Random pictures of Tara from Orlando, Florida mission blog

These are pictures of Tara that I found on her mission's blog: www.floridaorlandomission.com:

January 28 -- Preparing and Training for Internet Proselyting

January 31st -- Trainer Follow-up

January 27, 2014

FIRST OF ALL lo siento [I'm sorry]. I completely forgot to tell you my area. Ha, I'M IN KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA!!!

YAY! Also, it’s been an incredible week. Unfortunately our new investigator Sabrina hasn't been progressing. Also her less active mom keeps bailing on our lessons. So are just going to show up and pray they are there. We've realized it’s harder for people to come up with excuses not to meet with the missionaries when we are at the door as opposed to on the phone. 

But we got a ton of great contacts last week! Most of them were Spanish too so that’s awesome because then we don’t have to refer them to the other Elders in our ward. 

I really enjoyed all of the people that we met with this last week but I think my favorite was an elderly man named Ruben Castillo. He was on our less active list and we went and visited him in the nursing home. He was seriously the sweetest man in the world. I’m not exactly sure what his health problems are but he wasn't able to get out of his wheelchair. His roommate was a Jehovah’s Witness and didn't want to turn off his TV so we just met in the hallway. Anyway, Ruben. After our prayer one the first questions we asked him was what he remembers about the church because it’s been so long that he’s gone. All the sudden his eyes started to water and all he told us was, "Tengo un testimonio fuerte" [I have a strong testimony] and started to cry. It really took all I could not to sit there and cry with him. He doesn't have any family around here so he doesn't get any visitors and missionaries haven’t been over in a while. We asked him if it would be okay to get the sacrament out to him every Sunday and he nodded. When we asked him how often he has been reading in his libro [book], he told us that he didn't have a copy at the home so i pulled one out of my bag and told him we had brought one just for him. Once again he started to tear up and asked us for our signatures, the date, and then to write, "Para Ruben" he was so stinking sweet. We read to him a verse from DyC [Doctrine and Covenants] and then told him we would come back and read the Book of Mormon with him once a week (because his eyes are bad). I look so forward to talking to him again and I’m so sad that he has such a strong testimony and hasn't been able to come to church. ): Before we left he shared with us his testimony and it was so beautiful!!

Also as we were walking away, one of the other elderly men in the home had heard our lesson with Ruben and asked where our church building was. When we told him it was close by he goes, "well okay, I’ll see you there next Sunday!" So we're going to go visit him as well! SANTA MILAGROS!  [HOLY MIRACLES!]

OKAY, real fast. Interesting story. So yesterday we were out contacting and we met a man who was Muslim.  It was super interesting talking to him and we aren't allowed to have actual lessons with Muslims unless we get permission from our mission president. Well anyway, he was trying to prove us wrong and we just kept baring testimony. He went inside and came back out with a Qur'an and read us verses from it and then gave it to us. So then i was like, we'll take this book only if we can give you one. So we gave him a book of Mormon and I asked if i could share a part with him because he shared with us. He accepted and we read with him part of the introduccion [Introduction] and also explained the restauracion [restoration] a little and told him how we have the Book of Mormon today. He told us he would read it and said to come back in 3 days and he will have finished it because he likes to read. So, Muhammad is currently reading our Book of Mormon and we have a Qur'an chillen in out desk drawer. I don’t know how he will feel when he finds out we haven’t read it. But we know he studies the Bible as well and I’m hoping that when he reads in the Book of Mormon he will feel the spirit. I know he will for sure feel something different than when he reads the Qur'an. We also invited him to pray about the things he has read and to pray about what we shared with him and ask if they are true. Fingers crossed for Muhammad!!

Anyway, that’s all I have for this week!! I love you all and keep you in my prayers (:

Hermana Halverson

OH PS. Elder Nelson came and spoke at our mission conference. And I met him. Shook his hand at he said "It’s nice to meet you Sister Halverson" So like I know an apostle of the Lord. 

ALSO, our mission is getting switched to iPads. We receive them this Thursday so all of our paper documents will have to be transferred over. It will be a busy week!!

Notice the dark hair? Wondering if she went to brown for ease of upkeep?

January 20, 2014 - First full week in the mission field

I first want to apologize for how short this letter is going to be! I didn't get a P-day last week because I was traveling and I had 2 weeks of emails to catch up on. REALLY QUICKLY I will fill you in on the last week.

So I arrived in Florida on Monday and got my new companion on Tuesday at transfers. Her name is Hermana Fisi and she was raised in California but lived in Washington for a while and that's where all her family lives. She's from Federal Way, idk where that is though. haha But anyway, like 90% of the missionaries that are here are from Utah so it's super funny that us two from Washington are companeras [companions]! Also she only has a transfer on me. She went to the CCM also and right after her 12 weeks of training she got put as a trainer! She's actually really awesome. I wouldn't have known she's only been here 2 transfers if she didn't tell me. She's really good about wanting to be 100% obedient so we are always striving to do everything exactly right. 

Oh also, like milagros [miracles] are real. It's been a week and I have already seen so many!! There is a lady named Llaniri who was baptized when she was younger but hasn't been to church since. She's Dominican and pretty hard to understand. But last week we saw her and her daughter on Wednesday, I think it was, and we taught her la resturracion [the restoration]. Well, more like Hermana Fisi taught it because I was so lost. Well last night we taught her again and her husband stayed for the prayer and then left but her daughter stayed for the lesson of el plan de salvacion [the plan of salvation] and I was able to teach a part of it and understand pretty much ALL of what Llaniri was saying! Afterwards, we committed her daughter to Baptism! I just want you all to know that the gift of tongues is so real. Without the help of the Lord I would still be so lost. Not only have I been helped with the language but also understanding el Evengelio [the Gospel] so much more. We also have been trying to get in contact with a less active named Bro. Marcovich and he is impossible to get a hold of. But we were able to finally see him on Saturday and we brought another member from the ward with us and it went so well! He doesn't remember much of the gospel but it is so great to see how excited he is to learn more! His wife is really Catholic but we are going to try and see if we can get her in on some lessons soon.

