by K Fletcher

The Change

A brief blurb on Hermana Buchanan: She is 23 years old from Layton, UT. She likes hiking and rock climbing. She's been in the mission coming up on 6 months. Her Spanish is better than she gives herself credit for. She is super nice and very sweet and kind of sassy. Our humor is basically the same, which is really fun. We both hate running and we have started doing push-ups every morning. She is the third tallest Hermana in the field (After me and Hermana Earl) and she's got great fashion sense.
End blurb.

This last week was really rough #1 because transfer week is generally pretty hard, and then #2 it was really cold and a little icy. Everyone was expecting this big ice-storm and we had a lot of cancelled appointments and members not able to come. Then Latino night got cancelled (something we've been planning for a month) and then church was cancelled! It was so sad! . . .Then the ice storm didn't happen. The roads are fine for us to be driving on, so no need to worry.

We had the chance to visit a lot of really great members in the ward and introduce Hermana Buchanan, as well as celebrate Chelsie's birthday! Wo unto me because I misplaced my camera and need to go look for it this week, and wo unto Hermana Buchanan because she forgot her camera cord, but hooray for Nancy because she took pictures for us. So this is all you get this week, but expect a LOT more next week!
Our miracle this week has to do with an investigator we have had for a long time and his family. 
Once upon a time we knocked on doors all up and down this trailer park of full of Spanish speaking people. There was one full figured lady that every time we knocked on her door she would say, "I'm cooking! Come back later!" We did this a few times, and then gave up. Months later we are tracting again, and I say out loud, "We should go visit her!" So we tromp over there, meet her husband, and he tells us she is around the back, smoking. There she was. We go over to talk to her and we just talk. Like human beings. We testify of God's love for her, we promise her that God wants what is best for her. She throws away her cigarette and we say a prayer together. We ask if we can return. She tells us, "Aren't you the ones that visit my uncle?"
...Who?
Yep, it's our investigator that has never told us they were related. She tells us that she will come to our next appointment with him... And then she DOES!
He was just as surprised as we were. He told us that he had talked to her about the gospel but she wasn't interested. Later, as he was relating this to a member friend of his he told him, "Hermana Fletcher and Limb are very persuasive. They are very good teachers, because she wasnt interested at all." 
His friend gently corrected him, " It's not the sisters. It's the message."
How true it is!

Now said investigator wants to be baptized. :)

To end, I just wanted to share my feelings about the temple. On March 20th, 2016, the Provo City Center Temple will be dedicated as the 150th operating temple in the world. We are a temple building people. What is the purpose of my message? To get people to the temple. It is the most beautiful, peaceful place in the world. It represents the goodness of God, the power and glory of Him, and the work that is going forth in the world. When we are in the temple, we are the closest we can come to being in the presence of our Heavenly Father, and when we are worthy to enter in that house, how great is our joy!

I can't go to the temple right now (because there isn't one in my mission boundaries)-- Not for another 4 months. But I hope that you can, and I hope that you will.
Con Amor,
Hermana Fletcher
by K Fletcher

Breaking Up the Dream Team

Yes, It is true. We received transfer calls. I even had my war paint on.
For the first time in seven and a half months Hermana Limb and I will be separated for more than 24 hours. It surprised us because normal calls happen between noon and three the Saturday before transfers, and the Assistants called us at 11:15 am! 
THE NEWS: Hermana Fletcher will be staying in Goldsboro and will have as a new companion Hermana Buchanan. She's been out for 6 months (3 transfers in-field) and will be coming from Newport News. Hermana Limb with receive as a new companion Hermana Coombs and she will be going to Newport News!
And so, as per the norm, the usual sad and goofy good-bye pictures:
Our lovely Spanish Class, all together one last time:
Sadness in weekly planning for the last time together:
The Dream District, all together. I love these people!
We've both come to terms with it. I am SO EXCITED to be staying. Hermana Buchanan and I are going to do great things! And Hermana Limb gets to meet all of those beautiful people in Virginia! I have a list for her to visit. (Like you, Sister Fay!)

Other funny stories for the week:
So. Hermana Limb has this skirt. A skirt that every time she wears it she regrets it. It's cute, sure, and long enough and matches a lot of things. But if there is even a slight breeze, this skirt goes crazy. And in North Carolina where the wind sometimes feels like you are standing in a wind tunnel, this is what happens: 
I also went on exchanges with Sister Brewer! 
She's such a lovely soul. We had lessons and tracting and my favorite moment was when we ran into this guy drinking a mysterious liquid and he kind of blows us off. That was okay, we were contacting a potential. Well, the potential investigator wasn't there, so we keep talking to him. We chat and he relaxes and finally we find out that his cousin is a member of our church! She is someone we meet with regularly! It just goes to show that you never know who you might be talking to, or passing. 

