To be a pioneer! (Or more like a Jaredite)‏

Hello Hello!

This week has been pretty great!  We did two exchanges this week and it was a little tiring, but SO much fun working with other Sisters!!!  AND I SAW SISTER SCOFFIELD!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D It was the happiest day ever!  We got to go out as a trio with Sister Jessee while Sister Campbell did her leadership stuff with Sister Breakall and is was just great!  Like the MTC all over again, but better because it was real life! And the people out there in St. Michael's are so ready for the gospel!  It was so amazing.

Funny/super awkward and I-don't-know-how-to-feel-about experience that happened while Sister Jessee and I were with Sister Breakall towards the end of the night - We found a guy that had been taught by the missionaries before.  He was so happy to have that spiritual direction in his life again as we visited and was so willing to come to church and work towards baptism.  Well, apparently his common law wife didn't feel the same.  As we were teaching this guy she didn't say a word.  Didn't sit, didn't shake our hands, just went about in the kitchen cleaning and back in the bedroom doing something.  Well... middle of our lesson comes around and she just leaves.  She had a backpack on, shoes in her hands, and just left.  The guy we're teaching gets up, checks the bedroom, and she had just packed her clothes and left the house!  Probably won't be coming back for a long time.  It was SUPER awkward, but he took it well.  He said that he needed to focus on church more than her anyways and went through their problems.... but ... we totally separated a relationship. #missionarylife.

Other fun events - we listened in to Marcus' (a recent convert) first priesthood blessing!!! It was amazing!

And Ludene is continuing to be a rock star!!!! She's half way through Alma now and still going strong!  And is so cute as we go to teach her a lesson then before we really get into it she teaches it all to us.  I LOVE HER!

We went on other exchanges as well where the Page Arizona sisters came to us in Shiprock. It was a fun 24 hours :)

And we got to be on a float!!!! For the 24th of July the ward put together a float and the missionaries were asked to be on it because we're white.  They needed white people to be the Jaredites.  So we wore bath robes and rode down the street.  It kinda hurt my heart as I had a ton of parade memories.  This parade was the saddest thing of my life.  Like 10 floats and maybe 100 people showed up to watch.  We just smiled and waved haha.

And we got to help with fry bread making!  Super fun :)

And HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY TO ANNELYSE! (I told you I would forget...)  You're the best :)  Have fun being old ;) I love you.

Well, I love you all and hope you're doing well!!!!!!!  Keep going strong :)
Love,

Becca :) 

Two by two!!... wait....‏

Instead of teaching two by two, we are now teaching three by three!  It's an exciting adventure to say the least and we are definitely learning from each other.  I'm learning lots and lots and lots.

First impressions of Sister Campbell:  She reminds me a *lot* about our cousin Lauren Smith.  She's super smart, and loves animals, and loves Tumblr.  If you want to imagine her almost perfectly, imagine Lauren but without a sense of humor.  Sister Campbell is exactly obedient in everything and doesn't understand jokes.  It can be quite hilarious at times as we tease her.  She hates "worldly music" while on the mission, even singing random lines throughout the day.  I'm learning patience.

We performed a special musical number for Zone conference this week!  Sister Jessee played piano while I soloed and sang I Will Carry His Sheep.  And it went SO well!!!!! We were definitely blessed in that moment.  And Sister Bowler, the Sister that loves me immensely, has named me Julie Andrews from the experience.  My heart was extremely happy when she told me that :)

Highlights of this week:  We had exchanges with our Sister Training Leaders and it was so much fun!  I learned how to say I love you in 6 different languages and I learned how to say Captain America in Tongan.  Best day ever :)  But saying "I love Captain America"  is hard because apparently it doesn't use the same words I learned.  Language learning is tough.


We had two people accept the invitation to baptism this week!!!!!! it was the best thing EVER!!!! :D Ludene and Lorita are so ready for this gospel!!! And Ludene came to church!  She's gonna be the BEST person in the ward ever!

Another highlight, I got to wear pants for the majority of Wednesday!  YAY!  I love skirts, but I love my jeans as well.  We were painting a cabinet and building a 24th of July float.  Turns out the missionaries will be on the float this Saturday... ha, this will be fun :)  Hey!  Tell Holly to come to the 24th celebrations and find the fry bread stand!!!!  I'll be there perfecting my fry bread making skills :)  and they're actually getting pretty good if I do say so myself.

Random question, can someone send me some pirates league pictures?  I've been asked for proof of my work.

Also, the miracle package with the jelly beans and the ring?!????? HOW?????

I'm short on time, but I hope you all are doing well and keep going strong!

Love ya all!!!

