October 28 Week 3 in field

Not a lot of news from Mesa this week. Working hard on being the BEST Missionary I can be. Learning so many things about myself and what I need to do to help the work move forward. We had a Trunk or Treat Thursday and I wore ORANGE, not PINK! DING DING DING

Rach and her 1st companion

Hello Krueger and Sacher families!
I had the privilege of meeting your beautiful daughters on Thursday when my presidency helped with a sister missionary clothing exchange during one of their conferences in our stake center.  They are both doing SO well!  They are very happy and healthy and adorable :)  My son, Michael Costello, is serving in Clearfield, Utah.  He was just transferred there on October 2nd.  He and his companion, Elder Lima, are the zone leaders and their area covers one family stake and also the YSA stake.  So, Sacher family, please look for Elder Costello and if you see him - tell him his mother loves and misses him!!!  
Sincerely,
Lori Costello

Rachel and Sister Sacher

Rachel, President and Sister Jenkins

Week 2 in The Field October 21

I AM a missionary lol This place is really interesting though...I love love love the people and the ward but we don't have any investigators! we almost had one (this dry Mormon  and he cancelled on us and the people who said they'd come to church didn't show up lol we're still working though. You asked me though to share any spiritual experiences and I had a great one (there's lots but not good stories) a couple days ago...So once upon a time we we texting a lady in our ward about a potential investigator and then she sent us a text that she meant to send to someone else. We found out that the dog of the family we were going to have dinner with that night had been put down that morning. I got all sad for them cause, we all know I'm the crazy dog lady. We asked if there was anything we could do for this family, and this person actually gave us an idea! (You know how you always ask if you can help but no one lets you do anything for them and are just like "oh no, we're fine") She asks if one of us is an artist, so I tell her I kind of am, and she asks if I could draw their dog for them, and make it specifically for the 13 year old daughter in the family. She gave me all sorts of ideas to make it special for her and so I pen this picture for the girl with a tree and her standing with her brother and their dog. I was super focused on this drawing for a while just praying to make it special and right. I couldn't remember what these kids looked like for the life of me, so I just guessed....also I had never seen the dog before, so I made him up to. Meeting them, I was excited to see the kids WERE blond and blue-eyed and looked really similar to my little sketch, and after dinner and the song we sang (Sister Sacher and I love to sing hymns for our message) I gave this girl the picture. They all freaked right out! The dog looked just like theirs. Like same black scraggly fur and size and ears and I even drew him kind of standing on his hind legs in excitement, so they show my a video of how this dog always stood up and danced around. It was amazing, I really know that by letting myself focus on making this picture important, that the Spirit drew it through me. So....yeah, that the best so far!
 Thanks for the advice on the Spirit too. I learned a great analogy at the MTC, where the Spirit works a lot like the stove.It can be turned on really high, making the soup boil and stuff, but it can't stay on that level all the time. It has to be turned down to a simmer more often than not, but that doesn't mean that it's off or that it isn't cooking the soup. Spirit can still be there even if he isn't screaming at you. It should usually feel natural right? But when I don't know what He's telling me, I won't lose faith(:

We have 2 Missionaries serving in Mesa from our Ward!

Elder Price sent this picture of Rachel and himself.  So cool that we have 2 from our ward in the same place. Doesn't happen that often in North Carolina!

First week in the Field

TO: Madre
AH! So I'm like a real person now. All missionary-y. I don't know what I'm doing. Boy do I need to work on like a lot. Missionaries can't be shy lol or tired. My trainer is Sister Sacher! She's a sweetie, actually we have a ton in common. A lot of the ways we think and work are similar and our personalities and junk. She likes Supernatural too. Good times. We're white washing our area, so neither of us have been there before, and our area book has not been updated in the last 6 weeks or so, so we there's no one to contact from there. We are covering only one ward (Mountain Vista) and it has just recently been split. The only investigators there have been split out lol WE HAVE NO ONE TO TEACH. It's OK I guess, we're working on really getting to know the members. We are a no tracking mission so we have to work through members for referrals and investigators. No bikes either, at least not in my area. Our car's name is Dean, of course. Ummmm, the weather is amazing right now and I'm loving all the cactus! But I don't understand their purpose. Like...do the give oxygen, are they food, what the weird are cacti for?! I got sick coming in on Tuesday for a couple days from pure exhaustion and I think the climate change (being all dry and whatnot) but it got betta. YAAAY! I 