Also, Hermana Limb and I realized that eating chocolate every companion study was not good for us. So we read our handy dandy "Adjusting to Missionary Life" booklet and made goals. To the joy of mothers everywhere, we chopped up healthy snacks and had them available during study! Remember everyone: If you have healthy things readily available to eat, you are more likely to eat them. Try it. It works.
Sister Garcia found out that we could be leaving and she made us crocheted slippers. They are so much fun, and like Cinderella, they fit like a.... slipper. Bad simile. But all the same, they are super fun. So look at them and be jealous.
Two miracles:
During Exchanges a lesson had fallen through and because we are counseled to work in the area we are in, we started knocking on doors. We go a little way and then Sister Brewer points to a house nestled really far back and says, "I bet no one has ever knocked on that house before! 
But we will!
We hike over there and there is actually a man standing outside. He looks like he might be Spanish speaking. I look at his house. It says "Bienvenidos a la familia Valesquez". Okay, he speaks Spanish. We chat for a bit and I find out he hardly speaks spanish. He is a 4th generation American. Darn it. But as we talk a little bit more he says, "Yeah, I actually joined your church down in Texas. The boys used to visit me, but I haven't seen them for years." We set up to come back and visit him. Que milagro! 

A tribute to my companion: We were at a dinner with a wonderful family that is almost too fun (because I always lose track of time). Actually, every missionary loses track of time with them. We were eating at Ihop and little known to me, an hour had passed. Hermana Limb, in a moment of courage, because the mom was not only coming with us to a lesson right after, but driving us, says, "We are only allowed to be with members for an hour for dinner, so if is acceptable to you, we will go wait in the car until you are ready. Thank you so much!" 
As we walk out all I can think is "OOOOOH! OOOOOOOOHHHHH! I have the coolest companion ever! OOOOhhhhhhh!!!!!" I then proceeded to make her feel uncomfortable by showering compliments on her. Good work, Hermana Limb. You make me proud :)

I love you all! Be bold, and do something good, even if that scares you.
Con Amor,
Hermana Fletcher

PS- Obligatory cute puppy picture.
 Us teaching the Borja kids how to swing dance
                                                                                                                         

by K Fletcher

Week in the Life of Hermana Fletcher

Let me tell you a little bit about my week:

  Monday was fun because recently we and the sisters have become addicted to playing card games on P-Day. We received 4 games from our ward Relief Society. If you have never played “And it came to pass” try it.

  Tuesday Nancy came to institute! Ciara got to run around with all the other kids. It truly is the activities that allow you to meet and get to know people- not church. Church is for worshipping the Lord. Activities are for having fun and developing relationships. I was also really hoping all the Wilson people would be there (do you want to know how much I love the Wilson ward? In my 4 areas, I was in Wilson for 1 transfer, Newport News for 3, Nags Head for 2, and now Goldsboro for 3, and I still consider Wilson my home ward) but only a few were. Everyone keeps on saying I’m going to come back and marry someone that speaks Spanish from Wilson. They can keep on talking :)

  On Wednesday we visited a girl in our ward that had double foot surgery and I delivered the painting. She loved it. And I found out her whole family loves dragons. Best family to give that art piece to? Yes. We also got to do some impromptu service for Sister White (an elderly lady we visit every week) we organized her freezer and put up some blinds. One of our goals this transfer is to do an act of service every single day, whether planned or not. We’ve managed to about 90% of the time! We also had Spanish class where we distributed the “Haz Lo Justo” (Choose the Right) rings my parents sent me. (The rest went to a bunch of kids in the ward who also were required to learn the phrase before putting it on. They all wear them and it brings joy to my heart to be spreading Spanish gospel phrases)
  On Thursday we got in contact with Chastity again and her husband from Panama. He’s got crazy cool Spanish and we really surprised him when we could speak fluently. Now he speaks in Spanish to us every chance he can.

  On Friday we had a church tour with Diego, a really great investigator and two members. It was really funny because you got the full range of our ward: a man in full Air Force uniform and a girl with pink hair and a panda hoodie. At the end of the tour our ward was having a basketball tournament so Diego got to meet just about everyone. It was great.

  On Saturday we ate SO MUCH FOOD. If you want more information on humiliation and awkward stories, write me a letter. I might tell you :) But long story short, it was delicious food!

  On Sunday is was HERMANA LIMB’S BIRTHDAY. We woke up, had a mini party courtesy of her family and a package they sent:
I gave her my gift (an ARC notebook from Staples. They are SO GREAT) on which I had painted the Boise temple. 
We had a ton of fun on her birthday, sang in church, didn’t have to translate Relief Society, and got to visit a less-active family and have a wonderful heart to heart. It was probably the best present she could have gotten.

Here we are. Transfers are coming up this week. I’m okay with whatever happens. Stay, go, Senior Companion, Junior Companion, train. Whatever comes comes and it is the Lord’s hand.

Con Amor,

Hermana Fletcher

PS- What will I do for two dollars? I will drink burnt potpourri of orange peels, cinnamon, and vanilla, accidentally breaking my fast. But now I have 2 dollars! :D

by K Fletcher

This week was VERY LONG



But that was mostly because we tracted almost every day. On the bright side we found 10 new investigators! On the dark side we got stuck in the mud, but that's a whole other story. In fact, I have a BUNCH of stories this week. I hope you enjoy.

