5.20.2013: Al-bike-querque

Hahahahahahahah I just came up with that subject, super clever, huh? 

Anyway.... I've never experienced so much anger and frustration and happiness and spirit all at the same time.... I love it and hate it all at the same time. I feel like some moments I'm hanging on by the skin of my teeth. An inch away from giving up. BUT I feel like I have a little bit more hope as of 20 minutes ago when I had an interview with the mission president. He said there's no comfort in a growth zone and no growth in a comfort zone. So basically I'll be uncomfortable my whole mission or else I won't be growing. I have sooooo much to learn and improve on. He said a lot of other things and I wish I could have taken notes.... but it was good. I feel a little better. 

So I've decided to work on my charity and humility. We had an amazing lesson yesterday in Gospel Principles about charity and spiritual gifts. I have a particularly crazy spiritual gift I don't know how or when to use and maybe I haven't been able to yet cause I struggle with charity. I have been the recipient of so much charity in my life and I am seeing how selfish I've been at times. There's so much I don't want to give up, passions to bridle, thoughts to let go. But I read a talk from October conference by Elder Gay about what we need to give up to exemplify Christ. I feel like if I can do that and have more charity, I'll be able to help people the way the Lord wants and needs me to. Including my family. I just... olive you guys! 

So a highlight of the week was probably the fact that we taught 23 lessons. The standard of excellence is 20 and I've never reached it the whole 2 months I've been a missionary in the field. So that was cool that we exceeded our goals. 

I really don't know what to say this week. I am struggling to recall specific events, I've just been so overwhelmed with so many things. Things go up and down with my companion. We could be BFF's outside the mission but sharing missionary responsibilities is reallllly hard. Some moments are contentious. The next moment we're having the best time. The next moment we're so tired and want to give up. The next moment we find common ground. I'm so confused! Being a missionary comes with this really weird subculture. Inside jokes, unspoken rules, loopholes with obedience, district secrets.... not to say that all missionaries are bad. It's just odd. But fun. But weird. 

I feel like this email has been all over the place... Someone (all of you) tell me how life is over yonder in Tville? Abbi, how was your birthday? Naomi, are you excited for school to end? Sorry I didn't email you last week. Sarah, I'm super jealous you went to the Manti temple! How was it?! Mommy, congrats on finishing those camps! When I read your caterpillar comment, I laughed super hard. Dad, how's work? Getting some good long boarding in? Don't hurt yourself! Lisa, Laura, Grandma, how's spring cleaning going? I love cleaning... that's like all I contribute to my companionship and when we do things with other elders in our district. I just do the dishes, clean whatever, everyone else is proficient at cooking and food knowledge... They just jump right in. That's ok though, I have like 4 recipe books I've collected over the last 2 months... I'll put them to good use soon. 

So I failed at taking a picture of my and Sister Graves with our bikes... the new goal is to have one by the end of the transfer. Life is just too crazy! I'll tell you what, I don't know how I've had energy to get from place to place. On Friday, we were halfway into Corrales, left at4:45 to make it to dinner by 5 over by the church which is pretty far away from where we were. We were 15 minutes late, but it should have taken us almost an hour to get there. We were even riding against the wind in 90 degree weather. I wanted to throw up the whole time I was pedaling and pedaling, I was so tired ready to just give up and walk the rest of the way. But somehow, we made it. Goodness gracious. IT'S SOOOO HARD!!!! But I'M SOOOOO GREATFUL!! I know that in hindsight I'll look back and say "hey, that was an awesome experience." But right now it sucks. I'll be honest. 

Anyway, I love you all sooooooooo much! Thanks for everything you do. I hope that I'll be able to be more positive in the future, but I have no one to complain to besides the Lord. So sorry you guys get the short end of the stick. ;)

I've been reading John. I love all of it. John 14:26. AWesome. 

OLIVE YA!

Sister Schieving

**Editors note: I often edit Sister Schieving's emails for content at her request, leaving personal bits out or whatever. This week, because there were no specific directives to leave anything out, I opted to leave in the evidence of rough moments.  A mission is a struggle sometimes, and not always peachy keen and perfect. So, pray for your missionaries, where ever they may be. Pray for them to have success, growth, and strength trough the tough patches. Our missionaries are a  special part of the Lord's army and need all the support they can get! **

5.13.2013 Blue Skies and Sunshine!

Hey Family!

IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOO AWESOME TO SEE AND HEAR YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE INSIDE AND OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OLIVE YA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok anyway.... I'll come back to that. This last week.... was rough. But successful, we had a lot of lessons for how much we didn't get to work due to various issues. Bummer.

