La semana final La Sombra/Hillpointe: El fin de la misión....!

Hello everyone! This is the last weekly email from Sister Sellers, but be not afraid because there will be so many more and faster forms of communication once I return to the land of milk and honey. In all reality I'd still love to keep in touch with everyone so keep me updated! 

Monday: Wow! We has a great last pday full of fun things to do. We started off our work night with a dinner at the Massey families house and they are so sweet! Pretty shy girls, but we ended up having lots of great conversations. Then we set up so many appointments for the week and knocked some doors to try and find new people to teach. 

Tuesday: Today we didn't have a lot of out of the ordinary plans and Sister Milla wasn't feeling great still so we ended up taking it easy and taking breaks when needed. We got some fun stuff for Sister Lusk's birthday on Thursday and are excited to surprise her. We really just enjoyed our time together today while doing studies and then ended the day with some door knocking once we got restless. All in all a great day! 

Wednesday: This morning we had an amazing lesson with our friend Beatrice and were able to teach her the whole Restoration and Sister Milla said the first vision for the first time in a lesson. It was so powerful and I'm so proud of her. Hopefully she can continue to enjoy the blessings of teaching people in her new area. After that lesson we did our usual studies, and then had dinner at the Ready families house. Their kiddos are all on the autism spectrum and we love them! We got an hour replay of Lego Ninjago the series and played some checkers in which I lost miserably. Strategy games are just not my thing... It was also my last time teaching English today which was so sad! It has been one of my favorite parts about my mission and I'm definitely going to miss it. 

Thursday: Today was crazy! We started with lunch with the Smith family at the very nice restaurant in Downtown Summerlin which was a total party, then we headed off to squeeze in some weekly planning before we had a lesson with the Gonzalez/Cruz family. It's a mom and teenage daughter and they made alote to eat and we were just in heaven. We studied come follow me with them and had a great time. We tan from there to dinner with the Martin's and Watasbaughs! So fun and such a good reunion with old friends. Then, we rushed to the ward activity which was decade themed. Pictures are attached. I need to brush up on my decade fun facts, but it was a good time! All in all a day packed with fun things and fun events and we had such a good time with both visits and being a little spoiled today. 

Friday: This morning we wrote cards to a ton of impactful people in the ward and then delivered cookies and cards to everyone. That lead to tons of appointments and a very full day! Hermana Maynez took us out to lunch at Zupas and we got to chat! I love her and we have gained a great friendship. We got surprised dinner at a Greek place with the Ogden family and then finished the night at the Taylor's. All in all a crazy full day of member lessons and goodbyes. 

Saturday: Today we tried to have a lesson with this cool lady we met named Stephanie but she ghosted us! So we did some fire Spanish study instead and I took my fluency test and improved a ton since last time so I'm pretty happy about that! Then we knocked so many doors and had a good time while doing it. We were blessed by the Greve family who fed us Thai food and we had a really good convo with the Husband about the purpose of the temple and why it's so important in our lives. It was a really good conversation and we hope to see him at the temple soon. We ended the night at the Yocham's house for ice cream and goodbye! 

Sunday: Today was the most packed day ever! We started with all our church meetings, which were super good and I was just a tad bit sad when I realized next time I go to church I'll just be a regular Joe. Then we rushed to lunch with the Kalfke family and weighed my suitcases. Then we went to my departing interview with President which went super well. Finally we made it home just in time for President Nelson's devotional and salsa making, then we headed to ward missionary correlation where we had a mini going away party with all my favorite treats and people from the ward. An amazing last day full of so many happy moments and lots of meetings. 

I have loved my mission so much. My Testimony had made leaps and bounds and I have truly learned to hear him through this journey. I've made an impact in my community here in Vegas and these people and this town will always have a special place in my heart.

Semana 71 La Sombra/Hillpointe: "Are you excited to go home?"

