Email from April 28th,
2014
Family! I'm so sorry, but I won't
get to send out an email this week. I was exhausted so I slept for a
much needed 3 hours today, and then we had a district nerf war
activity! It was a blast! I'm so grateful
though to dad, Adam, Hannah, and
mom that emailed me, and for Ross who emailed me a few weeks ago, as well
as grandpa! I really really do appreciate it. It helps me to feel
close to home and I love getting them all the time ;).
Summary of week -- I had an awesome
exchange in a ysa ward with sister hale! I got to hold 3 day
old baby kittens and enjoyed my time with sister hale from temple
square!
Then the baptism of nancy was
amazing! We ended up with 2 investigators with baptismal dates
the next day due to the spirit felt there. They are neighbors of
Nancy's. The spirit was so strong you could have cut it with a knife. I
never wanted to leave. We wished we
could have recorded the entire
thing and watched it over and over.
The work is really hastening here!
We have such a busy week ahead, where every single 30 minute spot
is already booked for the week. It's exciting!
How is life at home? Ap tests
coming up and babies bursting forth , woohoo!
We are really encouraging everyone
here to read preach my gospel and we are following up often on each
family. I hope I can do that with you all as well ;). I'm so excited
for Mother's Day when I get to talk
to you all! I'm sorry for the
brevity, but just know I love you ;).
Sister Becca ann younce
Becca’s email from April 21, 2014
I know all of you have probably
seen the video "because of him" and if you haven't... Go watch it! It's
been a huge blessing to get to show that to everyone I see. We had the
final week of Easter pageant this week. My one day away from the
temple was Friday night... Which also happened to be the one night that
the moss' came and Faye and Ed
felts! I wish I could have been
there! But I wouldn't have traded what we were doing instead for the
world. Nancy was having her baptismal interview, and she
passed! She has forced us to go back on sweets, (but thankfully no that
does not mean that she has gone back to smoking!) but we are doing it
grudgingly! I lost some weight from that 2 weeks of no sweets, so I'm
going to try to make it fairly permanent. I loved getting all the
dried fruit and yummy organic
Annie's snacks in my Easter
package! So fun!
On Saturday I got to go on an
exchange with sister Beaudette and avanesjan! Sister beaudette as most
of you probably remember was my sweet former companion, and sister
avanesjan is Armenian but most recently from Germany. It was a
great day with them! I prayed really hard at first for help to make me
into the leader God needs me to be, and to guide me by the spirit
during the exchange to help the sisters.
It was so neat to see that happen.
At one point we were in an apartment complex and we were
trying to get in touch with their investigator with no luck. Instead
we saw a Mexican guy walk by and before I knew it I was walking
quickly to him across the lawn and
asking him if I could share an
Easter message with him. He agreed, and I shared "because of him"
with him. He loved it, and it looks like we
got the sisters a new person to
teach! Then we were about to walk back to the car, but I asked if we
could go knock on a door of an apartment close by. We did, and as
she opened the door I asked if we could share an Easter message with
the family. She agreed and opened the door and let us in (that is
VERY unusual in Mesa in English work!). It turned out that the
woman was a less active who had not been to church in over 30 years,
with her 10 year old daughter living
with her. The 10 year old quickly
let us know what she wants to follow Jesus Christ, and the woman let us
know what she had CPs take her other 7 children long ago, but that
because of Him (Jesus Christ) she
was able to have a second chance.
It was so sweet to see them embrace each other and they agreed to come
to church the next day and to take lessons for the 10 year old to get
baptized! It was amazing! The church had lost track of that woman
a long time ago, and the ward had no idea she was there! They are
both ready to follow Christ in whatever way they can! Woohoo! I
just hope I can be that willing to open my mouth in my own area too!
Miracles can always be found... ESPECIALLY on exchanges!
Saturday night was then the last
night of Easter pageant! I had eaten mcdonalds fries and chicken for the
first time in over a year, and they did a number on me! So I was
out of commission curled in a ball
in the back for most of the night,
but thankfully I was able to go and watch the last pageant performance!