What's noteworthy... not sure. This probably won't be much of a novel but we'll see. 

So last Tuesday Sister Graves had the opportunity to invite someone to be baptized! She was just as excited as I was when I got to do it the first time. The investigator accepted and it was pretty awesome. She's from NYC, thickest NYC accent I've ever heard! So awesome. Her son and husband are members, we're just workin on her now! Her husband loves us and thinks we're the greatest things since... probably fishing for him. Lol. 

So Wednesday I saw Kristie (formerly Hall) like I told you when we skyped. It was so surreal and awesome to see someone I know! What are the odds! She's so awesome, brings back memories from way back when! Wednesday also brought us some practice singing for a baptism the elders had on Saturday. I can't remember if I told yall when we skyped that my companion and I were asked by their investigator to sing "I am a Child of God" at her baptism. We graciously... obliged. So we practiced, and it went much better than the first time I had to sing at a baptism... Sister Graves learned the separate part for the 3rd verse in the primary songbook version. It was pretty great!

Thursday.... Service basically all day. Kinda fun! I was sanding paint off of a deck. And the sander just couldn't handle me! I went through like 3 sand paper sheets in like 20 minutes. Ok so maybe I suck and sanding and that's the real reason why I was going through sheets so fast... The next service we did was clearing out a porch of a less active lady. She had been in Heber the last 2 years taking care of her parents and just got back in Feb. She rented her house those 2 years and the tenants destroyed her yard. So sad. But it's looking awesome! After we were done she took us to the Rio Grand. Gorgeous! But not all that huge. But still awesome. Thursday brought a great faith building experience. We met with this investigator for the first time and it was a resounding success! We brought a member to go with us, she's 16 and awesome. And our investigator is 19. So we all were just a bunch of girls hanging out is what it felt like! Anyway, we taught the Restoration, gave her a BOM, and she committed to come to church (even though she didn't end up coming... :/). She has super great morals and is super nice. Struggles with a lot, but we're glad to have had the opportunity to teach her. Come to find out after that lesson, the young woman who came with us had a rough day. Her friend who just got baptized texted her earlier that day that he felt prompted to let her know that Heavenly Father loves her. Without knowing she was coming with us that night, we got a similar text from him. Then that lesson brought her spirits up even more, increased my faith, and then on Sunday that friend of hers gave a talk in church and told that story (cause she told him afterward how awesome it all was) in sacrament meeting. He said in his talk that she was thinking about going on a mission when she's 19 because of the great experience she had with us. :) AW! Right? AND the ward knows how awesome we are now. :) So thank you all for your encouraging words on faith and prayers on my behalf. I'm feeling them! Keep em coming!

Friday.... exchanges. Scary cause I had never been on one. But it turned out well. I'll make it short cause it seems like my group wants me to finish.... Anyway, I was grateful for all I learned and hope to apply it in my own missionary work. 

Saturday... Baptism! That we sang at and it didn't suck! We also survived biking basically all of Corrales. 

And Sunday... I got to talk to yall! Which was soooo amazing. It's like I was there! It was so much fun to see all your familiar faces and to see home. I'm not homesick, promise! Just super excited that my family loves me so much. I am so blessed. In regards to mail... I do get a lot! And I love it! And it's not a distraction for me cause I don't read letters or open packages usually until after the day is done. But no one else gets mail and my companion seems irritated at me and I get made fun of. Lame right? I feel bad. So... either write my companion and the elders too or send less as much as it pains me to say that. What missionary asks for less mail!? Messed up huh. Anyway, the elder's address is the same, except they're #2111. There's more I could say but would feel bad cause I don't want to make my companion or the elders seem like bad people p... cause she's not. She awesome and I love her but she's a little too much for me to handle. Prayers. 

Today has been the longest day of my life! We walked from 6:30 to 7:45 this morning to the other elders in our district for breakfast. We didn't know it was that far. It was fun, but they remind me of the elders in Taos who don't take being a missionary at all times seriously. Then walked home for an hour. Went shopping. Came back. Laundry. Bike up the HUGE hill to get to the family history center to email. And now I really should go... AAAHHH!H!!!!!H!H!HH!!!! 

Well, olive ya'll. :) Much love. 

SISTER SCHIEVING

Send me prayers!

