more than just OK: October 2014

Saturday, October 25, 2014

10/20/14

Fab Fam;

wards or branches? and what is the name of it? It is a ward, and my comp actually goes onto the Fort Sill military base with one member from each companionship, and they teach there on Sundays, so I am alone on Sundays. It’s a little lonely haha

are the people friendly? People here are pretty friendly, but they like to talk to you about non-church stuff so it is really hard to keep the conversations on gospel topics haha

I Google mapped your address and it looked like a house... do you share with other missionaries or with a family? Nope, the house is ours :} it is a 3 bedroom, one bathroom house hehe. It is so cute

has your companion been there long or are you both new? She has been our about 8 months now :} she is 2 transfers ahead of me

how does it differ form your last two areas? how is it the same? The same is that we have shops here haha, and different is that it is a small town where as Quail Creek and OKC 3 were both in Oklahoma City boundaries so they were big cities!

are you feed by ward members or is cooking involved? We have to cook some days but the members are really good at feeding us. I appreciate that about members here

what is her first name and how do you pronounce her last name? Her 1^st name is Madison :} Madison Duersch.

where is she from? She is from Logan Utah

how long has she been out? She has been out 8 months-ish

how are you tow getting along so far? We get along really well. I have been blessed to have really good companions :}

what is she like? what is your favorite thing about her so far? I love her fun personality. She is always looking for the fun in everything we do. She is super crazy though haha :} you never know what she will do next.

so being further south, is it warmer? will you even need winter clothes? in addition to what you already have? It is a little bit warmer down here but I will probably need some clothes at some point haha. I already have my rain coat and my black coat as well as my leggings. I just need my boots, and some sweaters (like the maroon and black one from Grampa and Katie ;})

is it a biking, walking or car area? It is a car area, but if we run out of miles then it becomes a biking or walking area haha. I am hoping to do more biking while it is still nice outside :}

what is your new favorite thing about this area? How small it is ;} I am hoping it is easier to get around and actually see every part of the area. Cuz in Quail Creek and OKC3, they were both too big, so I never actually saw all of the area haha

How has your testimony been strengthened recently? in what area? It has been strengthened in the area of my Savior. I have been studying in Matthew and now Mark, but I have been using Jesus the Christ as a guide and HOLY COW!! Christ did so much more for me than I realized! I am so much more grateful for the Atonement and Christ’s love for me.

I felt Heavenly Father guiding me when.... Sister Duersch and I went looking for a less-active and found a new less-active who has been looking for our church since she moved to Lawton! That was a cool experience

In my studies I have learned that.... Satan is a sneaky little feller (hehe feller) I was reading in Alma 47 about Amalickiah and Lehonti, and how Amalickiah persuades Lehonti to come down the mountain, just a little bit, and then kills him…. So sad. And it just made me think about situations where Satan did that to me.

the people we are teaching are.... So cool. We are teaching a single mom by the name of Kyla (she needs a lot of prayers this week) and she has a baptismal date for Nov 1^st. then we just got a new investigator yesterday, who’s name is Aaron, and he is married to one of our returning Less-actives (Latoya)

1.Me and sis Duersch

2. a church that is down here in Lawton

3. Elder Runolfson and I at ward correlation the day before transfers

Monday, October 13, 2014

10/13/14

do you sing a lot still? yes, we sing all day, everyday! haha

do you sing in the car? or while walking or biking? we do sing in the car, elders included haha, and we sing while we walk. it passes the time.

Have you sang in this ward Sac meeting yet or just with the choir? Just with the choir. the music director doesn't really like the missionaries to be the spotlights haha

DID YOU GET THE PACKAGE? I DID GET THE PACKAGE :}

if yes, were you surprised and what was your favorite? I was surprised and i loved all of it! but i think i loved the fuzzy socks!

so do you have gospel discussions with people daily? We try too :} that is one of sister moore and I's goals haha

do you knock doors or referrals more? which do you prefer? I prefer referrals and we do have to knock doors more :p referrals are fun cuz they are already interested enough to keep an appointment with you haha

What is your favorite thing about being a missionary? being able to meet new peeps everyday. also being able to help someone come closer to their Savior Jesus Christ. those two would have to be my top 2

What was the most fabulous thing to happen this week? we didn't have any dinner appointments on tues, wed, or thurs of this last week and as those days went on, we had people call us and ask us to come over for dinner. it was amazing!

