I'm A Missionary!

Feb. 5, 2013
Dear Family and Friends,
 I am having to write you on Tuesdays since our Library here is closed on Mondays. Elder Bowen said he was going to give you a call yesterday so that you wouldn't worry as to why you hadn't heard from me yet. This area is wonderful! Yes, our apartment is just a few yards away from Hood Canal, the view from our study room is gorgeous! If I have time I will upload a few photos, but the limit for the computer here is just one hour so I don't know how much I can make that stretch. I am absolutely loving being back out! It's also a bit strange when reality sinks in that I am in the WA-TAC...I have a few moments where I have to remind myself what mission I am in & if I am a missionary or not. Especially since half the missionaries refuse to ever refer to me as Sister Givens. Even the first day Elder Parry (who is now the AP with Elder Butterfield) kept referring to me as Crystal on accident during all the trainings! I'm sure as time goes on it will catch on. Here's to hoping at least. There is just so much to say! Let me start out by stating the Belfair Ward is incredible! Bishop Wing is so spirit-directed & so supportive of us. It's so nice to be able to work so closely with him & meet with him so often. Dad, he says he knows you? (Andrew Wing) I guess he is involved with the scouts a lot up here. So the first day we leave transfer meeting & head straight up to our area. (Sister Gurr & I are both brand new to this area, she has been out for 6 months & is a hoot! She reminds me exactly of the diary of a whimpy kid's friend...I can not remember his name though! It's driving me nuts. If you think of it let me know haha!) Anyway so we are driving out there, with "Tommy" her GPS with the Relief Society President's (Sis Clifford's) address typed in...we cracked open the area book when we got in the car to find a sticky note saying we had a dinner appointment with her that night! Woo! Anyway, so we were off - over the bridge, headed to gig harbor....well the first thing we learned is that our GPS never really gets us to a certain place..it thinks it does, but that is false. It just gets us in the general vacinity of the area. Which is really no help at all because there are no sidewalks, no street lights, and oh yeah...our ward takes an HOUR & A HALF to get from one side to the other! Woo! That's at least twice the size of the entire Salt Lake City South Mission! HA! Good thing we have a lot of miles, yet still not enough....so mom, Bowen is going to pick up my bike this week! YES! Haha! I'm so excited....anyway I will explain that later. Or maybe he has already talked to you? Anyway. So we finally made it to dinner! Luckily we USUALLY have service throughout the ward, even if it's only one bar we can still make calls. So we made it to the Clifford's just fine & thank goodness they live next to the Church because we then found out we have a standing appointment with Bishop Wing at the Church every Tuesday night. Needless to say this has been a week of learning learning learning for the both of us! We couldn't even find our house the first night! We had to call the AP's and members to help us out. Haha! The sisters before us shared this ward & the Wollatchet Ward, so they would alternate which one they worked in each week & one of them just went home this transfer, so some things we can call & ask Sister Brown about, otherwise we just figure it out. The work has taken a slow start, but it's nice to have work again! We have knocked more this week than I probably ever did in SLCS, but guess what? It actually WORKS here! People don't know who we are UNTIL we tell them! It's a very strange concept still. :) We found 2 families and one other woman who was interested in learning more our first night out, which was great! We were so excited!! Then we went to teach one family (of 5) and realized they are almost ALL only spanish speaking, so we had to hand them over to the spanish elders, then we went back to teach the Resto to the other family we met (Eric & Kayla) where we brought the Bishop along for felllowship & realized they had both majored in Bible Study in College & their only purpose in wanting to meet with us was to read up on the into of the BOM then bash doctrine....those are always fun lessons...NOT. Ha! We made the most of it, and all left smiling & courteous. It was just a little heartbreaking to report back to our District Leader/Zone Leader (He is the same person here since we are out so far?...who knows why) but he found out we found 2 families in one night, & sent out a mass text to everyone in the zone saying "Belfair sisters found 2 families!!!!!" ....Did I mention bapstisms are VERY few & far between here? So they were astonished we were able to find....then we had to call & break the news to them that 7 out of our what we thought were 8 new (& only) investigators broke up with us all in one night. BUT we still have Ruth! We tracted into her & she said she would LOVE to have us back. We meet with her tomorrow night. We have been witnessing so many miralces here, even just someone letting us in to chat in the entry way to get out of the cold is a huge blessing! Or the fact that we ended up tracting into a less-active the other night who has NEVER let missionaries come in, invited us in on the spot to have dinner with her! (AND she turned off the superbowl)...HUGE blessing! They are surrounding us every where. President Weaver always talks about 'Amazing Grace'. How the Savior's amazing grace makes up for so much in our lives, in our progression, and how his hand, his grace is in our lives daily. I have been keeping a jounal with me at all times with 'Amazing Grace' written on the front & keeping tracl of the many small & simple, yet AMAZING acts of grace we see each day. It has opened my eyes to truly noticing more & more. I love my Savior. I love His Gospel. I love this mission. I love the Plan of Salvation, and the individual Plan he has for MY Salvation. I LOVE being able to share this with others Full-Time once again. I Love you all! One last thing - look up the mormon message called "Our true Identity" & watch it
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 Love ya! Sister Givens ...

Check that out!!! Woooo!!!!!!!! I'm back!!!!!