So We Raced A Train and Taught A Hippie!!!

Hola.

I hope all is well for y'all, and I hope you are getting everything your heart desires.

This week was soooo long but short at the same time. Transfer week is always that way, I think. So Tuesday I said goodbye to sister Memmott, she went to Redding! My new companion came. Her name is sister Andersen, and she is from Gilbert, Arizona. She is one of seven siblings and she likes musicals and movies a lot. She also quotes spongebob all the time. It's wonderful. She has been out 4 1/2 months.

So far we have had a lot of fun this week, and I have seriously loved being sister andersens companion. We get along great, and I've already scared her a few times. It's been wonderful.

We went tracting a little this week when we saw this really weird house completely decked out with art and signs telling us to come in.

So of course we knock. This hippie guy named Norm let us in, and his entire house was covered in paintings he did himself. the first thing he said was "are you here to make me vote?" Then he saw our nametags and he said "oh you are, you're making me vote for Jesus!" And then proceeded to tell us that he lives his life according to his emotions.

So if his emotions tell him to kill someone, he will do it. Ok Norm.

Let us know how that works out for you when you are serving a life sentence in prison.

We were driving to Durham one evening when a train came up behind us going like 50 mph. I decided to match the speed of the train, and we tried to catch the eye of the conductor and wave to him. It didn't work, but we beat the train and it was fun.

We also got to pet a wolf, which was amazing because wolves are my favorite animals, next to hedgehogs. The things you do on missions.

Anyways, we had a good time teaching this week! We were able to contact a lot of people that haven't seen the missionaries in a while.

One instance was really neato, I was driving along a neighborhood and I suddenly got the impression to go see this less active lady we have been trying to contact forever. We pull up to her house and knock on her door, and lo and behold she is home. We talked to her and set up a return appointment for next week. Follow the spirit people, it knows what it's doing.

We are teaching these two kids named Mobeen and Rameen. Mobeen is 13 and Rameen is 11. They are adopted, and when the adoption papers go through, they can be baptized, yay! Please pray their adoption goes through successfully, I love them both and want to see them get baptized before I leave. I love teaching kids so much.

There's this deli/hotdog place called Zotts that gives lunch for free to missionaries. We went there this week with some elders, and that was fun. I will never get free food again like this on my mission, so I am taking advantage of it.

Also we are officially in the ward choir for Christmas. That's gonna be fun.

I've really come to appreciate the sacrament. When I take the sacrament now, I truly see it as a sacred ordinance that helps me repent. It makes me feel clean when I take it, and I love that time where I think about the atonement and how I can make my coming week better. Sacrament meeting has become one of my favorite things to do in my life.

I love you all! 11 weeks to go. Gosh this is going by fast.

Love,

Sister Ginn

1. We carved pumpkins as companions for Halloween 2. Elder Duseigner got transfers

I Am Staying in Chico This is It!!

So I have been on pins and needles this entire week. Transfer week always does that to me. It makes my nerves completely shot. Fun right?

Well we got the transfer calls, sister Memmott is leaving and is going to Redding! I am staying and I am getting Sister Andersen. She is kind of new, she has only been out four and a half months, and I will be her third companion. I've met her once, and she seemed super cool. I'm pretty excited, she's a really happy and bubbly person like me. I think we will get along fine.

I am going to miss sister Memmott dearly. I adore her. She truly is the cutest 23 year old on the planet earth.

This past week was kind of slow, transfer week is either the best week of the transfer or mediocre. We did make contact with a bunch of less actives this week. One is coming to church next Sunday, woot woot!

None of our investigators could meet this week, which was kind of a bummer. Remember that investigator I told you about last week who called us on Sunday and said she wanted to be baptized asap? Yeah gang members kicked her out of her house and held her at gun point, so she moved to Sacramento. Good ol' Chico.

What else happened this week... oh yeah we mopped one of our less actives kitchen floor. Her name is Brenda and she goes to dialysis three times a week, and she is so tired all the time because of it. We asked her if we could do anything for her and she jokingly said "you can mop my floor" and sister Memmott and I jumped right up and found her broom and mop and did it for her. The whole time Brenda was amazed, she said she had never seen anyone so excited to mop a floor.

She called us angels. I couldn't help but laugh. It was pretty funny.

We had a couple of lessons with Breanna, our recent convert. She's doing well! She is super solid and has an amazing testimony of the gospel. She wants to serve a mission, and she will be one heck of an awesome missionary.

There's this member in our ward, brother Albert, who has this firewood business. He splits logs for a living. He has us come over something and help him split the wood. I love it, it's so much fun. Watching a log splitter completely annihilate a stump brings me a lot of joy.

Our ward had their trunk or treat Saturday night and it was sooo much fun. We had a chili cook off, and the missionaries were the judges.