TO: Padre
 Let me think...I am with my companion Sister Sacher and we're almost exactly alike...so that's interesting, I gotta learn almost how to be my own friend and stuff. Well we're different in many ways obviously but we function the same on lots. lol  I'm working on trying to be not introverted and be bold and have more desire to be here. All the meetings we had on Sunday were like...have more purpose, don't be lazy, be a better missionary, why are you here. And I was all like...why the heck am I here? It'd gotta be more than "God told me to come" because I won't be effective if I don't have the desire and it's equally as slothful as if I hadn't come. I'm getting there. The Atonement works a lot faster on a mission than it does in real life. lol  I've mostly met with members so far and they're all just amazing.  They're great and I hope to open up with them quickly. Another thing I'm also not use to. But everyone is nice and I'm trying to be myself. But the myself God wants of me, not the myself the world has shaped me to be. I'll find it! Maybe lol

To Danielle:
How are the kiddos? I talk about them all the time and everyone thinks they're sooo cute, probably because they are. and by probably, I mean definitely. Ummm things are cool here! Just working on a brand new-ish ward. I loveee the people so far. We've got some oldies. Lots of them. I've already been hugged be two old men and I'm all like ahhhhh, I don't know how to reject this grandpa's love! So I didn't. They're cute. My companion is Sister Sacher and she's great! She's making me be unified with her. Is good! I'm not used to it lol I've only had mexican food once. It's hard to believe I'm a real missionary. Like...what am I doing?! GAH!

SLC Airport

I met some wonderful missionaries at the SLC airport this morning. I thought 
their families may enjoy seeing their picture.  One sweet sister told me to tell 
her family, "ding, ding, ding".
From
Kim Bennett

For anyone who doesn't know Rachel, she was the missionary who said "Ding, Ding, Ding!" 

Letters from the MTC

To Danielle: HI! I'm on west campus (the better one) and I think everyone else is one main. No conference for me yet! we'll see it during priesthood session. Thanks for the Pictures! i felt giddy inside in viewing them. I look at my book all the time! well when I have any time. I'm soooo busy and im exhausted, but I feel really strengthened as well, praying to focus have a clear mind so I can learn from my amazing teachers and through the broadcasts and devos and everything. my companion Sister Sirarath is from oklahoma! she's like my best friend! my whole district is! and I my zone rocks. she and I are the sister training leaders. faith is so helpful! I'm working on that too and see it's sacredness, and on turning outward, like Christ. Not inward like the cookie monster. ME WANT COOKIE NOW! you should look up elder bednar's doing this interpretation so hard.  I love you so much!! I can't wait til I can't send you some pictures

AT The MTC

MAAAAAAADRE!! There is no choir going on for me to join during my duration! lol and I didn't even get to watch the broadcast. we'll watch it while the elders are in priesthood session. AH. It stinks in the bathroom a lot cause everyone else is really effected by the caf food. It's good, I eat mostly soup cause they make it some delish-ness. But my air thingy is coming in handy. I saw Elder Ensey within the first hour lol I was mostly just awkward. first thing he asked was "how's Emily doing"  was like, you're a weirdy. but I saw him just a couple more time, and I know he's gone now.Last night I spotted Elder Rivera on main campus during our big devotional. No time to see him though:( but yeah yeah, on west campus! it's totes the best.! WHAT ELSE IS THE BEST! my district! did I already say that? They rock my socks. and we're our teachers' favorite. My clothes have all been fine except the salmon skirt is giving me a litte grief when I sit down. I GET TO GO TEMPLING TODAY! ding ding ding. Have you rented out/repainted my room? I suggest you avoiding doing these things. I wish I could tell you more details but....I can't remmeber them all. The days are so cray cray that I can't distinguish one from another. How is my dog? I got that planner from Em!! thanks (: The elders made me open the package in front of them, they thought it was cool. My didtrict leader reminds my of joshykins. anyway, Happy p-day finallllllyyy


Padre
I haven't even seen the Women's broadcast!! I was like what the weird? But we'll watch it the same time as the Priesthood session. But don't worry I've seen a butt ton of broadcasts. AHHH! I miss you too. This week though has been the BEST! ooooh my gosh, I've been soooo busy and always in class and always doing stuff and studying and going to meetings for my calling and roleplaying and junk, it's made it feel like I've been here for forrrrever! I love the things I've learned so far, and I absolutely love my district. We've all become automatic best friends!! I've learned a lot about teaching and the structure but  think the most important thing is speaking from your heart. We practicing with this one elder who has some problems, he will jump in teaching me something that doesn't have anything to do with what his comp was saying and it was confusing but i never had felt the Spirit more strongly than when he said what ever it was because his testimony was the most amazing thing and he knew what the was saying is true. so I hope I can do that myself! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! ding ding ding