5.6.13 New Area

Dearest most awesome family EVER,

What a ride it's been. So... like I said, super bummed to be kicked out of Taos. BUT! Something crazy has happened. I LOVE THIS AREA ALMOST AS MUCH! I think I love it so much because Heavenly Father really has a purpose for me here. I'm grateful for that. Cause I did love Taos. It was rural and not very populated. But where we live IS. It's like Jordan Landing but like 10 times bigger. That's where we live. But where we serve is kind of like Taos. It's literally called the "Village of Corrales." It's really beautiful. And we bike! Dad, you'll be surprised to find out that my bike is.....PINK! AND SO IS MY HELMET! LOLOLOLLOOLIOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLLLOLOOOLL.  

My companion and I went bike shopping on Tuesday and she actually really enjoys biking, so whatever bike she got, I got. Cause she knew what she was talking about and I did not. And then we thought what the heck, let's just nerd it out and get matching helmets too! Sorry that I don't have a picture of us yet or my bikes... but I do have a picture of the elder's in our ward. But I'll get to them in a moment. Anyway, we have to bike like 3 miles to get into our area... and then depending on where we go, we have the potential to bike 20-30 miles a day. Pray for me to have energy! I'm ok so far, but ya'll know how wimpy I am. I can't wait for thunder thighs! And since I just spent $300 on a bike, I hope to stay here or at any biking area for basically the rest of my mission. UNLESS Heavenly Father wants me back in Taos and I will go happily. 

So... my companion is hard core! She was a gymnast, and she loves rock climbing, very out doorsy.  For example, we were serving a single less active lady and she needed some trees cut down. My companion climbed on the fence next to this small-er tree and as one of the elders were sawing, she hung onto it to break it. Cool. Anyway, she's a missionary. She's basically training me. She's so motivated, has this insane desire to teach people and work. It's awesome. She's helping me a lot. Training is difficult, but I've kept calm. I feel like everything I learned in Taos was wrong... I'm basically starting completely over. I love and miss Sister Harlan, but everything we did is just so different from what's expected of us down here. Anyway, it's going pretty well for 2 brand new and still green missionaries. We love it though! We really do. I'm not just saying that I love it to make you guys think I like it and really hate it on the inside. I reeeeaaaallllly love it! 

So the elders... Elder Satterlee (from Kearns, Utah) and Elder Armstrong (from North Carolina) are the elders in our ward. They also live in the same apartment complex as us. They educate us about My Little Pony and other random things like that. They are very entertaining. But they understand there's a time and a place for play and for being missionaries. We admire them. One of them has a My Little Pony lanyard and we traded. I now know the main 7 ponies! There's Rainbow Dash (who they compare to my companion cause she's everyone's favorite and super adventurous), Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, Derpy Hooves, Twilight Sparkle, Flutter Shy, and Rarity. I remind them of Twilight Sparkle and Rarity because I'm "elegant, refined and intelligent." Lol. Like who just loves ponies. Right now they're pelting me with nerf guns.... hahahaha. Anyway....

It's been a little bit of a wild ride due to my companions health problems.  But she's a warrior. And we're getting things figured out with calling her doctors and working with Pres and Sister Miller. All is well! Or getting there. So... if you send anything for my companion in the future, do your research and don't send things she can't eat. The good news is we eat suuuper healthy! I haven't had much junk. Not to say I wasn't healthy before, cause I feel like I was. But now just more so, and now I'm getting exercise allll day. Awesome, right? In addition to the 30 minutes required in the morning. 

So... I feel like there's not much else to say! Besides I love it, I'm admittedly struggling a little (but how else am I supposed to grow?), and I feel great. I really do. 

I'll attach (ouch, another nerf to the hip) pictures of my last day in Taos WHICH WAS ONE OF THE BEST DAYS OF MY WHOLE 2 MONTHS OF BEING GONE!!! :D  Sooo much fun. We went to the Taos Ski valley. Beautiful. And to the Gorge Bridge. And it was just awesome. The elder's took us with another member so it wouldn't be against the rules for them to take us. I didn't hate hanging out with the elder's all day! Go me! My patience is now a strength! I actually think that it really is a strength now. I haven't been impatient (besides with myself just a little) while I've been here. Now I think my weakness is faith... it seems like I don't have faith that well find people to teach.... With that attitude it's not going to happen! What's the deal with that... I don't know how to change that attitude... but I'm working on it. Prayers are always welcome! I've felt so many prayers from you already. So thanks! So sorry that went from awesome Taos-ness to my weaknesses and doubts. haha. 

Ok. I think that's all. I LOVE MY FAMILY SOOOOO MUCH! YALL ROCK!

So... OLIVE YA!

Much love, 

Sister Hannah Marie Schieving

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Sister Schieving didn't send captions, but you get the idea... :)