July 27, 2009

Hey ya'll! Um... shortest week of my life! No joke. I've been soo busy and time has just flown by. I love it.

Pioneer day was really fun, they kinda celebrate it here... We just told pioneer stories with the sisters and sang pioneer songs. Considering there are only 4 sisters from Utah who actually know pioneer songs, it worked out pretty well.

We're doing a lot of the online proselyting, and I love it! I think i just like typing... I miss it. But we get to talk to a lot of way cool people.

What else... Doug! Thanks soo much for your letter! It made me laugh soo hard! I got two letters last week, and both of them included major paragraphs about large high-powered rifles. At first I though "what does that say about my friends?" But then I realized... "What does that say about me?" Soo funny. I'll write you back later... have fun in Disneyland!

On Wednesday Sister Kolo and Babcock were hiking and they came across a pig skull. Of course their first though was "Ooh, Sister Bridge would like this." Freaky... and so they brought it back for me. Not really sure what to do with it... but it's kinda cool :) Not gonna lie, I like bones. But most of you know that.

Our area is amazing! The members work soo hard with the missionaries. We showed up to a luau the other day to meet the members (and eat), and one woman came running up to us and said "I invited this family from the beach to come, and they are non-members from Israel! Go teach them!" So we taught them... and because the mom spoke Spanish, and my comp was called to speak Spanish... they were able to communicate a little better.

We've got some baptisms set up for the next few weeks, and I'm super excited. I haven't been to a baptism in years! I think almost 8 years... One woman has been going to church for almost a year, and just didn't know who to talk to about being baptized. How is that possible? At least she knows now.

Still eating way too much. The Samoans say: "you still too skinny... eat more." It hurts sometimes. I love being able to work out a little each morning.

My focus this week was making my personal study more meaningful. Oh my gosh I've learned soo much! And then... when I least expect it, I remember things when I'm teaching. Wow, the Lord works in awesome ways. So that's my commitment to ya'll... read your scriptures with a purpose. Just do it.

Till next week,
Mahalo nui loa!
Sister Bridge

Howdy Howdy!!
This transfer has started out really great! I'm super super excited. Our area is gigantic! Like a billion times bigger than my last area. On a map, if you find Laie, and go south to Ka'a'awa, that's my area. We get to drive past some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen! Sometimes we even drive up into the scenery... cuz there are houses inside of the jungle areas... It's sooo cool... There are wild pigs out there. Our area follows the Kamehameha Highway down the island. For those of you that have driven that... you know how amazing it is! Right next to the shore the whole way, and you're like 5 feet from the ocean. I love it.

Funny story: Apparently I street contact in my sleep. I guess last night I woke Sis. Larsen up because I was teaching her about prophets. She started laughing when I started talking about beaches, and that's when I woke up. Go figure. I guess that's a good thing...

Another funny story: I keep hearing this chirping noise outside all the time, and I just though it was a bird. But then I hear it inside, and I ask "How are there birds under the kitchen sink?!" No, it's the sound the gecko's make... they sound like birds!!

I love my new area. We are teaching so many people. We have one girl with a baptismal date, and another guy that just has to get through a few more lessons. I did my first street contacting since I got to Laie. That was cool... We were in Ka'a'awa most of Saturday (it was our area day, so no visitor center) and I got to meet a lot of interesting people.

I realized yesterday that it's almost pioneer day. How cool is that? They celebrate that here, in Laie. Not really the same way, but it's cool anyways.

Madi, I still feel like texting you every time something happens, but yesterday I realized that I don't even remember what my phone looked like. That made me happy.

So now we're going to play tennis, and I'm terrible at tennis so this will be fun. I'm just glad I don't have to wear a skirt. I love you all, miss you lots, write if you have the chance. I'm still at the same address.

Mahalo to those that do write, it's mucho appreciated!

Aloha!!!
-Sister Bridge

July 13

This week has been great. Really long, but great! My comp goes home on Wednesday, and that means transfers! Yes, I’ve been transferred already, and I’m pretty pumped. I'm going to Hau'ula, which is the city just south east of Laie. I'll still live in the same apartments, and have the same address. Now I’m in a driving district, so I get a car! My new companion is Sister Larsen, and she's from Logan. I'll move into my new apartment and wards on Wednesday. I'm going to miss my ward, but I’m really excited.