Have you taken up kick boxing? i haven't.... yet haha

After "you know who" apologized, has he been nice and polite? he is still a butt, but a nicer butt haha :}

When do you feel the happiest? when i am teaching a lesson, or when sister moore and i are taking pics on the elders cameras haha

Have you tried to cut your hair yet? i have not tried cuz it is getting cold and i don't want to get it too short haha. but i think i will try it soon :}

What happened this week that filled your lamp with spiritual oil? church on Sunday was amazing! Sister Moore and I bore our testimonies in sacrament meeting and it helped me to strengthen my testimony by sharing it with others.

What scriptures do you share with investigators? i love to share Luke 1:37 because it is one of my favorite power scriptures.

Have you seen the "Meet the Mormons" movie? and are you allowed to? i have seen meet the Mormons and it is awesome! i loved it! we saw it Oct 2nd as a zone ;} so fun!

So i have some very important news for y'all (haha). Sister Moore and I (last Thursday) got a call from the AP's and they told us that we are getting shotgunned out of our area and 2 elders will be taking our place instead. so i am getting transferred in 2 days... SURPRISE! I am going to Lawton 2nds East with Sister Duersch and Sister Moore is going to Quail Creek with Sister Stewart. Elder Ross is moving up to our area with elder Hart, and Elder Runolfson is in the same area with an elder Gillis. I am gonna miss this area like crazy! (Lawton is about 2 hrs south west of Oklahoma City; the missionaries will meet at the Moore stake center and travel to their areas from there, it's a "smaller" city of about 97,000)

My new address is gonna be:

6112 nw Euclid Ave

Lawton OK, 73505

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

10-6-14

To answer your questions for the week;

Did you take notes or just listen? I did take notes and lots of them. it is different being on a mission, I got all kinds of revelation for me, my comp, members, less-actives, and investigators. So cool!

Do you watch as a whole zone or mission or what? It was showing at our stake center so we went there and there were about 12 other missionaries there. it was really fun and we got to know other missionaries well. plus there is a family in the OKC 1st ward. (right between Quail Creek and OKC 3rd haha) who serve the missionaries lunch every conference. they are so awesome!

Did you have a favorite talk? I really like Elder Bednars. his was amazing! I really like President Uchtdorfs at the Womens Broadcast as well as in the General Session. I also really liked L. Tom Perrys talk. Oh they were all just sooo good haha

Were any of your less actives or investigators able to watch? We had 2 less-actives watch it, 2 investigators (chloe and tanner) and then 5 Recent converts watched it as well. so cool

how was this weeks relationship evaluation? are things going OK now? Well, Monday was really rough. Elder Whitehead kept beating up on me so I almost swung at him... then decided to be Christ like and walked away instead. Elder Ross actually turned away cuz he thought I would really hit him haha. then that night I got a call from sis Stew saying that our less-active friend Kelly had passed away that afternoon... I was speechless... then the elders called us and wished me a happy 4 month anniversary.... worst day ever! but it slowly got better throughout the week which is good ;}

Kelli's funeral was last Friday, the... 3rd of Oct.. and it was a catholic funeral.. it was really interesting cuz as the preacher was talking, the missionaries who went (sis stew, sis gubler, sis moore and myself) could pick out the holes in what he was talking about and could fill them with the Gospel. but it was really good.

you mentioned Sis Moore can't ride a bike and health issues...can you get specific? and how are you doing health wise? She has exercise induced asthma. so she doesn't like biking for long periods of time. but I have made her bike a little bit and go at her pace so that might help out haha

Did Elder he who shall not me named ever actually apologize? Yes. he apologized Monday night over text and thenThursday afternoon in person in a very large comp inventory we were having with the Zone Leaders, our elders, us and the Sister Training Leaders. that was rough too. we got chastised over and over again for being friends.... one of the Sister Training Leaders (STLs for short) told us that we are not on our mission to make friends. we are all coworkers here to do the Lords work. which is true. but we are also here to make friends and work together with the missionaries and the members and you cant work together if you don't trust each other.... it was weird...

How are your studies going? They are going pretty well. I am over half way through the book of Mormon and I am reading in Matt 27 tomorrow for studies. I think studies is what keeps me sane with all the high school drama that is going on our here haha

What did you learn this week that helped prepare you for either teaching or for conference?Sister Moore let me borrow her talks and I was reading a talk by Elder Holland called "in Times of Trouble" and it was amazing! I recommend you all read it. it is really good and very applicable to any circumstance.

when did you feel the most loved? during conference! almost every talk I would think to myself and say "man I really needed to hear that today" and it made me realize how much our Heavenly Father knows us and knows what we need in our times of trouble. I love conference!