One of the apostles in the pageant is a good friend, so he
saved seats for us in the 4th row
front and center! I loved getting
to watch the faces up close and then it was so powerful as Christ
was being pushed around and beaten when I was able to see his face and
agony he was in. I know it wasn't
the real thing, but it really is
pretty magnetic to watch. Afterwards, I got to see don Nelson (baptized
last June) and Diane (baptized in February)!
Yesterday we went to two sacrament
meetings, and shared a few family messages, had Easter dinner at our
bishops home, and then we had the visitors center til 9! I missed
having a family egg hunt -- and I
definately can't wait to see the mega
big egg!! (Picture please?!) but overall, I was thrilled to have my
Easter here. I was really able to focus on the atonement and the real
reason to celebrate Easter this
year!
How did each of you find a way to
focus on Christ this Easter?
I hope all of you had a wonderful
Easter! I love you and miss you!
Thank you so much for the emails!
Sister Becca younce.
Ps. I heard that our former
investigator, Mary, who we just helped to move a few weeks ago, passed away
suddenly. It was sad to hear, but we knew she was very sad and unhappy
and in pain, so I'm glad she's in a
better place now!
Becca’s email from April 7, 2014
Family! I feel so terrible that I
keep sending such short and rushed emails. Things just seem to get
busier and busier here on the mission! It's hard when I can't resort to
just staying up late to get it all done ;) like I usually do.
Here is a little update! Sister
Pickett and I are enjoying being sister training leaders so much! We
love the sisters we work with and it's a good remedy for when we are
feeling bogged down, to have to
look out wards and try to think of
those sisters. I'm finding that the cure for all unhappiness is to
stop thinking of yourself, and to serve others. We are doing our
exchanges on the few nights we have off
from the visitors center, and my
first official one comes in a few days. To prepare for the we have
met with each companionship to get to know them this last week and to see
what their goals are so that we
can help them attain them, as well
as what struggles they are having. I've loved those meetings with
them.
Our training was pretty scattered,
but it seemed to be a success at MLC last week! I almost feinted
from nerves in all honesty... But it was a good experience. Now we get
to have car inspections ( we get to wax the car today!) and interviews
with president tomorrow, and then give our training again in Zone
training meeting on Wednesday. Woohoo!
The Easter pageant dress rehearsals
have been happening almost every night, and usually the kids and families
performing are still rehearsing when we go home at 9:30.
The impression I have gotten though is that the cast is just so
immensely passionate about what they are doing, that it hardly
seems like a sacrifice. Every single song and act is in reverence and
adoration of Jesus Christ. Even watching the dress rehearsals each
night has increased the spirit in
the Vc so immensely. I can't wait
for the first show on Wednesday night! We will be going back to our
Christmas lights schedule where we get home at 10:45, and wake up
at 7-7:30 instead, with dinners at 4
pm. Thankfully this will just be a
sprint, in comparison to the marathon at Christmas lights! We
have been practicing our opening and closing invitations and testimonies
for the christus as well as the movies (witness of Christ and gods
plan for his families ) They still need to be 20 seconds each
and we are supposed to TTIP. ( teach testify invite and promise
blessings) all within 20 seconds at the
beginning and end! Im looking
forward to getting to float around and talk to the people so that I can
really get to know them and bear testimony to them When I am not on
those posts.
I will have a shortened pday by 3
hours today, due to pictures with the vc sisters on the Easter
pageant stage. (Hence the short email!)
We are off of all sweets for our
investigator. I feel I can tell you her name at this point... Sister c
is named nancy! She will be baptized on April 26th, and we are
so excited for her! She has truly seen the gospel change her life, as
it just started out as a little seed of faith and hope, and now
it's blooming into a beautiful and fruitful tree. I just love nancy!
Anytime in our area at night for the
next 2 weeks will primarily be
spent with preparing her for the covenant she will be making at
baptism!
How is everything going at home?