I've never been in such pure bliss. I was Minnie Mouse and sister Memmott was Dorothy. It was raining, so we did the trunk or treat inside and we decorated our room with plastic bats and cobwebs. I called our room "missionaries on a low budget."

Hey guess what. I only have 12 weeks of my mission left. *loud screeching*

I can't believe I've made it this far to be honest with y'all. But I did. Here I go. This is my final run.

Sister Ginn is gonna go out with a bang.

I love you all so very much. You're all invited to my homecoming, I wanna get that out of the way right now. If you can make it. Thank you for all the support and love you give me. It is truly appreciated.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Love,

Sister Ginn

I watched the Primary Program and It Made Me Want To Have 10 Kids

Our ward primary program was on Sunday and I swear it was the cutest thing I have ever seen. I almost died from cuteness. I want at least ten children now so that one day they can all be as innocent and cute and so honest about Christ too.

Let's throw everything out of order because I'm lazy right now and I don't feel like writing a lot.

Ok first off we taught 17 lessons to people this week. What. Miracles.

Yeah that happened. I was shocked by the end of the week and when I reported numbers to our district leader. Holy crap I don't even know how we did that. That's the most lessons I have ever taught in a week my whole mission. Thanks heavenly father.

One of our investigators called us Sunday morning and told us she wants to be baptized as soon as she can. What. That never happens.

Well we can sure as heck do that. She has a word of wisdom and law of chastity issue but we can fix that and then dunk her as soon as we can. This never happens, and it was probably the highlight of my whole week.

I went on exchanges again with a sister named sister tsalagi. She is a sweet girl who runs a million miles an hour 24/7. Calm down girl. We had fun. She's super tickilish so we had a tickle war and I won. Haha.

On Friday we had a car fast day, yaaaaay. Car fasts days are the best

*cough* sarcasm *cough*. We walked everywhere we needed to go though, so I felt like I was in a third world country. We walked about 4.5 miles total. We even walked on a freeway because yolo. It was fun. No one was good of course but hey, we were obedient and diligent and we told jokes the whole time. Yeah missionary work.

Something I have been doing a lot of lately is praying with sincerity of heart. I have truly learned that if you ask God a question, pray about it, study the scriptures, and have faith that he will answer you, he DEFINITELY will. I have learned that personal revelation works, and that the lord wants to give us revelation for the future.

We just need to be willing to counsel with hi, and act on the promptings that we receive from the Holy Ghost. It's possible, we just need to do our part.

Oh I also have been scaring the tar out of Memmott the last week. I scared her once so bad that she fell flat on the floor. I laughed for a solid hour. I love scaring people so much.

I love you all! The church is true. This is the last week before transfers, I will find out if I stay in Chico, stay with Memmott, or get a new companion this coming Saturday. Stay tuned! After this transfer I will only have two transfers left. What.

I love y'all. I will keep you in my prayers.

Love,

Sister Ginn

Hello World

So life here in Chico is better than ever, we had a great week full of talking to people and living the mission lyfe.

Allow me to share some of the highlights.

This week we decided to take some chalk and write nice messages on a sidewalk at a park. It was actually really fun, we drew the plan of salvation, and just talked to people who walked by. We gots lots of compliments, and what was really cool was that we ended up meeting our next door neighbor at the park. He recognized us and we talked for a while. We're gonna make him cookies and pretend they were left over from a party so it's less weird.

We taught about 12 lessons this week which is one of the highest numbers I've had in a long time. Shoot dang. We saw a ton of people.

We did a ton of service too. So here's a story I'm probably never going to forget: we get a call from our stake president telling us this nonmember family is moving in to our ward and they need missionaries to help unpack. Ok, we can do that. I call some elders and we go over the next day to help this family unpack. Literally four hours later after we help them out and switch contact info, the mom if the family calls us and says they are being kicked out and they have to go to Arizona. Oh yeah, so they had just spent 3 days traveling to California from Arkansas. So we call even more elders and go back the next day to help them pack up and move. The whole time the family was super emotional and they kept telling us how kind we were and how as soon as they got to Arizona they are going to look up the lds church and go. Well I hope they get baptized. So that's just one example of how quickly things change when you're a missionary. We are so heavily involved in people's lives, and then in two seconds they're gone. Ok.

Cool.

I learned how to split wood this week, there's a member who owns a firewood business and asks the missionaries to come help him split woods every other week. He has this GIANT log splitter and it's awesome to see it totally crush huge tree stumps.

Also, it poured rain this week. Praise.

What else happened? Oh yeah, we had another zone meeting this week.

Our topic for this month's training is Joseph smith and the restoration. We all went into separate rooms with just our companions and we recited the first vision to eachother. That is so powerful. I know that Joseph smith truly saw god the father and his son Jesus Christ. Without him, there would be no gospel. We would not be here, and the world would be an even more miserable place.