Literally the only question I have been asked all week is this. "Are you excited to go home?" "What are your plans once you get home?". Here are some better options to ask missionaries who are nearing the end of their mission. "Who are you teaching right now?" "What is one of the biggest changes you have seen someone make to join the church?" "What is the most important thing you have learned from your mission President and wife?" "How are you making the most of your last week?". The list continues my friends, please try to be original because man it is hard to stay focused when all everyone asks is what your plans are for when you get home! Mini rant over! Now for the news from the week. 

Monday: Today we went out to breakfast with the district which was so fun and then we headed off to our nightly activities. We had dinner with the Hatch family and they have kids who do debate so we got talking and it was a blast! Then we went from there to knocking some doors and setting up lessons for the week. 

Tuesday: Sister Milla had her interview with President Reese today and while she did that I shined my shoes! Sister Reese had this cool brush that cleans suede and it was awesome! I didn't get an interview because my departing interview is next week! We spent so long knocking doors and walking at the park and unfortunately not a lot of success, but, we did grind and put a lot of effort in. 

Wednesday: Every single one of our lessons canceled today so we ended up hitting the streets yet again before our shift at Hand Up! Thank goodness for English class! We had a good time and I have enjoyed teaching the basic class so much. Then we finished by going to mutual and trying the yummiest coconut Popsicles I have ever had in my life. I am officially hooked. 

Thursday: The day of tacos! This morning we ended up doing the usual missionary thing until we finally did what we've been looking forward to all week! We taught all the girls how to make Guatemalan tacos and salsa and it was so fun! The activity turned out well and we ate to our hearts content. I have never taught so many crazy girls how to cook but it ended up turning out really well! I didn't get anxious or anything so I call that a major win. 

Friday: We started off our day with My Plan where I learned how to budget and make my Resume. The mission seriously makes you look like the most experienced 20 year old ever and I'm so excited to get some real jobs when I get home! After that we went to liquid for lunch and then ran to T&MT for Sister Milla! Last training meeting is in the books. Then we went to a members house for dinner where we had grape gazpacho...... probably one of the worst things I have ever put in my mouth  because I hate cucumbers. Then we went to our friend Robin's house for a Book Of Mormon reading which was a blast. 

Saturday: Sister Milla was feeling a little under the weather so we took the morning a little slower but then she got a second wind so we knocked so many doors and surprisingly a lot of people opened up and said they would come to the party! Sadly no one came, but the party was still awesome and we were able to gain super mega member trust with Sister Millas dancing skills. We had a great time and danced the night away. 

Sunday: Today was a holiday so we didn't do much outside of church and calling our families. Plus, Sister Milla was sick so we took it pretty slow. We ended up texting a ton of ladies in the ward and got so many cute responses of how much we've meant to our wards and we feel super blessed to be here! I love having so many bonus moms, and grandparents here in Vegas. They definitely spoil us. 

Please pray we will see success and miracles this week. We are going to give it our ultimate best and hope to see some fruits of our labors before I exit Vegas next week! Love you all. Keep up the good work.

 

Semana 70 La Sombra/Hillpointe: Departing Testimony & Zone Conference

 Ahhh! Weeks! They fly by! Let's get chatting because instead of writing my email last night I spent the whole night reading off all the emojis and trying to see if I knew them in Spanish 😅🤣 Procrastinating much?.... 

Monday: Tonight we had a dinner with Sister Gaspar de Alba and her family and it was so much fun! We ended the night with the usual contacting and had a good time. Nothing too eventful or crazy 🤪 

Tuesday: District council! The usual, our district leader is kind of the best. He has seriously grown up with this new calling and is really just doing a great job. I've loved getting to listen to his trainings and I can't wait to see how the next one goes. After DC I practiced my song and was getting excited for how good it was going to be. Then we went to help make cookies and Rice Krispies for the ward party and they were all shaped and looked like watermelons which was so awesome. We ended the night with dinner and knocking and had a great time! 

Wednesday: Today we kept getting off schedule but luckily our night went great! We had dinner with Sister Olguin and she made us the yummiest salsa then we had Hand Up which you all know is my favorite thing on the planet, and then ended with mutual and language study. Solid night to make up for our random morning of car washes and music practice. 