Thank you Ross, Adam, Hannah, mom and dad and everyone else that
takes the time to email me! I read all of them a few times through, and I
want to reply so badly! But time
is just so so so limited here. I
appreciate y'all so so much ;)
I love you family! What was your
favorite part of conference? I loved it all, though I really loved elder
Richard g Scott's talk! I want to
invite you all to study those talks
and to pray to know what you can each take from those talks to apply
in your own lives more fully. The words spoken on Saturday and Sunday
were truly from God.
I love you all! Mwah!
Sister Becca Younce
March 31st,
2014 email from Becca
Hey family! I am feeling pretty
scattered right now,so forgive me if my email reflects that!
This week we were really just
thrown in there. On Monday when I dropped off sister Hamstead and I
was saying my final goodbyes to the sisters going home... I just
suddenly broke down! I hadn't quite
realized deep down that this would
be my final goodbye to sister valladares, who has now returned
home to Honduras. The impact that sister valladares has made on my
life would be impossible to put into
words in a little email. I learned
from her the importance of staying close to the spirit, and how even
one little interaction with someone can be inspired and help a person
realize the road God has in mind for them.
She has shown me how to be a
loving, true, and submissive servant of The Lord. I couldn't thank her
enough! Sister Cameron (vc directors
wife) is having me type up our
story, and she wants to send it to Salt Lake. Who knows where it will go ;)
She is now home, along with Sister
Hamstead in Georgia, sister DeMille in st George Utah, and sister
brownell in Oregon. The visitors center
just isn't the same without them,
and we are all eager for next transfer when we will be getting at
least 4 new sisters in the vc! Our numbers are getting low, and 4 are
leaving in a month.
Sister Pickett is a great
companion! She is from Oakley, Idaho and her family owns and runs a big farm
there. She just recently was serving in Apache Junction, and
this is her first area with 2 wards.
Her first 6 months was spent in a
singles ward in the ghetto part of Mesa, so this is quite an
adjustment ;) whereas I started out in 3 wards, and I can't imagine what I
would do just covering 1 Mesa ward! She is a sweetie pie though, and we
get along great ;). I love that she is a very obedient missionary,
and is always close to the spirit. It will be a great experience to be
together.
We are both pretty stressed out
with time. We are both the newest STL's, yet they asked us to do the
main training in Mission Leadership Council tomorrow for 45 minutes.
Aka the trainings done in MLC are
then repeated throughout the whole
mission in smaller meetings so that all 250 missionaries hear it. We
are training the mission tomorrow. Pressure, huh? :) We both feel
pretty inadequate, and we still have
no idea what we are really doing,
but somehow we both feel at peace with it. Tonight we will put all of
our thoughts together, and I'm sure a little freak out session
will follow!
Sister C is progressing so
beautifully! She is still set to be baptized on April 19th. Yesterday
was her first day of not smoking, so this week is a big one! Pease send
any extra prayers her way! Her understanding and enthusiasm for
the gospel is inspiring. We can see it changing every facet of her
life!
We also got to attend our stake's
performance of The Lamb of God this Wednesday! It was amazing. My body
was flooded with the warmth of the spirit from the first word sung,
and it lasted till the 2 hour
performance was finished. If you
like Les. Mis , then just imagine when beautiful music like that and
lyrics all about the savior, are put together! It was overpowering
and i hope each of you get to see it
performed live sometime. I love the
many opportunities we have to turn our thoughts to Jesus Christ at
this time of year. As soon as this training is over tomorrow, all I
will be able to feel is my excitement
for the Easter Pageant and for
sister c's baptism!
I truly love this work! Sometimes
it seems impossible, but in reality it would only be impossible if I
was trying to do it alone. God is providing a way for me to do his
work and accomplish all he has entrusted me with. Whom God calls,
he qualifies. I can feel the truth of that statement in my life!
I am sad I missed the double baby
shower, but I'm glad I got to see someone else who was sad to miss it
as well-- rachelle! I love getting visitors!! I know the name Rosie is
decided, but has baby Weatherspoon been named yet?
I love you all! SO MUCH! I hope
you're enjoying your spring!
Mwah!
Sister Becca Younce
March 24th, 2014 email
from Becca
Hola familia!
