. we had not told him any of the details of her concerns or worries, but they were all addressed. It was amazing. The spirit was sooooo strong.

 

This morning I had quite the experience as well. I was in our apartment doing some laundry, when I all of the sudden stepped on something that crunched. I thought it was probably just a leaf or a wrapper.. but nope. IT WAS A COCKAROACH. I stepped on a cockaroach with my bare feet. I literally almost had a heart attack.

 

I am so grateful for the chance to be serving! I love it out here!

 

Love,

Hermana Rupp

Another Good Week.

Another good week here in Houston! So much has been happening here.

 

- On Monday, we had an FHE at our Bishop's house with a part member family. The dad and two sons are members, and the mom and two daughters are not. One of the daughters and the mom have been coming to church for years now, they just don't want to be baptized. We had such a powerful lesson about eternal families. The spirit was incredibly strong, so we invited them to be baptized and both said yes! There was not a dry eye in the room and I have never seen the dad and son as happy as they were that night. They completely lite up when they realized that they were going to be a step closer to being able to go to the temple. It was one of the best moments of my mission so far.

The adversary is real though and the baptisms will not be happening anymore. A seed was planted in their hearts that night though, and hopefully one day soon they will be ready.

 

- We have been working with one of our investigators to prepare her to be baptized on the 27th of this month. She accepted the invitation to be baptized a little over a week ago and after three separate invitations. Even after she accepted though, she didn't seem very excited and she didn't feel ready personally. She would continually tell us that she wanted to feel different about her decision to be baptized. We didn't know what to do. We would bring members with us to her house to testify, we would pray with her, etc. and nothing seemed to bring her the joy she needed to feel. There is a reason why going to church is so important, because that is where she was able to have that confirmation that she needed. Ever since that Sunday, she her attitude has completely changed and she happy with her choice.

 

- On Saturday, we did exchanges and I had to run our area by myself for the first time. Seriously, the most terrifying experience of my life haha. It actually turned out really good and there were countless miracles throughout the day.

While we were tracting, we started talking to a family who invited us in right then and we were able to start teaching the first lesson. This NEVER happens. The dad has so much faith and he invited us to come back whenever!

While we were just walking to different appointments, people were placed in our path that are so prepared. We have so many potential investigators now.

We also were able to go and see some people that we have not been able to forever. It was really such a miracle.

 

- I learned how much I depend on my Utah mountains. Seriously, I am useless without them. When we went to go and start our exchanges, we had to go to an area that I am not familiar with. The road we were supposed to take back to our area ended up being closed, so I had no clue where I was or how to get back. We whipped out a good old fashioned map, but lets be real here.. we had no idea how to actually use it. We decided to go into Walgreens and ask for directions to get onto the road a different way. The worker asked us if we were trying to go north or south and once again, I had no clue. I have no sense of direction without the mountains! They thought we were pretty pathetic, but luckily we got it figured out eventually and made it home.

 

- Sunday, we were able to go to a fireside that our mission is putting on throughout stakes here in Houston. The missionaries that came had to participate in a choir and we sang the old "EFY Medley" and "Called to Serve". There were about 50+ missionaries and it was one of the most powerful things ever. We were able to listen to testimonies of recent converts and it was amazing. It is always so humbling to hear new members speak. They are always so solid.

 

I am constantly being reminded that the Lord's hand is in this work. When things haven't worked out throughout the week, something better always seems to happen instead. We are being guided to those who are prepared and they are being led to us too.

 

I feel so blessed to be here in Houston and to serve the beautiful Spanish people. They are the best.

 

Love,

 

Hermana Rupp

Fishy.

So I don't really have a ton to report about this past week. It has flown by so quickly and I have loved every second of it!

 

I ate some good ol' fish. Seriously... God is real. When the lady feeding us brought fish out, I panicked because fish literally KILLS me to eat. After saying a real heart felt prayer, I ate the fish without shedding any tears or gagging. It was quite the accomplishment if you know me haha.

 

Two recent converts (the same two that I got to go to the temple with) gave their first talks in Sacrament meeting! COOLEST. THING EVER. They were incredible! The testimonies of these two are so solid.

 

Ever since I have gotten here, we  have been trying to contact a recent convert. He was baptized in May and had stopped going to church about June/Julyish. We would try calling, texting, visiting this person, but with no success. Well a miracle happened and Sunday, this guy was at church!