So one day I was on exchanges with Sister Sakaguchi and the funniest things happened. We went to BYU to talk to some of our students, and one of the sisters had FACEBOOK wide open and was trying to show me all of these things. I have been trying soo hard to try and not think about face book this whole time, and she wanted to look me up on it, and see pictures. Blah. So then we went to see some members in the area, and right as we get there I hear the Star Wars opening credits coming from inside the house. They were just sitting down as a family to watch episode 1. I couldn't believe it. My favorite movie ever, and the little boys ran out and started acting it out. I laughed so hard. Then twenty minutes later we walked to a woman’s house that had on the same perfume that my mother wears. I wanted to cry. Her whole house smelled like my mother. Fun stuff

Last night I had the first dinner that I actually had to choke down. The food wasn't bad, but there was a lot of it. The sister was from somewhere by Tonga, and she just figured I liked raw fish. So we had marlin soaked in lemon juice, with tomato (I hate tomato) and then this New Zealand delicacy with New Zealand sausage and weeds (she called it a weed, I didn't). I managed to eat it all. The sausage was interesting... and then she made us sandwiches with Vienna sausage, tomato, and something else that I couldn't identify. Never had Vienna sausages on a sandwich. So cool.

Well I’m pretty psyched for my new area and companion, there will be 4 haule's living in one pad, and that's going to be messed up. I've been living with international sisters for the last transfer, and I’ve loved it!

So keep writing, I love getting letters :D and mahalo to those who have. Hawaii is great, and the weather is very very nice. I have been very blessed.

Love you all!
Mahalo!
Sis Bridge

Talofa! I hit my 2 month mark today, that's kind of cool. Didn't realize it till I was writing the date on a letter this morning. Time flies when your on the Lords Errand I guess.

Speaking of being on the Lords Errand... There's a movie out about President Monson with that same name... and you all should watch it. My companion and I watched it yesterday in between sacrament meetings, and we were both crying.... a lot. It was very good.

I hope ya'll had a good 4th of July. We closed the VC down early and all headed over to Elder Eubanks for dinner. They made sloppy joes, and most of the sisters had never eaten them before. Good times. We played some games later, and had a blast. The people here love fireworks, and it was smokey all night. Apparently new years is even worse!

Anyways, the work is going really good. It's kinda hard in an area of so many members, but our job here mostly is to strengthen the faith of the members, and to help families. Then after doing that we go to the Visitor center for our shift, and teach those that come in. On top of that, they’re about to open up the online chat to us, and so we'll be able to have on-line investigators. It's going to be a lot of work. But I love it :D

I went to the Polynesian culture center dinner and night show on Tuesday. It was pretty much amazing. They take all the new sisters there. I've decided that I'm going to marry a Tahitian dancer. Or maybe not, but it was cool. The fire dancing is the best for sure, and one day I will master it.... or burn my hair off in the process.

Quote of the day "The virtues that combined to make this perfect character (meaning Christ) are truth, justice, wisdom, benevolence, and self control." Think about that for a minute.

I love working at the Visitor Center because it's great to see people who just drive by and have the "strange desire" to come inside the visitor center. We'll teach them a lesson or two, and they will just openly admit that they know that God led them there to learn this message! It's amazing to see people realize this! The visitor center is such a great place to teach people the gospel, because we have all these amazing tools and visuals to use. If you live close to one (like Salt Lake... cough cough) I would highly suggest going and seeing the great missionary tools! Gods plan for his family is amazing, and the prophets room! Take your friends there, bear testimony of eternal families! It's the greatest message ever! Till next week, I leave you with my testimony that I know God lives! I have seen his work and his amazing love! I know that President Monson is a prophet of God, and by following his council and that of his Apostles we can come to know with a surety that Jesus is the Christ! Love you all so much! Mahalo Nui Loa!!
-Sister Bridge