I love you all and miss you like crazy! we had picture day today with the elders while we were waiting for our clothes to finish washing and drying. I had lots of fun learning about there families and friends and I loved bragging about you all to them as well ;}

-Love Sister Meagan!

9-29-14

I actually read that quote (Marvin J Ashton) one day for studies. That is what made me have a "mighty change of heart".

General Conference was awesome on Saturday. We went to the Stake Center and watched it with the OKC stake. it was awesome! I loved every moment of it! and I definitely thought about you guys when they were showing the crowd and I was like "its Utah, its home!" and I felt a little sad I wasn't there with you guys, but it was still loads of fun :}

I cant wait to see how the package ends up ;} I promise to send a pic of it if and when I receive it haha

This week has been a little rough for me cuz my comp keeps asking me to do stuff and then she does it.... and then we had a comp inventory between all four missionaries and it ended... poorly. people were yelling at each other, comments were said that should not have been said and it was just a mess.... so I have been reading about Humility and Pride this week for studies, not for them but for me :}

I wish you would ask your questions again cuz I feel like i remember more stuff that way. ;}

Anywho... I love you and miss you tons!

Love Meagan

and in case you were wondering the outcome of someone who mistreats a daughter of God....

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHA oh that whole email was awesome! but I have to tell you something so sad and funny all at the same time.

So last P-day I was still very upset about the whole "water" thing and Elder Runolfson said that he would hog-tie Elder Whitehead for me at sports but they didn't show up. Then I found out that elder Whitehead had gone to the ER with his comp because he was passing a kidney stone. when I first heard that I laughed out loud and said "karma" but then afterwards felt really bad for him... so I got him some cupcakes and gave them to him at Zone Conference which was on Tuesday. so fun. he was very grateful and said that when he got to he ER and was rolling around in pain he said out loud, "I bet Sister Boulter is so happy I am in here right now" haha so funny!

Oh dad I miss that humor :} thanks for being so awesome! and I got some of my charity from you ya know :} I know what "Boulter" stands for and I try to live up to the family name everyday. Sometimes it is hard to be kind and loving to others, but I know who I am. I am a daughter of Brent and Cindy Boulter. I wear their name on my chest just like I wear my Saviors name. Thank you for being the best example I could have!

I love you and miss you like crazy!

Love Meagan

In case you were all wondering what the quote I was sent:

"Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again. It makes the thought of being a basher repulsive.

Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other." --Marvin J Ashton

9-22-14

To answer your questions for the week;

Were any of your less actives or investigators able to watch? We had 2 less-actives watch it, 2 investigators (chloe and tanner) and then 5 Recent converts watched it as well. so cool

-Love Sister Meagan!

9-15-14

Answer time:

What's your new area like? My new area is just like the old except that we have to walk everywhere now. we are running low on miles because of picking up the elders in random places way out of our area... so weird. But it is fun. :} it has rained a lot this week and I caught a little cold but I am all over and done with that. :} thank goodness

Do you still get to work with the less actives and do scripture reads? We do work with less actives and we do read the scriptures with them. but we also try to teach them about CPR (church pray read) and help them to keep there church attendance, scripture reading and personal/family prayers up and running. they are all so awesome and most of them are old.... but they are awesome :}

What is your favorite thing about your new companion? She always has a random story for everything. like how I have a song for almost everything, she has a story for almost everything. it is so fun

Do I need to send you a pedometer so you know how many miles you are walking each day:) ? No that's ok haha

when you share a car with the elders do you need to plan you days together so you know when each has it? or do you drive to your area together and then walk from there? We do a little of both. mostly we plan the days around who we want to see and who has the car that day... but right now we are low on miles and it is half way through the month so we both just walk or ride our bikes everywhere... or get rides from the members. we do that a lot too :}

In your personal study what did you learn that has helped you this week? I learned a lot about Hope the other day. it was very inspiring, motivating and uplifting :} I also read a poem called Highs and Lows and its all about a mission and the ups and downs we all face while we are out here

What was the most spirit filled moment for you this week? Getting the revelation while I was studying about hope. my whole study was revolved around keeping up the work and a positive attitude and I didn't realize it until I was telling my companion all about my studies in comp studies haha. it was really cool

What was the most spirit filled moment for someone you were teaching? hmmmmm probably when we were teaching our 2 little investigators Chloe and Tanner Welch. Tanner is 12 and Chloe is 9. we where having them answer the baptismal questions to see if there were things we needed to go over and they are so smart! we would ask them questions and if they didn't know the answer they would go and look it up in one of the handouts we gave them. they just are so excited to be baptized it is amazing.

