Sister Stephani Rodriguez: Just Another Day At Panera Bread

So I'm pretty sure all of my email subjects are from vines or movies haha this one is from a vine from Josh Peck.

We went to Panera Bread this week for dinner so it's been stuck in my head all week!

So we were in Utica this week for Zone Conference which is SO great! I LOVE being around other missionaries. The Utica mission is filled with so many incredible missionaries, I feel so lucky to be apart of this mission! We have two brand new missionaries in our Zone so that was really weird to see that I'm not the newest of the new anymore! But we had a training by our mission president and holy cow President Rogers is so amazing! Before I came on my mission, Tanner O. said something to me about how we were called to our missions for a reason but also to our mission presidents for a reason and that is absolutely true! I know that President Rogers was meant to be my mission president. I learn SO MUCH from him!

Since we were in Utica, we of course had to go shopping!!! So we stopped at the mall and it was so great! I definitely know Heavenly Father called me to Hamilton for a reason because there is literally one store called Peebles and it's like not even cute at all so I have ZERO distractions for shopping which I guess is a blessing haha. So we went to Target and a few stores in the mall which was awesome because I got a few things for the fall/winter before it gets cold! After we went shopping we went to Panera Bread and of course it was amazing! That's one thing I love about New York is that it actually has a Panera! My fave!

Well this week we put Lacey on date for baptism!!!!! We sat down and talked with her and her mom last night. Jessica brought up some concerns she has but ultimately is going to support Lacey if this is something she wants. So October 15th is going to be the best day ever because Lacey will be baptized!!!! I am SO PROUD OF HER! She is the sweetest and one of my closest friends. She also has the biggest desire to go to the temple which is so awesome! I thank Heavenly Father every night for trusting Sister Loveland and I enough to be the ones teaching Lacey.

Also this week I expressed to Sister Loveland how I felt like our lessons weren't as sincere as they could be, so we were at a lesson with Steve and Jessica and I could feel the Spirit SO STRONG! We finished reading a chapter in the BOM with them and I just started asking them these questions is they've prayed about the Book and Jessica was like "yeah" me: "have you gotten an answer?" "No" "well do you believe that Heavenly Father will answer your prayer?" "Not really..." We finally found our problem!! We were struggling with how to help them and so we finally were able to discover one of the things holding her back. We both were able to testify to her that Heavenly Father answers prayers but we have to ask with real faith and I just could feel the Spirit guiding us and telling us what to say and what questions to ask. It was incredible!!

Also this week we stopped by our investigator Janette's house. I think I've mentioned her before but her son is in Ohio and he is also investigating the church so they've been discussing a lot lately! She is so cool. Her faith in Jesus Christ and her relationship with God is so incredible. She is actually STUDYING the Book of Mormon! Like she sits down and reads it and uses the footnotes to compare it to the Bible, it's awesome! She's literally PROVING to herself that it's true! I wish everyone was like that! We keep asking her about the Book and she was telling us about her studying and goes "don't worry! I like the Book!!" Hahah it was cute but it was so great because The Book of Mormon plays a huge role in conversion so we are so happy that she's studying it!

So our Zone this month has a goal of placing 600 copies of the Book of Mormon! Sister Loveland and I have been struggling really hard to do our part. Like the last week of August we placed about 10 in one week but as soon as September hit and we had this goal it seems impossible! We've only done three this whole month! So we decided that as much as we hate OYMing, we were going to do it and we were going to place some. So we get out and start walking towards the town and we see this guy sitting on a bench (it's like 8:00 at night so it's pretty dark and it's raining) and my trainer's like "let's go talk to him" so she just strolls right up to him and goes "have you ever heard of the Book of Mormon?" and BAM just places it right then and there and testifies of it and tells him what it is and i was like in shock, how cool is my trainer?! If she has it in her mind that she's gonna do something, she's gonna do it! I'm still getting over my fear of OYMing but that definitely helped, her example is so helpful to me! So hopefully we can get out there and keep placing them!

Also I know I say this all the time, but I LOVE the Hamilton branch!! We had a pot luck after church, there was no sign up or anything, people just brought what they wanted and it all worked out! Since our building is so small we cleaned up the chairs in the chapel and put out tables and ate in there! It's been so cool going from Utah where there are churches on every corner to our tiny little branch here in Hamilton! I used to think our ward was small with 9 young women but here, Sarah is normally the only one in Young Womens! Jordan and Lacey have been coming too now so our young womens just tripled basically! But it doesn't matter how big the church is, we're all still family no matter what. I have been so lucky to have been apart of the Hillcrest ward at home. They're so awesome! It's just so different to experience a tiny branch!

Funny Stories:

So I got the kids from the Gang addicted to 3-hit-kill!! Hahaha one day this week we pulled up to the house and I see 4 kids run out from the house and the porch and grab the ball and they were like "WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU SO WE CAN PLAY!!" Hahah I love it!!

Also this week we were walking home at night to get back to the apartment and this guy on a golf cart starts driving next to us and was like "Hello Mormons." We were like "hi!" and he was like "It's a full moon tonight. Be careful." It was so weird!!! I was like "You're the only person that i need to be careful of!!!" But of course i didn't say that haha it was just super creepy!

Also one more, last night Sister Loveland was on the phone with Elder Cook, our District Leader while I was in the shower and when I got out, the first thing I hear is Elder Cook saying "No, I don't want all of my posterity to know about dead old lady butt!" HAHAHAHA I was so confused!!! So I get out there and make him tell me this story but apparently they were in a nursing home and long story short, he walked in on an old lady who was being changed and saw her butt and then like the next day she died! So now he's haunted by the fact that he saw a dead old lady butt. hahahahah oh man how I love this mission.

Well that's about it for this week! Thanks so much for all of your love and support, I miss you all so much but I love being a servant of the Lord! I hope you all have a great week and I look forward to hearing from y'all next Monday!

xoxo

Gospel Girl

Pictures!!!

1. Our typical "we're way too busy today to even eat lunch so we're packing a PB&J and eating it in the car" lunch :)