Donde estas? Just kidding! A
combination of the multilingual vc sisters and elder moss has inspired
me to be multilingual I suppose.... So I have pretty much
decided that the first 6 months I'm home I am going to work for some
airlines so I can get flight benefits
( to become more independent and
put a down payment on a decent car), attend every institute class I can
and be involved with the missionaries locally, and relearn
Italian so I can jump back into it at NCSU! Then after that time, I
will jump right back into being a student again and hopefully I will
graduate in a year or so ;) But ya know how life just always goes
exactly as planned, right?
I guess "killing" a
companion, or sending them home, makes you really consider what you want to do when
you go back as well! I was talking
to sister brown about it the other
day, since she is also "killing" her companion, and she feels the
same way as me. We are going to so many farewell things, that we feel
like we are going home now too!
Then we realize that's not true....
And well... It's just a weird feeling! I don't want to be done
yet!! The babies have to be born first and have time to get some
chub on the before I can go home! ;)
We ended up speaking in both wards
yesterday. It was an extremely spiritually uplifting day, and I
felt the spirits guidance so much. The people here are just so amazing
and they have such good, giving,
and charitable hearts with a deep
understanding of how to actually live and breath the gospel of Jesus
Christ! I have found so many great examples here, and I want to use
many of the things I see here in my
future parenting and family! During
our talks, we both cried a bunch! The spirit was just too strong and
it ended up leaking out of our tear ducts!! :D haha along with some
strong emotions.
So usually transfer news isnt
announced until Saturday night at 9pm. But because of the new technology
in the mission, it's hard to keep the news from leaking....
Especially in the VC! I knew who I was going to be with by Thursday
morning..... Sister Pickett! And then I got a call saturday morning from
president asking me to be a sister training leader (almost like a
sister zone leader .... But just over the sisters ) with sister Pickett!
I am staying in my house and
staying in these wards. Yayyyyy!
I'm really excited for this next transfer. It will be busy with the
extra duties as VC administrative sister, stl and the exchanges that
go along with it, and the EASTER
PAGEANT each night for 2 weeks, but
I'm pumped! It's funny, we all need to feel needed so I want
leadership duties... But when you are called to be a leader often you
have the most humbling experiences!! I
know I will learn so much from the
sisters I get to work with. Sister Pickett is a sweetie from
Idaho. Sister Hamstead actually trained her, and she came out only
a transfer after me. She has always worked in the ghetto, so I'm
excited to show her the other half
of Mesa ;). She is a hard worker,
and I know a lot will continue to go on in our area.
For sister hamsteads last weekend
as a missionary, we had Mulans's baptism! It was great. A little
rowdy and with lots of quirks, but that's just how that ward (Leonora
ward) goes :) Everyone there is a
little crazy, but SO friendly, so
they all get along nicely and just go crazy together ;) Mulans's mom
has been inactive since she was 8 years old, and knows almost nothing
about the church she belongs to.
She has been trying to get off work
for Sundays for months now.... And finally... We all prayed for her,
and then the next day she was able to find an open shift to switch
with permanently! She will now be off
work on Saturdays and Sundays and
will be able to come to church with her 3 kids!! She is so excited, and
it was a huge miracle for the whole family. Mulan will be
confirmed and get the gift of the Holy Ghost next Sunday so her mom can be
there ;). It was probably the
biggest and most exciting event in
their family in years and years, and you could just see how the
spirit was working on the mom and
grandma. I watched as the mom
openly wept as her daughter was immersed in the baptismal font. We
went to comfort her, and she told
us that mulan was no longer just
her child now, but that she was a daughter and disciple of Christ
now. We all celebrated with cookies at
the church, then we had a big
dinner at a members house for mulan! Her friend that was with her told
us she wanted to be baptized too... Although she may not understand
what that means yet, we might just
have someone new to teach due to
that baptism ;)
As I type this, sister Hamstead is
in her final interview with president Jenkins, so I don't have
too long to finish this before they are done with the interview. We
will be running errands to find little
momentos for her family before we
have to have her at the mission home for her last evening and supper as
a missionary! I will be with sister brown for the next 2 days,
and I might end up "day training" a sister for a night before I get
sister Pickett. We shall see -- maybe 4 companions in one week!
