I have made a little bit of a move and I am now in COLUMBUS OHIO and I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! At first I was not wanting to leave Temple Square (because it was comfy there) but after two days being here I actually love it more than anything else.
President Stratford (my new President here) announced to our whole group that I would be going "straight to the hood" to the Gahanna area! He was not wrong, we are indeed in the hood. We were talking to this local lady and she told us that we had to get out of the part of town that we were in because we were "two little white girls" and it was not safe for us there. It was kinda funny but when the locals tell you to leave you should go so we left pretty quick.
I have loved getting to meet all of the people here! All of the people that I have gotten to meet are so sweet and everyone here just LOVES JESUS SO MUCH. I really didn't expect that because I am not in the south, but these people are just so awesome and tons of them are really just prepared to hear about the Gospel.
I know that God is real and He is involved in the lives of the people here because I can feel it. I love everything about Ohio and this area, even if I smell like weed 24/7, it is all worth it:)
-Sister Moran
p.s. my companion's name is Sister Reese and she is literally an angel and I love her so much already:)
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Hello Parents! This is your daughter Emily who has as of this week POPPED THE BUBBLE WHICH IS TEMPLE SQUARE AND HAS GONE OUT INTO THE FOREIGN LAND WHICH IS COLUMBUS OHIO!!!!!!
So, I'll start off though with the end of Temple Square. It is dead there. But I was terrified to leave. I was honestly at the point where I was telling Sister Safuan as we were walking home "I really just can't believe that I have to go to Ohio tomorrow I would rather just stay here" and then we saw Elder Rasband on the sidewalk so I stopped complaining and said hey and then kept complaining after our paths crossed. I was so stressed about packing and the weight of everything and if I brought enough clothes (I think I did btw but I am going to wear the same things over and over again so if you want to send some that would be cool). When we were driving to the airport (after I said bye to my beautiful comp that I will love forever), I was just staring at the Temple as we drove away and I was so sad because I love that stinking place so much. Wow my heart has softened while I have been out.
And then we were at the airport and getting on a flight to Dallas. I was blessed because it was me and another sister and no one in the seat between us so you already know that I slept so hard. Then, we got to Dallas and we split from the other six Temple Square Sisters that were travelling with us and we went to our Columbus boarding area and they went to their Tennessee and Arkansas boarding areas. Then it was just me and Sister Runquist. We got some pizza and then chilled out. We got to our gate and hour early so we decided to preach the gospel and we met this girl named Maddy. Oh she was so confused about everything in her life and didn't have a strong belief in God but she knew who He was but didn't necessarily believe in Him. We told her that God loved her and we gave her our info and she promised that she would email us!!! She was too cute and we literally talked with her for about an hour about everything under the moon. We have yet to receive an email even though she is super cool and seemed pretty solid to actually follow through so we are bummed about that. But oh well, God wills it.
Then we touch down. We are in the Ohio now. A senior couple was there to pick us up because some how (which never happens) our transfer fell on the same day as their transfer so there was no awkward trio until the transfer, we could just be a regular companionship. We got to the mission home and there are about 10 missionaries that are fresh out of the MTC and they are learning about some of the standards for the mission and about the safeguards for using technology and about the booklet adjusting to missionary life and everything like that. I have read all of these things for a year. Good times. We have interviews. Mine goes something like this. President Stratford (PS): so, Sister Moran, you have been out for a year! Sister Moran (SM): yes sir I have PS: and are you excited to be here? SM: yes I think so but I am also really nervous PS: Well you will do great. You are going to have an awesome companion and blah blah. You are a well seasoned missionary and you know how to take things to the Lord and get an answer so if you are ever not sure about something, just take it to Him. God and Jesus Christ love you etc.... Do you have any questions SM:*has about five million questions* nope I think I'm good! PS: Perfect well let's get the next person in here! We then finished the training that the APs gave us (who are Elders btw, weird) and then went to bed there in the mission home. That was cool.
Then we woke up the next day and ate breakfast and went on our way to Ohio State University where we got more training in the Institute building. It mostly focused on technology and cleaning our facebook so that way it was missionary appropriate (those were already done for us so we just kinda sat there and hung out). We then got to go out for 45 minutes ON THE CAMPUS AND CONTACT PEOPLE!!!!! I went with this girl named Sister Cameron and she was weird. Picture Madison on weird steroids. She wasn't good at talking to people and contacting and I did everything. We walked two girls to class and chatted and then met this guy named Kevin that I think will get baptized some day. Then we went to a church building nearby and we all got more training (which I knew most of) and then I paid attention to the mission specific things that I wouldn't know. Then we all went to the chapel where they assigned us our "trainers" and that was funny and a little frustrating for me. President called my name and I stood up and he said "well Sister Moran has been out on her mission for a year and has been out at the Visitor's Center in SLC" and everyone was like "whoaaaa" and then he said "yes so she is ready to go out and get started" and then he said "and Sister Moran you will be going straight to the HOOD (and then everyone died laughing and cheering) her area will be Gahanna and she will be companion will be Sister Reese!!!
The whole mission for sure treated us like we didn't know what we were doing what the safeguards were and Preach My Gospel was and what a lesson was and if we knew how to talk to people and teach. Classic. They gave us "trainers" and I was pretty triggered about that actually. Good news: my companion is super awesome. We had a "train the trainer meeting" right after we all got assigned to our new companions and they had us recite all 44 lesson points and I did it with them better than half of the people training and she looked at me and said "well shoot you don't need training" which I explained to her is half true.
