Week 9: Bishop => Bakersfield

So I got transferred! Sister Wheeler and I drove down to Ridgecrest Monday night to stay overnight at the STL's. I am gonna miss the stars in Bishop. They are so bright!! Anyways, we got down there and the STL's told us that every first Pday of the month missionaries get free TACO BELL. ARE YOU KITTIN ME RIGHT MEOW. So glad I don't serve in Ridgecrest. Lolz.

Tuesday we got to Bakes for transfer meeting. That is the last transfer meeting- the brethren don't want us to have them anymore, so we aren't having them anymore. I'm not sure how transfers will work now but we'll see. I got my new comp, Sister Perrin. She is from northern Idaho from a town with 900 people in it. So something like Bishop kinda. She is really, really great. She is super type A so she's just like me. She is making me work work my butt off so it's gonna be a good transfer together. We also have fun together so I am really excited. She is incredibly caring. She is super on board with my health and tells all the members that feed us about my diet restrictions, and she said she's going to eat just like I do. I KNOW RIGHT. I am so grateful. She's been out 6 months. 

I'm serving in Stockdale, which is West Bakersfield. It's super rich. Like, so rich. We knock on these mansions and grumpy cats usually answer the door. It's fun. Apparently it's the hardest area in Bakersfield, according to everyone I've talked to, and President said there are a lot similarities with Bishop and Stockdale. But the members are really awesome, they feed us every night, our ward mission leader is enthusiastic, and the bishop is wonderful too. AND HI IT'S SO MUCH WARMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's still been colder, but "cold" is 45 degrees. Boo hoo. It's crazy how much fog we get every morning- you can hardly see anything!! We've been getting a lot of rain because of the el nino. Which I never agreed to but that's ok. 

Oh my gosh. And the palm trees. I think God made palm trees just for me. Every time I see a tall palm tree my spirits just raise the roof. The skies are also so big here. It reminds me of Florida, which I love. 

Our apartment! It's in a gated little community of apartments, and it's sooo big!! We just barely got a couch and we decided to put it in our room. Lolz. We each have our own bathroom too. I LOVE IT!!!!! 

Ok. So this week Sister Perrin and I were focused a lot on finding. We went and saw a lot of potentials, and did a lot of tracting. We were nearing the end of the day and we really wanted to find some people. We prayed and asked where we should we go, and the Warrenton street came into my head. We went to Warrenton street and parked, and the number 223 came into my head too. So we started walking down the street looking for this house. The whole time there were a group of teenage boys skateboarding down the street. We got to a house that had those three numbers in them so we thought what the heck, lets try it. Nothin. We turned around and one of the boys was just chillin in the street on his skateboard. We started teaching him and then all his friends came over and asked what we were doing and the kid said, "They're talking to me about God". They didn't seem turned off so we started teaching all of them! IT was soooo so awesome. They were all 14 and when we got to Joseph Smith we said, "And guess how old he was? 14, just like you!!" And they were like no wayyyyyy. And I was like ya wayyyyyyyyyy. We didn't have enough Book of Mormons so we had them download the Book of Mormon on their phone! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. It was seriously so fun. And then we all prayed together and committed them to baptism. We are gonna visit them altogether on Wednesday. We'll see what happens! 

Anyways, we are going to go to WINCO to get groceries. Sweet mercy. I am so happy. K love you byeeee!!!

Week 8: I AM GETTING TRANSFERRED

I AM GETTING TRANSFERRED!!! Yep. Y'all heard me. I am just as surprised as you are. We thought that either both sisters would be taken out of Bishop (we are losing a lot of missionaries this transfer) or that we would both stay- especially me because I've only been here 1 transfer and people usually stay in Bishop5-6 months. But I am going to Bakersfield!!! I'll be serving in Stockdale, which is West Bakersfield. They have Chipotle. They have Walmart. They have Winco. What a dream. Lolz. We are leaving today. We are staying the night at the STL's house in Ridgecrest, then we'll drive down the rest of the way tomorrow morning.

I feel like the past week has been such a blur! Most of it was uneventful because both me and Sister Wheeler were sick a different times this week. But we did have a crazy crazy day on Saturday trying to see all of our investigators and members to say goodbye. One of my favorite investigators, Mary, had the funniest reaction when I told her I was leaving. She's the one that's 84 years old and is kind of a hoarder..Love her. Every time we come over she says the following things:

"Honey ya got any matches? I'm gonna light this place on fire and be done with it!"
"Take me to jail!! It's so nice there. Free meals and I don't have to talk to any of my kids!"
(When she walks us outside to our car) "Oh my GOSH! Would ya look at those stars! Isn't it amazing? And to think that they're made just for me! You're just lucky enough to look at them!"

I know right? Ugh I love her. Anyways, she was legitimately upset when she found out I was leaving. For about 5 solid minutes she kept saying, "WHAT? No! No. No. No. I'm not going to let this happen. You can't leave. Why would they do such a thing? To you, to Bishop, and to especially me!!!" After we calmed her down, I told her I had a gift. I got a box of mini matches and wrapped them up so that she could light her house on fire whenever she wanted. Instead of laughing because it was a gag gift, she though the matches were the most adorable thing and she went and put them in a safe place. I'm gonna miss Mary.

New Years Eve was fun! Sister Mclaughlin, a member, took us out to eat sushi. I bought SpongeBob party hats and made her wear them with us in the restaurant. We got a hilarious picture of it. Then we came home and we blew up balloons, taped them to the wall, and then we taped needles to pencils and threw them like darts. You really have to get creative on the mission. Lolz.

Yesterday was testimony meeting and it was a pretty emotional day. All 4 of the missionaries got up and bore testimonies and it was really awesome. We've had to teach gospel principles every Sunday, and this last Sunday they made the missionaries who are leaving, me and Elder Thunhorst, teach. It ended up being my favorite lesson I've ever taught. The spirit was so strong and participation was absolutely fantastic. I'll miss those members.

Well I don't have much time but I hope you are all doing well!! If you haven't made New Years goals yet GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE AND MAKE SOME! Jk but really, make this year better than 2015! Tootles!

Sister Harmon