Thursday: Zone Conference!! So glad this was my final zone conference but also so sad at the same time. Huge tender mercy that Elder Smith was there checking cars and it was a happy face that I knew would help me make it through all the goodbyes today. We all wore our dresses from the swap meet and I sang and bore my departing testimony. It was a special experience to bear such a powerful testimony of the Savior to so many people I love. The trainings were awesome and it was so nice to be trained instead of being the trainer. Hard to believe this big chunk of my life is close to over we ended the night with not one, but two ward parties and everyone was eating up our dresses. We had a few investigators come to the parties so that was awesome! All in all the best day of the week! 

Friday & Saturday: Honestly these two days were pretty much the same, we have been working really hard to find people and just haven't seen much success, if you guys could pray for us to see miracles these last two weeks that would be incredible! We did our studies and knocked so many doors! We always have somewhere wonderful to eat dinner and are totally spoiled by our members who we love. But, nothing super exciting! 

Sunday: Today we didn't have anyone at church but it was my last fast Sunday and I was able to bear my testimony in both ward switch was super fun. Santiago and Elaina were visiting and I was able to see them at church! Huge blessing! We had such a good time catching up for a few short minutes and then it was off to the next place! We had dinner with the Ballards and they made us the best white chocolate macadamia nut cookies which were to die for. 

Such a good week! I love you all! Keep on keeping on! Ether 12:41

Semana 69 La Sombra/Hillpointe: Tocando todas de las puertas

Gooood morning everyone! So excited to have you here with me today! As I sat here writing this I realized I only have to write 3 more of these bad boys and that was a weird but celebratory thought. Let's get into it! 

Monday: Started off our morning  early with a hike with our district! We decided today that we needed to all drive down to the Rancho swap meet and get some beautiful hand embroidered dresses to all wear at zone conference together and it was seriously so much fun! After we picked our dresses we went out and got some Latino food from Cardenas for Sister Milla to feel like she was a little more at home with us. Fun day but lots of driving so we are ready to have a chill day this pday! We ended the night knocking doors, and a dinner with my favorite family the Watabaughs. The coolest part though was that we had knocked so many doors, it was about 8:45 and we had our fourth floor last door moment. We got in with a beautiful Latino family of 5 and had a great lesson with them. We prayed and set up a return appointment to do a family home evening with them. We can't wait to see where this 8:45 miracle takes us. 

Tuesday:  We had a meeting filled day today. It started with district council where I gave a training on how to receive personal revelation for those we teach which I absolutely loved! There's such amazing tips in PMG and it was nice to get to share that with everyone. Then we headed out to La Sombra Huddle and lunch and that is always a blast. Then a hop skip and a jump away to some door knocking time. Sadly we didn't find anyone, but we did have a great dinner with the Forred family who I love. Then it was off to correlation for the Hillpointe ward and luckily that one wasn't quite as long. We ended the day with language study and I convinced my comp to learn Portuguese!!! How fun! 

Wednesday: Today was exchanges with Sister Lusk, but the tables were turned! She was the STL and I got to be the one who relaxed and got to hang out with my best friend! So fun. We started the day off with studies and then had a lesson planned with this lady named Courtney I had never met. We met at a little cafe and she is seriously probably one of the most Christlike people I have ever met! She runs two local charities here in town and doesn't have a lot of family. We started off chatting about missionary work and what we do as missionaries, then we decided to do a Book Of Mormon read with her. We read 3 Nephi 11 together and the sprit was so strong. We discussed baptism and the trinity and so many things that came up in the chapter as we went along. Towards the end of the chapter Sister Lusk tied it into prophets and from there we were able to teach the entire first lesson. This was by far one of the most powerful and spiritual lessons I have ever attended. I felt the spirit speaking through me and Sister Lusk. I can remember as I said the first vision the clearest thought came reaffirming to me the Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, that he translated the Book Of Mormon, and that my message is 100% true. We set up a return lesson and found out she doesn't actually live in our area, but I know we were supposed to meet Courtney today. It reaffirmed to me how much I love being a missionary, how much I love to teach, and how much strength can come through the power of the Holy Ghost. We finished our day driving up to the Just One Project and teaching English classes. Then we were able to enjoy mutual with the young woman where we got absolutely destroyed in the Meme game. All in all one of the best days, it really boosted my moral and felt so nice to finally have someone looking after me after looking out for so many Sisters my whole mission. God knows when we've reached the end of our stick that's for sure. 