She is showing me how to work with members and knock doors (that only took two doors to figure out btw) but she doesn't really have to show me too much else because I know it. I feel kind of bad because she was supposed to be training and now she isn't really training a new missionary like she probably wanted to, but she is so sweet and so humble and I just love her already. I'm glad the isn't treating me like I don't know anything. I was looking at Sister Runquist's companion and she was making notes on what they need to study in preach my gospel and how Sister Runquist needs to memorize things and wow just rip I hope they get that figured out together.
But yeah then we drove to my area and put my stuff in the apt and then we went out to the hoodiest hood for a teaching appointment. It was for sure interesting. The people were busy that we planned on going to which was a bummer and then we just decided to knock on the rest of the street. We found five new people between that street and the apartment complex nearby!!! This family even let us into their home and they were skeptical about the book of mormon but they let us come back so that is good! We then went to this apartment complex nearby and hung out there and did our thing knocking on doors. It was there that we found Nikki who was HIGH OUT OF HER MIND but she was cool. We were scared she wouldn't remember us when we went back but she did! She was busy but she said that she was really interested about our church and we could come back on Thursday. I will keep you updated on that. We also met this lady named Donja who seems super prepared and that was cool. She was going to come to church and to a zumba yoga activity the church was having but she didn't show up to either. We set up our time to come back and she was busy BUT she was willing to talk with us and responds to our texts so we like her. We also met this kid named Wesley and his parents weren't home so we just said okay we will come back later. We came back twice and him and this two younger brothers were there the next times and they are just dodging questions about their parents so we feel like there is maybe none. We asked their neighbors and they don't every see parents. We are going to ask President what to do about that one. Anyways, it took me a year to get here BUT I FINALLY GOT TO KNOCK ON A DOOR AND I LOVE IT!! Sister Reese then told me that we probably shouldn't go back to that area in the dark because it is actually super dangerous so whoops.
The next day was pretty lowkey because we had wp so we spent a lot of time indoors doing that. BUT we were able to have my first sit down lesson in an apartment with a member and that was dope. Her name is Hollie. I am a little scared that she just wants the church for money but I guess we will see. Also, she used to be addicted to drugs but she is sober now!!! Isn't that awesome! She is just a cool lady. She was sick on Sunday and couldn't come to church but next week for sure! That made me realize a lot about the Bible request phone calls that I would make all the time at Temple Square. Hollie loves the Bible and everything about it and she praises Jesus all day long and she sounded exactly just like the ladies I call all the time about the Bible and they just eat it all up. It was so cool to be on the other side of these things and to see how they live and now I feel like I understand all of the people that I have been calling for so long so much better now. They live in tiny one room smoke filled apartments in sketch parts of town but they love God and that is just so cool to me.
On Saturday we had a Zumba/Yoga activity and IT WAS AWESOME!!!! One of the people that we are teaching named Latisha directed the Yoga part of it and she even invited her daughter and she LOVED IT!!! Her daughter is named Daisie and she is 23 and so super cute. Daisie said that she would be at church and seemed super solid for it too. Then she went to Latisha's church instead but that is okay. But guys, it was so cool to see our two friends come to church and make friends with all of these relief society ladies and to all dance together and do yoga together and eat together. We made a sign-up and are trying to put together a weekly activity for this where people could come and bring friends and party and then more of our friends that wanted to come could actually make it. According to the sign up a bunch of people are interested but we shall see how that goes. It was just super cool for me to see how missionary work can be different and still work and how members can be such a support and help to all of these people.
Yesterday night I met the two most AMAZING people in my entire life. Their names are Reesie and Aaleah. Aaleah is nine and Reesie is her grandma. They are the cutest people ever and THEY JUST LOVE JESUS AND SO DO I SO WE WERE VIBING! They have been taught the first two lessons so we decided to read the book of mormon with them and try and help them resolve some of their concerns about baptism (because they seemed a little concerned about it). We read in 1 Nephi 8 about Lehi's vision of the tree of life and we watched the book of mormon video that went along with it and guys, I cannot tell you how powerful the spirit was in that little apartment. It was so big I thought that I would explode. Sister Reese told me that it is like that every time. Reesie the entire time was just saying "I want some of that fruit it just looks so good" and we explained to them that that they can have that fruit as thy are baptized and receive the gift of the holy ghost and stay close to God and to Jesus Christ and we invited them to keep praying about baptism and what their next step should be. Then today i found the PERFECT scripture that we should have shared with them. It was Alma 5:42 and it said something to the effect as we are baptized and then have the spirit then we can partake of the fruit of the tree of life and I was like SISTER REESE I FOUND THE PERFECT SCRIPTURE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE USED and it was sad because the moment had passed. But we are going to text it to them, don't worry. We all took a selfie and they are just the cutest people. I told them that I wanted to send it to my mom and the lighting is rough but there you go haha.
Oh, I forgot to add that on the first door I knocked, this guy named Chris TOTALLY hit on us and was like "oh hey baby how you doing" and then we were like hey we are missionaries and we want to share a message about Jesus Christ! Then, he was like "oh you ladies are Jesus ladies" and we were like "oh yeah we are, do you like Jesus" and he was like "oh yeah I love Jesus but you two ladies need to get far away from me because I only have devilish intentions. BUT we are going back another day because he lives in the same house as two people that we are teaching. So we told him to join in when we came back for our lesson in a few days haha. We will keep you updated on that too.
Basically though parents, I went from not wanting to leave Temple Square to LOVING this kind of work out here in like 48 hours or less. I feel like a kid a candy shop with how much fun I am having doing all of these things and knocking on doors and smelling like weed 24/7. Shoot, even our APARTMENT reeks of weed and I don't even mind it too much! I love being a missionary and I'm grateful that I get to be out here for 12 weeks. I am already dreading going back to the Square but we are going to try to not think about that and just make the most of every single day that I have here.
Love you both and I'll call you soon!
Love
Em
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