Transition to a New City and a Young Single Adult Ward,

October 21, 2013

Oi Minha Querida Familia e meus amigos!!!!!!

This week has been a loooooooooong and interesting week! What a transition!! My feelings are sOOOOo mixed! I feel so strange being in a new area, with new people, but with the same companion! D: weeeeeirdddd... I feel kinda in a way like this isn’t right. but I trust President is inspired! The Lord knows where I'm needed and who I'm needed to be companions with!

This area..... is the Royal Mesa YSA ward covering 2 stakes. so the area we cover is HUUUUGE!!! and a YSA ward!!! So crazy!! SO DIFFERENT! So because in Kingman, I was "out of valley" which is any part of the mission out of Henderson and Vegas, so we're kind of our own little mission and EVERYthing is different. But yeah, so that in itself is a huuuuge adjustment. THEN on top of that it's YSA not family ward. and so yeah. basically everything is crazy haha. It's been pretty weird just because everyone here is like my age or around my age..... I don't really like it haha. I never realllyyyy felt super comfortable around a lot of people my age so working with ONLY people my age is suuuper different. At least right now the investigators we have are like 26 or 27 so not REALLY my age. It's just strange thinking that these people could be like my high school friends or Kei and Cami and Trav's high school friends. Strange. I think the hardest part is the fact that I'm serving with sis Jensen-Coon who also was very attached to Kingman. Cause now we're both kind of homesick for Kingman and don't know this place very well at all so it's like we're Double Transferred in and always looking back at the old area, but it's our goal to really get attached to this area as well … to really love it together … so it'll be GREAT! :)

Everything’s different.  Seriously though.  There are food places EVERYwhere and shops and stores and Henderson is seriously like San Jose sometimes. just a suburb/city off of the biiiig city (SF and Vegas). I'm trying to find the missionaries who cover Uncle Jimmy's ward but no one knows Desert Rose! Are they in Black Mountain Stake?  Who are their missionaries?? Well, I'm in GreenValley stake but we cover Green Valley and Anthem stake... and lemme tell you... these guys are LOADDDED!!! OH MAN. crazy. Like unnecessarily huge houses!!! haha. so insane... but they’re great people! :) I'm excited for this new adventure!!

The hardest part of the work here is that people our age are all students and working and busy and constantly changing schedules so they’re all very flaky and unreliable haha.

Plus most of the people we run into are not in the age group so we just refer them to the other missionaries. ):   There are soooo many awesome people we contact that I'm like nooooo I wanna teach you!!! but we send them to the elders haha.  Our investigators right now are sooo amazing. There's Ricky who has suffered such a hard life--two brain tumors removed and another in his head now, near abusive father, mother died last year and his uncle who he was really close to passed away a couple of months ago basically in his arms (choked on a meatball!) and yet he isn't bitter or angry, he wants to find a way to become closer to Heavenly Father, to really know him. How amazing. The hardest part of all this is that a lot of the people we teach have some kind of social anxiety and don't want to go to church with people their age for fear of being judged or mocked or just different.  Which is always a fear I guess, but I just see it more so in this age group.

This area is such a blessing to me, I feel, because all other blessings aside, I feel I will learn how to work with people my age when I go back to school and only really have people my age. I will learn how to relate and help them and really connect instead of avoiding those I don't understand or just feel really different or intimidated by. The mission really teaches me how to talk to EVERYone.  No matter what, they are a child of God as well and so am I, so no one is better than anyone else. Still a work in progress, especially for me, confidence wise, I feel.  I feel like I just need to relax and stop fearing man instead of God.  That's my goal for this Transfer.

I AM super bummed however about leaving Kingman. I miss my investigators/member friends there!! The Mehargs.  I don't remember if I told you about them,  but they are amazing and a Part member family. We were teaching John and Kristi is the wife who is a recent convert/less active. They are sooo amazing and loving and just so fun!  I miss being able to teach them because they really are just thirsting for more and more knowledge. I will send pics as well. And their kids, Evalynn and Deviney! SOO cute and fun!! miss them! but they'll be in good hands. I just wish I could have stayed in Kingman until Brazil. I just felt like that would be my little US Mission home. but it's okay, Heavenly Father has other plans for me haha. I gotta keep reminding myself that this is all part of the mission and I'll be okay!

So this coming transfer, on the 5,6 and 7th of November, guess who's coming to perform in Vegas so we can bring our investigators to......!!!!

GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE SAINTS UNIFIED VOICES!!!!!! SOOO COOOL!! Remember when Dad helped set up that whole thing in SJ??  Of course you remember. haha. but how exciting!!! I get to watch it with investigators and see it again through new eyes!!!! I'm sooo excited!! I barely remember the one at home … just that it was really good. and a lot of work. haha. But I'm soooo excited!!!  I saw a little clip of her testimony in one of her past firesides and oh man... the Spirit from that tiny clip was just sooo powerful! Her spirit is just soooo strong. It's insane how much influence one person's testimony can have, especially hers. wow! How impressive that she does what she does. So amazing. I'm SOOO STOKED!! WOOHOOO!!

So anyway, I am doing well!  We are working hard trying to organize the area and get to know the members! It's awesome!! I can't wait! The only down parts is that since they’re YSA, they take us out to eat dinner a lot.   No more home cooked meals hahahaha. its okay though.  It's just     another challenge I gotta get over... never really liked eating out :P but yeah it'll be fun!!

Well, I love you all! I'm so excited to be here!

I know, with every part of me, that this IS the one true church here on the Earth … The only church with the COMPLETE restored gospel on the Earth. I know that my Savior lives and love me and every single person I meet. It's just a simple thing to know, yet it means SO much to me and so many people don’t know this truth yet. I am sooo incredibly grateful to be here able to tell these people this truth so that they can all experience the great joy and comfort I've been able to experience. I love you all so much at home!!! You're all in my prayers every day!

Com muito amor!!

Sister Yoshimoto

This is a super cool ice tray thing shaped like a heart!! how fun!!

This is the new WML and his family! The Dickersons!!! He actually served in the San Jose mission Spanish Speaking! probably like 15 years ago or something! but he remembers Alum Rock ward! It might have been before they had the Spanish ward. idr. but how cool huh??

This a really badly taken pic of me and John and Kristi Meharg! <33

Sis Roberts and me on the see saw! wooh! haha

This is me and little Deviney (Dev-on-ee) sooo cute! We were on the see saw in their back yard!! so fun!!

This is Brother Dion Lauck! He ALSO served in SJ but a lot longer before Bro Dickerson. He served when it was a huuuuge area with like San Fran in it too and stuff. but he did serve in Alum Rock area!! How cool!! He served IN San Jose! He's the BEST! So great with missionary work and they were just awesome! :)

(see his little "I can't hug you so, air hug!" pose haha)

Deviney and Evalynn

Such funnnnyyy pictures!!! But they really are the cutest little kids hahahha! and soooooo much personality!! haha. Kids are the best!