Thursday: You know that awkward moment when you plan your day, make goals and then literally nothing goes according to plan? That was today for us. We accomplished so many good things, but none of them were in our schedule. We ended up having everything we planed can el, but something else came up instead. We have loved getting to visit sisters in the Branch and were able to report our hard work the the SS (Sociedad de Socorro/Relief Society) they were do excited to see who has potential in rejoining the flock and are so excited about missionary work. All in all a crazy driving filled day, but we got a lot of laundry list items done so we could grind this weekend. 

Friday: Today was session 4 of my plan. I always said once missionaries started my plan, especially the Elders, they started getting really weird. Like this awkward personality shift. Well, I'm sad to announce that I think the weirdness has occurred. I think it's because you feel this weird desire to go all our while at the same time wanting to just fall over and take a nap. I think of it like the sprint at the end of the race. You're literally pushing so hard through the longest marathon of you life and you kind of just do weird stuff. My and Sister Milla have been having a good time though and she's definitely been cheering me on, on this weird sprint that I have going on. We were able to visit a few families from the branch today and had awesome conversation with both of them. Then we knocked some doors and were able to get in contact with several ladies the the SS didn't know which was awesome. We ended the night with language study and went to bed at 9:10 the only people that do that are newbies and oldies so it worked out perfect for us. 

Saturday: We literally grinded so hard today. We started out with contacting everyone we knew to invite them to the ward party. Then we knocked 15 inactive members doors in 2 hours which was a feat to be accomplished. Then we took a small break for shakes at In and Out purchase thanks to my awesome grandparents, and then headed over to a lesson with the Capdivilla family. They are a PMF and we did an awesome object lesson with a PB and J sandwich where Sister Milla followed the kids instructions exactly. It was quite entertaining and involved some sticky hands. We were able to have have amazing chat with the mom afterwards and are hoping to see her back at church soon. 

Sunday: Wowzah what a week. Sunday we didn't have any friends at church sadly, but we were able to set up lots of appointments and even scored a dinner with the Ballards tonight. They always make the best food and I love their kind spirit. We went to young woman's today and I was able to bear my testimony of family history and the importance of knowing your ancestors. It was a cool time and I think a lot of the Young Women are going to go find some ancestors tonight. As I'm writing this email i can't help but think that there are so many people cheering us on, on both sides of the veil. Keep on keeping on, there are people waiting to help you. 

All in all I love you guys and I hope you enjoy some of our fun pictures from the week. Bonus fact, Sister Milla is from Guatemala and made us the most amazing tacos Guatemalan style and of my goodness I'm never going back. I love all the amazing cultures you get to find on a mission in Vegas.

Semana 68 La Sombra/Hillpointe:

 Buenos Días mis amigos! I have had a pretty normal week but luckily we had Easter so I'm excited. 

Monday: Monday Monday, so good to meeee. I love pdays, our dinner ended up canceling so we ended up going to Chickfila and contacting while we ate super quick. Then we had a zoom lesson with Romina and she is the best! Moroni 7 is one of my favorite chapters and we were able to read it together. 

Tuesday: We started off the day with DC and decided to do a contacting competition on who could knock the most doors and you got more points if you got in and taught a lesson and it ended up being super fun. The rest of the day did not go as planned, so it was kind of a weird day but we got a lot of fun things done. We had a good time doing studies and trying to make the most out of canceled lessons. 