Love,

Becca :)

PS No more big white truck :(

The jeep.... :(‏

Feast Upon the Scriptures

(email sent to all the Cardon cousins currently serving missions)

Today's missionary thought comes from our stake Sunday School president, Steve Krolak.  He was speaking in our Sacrament meeting about feasting upon the scriptures.  Now, there are lots of different eating styles that can apply to the scriptures.  Some people are nibblers - they like to taste a little of this or a bit of that, but they don't take very much.  Compare this to those people who read a verse a day...just to say they read something.  Others are of the fast food variety.  They need something that they can just "grab and go."  Anything that someone else has taken the time to prepare so that they don't have to.  Think of those people who go to Sunday school and listen to the lesson, but they don't take the time to read the assignments at home beforehand.  Then there are the binge eaters.  These people consume lots all at once, but will likely lose it later.  This would be like Paul reading 70 sections of the D&C all in one day.  He completed his seminary requirement, but how much of that information will stick with him.  The Savior didn't encourage us to snack, nibble, grab and go, or binge on the scriptures.  He invited us to feast on them.  Think of Thanksgiving.  The loving preparation for that feast begins days before hand.  There is lots of time and attention to detail.  The family all gathers together to bask in each other's company, to talk and converse one with another.  It is not hurried or rushed but savored and enjoyed.  This ought to be our goal - whether it be companion scripture study or family home evening.  We gather together to teach and to preach that all may be edified and learn from one another.

Russell M. Nelson said, "To feast means more than to taste.  To feast means to savor.  We savor the scriptures by studying them in a spirit of delightful discovery and faithful obedience." 

This week, let your soul delight in fatness!

I made it the first month!!! :D

Let's celebrate!  I made it to the first month mark of the mission without being poisoned, held at gun point, or dying in general!  Hooray! :D  Sister Jessee and I had a little celebration the other day, pictures will be attached :)  This girl just makes me laugh.  She is crazy and I love her for it.  Fun fact!  She actually knows Slipper and the Rose!!!!! I about died when I figured this out!  NO ONE knows that show! :D

This week has been a pretty good one.  I guess you know you're adjusting to mission life when you're shocked when you realize that it's Monday.  The week just flew by!  If it continues this way, I'll be home in what feels like 2 months :)  (I'm secretly hoping for this.)

Biggest news - We're becoming a trio!  We're picking up Sister Campbell today and she'll be with us for at least the next 3 weeks.  We're super excited to be with her!  The only thing I really know about her is that she's a triplet, and they're all identical which is apparently super rare.  So it's like she's famous or something ;) 

We're beginning to learn the Navajo language!  It's beautiful, but we're just starting.  There's a lot of throat stuff and glottal stops and such.  And a lot of slurring, but you have to be precise in your slurring.  It's kinda difficult, but we will master a few words! I have faith in us.

It's been pretty rainy this past week, but nothing compared to Florida's amount of rain.  However, it's just enough to create a whole lot of mud!!!  The truck kinda slides around as I try to maneuver it and it's really sketchy but highly enjoyable as long as we continue to not crash into anything.  Walking in the mud is fun too!  My shoes get stuck and sucked into everything, and I almost lose them half the time, but for now I still have complete sets of shoes.  They're just really dirty.

We've also been being fed this past week!  Usually we fend for ourselves, but I think the ward now has a goal to get us fat.  We had two lunch dates, and yesterday we had two dinners.  I'll be buying lots and lots of vegetables today to try to counterbalance all the food we've been given.  But I'm still grateful for the people and their kindness.  They are all so awesome.

Okay, so fantastic people that we've met:  First there's the crazy fly killing lady.  In the 45 minutes we were in her home she killed at least 10 flies!  She just lies there on the couch while we talk at her and suddenly she's moving her fly swatter and gets the fly first try!  She's one of a kind. Her name is Sister Tso, but will forever be known as the crazy fly killing lady.  Then there's Ludene.  And in the week between visits she listened to the Book of Mormon from the *very* beginning to 2 Nephi 10!  I think I did that in a month in my studies.  And when we met with her she gave us the most detailed description of everything!  I think I only every truly understood the stories after watching a video of them like Liken and the Living Scriptures stuff.  Sister Jessee and I were just floored.  It was amazing!

And finally, fun facts.  Circle of Life is now one of my favorite songs.  We blast it a little and belt our little hearts out when it comes on.  MOTAB at its finest :)  And also!  I'm a Sister Missionary's favorite Sister somehow!  I don't know how I did it, but she *LOVES* me!  Sad thing is that she goes home after this transfer.  But after the one time I met her, I went to her top two Sisters.  And Sister Jessee was even her companion for a while.  Don't know how I did it, but it makes me smile :)  I think the fact that I gave her Costa Vida might help a thing or two.  She even wrote me a letter.  I'm just so confused and so happy about it at the same time.