What is your favorite thing about this new area so far? The people we meet. well I guess that I meet cuz sis moore knows them all already haha. but there are some amazing people in the ward who just adore the missionaries and love to come out with us to lessons. it is great.

What made you laugh the most and you still smile about? Oh so we went on exchanges this last Friday to Saturday, and I went with Sister Holloway to the Village Ward which is in the Quail Creek Zone.... hahah. We went to a less-actives frat house to teach her a lesson and help her to stop smoking and drinking. so she was quitting smoking that day and didn't want to keep the cigarettes as a temptation so she gave them to sister Holloway and I to dispose of... it was so weird but so cool to see her give those up. so sister Holloway put the 3 packs of cigarettes in my backpack and we broke them in half and threw them away later :} (see pics soon)

When did you feel Heavenly Father guiding you and what happened? Sister Moore and I were planning on Wednesday night to go to Piedmont which is a city in our area. then about 5 mins later we get a text with a referral for a Book of Mormon notice on it. we look up the address and it is in Piedmont. So cool. so the next day we have a member come and pick us up to come with us and we knock on the door and the lady wasn't home. so we left her a sticky note and told her to call us... about 2 hrs later we get a call from the lady (her name is Shelley Crouse) and we set up a return appointment with her for tomorrow!! (Tuesday) we are sooo excited!

Yup that was my week haha

Love you tons!!

Love Meagan

1. someone had a knight statue so I took a picture (go Knights!)
2. our zone at mission conf. with elder foster

3. Me & sis Moore outside temple

Elder Runolfson, me, Sister Moore and Elder Ross on our way to a mutual activity

5. destroyed habit!!!!

9-9-14

Where are you now? new address? I sent you guys a letter that should be coming soon... hopefully haha but my new address is

8128 W Britton Rd

Apt #9

Oklahoma City, OK

73132

I am about 7-8 mins west of my old area so on P-days I see the old gang haha. its really weird :}

where is sis. Moore from and how long has she been out? (can you include a pic?) Sis Moore is from Clinton Utah, she is 21 and super short. like shorter than grama Atwood and Boulter... crazy...

are you cars or bikes? We are a car area but we have to share the car with the elders as well and that is pretty stressful.. plus we are in the same apartment complex and it isn't even in Sister Moore and my area... its about 2 miles south... so its really hard to go and visit the people in our area and not use up all the miles we have. Sister Moore has a lot of health problems so she doesn't do biking so we are walking a TON!

Clothes and undies are you still good? How about socks? I am good with all of those for now :} thanks for checking though haha :}

What do you and Sis Moore do differntly than you and Sis stew? We do everything almost the exact same. she is so much like Sister Stewart it is creepy haha

how was the move? It was really hard to move but we did it :} our apartment is 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms so I have a bathroom to myself. it is awesome. but we have a funky smell in our apartment that we can not get rid of and our neighbors are always sick and we wake up to them throwing up... its way nasty!

church was great today. how was it for you? It was different. all these people just came up to me and welcomed me and told me all of their names and I was like "I will probably forget your name later today" cuz it is so true haha

What is your new ward like and what Stake are you in? I am in the OKC Stake and the ward is cool. it is really old though haha.

Will you be teaching a BoM class again? probably not cuz we don't go to that church building anymore :{ so sad

G'Ma Crain is especially excited to hear when you move to see if you go somewhere she has lived. She wondered if you were attending the Church house by the Temple. Why yes, yes I am haha :}

are there elders in this ward too? do the members still feed you? Yes we have a set of elders as well. Elder Ross from Randolph Utah and elder Runolphson from Spanish Fork Utah. and yes the members are really good at feeding us haha.

How are you guys getting on? We are doing pretty good. we have moved someone in or out of our ward boundaries everyday I have been in this area. it is crazy! haha

had a mission or zone conference yet? We actually had a mission conference yesterday and that is why I am a little late on the emails.... so sorry :{ But it was really good and 5 Zones were there so I got to see a lot of peeps. Like my old zone, my MTC comp and Elder Bueno (who I also saw at Transfers ;}) It went from 9am to 3pm.... so long. but we got little breaks and lunch between so it wasn't as bad.

are you in the same zone or a new one? I am now in the OKC Zone instead of the Quail Creek Zone... but we are neighboring zones so we do a lot of stuff together haha