Wednesday: We spent a good chunk of our morning trying to fix Sister Milla's phone which took forever. Then, we went to Beatrice's house and were able to teach her a lesson, sadly we aren't sure if she's willing to change but we were excited to teach. Then we jumped to packing for this lady named Pamela who is a little bit of a hoarder so that was a hoot. Then we drove all the way to HandUp to find out that they are not having class which was super sad, so we picked up some meds for our roommate who was sick this week and tried to be an amazing service oriented companionship. 

Thursday: We started the day with Reese's Pieces and our Huddle for LaSombra which was super fun and very long..... so then we went off for our first weekly planning and learned so many things. We also knocked several doors to try and get some points for our competition. We finished the day off at the Farrar's house for dinner. 

Friday: Today we had both T&MT and My Plan in which we stayed at the church building for a very long time and then we knocked so many doors my knuckles are bruised and yet we are still losing the competition..... :( we had such a good day and finished it off with some language study dinner with the Witbeck family and contacting on the phone. 

Saturday: Honestly nothing much to write home about today! Just more knocking and contacting and good old fashioned missionary work. 

Sunday: Easter is so happy! CHRIST LIVES, I have loved the video the church put out about Mary Magdalene and her drive to run to share the good news. We all need that drive to share the amazing news of the restored gospel. I love Christ and I've loved my mission. We had dinner with Sister Maynez and she cooked the most amazing food. Then we headed over the the Ogden's for dessert. We finished the day with calling home and studies. Sadly none of our friends came to church again but we will get them this week. Love you all! I'll write a better email next week I promise.

Semana 67 La Sombra/Hillpointe: How to become Latina 101

Ok, today is gonna be an interesting email because I wasn't in my area for 4 days and got a new companion! We will hear all about it so let's get started! 

Monday: Today I got to be in a trio with Sister Tveten and Elmer which was seriously SUCH A PARTY. I love Sister Tveten and Sister Elmer and I think super similarly and and had such a fun time. We went to this cute French pastry place and got fruit tart croissants and man. Life changing. We also got to go to the cutest hole in the wall place called Antojitos you can't can't find it on Google maps so that's how you know it's ghetto and local aka the best food. All in all we had a fabulous pday and really lived up Sister Tveten's last day in the mission. 

Tuesday: Today I spent the whole day in Pennwood which was a blast, but we came back to Summerlin for dinner because porque no? Basically Sister Elmer and I became best friends in 2r hours and had the most fun ever. It really helped me get out of my weird funk and got is both hyped up to train. We taught some cool people and got to use our Spanish which was super nice. 

Wednesday: I swear today me and Sister Elmer were just nesting hard core for our babies to get here. We cleaned and prepped and organized to our hearts content. It was really tender and we were getting so excited to meet our new companions. At 5pm we finally got to meet them and I got Sister Milla! She is half Guatemalan and half White and she is fluent in Spanish! Huge tender mercy because she has already helped me so much in the Spanish department and I can't wait to continue to grow. She is confident and sassy so I think we will get along great. Tonight we unpacked, got groceries, and did a lesson and a dinner and that was about it! Pretty good night if I do say so myself. 

Thursday: Orientation day! Kinda like correlation day but not quite as exciting. We spent forever and a half being oriented in the mission but, bonus I got to hang out with Sister Elmer and Susman and it was a blast. Sister Milla got a ton of her questions answered and it was super informational. We finished the night helping out at a primary waster activity which was a blast and a half. Then off to dinner and correlation with Brother Ogden. It was good to meet some more people in the ward and we had a grand old time wandering to streets of Vegas. 

Friday: I had the infamous My Plan today which was nothing short of entertaining..... I don't know about that but, it was definitely informational. We had a good time and then it was off to do some good old fashioned tracting. We grinded out so many doors and on our last one we got bashed for about 30 minutes.... Sister Milla is already experiencing the joys of being "persecuted all day long" ~Elder Ballard. We ended the day with dinner at Sister Ballard's house and finding more inactive hermanas. 