Also we have a mission conference soon and Elder Perry is coming! At least I think it's him. I also know that this next stake conference we have in about a week or two will also have a member of the 12 [Apostles] come. It's wayyyy exciting!!!

We also get to go to the temple twice a year. Once in January and once in July so I get to go in just a couple of weeks I think! I was sad that it's only twice a year but I heard that it was just a new change. Last year they weren't allowed to go at all, so I'm glad to be able to go even if it is only twice,

Also the ward that I'm is an English ward that has absorbed a Spanish branch. haha It's weird. They have translators in all the classrooms. But just yesterday we heard that they are going to have a Santa Cena [sacrament] meeting in Spanish during the one in English! It's crazy. 

I was also afraid that I wouldn't be teaching many Spanish lessons, but we actually SOLO teach en espanol. Well, we can teach one in English but then after the first lesson we have to refer them to the English missionaries. There are 3 companionships in my ward. There's us, then English elders, and then our zone leaders. One's name is Elder Carlson from Utah so I told him we were probs related. 

One of the pictures I sent is from the CCM with the two elders that are coming to Kennewick Spanish speaking! Elders Stock and Hudson. One is like 6'6" or 7 so he's way tall.

Well.. I have to run! But I love you all and I'm so glad to hear that all is well with you guys! 

LOVEYOU!!

Hermana Halverson

These are the two missionaries Tara met in Mexico that are coming to Kennewick.  Tara's 4'10" looks so tiny next to his 6'6"!!  All you locals, keep an eye out for them!

January 13, 2014 - Arrival in Orlando, Florida

We made it! Finally here in Florida and it is so beautiful! So humid already. We are the only 5 Spanish speakers, 2 are Portuguese waiting for their visas and the other 11 are English speaking. We are all staying at the mission home and another elder and sister's home tonight. Then tomorrow we have orientation and get our companions. My bike is here and everything is ready!  We introduced ourselves in Spanish and it was super funny watching their faces. There is an elderly couple here that speaks Spanish and another that lived in Richland, WA but in the 70s... haha I have to go but i love you guys and I'm so glad i got to call you today! IDK when my p day is but probs soon!

Hermana Halverson

ps, 

orlandofloridamission.com is our mission blog go look at it!

First companion and trainer!

January 7, 2014

I’m so sorry but this week’s email is going to be pretty short. I spent a lot of time writing personal emails... So I’ll just quickly try to sum up my week!

First of all my X-rays came back and just as I suspected, I am perfectly fine.. haha But because no one knows what your insides are supposed to look like, Hermana Dia y yo convinced nuestro districto y mayestro that I had a tape worm!! haha I just found a random line on my x-rays and was like, yep, there it is. The best part was I told them all it was 2 feet long and no one second guessed it for a second. They know the truth now but it was so funny!

I still don’t have my camera chord and therefore don’t have a way to charge my camera so I will have to get pictures sent to me from my hermanas and then I can send them home!

New year’s eve kept us up pretty late, not on purpose, but we all were in bed by 10:30 but the noise outside was so loud! At like 11:20 I just shoved cotton balls in my ears and that helped a little. 

Umm... I showed your Christmas photo to my zone and now everyone wants to write my sisters. It was the funniest thing ever. 

Really nothing much has happened this week. I did receive some pretty awesome personal revelation and I’ve decided that I want to be a missionary forever and ever and never want to come home. I mean I will though because of like family and life and everything. 

But i was thinking about how when I was kind of sad about leaving for the mission and how Mom and Dad were just like, it’s only for a short while, just work hard and it will go by fast. We'll miss you but you’re doing something really great... Well I figured that’s happened to all of us already. When we left our Heavenly Father to come to earth, I bet we were all so excited and upset all at the same time and were really sad because we were going to miss Him so much, and I bet he told us pretty much the same thing that you guys told me. It’s pretty comforting (: 

Also I started to read DyC all the way through because I haven’t done that yet. The Old Testament will just have to wait. haha It’s a pretty hard thing to get through but I plan on reading it by the end of this year. Hopefully... 

I’m so excited to go to Florida! 6 more days!! Yay! I get to have real investigators! The hardest part will be that my investigadors here break character and will often correct me on my Spanish and in the field I have doubts that it will be like that.. haha More reason to work harder! 

The temple is closed for the next year and a half here but today we got to go to the visitor center again and get an actual tour this time! It was great! I also got a picture of the Mexico City temple that’s the same size as those pictures of temples we all have in our bedrooms at home, so I’ll send it to you and you can put it in whichever room you want!

Also I’m very glad to hear that you guys are taking care of my precious Colbie.. haha Thanks!

AAANNNNDDD Chase is going to be the best missionary in the whole world.. I just know it. I’m so excited to keep hearing from him and all of his incredible experiences in Peru! Hopefully his "siempre softies" will go away.. if not, I’m sure he can buy some Pepto at the tienda... haha

I love you guys all so much!! I can’t wait to hear from you next week!!

Hermana Halverson