This week starts with P-Day. We spent the day with Sister Brakey and Everett. We went to the restaurant Terrero's and ate Mexican food, met the owner (who promised to come to church. He didn't, but we'll be back to visit him!) and played Uno while drinking the virgin Pina Coladas that the owner gave to us. It was a great start to a week!
Also, we gave the stop smoking lesson to Nate! It was only through the help of the Swenson's and the Foster's that it came to pass, but it did! Now we are encouraging him and helping him to a life free from all addictions! I've always wanted to give that lesson, make silly signs, and help someone smash their cigarettes.

Now, I have 2 stories about the rain. 
Firs things first, it doesn't just rain here in North Carolina-- BUCKETS FALL. It's waves of massive rain that comes and goes, and comes and goes, for 4 days straight. Then we get a flash flood warning on our phone. 

Well, an appointment fell through and we were tracting in the rain. We take a pause next to a car. I hear a sound and look down and there is a tiny orange cat that has been hanging out under the car. He's only slightly damp and only VERY adorable. Against my companion's will I pick him up. Well, I can't just leave him in the rain, and when I tried to put him under the car again, he followed us! So I put him in my purse. Yes. I did that. So we tract a little more and try to find his owner. No luck. So we go to make phone calls in the car and I bring the cat. He gets all warm and he is the NICEST cat I've ever met. I definitely might have fallen in love. Hermana Limb too, against all odds. If it wasn't being disobedient we would have taken him home. As it was, Naranja will always have a special place in my heart.
Another story for the rain. 
For those of you who don't know, when a mission car needs to be backed up, someone has to get out of the car and guide. We try to avoid that, especially in rainy weather. I don't like to make Hermana Limb get soaked. We were going to a member's home and because we had to make a call we decide to park around the corner so they don't wonder what we are randomly doing parked in their driveway and interrupt us. I try to make a tight turn and I go a little bit on the grass, towards a little ditch. I realize halfway through that it is kind of muddy so I should just get Hermana Limb to back me. She gets out of the car. The car doesn't move. 
Oh no. 
We try pushing it. Doesn't work. Hermana Limb thinks there should be more weight in the back to counteract gravity. She climbs in the trunk. Doesn't work. We try to use physics and decide if you use the momentum to go FORWARD we can get through the mud and continue to finish the turn and get out. Doesn't work. We are WAY more stuck. 
We admit defeat and go to Sister Garcia and tell her we are stuck in the mud. She laughs really hard and comes out to help us. First we try her stepping stones made of concrete to give a little more traction. Doesn't work the first time. We try again with them pushing and me revving, Hermana Limb happens to be in front of the wheel and gets a skirt full of mud. Still doesn't work. We figure the only way out is to pull it out with another vehicle, but Sister Garcia doesn't have a rope or cable.
"But I do have a redneck neighbor!" Sister Garcia exclaims.
To the redneck neighbor!
Long story short, you can always count on the rednecks. He got us out spick and span and we didn't have to call Elder Ashton (the mission fleet manager). He might have murdered us :)
Here is our victory pose:
Don't tell Elder Ashton.

Also, to those wondering: Yes, I still do art. Here is proof in the form of a majestic dragon I painted to give a wonderful girl in our ward. It was so much fun.

Other stories to tell:
We were sitting outside of Nate's door waiting for him to answer. We hadn't eaten lunch yet so we were passing back and forth a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and sitting on the rail. Hermana Limb told me to ring the door bell again. I told her it was her turn. She told me I was closer. I said I couldn't reach it. She told me I could reach with my foot and then demonstrated how to do it. Turns out Gravity + Hermana Limb's sense of balance = Cinnamon Toast Crunch every where.

So about a month ago we received a referral from the Elder's of this guy who was really interested and really wanted to meet with missionaries. We called him and set up a time to go see him. We texted him for his address and got a member to go with us. It was all set up. Then the time comes for the lesson and the address takes us to the middle of no where. Ok... So we text him and tell him that his address didn't work. He texted us a new address. It took us to this elderly lady's house. Wrong address again! But she was Spanish speaking and she became a new investigator! 

Weeks later we went tracting around the elderly lady's house and the last house we came to (it's ALWAYS the last house) this guy answers. We talk to him for a while and he is really interested so we give him a restoration pamphlet. He looks at it and asks, "Does this talk about Joseph Smith?" Why yes. Yes it does. We talk to him a little more and find out that his best friend is serving a mission in Brazil! This guy is SO prepared. Just as we were about to leave, we asked him if he had a family here and he told us that his brother lives with him. Could it be? We asked what his brother's name is... it was the same guy we were trying to meet with weeks ago! We have a lesson with them tonight and it is going to be amazing.

Miracles happen. Don't forget it.
Mormon 9:15

Con Amor,
Hermana Fletcher