Saturday: We started the day off with studies and then headed out to lunch with the Cruz family. Then we rushed off to a baptism of one of the ladies the Elders are teaching to help lead the music. Then we had a quick lesson with Luz and her kiddos and she was so funny today. Then it was off to more door knocking and cup bop for dinner which is a spicy Korean place. Sister Milla loves spicy and is the first comp I have ever had who likes spicy food so that is a success. All in all a successful day. 

Sunday: I got to lead the music today in the branch which was a weird experience because no one picks a tempo so trying to lead was an absolute nightmare. But, it was fun at the same time. We barely made it to the end of our English ward because we had to stay for the whole sacrament meeting and it ran 20 minutes late!!..... Luckily we made it and were able to meet a ton of people and set up lots of appointments. We ended the day with studies, dinner with the Soderburg family and a lesson with Sister Maynez who is so kind and we had a really good time charlando en Español. 

I'm loving my last transfer and just soaking up everything I can! Keep me updated on your lives! Love you all. Sorry there's not a lot of photos.... I will repent and do better next week... ;) 

Goodbye Elder and Sister Smith

Goodbye Sister Tveten

Semana 66 La Sombra/Hillpointe: More fit for the kingdom part two, my plan and my last transfer call.

Wow! So much happened this week! So many cool new things and experiences. First off, I got my final transfer call of the mission which is so sad/happy/scary/exciting to think about. I will be staying in my area and training a new missionary! The even better part is that I get to be roommates with Sister Lusk and Shannon and they will be in La Sombra with me as STL's! I love both of them and am excited to get to train a new missionary. I am not longer an STL, but after a few prayers I'm actually excited for the break. Being in leadership is fun, but it's a ton of work, and honestly a little bit lonely. So, all in all, I'm excited for the new changes. 

Monday: The 5K was today and was so much fun! We had a blast with our friends and it reminded me I am NOT in shape anymore. After the 5K we made bracelets with Sister Ballard and her handmade glass beads. It was super cool and we loved being artistic. We finished off the day with a fabulous dinner with the Anderson family and some HandUp ad management. We only had to take like a 45 minute drive home because literally all the way home was blocked off with flares and there were 3 crashes in very inconvenient places, so that took up a good chunk of our night. 

Tuesday: Honestly not a ton to write home about, except that I thought my mission would help me to like dogs and be more comfortable with them, but unfortunately it has done the opposite. I dislike them even more now... At our dinner tonight they have these two huge dogs and I swear I have whiplash from being jumped on so many times. I guess I'll have to be the bad guy when my kiddos ask me for a dog one day. 

Wednesday: Today we had correlation with the Branch which is always a party and then sadly my dress ripped so a quick pit stop home and then off to do language study. After our study we decided to talk in Spanish for the rest of the day and totally killed it! We ended up having a blast and feeling comfortable in Spanish is just such a good feeling. We finished our night with the usual English class, and mutual for a quick minute at La Sombra which we made these adorable pillows with the youth! 

Thursday: Today was rough.... literally all our appointments canceled so we spent most of the day doing studies or planning. Luckily the weather was absolutely beautiful and we spent most of our day outside and enjoying to 80 weather with the beautiful sun and cool breeze. We had a blast! 

Friday: Today I had my very first My Plan meeting! Crazy town! It is a course that helps set you up for life after the mission and I am excited to see what I learn and how I grow. It's like having a free life coach. After that we did studies, knocked some doors, and ended off with some dinner at this cute old ladies house and man.... I was so gross. I am not that picky but this was pretty bad. All in all a great day and we got to have a great gospel conversation with a Jewish person which was pretty cool. To end we finished the day with FHE at the Paz families house and they have the cutest kiddos with LOTS of energy. 

Saturday/Sunday: Conference we had at several different members houses and were able to watch 3 in Spanish! It was a great opportunity to practice and realize I know more Spanish than I think which is always nice. Conference on the mission is like a big holiday where you get to relax and receive personal revelation. So many amazing talks and I loved how much the importance of missionary work was emphasized. Let me know what your Conference insights were!!