I'm excited for sister Hamstead to
go home and see her family. She has served with all her heart, and her
family should be proud of her! I
read in alma 17 today when Ammon
and Alma see each other after having spent years apart while on their
missions. They see each other for the first time and Ammon collapses with
joy, and there is a joyous meeting with the two of them! I imagine
that will be what it is like when I see my loved ones after my mission
is through if I serve with all my
heart. I know it will be hard too
leave Mesa, but I know all will feel right in the world once I am with
my family again! I only have 6 months left to serve The Lord in
this capacity! I'm going to work hard
till the last ;)
I love you family! I can't wait to
tell you more about sister Pickett
next week!
Sister Younce
Ps they had a super Saturday on
Saturday where all of the families and participants of the Easter pageant
were on the VC's front lawn rehearsing all day! I'll send a
picture.
Becca’s email from March 17, 2014
Family! Man, our weather is so
different right now! I'm sweating already and we have the AC on full
blast everyday..... It's only march!! But then you are having
cold and rain? Sadly that actually sounds really good to me right now!
I would give anything to cuddle up in a big sweater when it's cold
outside, but next winter I'll be home and it had better be a cold one ;)
We had zone conference this week,
and during it we got word that there were going to be quite a few rules
changed. Funny enough, I'm actually grateful for more rules. You sign
up for rules as a missionary, and
they really are for our own good.
It didn't feel right to have as much freedom as we have had for a while
now. I think the rules will help our mission to be more consecrated
and focused -- which is sometimes a
challenge a bit more than other
missions because of the iPads with us all day (and SO many 18 and 19 year
olds!) I love the structure, and I think these rules in particular are
just enough to lift our mission,
rather than weigh it down. We also
got a wonderful book for each missionary for he Easter season for
a major mission wide study of the atonement. It starts march 21 and
I'm so excited! Yes I have come to
understand r atonement more on my
mission, but it still is the central point in our beliefs, yet one of
the least understood principles! The day before zone conference I was
texted and asked to give a 20 minute
training for the conference. Sister
Hamstead also gave one and she was given 2.5 weeks notice! We had vc
shift and lessons back to back so I basically had the hour before bed
that night to think about it. Thankfully The Lord provided a way
since he knew I had done all I could do under the circumstances.
The other people didn't even know they were to give trainings, so
mine ended up turning into a 30-40 minute one with practices to fill
in for theirs as well! They had
been trying to split up the zone
leaders this transfer to "lift" the mission as an experiment, but it
resulted in an obvious lack of communication as you can see :) it
will probably be changing this next
week ;) My first district leader
then zone leader has been an assistant to the president for
quite some time now, and is getting released this coming transfer. It's
been great to have him as one of my leaders for my whole mission --
hopefully he will be sent to our
stake to help us jump start the
missionary work here!
Do y'all remember my trainer,
sister brown? Well we had a lunch with some sisters that are going home
and their companions today. It hits me every time I talk to her just
how humble and amazing she is. She
is still my missionary idol in the
mission, and I know I was so so blessed to have had her train me.
She trained me so patiently and diligently!
Sister Hamstead is going home next
Tuesday! This is her pday to pack and prepare to go home so she is
packing as I send this email! Her little brother left for Brazil
today for his mission. He has been in
the mtc for 6 weeks, and he recieved
notification that he would have to wait for his visa in
independence Missouri. He notified his gsmily about that, but failed to tell them
that later on that day last week
he ended up getting his visa!
Surprise! It will be elder hamsteads first week in Brazil, and sister
hamsteads last week in Mesa! I'm sure it's a strange time for their
family! She is going home to a
different home an before their
mission even, and her family will be quite different. Her older sister
was married while she was gone and her brother is now on my mission
for two years, and they are in a new
house. She is such a trooper
though. She works so hard, and hasn't slowed down a bit... Like some
missionaries do toward the end. Heavenly Father is rewarding her
for her diligence during her last
week .... With a baptism! Little
mulan is 9 and asked us Sunday if she could be baptized on the 22nd! It's
been approved, so we are teaching her each day with week, and she
will be baptized Saturday, and
confirmed Sunday! Sister Hamstead
won't even have a spare minute to get emotional or trunky!