I also went on exchanges this week, that was fun. I went with sister Sorensen and I took over the area. I only got lost once, freak yeah.

I'm doing great.

I am myself. I like myself. I don't change for anyone or anything. I like who I am and god does too. My mission is turning me into what I'm supposed to be.

I love you all.

Stay sweet.

Love,

Sister Ginn

1. We go to Buffalo Wild Wings every Tuesday for lunch as a zone 2. Art 3. More art 4. A member made us cake 5. Zone meeting 6. Moving stuff 7. Exchanges!

8. We found a stump in the rain

9. I love rain

10. I'm so basic haha

Doughnuts Are Life

This was one weird week, but it was a good week.

Let me start off with this, a kid named Mobeen we are teaching told me how Jesus invented missionaries. So back then, apparently doorknobs were not invented. So whenever Jesus knocked on a door, he didn't have a choice but to knock because he couldn't use a door handle to open a door. Thus, missionary tracting was invented. I am firmly convinced this is the 100% truth and I want to thank my friend Mobeen for opening my eyes to this.

Our lessons were super weird this week. We taught one of our investigators and they were high as a kite. Her name is Cathy, and we were going in to teach the restoration, but when we got there she clearly just got finished smoking the "dank kush" so we decided to share with her a happy little video message about how Jesus loves us that she could understand while being high. It made her happy so that's all that matters.

We had Zone meeting this week with all the other missionaries and I didn't have to teach, yaaaay <3 about="" and="" as="" by="" can="" chico="" diligence.="" do="" end="" find="" forty="" goals="" how="" investigators="" month="" new="" obedience.="" october.="" of="" p="" talked="" that.="" the="" to="" totes="" want="" we="" yeah.="" zone="">

I hit 15 months guys. I bought a box of krispie kreme doughnuts to celebrate. I have eaten eight of them. I regret absolutely nothing. My favorites are the ones that are iced like pumpkins. They have chocolate flavoring in them and they are TO DIE FOR. I am so grateful for the gospel and I am so grateful for doughnuts.

I thought of a doughnut analogy by the way, so the gospel is krispie kreme. All krispie kremes have the same purpose, to sell doughnuts, just like the gospel has the same purpose all over the world. Inside the krispie kreme are all different kinds of unique flavors of doughnuts. In the gospel, we are all different kinds of people. We are all unique. I personally think I am the blueberry doughnuts. When we work together, we make people happy using the gospel because of our uniqueness and different flavors we add to the world. Just like doughnuts. They make people happy. So basically, we are krispie kreme doughnuts. It's freaking wonderful to be alive.

I played a special musical number this week on Sunday for the ward, and they LOVED it. You'd think these people had never heard a piano at all before. I am so glad o have this talent, and that I can share it with others. I am not an eloquent person, and a lot of how I share who I am is through music and through me playing the piano. The Chico 5th ward got to know me better on Sunday because I played the piano. I love it so much, it is such a huge part of me.

Shout out to my boy Jefferson, he turned 21 yesterday. I LOVE YOU JEFFERSON YOU ARE MY COAL, have fun being able to legally drink but not actually doing it because alcohol is bad for you!

We built a fort this week. Fight me.

Also, OUR INVESTIGATOR GOT BAPTIZED, PRRRAAAIIISEEEE. Her name is breanna, she is 15, and she is sassy as heck. And now she has the Holy Ghost. We are gonna keep teaching her the new member lessons and I'm so pumped, I love teaching younger people.

I know the gospel is true, this week we had something totally tear us apart in a lesson. This lady told us our religion was stupid multiple times and made my companion cry. It was a mess. She told us prayer was a waste of time and that if baptism was a requirement to enter the kingdom of god she didnt want to have any part of that. The whole time I was thinking "lol ur such a noob I'm sealed to my family forever and I have a relationship with god, have fun in outer darkness" haha

But seriously, I am so grateful for the proper priesthood authority that allows me to be sealed to my family forever. I love our current prophet, Thomas s. Monson. I love the Book of Mormon. I know the scriptures better than I have my entire life. It's amazing to me that I only have three months left. I have enjoyed every second of my mission.

I love you all and I love doughnuts.

And I will see most of you soon.