 

Right now, we are focusing on working with the members to find more people to start teaching. Before my mission, I didn't really think member missionary work was important.. but let me tell you IT IS! When they say, "every member a missionary" it is so true. The members make all of the difference in this work.

 

Our mission is focusing on using Family Search to find more investigators. While we are tracting, we have been talking to people about family history. It has been really cool because so many people are so excited about this! It has been a really great tool to use because most of the time when people see who we are, they don't want to talk to us. When we start talking about this though, their whole attitude changes.

 

The weather here has been glorious the past three days. Never have I appreciated it being about 85 degrees the way I have now. This apparently is pretty cold for people here though, because they are bringing out hardcore jackets and hot chocolate haha.

 

I am SO GRATEFUL to be out here serving. I learn so much each day about myself and the gospel.

 

The church is true!

Love,

 

Hermana Rupp

Moments.

Missions are full of all sorts of moments... These past two weeks, we've experienced them all!

 

It's had the good...

 

- Last Saturday, Ordonez and I got to go to the temple with two recent converts (one is a 22 year old guy preparing to go on a mission, the other is a cute mom). We got to be with them while they did baptisms for the dead for the first time! Seriously, this was one of the sweetest experiences I have had. Both of them were so happy. It is the coolest thing ever seeing the happiness the gospel brings. And the Houston temple is SO gorgeous!

 

- One of our investigators has set a baptism date! She is so prepared and has been since we met her! Her husband passed away about two months ago. She loves and misses her husband so much. This gospel has brought her so much hope that one day she will be able to see him again.

 

- Another one of our investigators has finally started reading The Book of Mormon! This is a huge miracle!

 

- We had such a cool experience with a family in our ward and a non-member who they had met earlier that day and invited to have an FHE with us. Ordonez and I taught a lesson about God being our loving Heavenly Father. The woman (non-member) agreed with everything we said. After we finished, the Dad who had invited her, bore one of the most humble and solid testimonies that I have ever heard. At the end of his testimony, he turned to the lady and said, "I know that God loves you." The spirit was there during the entire night, but in that moment it hit really hard like a train. It was exactly what this woman needed to hear because she is going through a really difficult time. I don't think that is was a coincedence that they met that day. God is in the details!

 

It has also had some bad.. (But not really.. I'm on cloud 9 out here)

 

- I've already gone through a pair of shoes and a bag.

 

- I'm almost 95% sure that I ate fried fat. Imagine eating a dog treat (not that I ever have), but that is what I would compare it to. Luckily, I didn't know what it was until after.

 

And it has most definitely had some awkward/uncomfortable moments...

 

- Mostly everything uncomfortable happens while tracting. I can't really tell who speaks Spanish and who doesn't. It doesn't help that when people answer the doors, they just stare and don't say anything. So a lot of the time, I just start with "hola" if they look like they are potentially Latino. This usually ends really interesting because they either don't end up speaking Spanish (sometimes they don't speak English either), or if they do speak it, they just look at me like,"Who is this white girls trying to talk to me". Never in my life have I gotten so many weird looks haha.

 

- So I don't really know why this happens, but it does. People answer their doors all the time not wearing any clothes. Like they literally just hide behind the door and poke their heads out to talk to us. Some tell us that they can't talk because they aren't dressed and others you can just tell. I am still trying to figure out why people are even answering their doors then haha.

 

Lastly, after some recent experiences I have been thinking a lot about the words in one of my favorite talks. It was given in a general conference by President Henry B. Eyring and is called "Mountains to Climb". If you haven't read it, do it! There is also a Mormon Message available to watch (but make sure you have a box of tissues.. it is a tear jerker).

 

It talks about the importance of having faith in Christ. At one point, President Eyring teaches, "If the foundation of faith is not embedded in our hearts, the power to endure will crumble."

In Helaman 5:12, Helaman teaches his sons the importance of building upon faith in Christ and says,

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock‍ of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that yemust build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when allhis hail and his mighty storm‍ shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery andendless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build theycannot fall."

 

Life is so hard sometimes and all sorts of things are thrown at us, but when we live our lives with a foundation built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ, "the hardest as well as the easiest of times in life can be a blessing."

 

I know that this is true! As we put Christ first, everything else will fall into place and we will be given the hope necessary to carry on.

 

Love,

 

Hermana Rupp