(Missionary term for having her heart back at home
h instead of in the mission )
she's s great
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blonde companion! Woot woot!
I can't wait to hear where john and
dani will be going! Ahhhhh!
Happy birthday Adam! I love you
stinky brains!
I should go now. I love you all so
much! Thank you for the letters I've been getting, I adore them!
And thank you mommy for the amazing package -- I'm stocked on healthy
snacks for he next few weeks now, and well... I'm stocked on
everything. ;)
Mwah! PINCH!
Sister Becca younce
Ps. I'm psyched for the Easter
pageant!
Pps. Elder moss I am soooo excited
for you!!
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Aloha!
We had a blast at our Leonora ward
Leau! There was an AWESOME Elvis impersonator there and all the
youth did some really funny hawaiian themed entertainment numbers!
Moki's hawaiian bbq catered, and all the
proceedings went towards the girls
going to girls camp! They put us in charge of serving the salads in the
food line. It was an opportunity
to say Aloha to, and greet every
single person (about 250 people) that came to the event! It was a LOT of
fun -- in fact it was probably the most fun ive ever had at a ward
function. The Young Men were all such
great sports as they played the
Ukelele and did polynesian battle cries! Even the Bishopric strummed
the Ukeleles and sang a song about pearls. That was the first time
Sister C ( a woman we have been
teaching for a few weeks) came to
any church activity and met anyone -- and it was PERFECT! She felt so
included and right at home and laughed right along with the rest
of us. Because she liked the ward
party so much, she decided to come
to church for the first time Yesterday (after 2 months of
trying) and she quickly decided that this is the path she wants to pursue!
She felt the spirit so strong at
church yesterday, and she has been
feeling the Love of God as she has pursued this course with us. We set
a baptismal date for April 19th (yes its the day before easter on
purpose!) yesterday, and we are SO
excited!!!! She will have to quit
smoking in the meantime, but we
know she can do this! She has gone
through so so very much in her life, and she wants to wipe her
slate clean, and dedicate her life to following God's path for her.
YAYYYYYYYY YIPPEEE!
We also found out that there was a
little girl that is 9 years old that is unbaptized! Her family is a
recently returning less active family, and we have our first
lesson with them tonight!
Apart from our time at the visitors
center, our schedule has been jam packed! Though its a small area,
these two wards are doing a fantastic job of keeping us busy
and including us in every single
going-on in the ward!
We have seen so many miracles
everywhere recently, and I cherish the happiness it brings into my life
when I make the effort to recognize God's hand in my life, and thank
him for it! I'm so happy as a missionary. Mommy is so right --
ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING! Sister
Hamstead has a little less than 2
weeks left, and then we will be saying goodbye! What a blessing the
mission is to every missionary who serves. Its simply
indescribable. I want to forever be a missionary, and I will be! I will
just be transfered and get the same
companion for the rest of my life
:) I have no problem with that!!!
Sister Spencer's Birthday was last
week while they are on vacation and nobody really celebrated it. She is
the sweetest person and is pregnant, with 4 kids at home all
day every day. We are trying to think of something nice we can do
for her to make her happy. Mommys out there - does cleaning her
kitchen sound like a good present? We just got back from a mall
shopping day with the district. The elders take so long to shop!!!
Sister hamstead and I were done in an
hour, and the Elders went to EVERY
SINGLE STORE to find ties, and took 3 hours!!! Role reversal! But that
has resulted in a lack of time to email. So as usual, BLAME THE
ELDERS! ;)
Congrats to Brenda on her
marriage!!!! How did it go? I want to see picturesssssss!!!! Also, how was
the fairy tea party? I see the girls enjoyed their frozen Cake! Happy
Birthday Lily Pie! Decca Loves
you!!!!
I love you all! That picture I sent
was saying that exact same thing with my fingers! ( silly daddy!!!
:)
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