Love,

Sister Ginn

I Love Conference

I loved General conference this time around. It was amazing. Honestly it was what I needed to hear, everything was. I loved it. It made me feel so much better about my life as a missionary. I am still on a spiritual high from it. It made me so happy. My favorite talk was the one that talked about being ambitious for Christ. I always need to be ambitious for Christ, no matter if I'm a regular civilian or a missionary. Oh it was wonderful. We all went to the stake center to watch it, and all the missionaries were there. My mom sent me a TON of cinnamon rolls and everyone went to town ok them while we watched conference. My mother is now considered a "homie" in the Chico zone, which is the highest honor one can be bestowed with in the mission culture of the CRM. Thank you mommy, you're the best mom in the world

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This week went by so fast, I had a blast. I am learning more of the area, and I am starting to really know everyone we are teaching. We have SO many less actives, I love it so much. We had lots of gr8 lessons about general conference this week, and it was lovely. We even got some people to watch it! Yeah!

We did a ton of service this week. We volunteer at this homeless shelter here in our area which is awesome and slightly sketchy but I love it. We clean stuff and cook food for homeless people and it makes me really grateful for what I have. We work there Tuesday and Thursday mornings. It's fun.

We also painted a playground this week. A school was redoing there entire playground and they enlisted the lds missionaries to help. That was fun, me and sister Memmott got to channel our inner hipster-art selves and paint stuff. I painted a spring tree and it looks pretty.

See photos below.

We have a 15 year old girl we have been teaching, and she is on date for baptism! Her name is Breanna. Her baptism is this coming Saturday, and sister Memmott and I get to teach the restoration to everyone while she changes clothes after she gets baptized. That will be awesome.

We also had interviews with president Marston this week. My interview was typical, nothing special happened, mostly because it was at 7:30 at night and president Marston was exhausted by then. I don't blame him. I got a picture with him though so that's all that matters haha.

I am so happy to be a missionary guys, you don't even know. I have two transfers left after this one, and I am going to have as much fun as I possibly can preaching the gospel with what time I have left.

Sister Memmott is amazing, I love her so much. I love Chico. We have been having so much fun here being together. The ward is so nice, and they like to feed us so I still eat tons of food all the time.

I love you all, and I love my savior. I know he suffered and died for my sins. He knows me personally. He loves me and knows me by name. He is my best friend. That is all there is to it.

Love,

Sister Ginn

1. Look at the perfection that is my companion 2. I painted my face with lipstick and chased sister Memmott around the house with a knife 3. Weekly planning 4. We painted!

5. President Marston is so cute

6. More painting

7. Even more painting

8. The sisters of Chico zone

9. Chico zone sw@g

Oh My Gosh I Made It!!!

I made it guys, I made it through the transfer. I didn't kill anyone. 

Ok so my pet peeve as a missionary is when someone asks me my first name and then someone else goes "Her first name is Sister!" And then laughing ensues. Yeah I haven't heard that one before, you're real funny, let me just smack you across the face with a Book of Mormon. 

Anyway. 

IM ALIVE THE CHURCH IS TRUE. 

this week was a week filled with service. There's a super cool family called the Lyman family that we helped out, we painted their whole house pretty much. I love painting, it was a lot of fun. We give service at a food closet every week here in auburn. So we did that. Plus we helped people move stuff. I got to wear pants so much this week and it made me so happy. 

I had to say goodbye to a lot of people, which sucks a lot. But I know that where I'm going I'm gonna be happy and be able to make more relationships with people. 

It's weird to think that the next time I'm packing I'll be going home. Ok. What. 

We had a lesson with Danielle again this week, we talked about the sabbath day and how to keep it holy. She kept telling us how much she loves church and how much she loves being a member since she was baptized back in July. I am gonna miss her so much. She is a few months pregnant, and I am coming back to see her baby oh wow. 

Friday was our car fast day (haha kill me) and we went on splits with our relief society presidency since we can't use our car on a car fast day haaaaaa it's awful, I mean it's a huge blessing. I got to say goodbye to a 97 year old lady who is my hero in life, her name is Melba. She's the cutest person in the whole world and I wanna be her when I grow up. 

Saturday was our wards temple day! Lake of the pines had a ward temple day and we got to go, and it was awesome. It was nice to be able to go as my last hurrah with the ward. I am gonna miss these people a LOT. 

Sunday was a day filled with goodbyes. I think that's the hardest part of the mission. You are a missionary and you are filled with such a Christlike love for all of these people and them you have to leave them. You leave a bit of your heart in each of your areas. You are obligated to come back and visit these people. Not coming back isn't an option. If you don't it's like abandoning your family, because these people are your family now. 

I love my mission. I really do. I love the fact that for 18 months I'm called to serve the lord. I have such a testimony of that. I know that what I am doing is the best thing for me right now, and I wouldn't trade my experiences I've had for anything in the world. As hard as a mission is, it is so worth it. 

I am going to Chico with Sister Memmott. I have served around her already and I adore her. She's amazing. 

This will be my last area before I go home, guys. Final boss round. Let's do this. 

I love you all. Thank you for the support you've given me. I could not do this without you people in my life. 

Love,

Sister Ginn