But anyways, that's more or less what's happening over here in New Mexico!  I realized that I hadn't given out my mailing address in my email before, so if anyone wants to send something go to P.O Box 3013 Shiprock NM 87420.

I love you all and hope that you're doing well!!!! 

Love,

Sister Becca :)

gift from Mark Haines

Ward member Mark Haines took this picture of the Ogden temple and gave it to Rebecca.  (I will always remember the day she was endowed.)

Becca's response, "Oooooohhh!!! I LOVE IT!"

Missionary Plaque

I dropped off Becca's picture and favorite scripture (D&C 82:10 I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise) to Dorothy Giles so she could make a missionary plaque to hang on the wall in the church.  Dorothy commented, "That photo is gorgeous!  She should be a model."

Here we go again!

This week was a bit of a roller coaster, but it was still good!

Funny story of the week:  So, wind + skirts = bad combo.  We were waiting for someone to open the door on a windy day and I was wearing a billowy skirt.  Suddenly, my skirt was basically on my head instead of around my knees and I quickly tried to bring it back down.  Thankfully, no one had opened the door yet and we were literally in the middle of no where.

Fun mundane fact:  We get water bottles at almost every appointment we go to.  So we have a million plastic water bottles around the house.  It's simply because it's hot here and people are trying to be really nice to us.  We definitely appreciate it :)

Also, Happy birthday to Rachael this week!!!! I hope you have a wonderful birthday!

So, for this week, we were in farmington a TON!  So we didn't get a ton of lessons in, but we got Costa Vida, so all was well :)  I still absolutely love that place.

For the 4th of July we really didn't do much.  We went to a member's house and gardened a bunch.  Well... by "we gardened" it really translated to me sitting there holding the shade and watching everyone else work.  It was actually quite hilarious how much I didn't work.  I wanted to!  Don't get me wrong, but they refused to put me to work since I was in a skirt.  Super dumb.  So I just sat there.  We have a great picture of it, but the member hasn't sent it to me yet.

I've made a few discoveries this week.  First off, I've discovered how much I love super sappy, cheesy, mormon movies.  I didn't realize this until we were talking about Charly and Christmas Shoes and my love for those movies.  I'm such a girl, but I'll embrace it.  I've also discovered the best way to kill a spider.  You either spray it to death with Febreeze and it shrivels up and dies, or you vacuum it up.  That works really well too.

I've also re-discovered my love for sticky notes.  They are my best friends.  Seriously, best invention ever.

I've been working on "the Lord's tan"  and it's coming along quite nicely.  I have the beginnings of a watch, ring, and shoe tanline.  Hopefully I will look Native American by the time I come home because I'll have such a great tan ;)

So, I know I tell you random things from my week, but what do you guys want to hear?  What would you like to know about Sister Jessee?  We've gotten pretty close this past week and I think the craziness we both have in us is coming out.

Well, I love you all and hope you're doing well!!! Here's to another week of hard work :)

Love ya!

Love,

Sister Becca :)

ps - thanks for the packages!  They were the best :)

pps I don't know what pictures are being sent... I tried to send a lot but they wouldn't let me

trainer

Our wonderful new companionship!  Just got out of a zone conference with the new mission president.  Have a great day. :)

new mission president

New Mexico Farmington Mission

David G. and Cherie Adams

David Grant Adams, 61, and Cherie Jensen Adams, three children, Dry Canyon Ward, Logan Utah Mount Logan Stake: New Mexico Farmington Mission, succeeding President Doyle L. Batt and Sister Karen Batt. Brother Adams serves as a ward missionary and is a former stake president, bishop, and high councilor. President, Adams Construction Company, Inc. Born in Riverside, California, to Grant Allen Adams and Verlene Palmer Adams.

Sister Adams is serving as a ward missionary and is a former ward Primary president, counselor in a stake Primary presidency, and institute women’s adviser. Born in Sacramento, California, to Harold F. Jensen and Carol Lou Moser Jensen.

They will replace:

Doyle L. and Karen C. Batt

Doyle Lee Batt, 62, and Karen Clayson Batt, five children, New Mexico Farmington Mission; Coltman 1st Ward, Idaho Falls East Stake. Brother Batt serves as a ward missionary and is a former stake president and counselor, stake and ward Young Men president, bishop, Cub Scout leader and missionary in the Northern Indian Mission. Retired engineering manager, Idaho National Engineering Lab. Born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, to Melvin Lee and Nora Martin Batt.

Sister Batt serves as a counselor in a ward Relief Society presidency and is a former stake and ward Young Women president, Primary president, Primary music leader and gospel doctrine teacher. Born in Sheridan, Wyo., to Eli Karl and Beulah Memmott Clayson.