I'm making a statement

So this is my new statement. The hot pink purse. 

Everyone is like, obsessed with it. 

Even Seth was wearing it the other day!!!! LOL!!

I'm making a statement called, "even sister missionaries can be cute"
with this pink purse. It is seriously famous. In Muncie. In the mission.
Everyone knows about the pink purse. :]

Hata's gon hate. Playas gon play

So, here are the protesters that camp out outside the temple every single day of the open house. Everytime I look over and see them, I just feel embarrassed for them. It's like this former bishop, Lee, and these people that he pays to do this. They just troll around the temple and harass people, and they dress up in these yellow vests and hand out
propaganda at the entrance and exit of the parking lot. SLY!!!! And, they have slyly labeled it as "Non-Mormon Temple Info" so it tricks people every time!!! And, they ALWAYS try to engage missionaries in conversation, but I never respond. I just smile and say have a great day!! They always ask us where we're from. And then they say, "Utah?" as if that's the ONLY place where missionaries come from. It's SO DUMB!!!! And they just put up huge obnoxious signs like "The 36 wives of Joseph Smith" and "Meet former Mormon bishop. Ask him why he left the church" and "Mormonism is still a racist religion. And, the list just goes on and on!!!! And they will sneak into the reception tent at times and try to pick arguments with missionaries. On Saturday, I guess, that guy had threatened Elder Sinclair, the area 70 who is in charge of the open house, that he was going to bring in bus loads of
black people from black churches and tell them about blacks and the priesthood and what not. So, we had an hour training on what to do and say if we get approached by these people. It was actually, one of the best things ever, because we had this super spiritual guy, teaching us doctrine and enlightening us from the Book of Mormon. It was seriously one of the greatest experiences ever!!! I was excited though, because I just love black people, I knew that they would be touched by that painting up in the bride's room. But unfortunately, no black people came through that day. But like I said. It was awesome to be fed so spiritually by this super in-depth scripture study and by this super spiritual leader!!!! 

(Editor's Note: Maggie sent part of her companion's letter telling more about the open house.) 

Sister Carnahan was really excited to have some drama in the reception tent but luckily, there were no problems.
It's really funny because the protesters are just bringing in more people. It's free advertising. Cars driving by will see all the commotion from the protesters and become curious so they take a tour of the temple and love it. We actually heard a really cool story from one of the sisters in the Indy mission. Lee Barker paid some people
$110 an hour, gave them a list of questions to bash with and sent them to take a tour of the temple. One of these people was talking to a sister in the reception tent and stopped half way through, gave her the list of questions and said, "I can't do this" and walked out. The spirit can touch even those who aren't looking for it. The even better
news is that when the anti people printed a 12 page article talking about how horrible the temple is, all the local churches stood up for us and the church was then able to print an article sharing the true facts. We have to remember that temples are part of the Lord's marvelous work and where there is marvelous work, mischievous work is to be expected too. God's plan will not fail.

A week later . . . . 

Do you see whats going on here? Yeah, so we were at the temple on Saturday, and I had been standing there talking to this guy answering his novel of questions that he had written when he went through the tour, and I had been talking to him for like a good 35-40 minutes (or so it felt) and then sister H came over to me and whispered,
"don't freak out, but just kinda go outside and see what our friend Brother Baker (Lee Baker, the ex-bishop and face of "Non-Mormon Temple Info tent") has done..." Oh my goodness. Adrenaline shot through my
entire body. I could only imagine what he had cooked up today!!!! Everyday its something different. So I walked outside to find this!!!!!! 

He had a huge sign up facing the reception tent that said "The 34 Wives of Joseph Smith Founding Prophet of Mormonism" and he had brought in 34 women, dressed as pioneers, standing along the sidewalk so that you would have to pass every single one of them on your way to the temple either in a car or walking on the sidewalk. It was absolutely outrageous!!! I cracked up!!!!!! But low and behold, our tour attendance about DOUBLED that day. it was INSANE!!!! People were waiting for hours to get into the temple!!!! I'm pretty sure we have just about exceeded 80,000 people through the temple so far, now. Thank you Lee Baker!  Honestly it was hilarious!! So, I decided to go outside and talk to people that were walking that little sidewalk from the temple to the reception tent and just really try to divert their attention, and kinda re-focus it on the reception tent, or the temple itself. That was working until all of a sudden, I hear this loud, penetrating, "Hey sister missionary!!!" I look over to the tent of doom across the lawn. Lee Baker is yelling right at me!!!!!!!!! He goes, "why don't you come over here and  PREACH??!?!?!" It was just absolutely embarrassing. Like I was straight up embarrassed for the guy. I just looked away and kept going, talking and smiling nicely to people, helping them find their way to the reception tent instead of the tent of doom. 

Lee Baker's comment hollered across the lawn at me was... awesome actually. Didn't even make me angry or upset or anything. It just made my body filled with this surge of excitement and even more gratitude for being on the right side. For being on the Lord's side. For there are far more with us than there are with them. And just this absolute feeling of safety came over me. I know who's side I'm on. I know whose side I represent and defend and there is NOTHING that anyone could ever do or say that could make me feel ashamed in any way. And then I immediately thought about Lehi's dream. And about how that sidewalk between the reception tent and the temple was the iron rod, and Lee Baker's tent of doom was the great and spacious building where people old and young, male and female would go to mock those on the path to the tree. And the reception tent was the tree. And that lawn that separated us was that mist of darkness. And I just wanted people to stay on that straight and narrow sidewalk and to keep going and not to fall into the mist of darkness and find themselves wandering over to the great and spacious tent of doom. I thought of this talk by Elder Holland that I heard before my mission about two sister missionaries who got spit at, and I always thought that if that ever happened to me, oh that guy would be sorry he ever even opened his mouth. I would sure give him a piece of my mind. But, now that I have been faced with that, I realize that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has changed me and has softened my heart and I just turned my cheek towards the temple and just kept on walking and smiling at everyone. I saw a police man go over and talk to Lee Baker a few moments later and then I never saw him again for the whole rest of the day. I think he was "dismissed" from his public display and cry for attention. I am thankful for Jesus Christ, and I am thankful for the iron rod and the feelings of safety and peace that overcome me when I cling to it.

The Temple on a stormy night

It was sooooo stormy the night we went to the temple with the branch! But it just highlighted the stark contrast between the spirit in the temple and feeling it so strongly in there, and being outside of the temple in the scary, world.

Frog Legs - Yummy

So, my number one goal on my ENTIRE mission was to eat frog legs!!!!!!!! I've finally done it!!! They tasted exactly like chicken... now I get why people don't eat them very often. Because, it tastes exactly like chicken but you get 50% less meat!!

It's called frog-baby fountain!!

First impressions of Muncie Indiana

Serving at Ball Sate in Muncie, Indiana is seriously the best. It has been a non-stop party since I got here. It feels exactly like I'm back at college again. The time of my life. I serve in the YSA Ward and I went from a ward of 80 people to a ward of about 30 people. We go to FHE & Institute and we chill with the senior couple who run the institute right off campus and we just walk around the university all day. The senior couple sit around on the couch's all day with the front door open, and eat! It's like the place to go. The place to chill. Sister M. makes sure that anyone who walks through that open door is heavily supplied with food and love. And, we go there every day. I don't know, I just feel like I'm constantly eating ever since I got here! It's nice though. 

The members feed us, usually it's to Taco Bell or the Dining Hall. Most of our investigators live in dorms and we meet with them at the Library a lot, right next to a huge statue of a naked lady. It is the first thing you see right when you walk in and she is holding like a deer or something. It's so awkward! But, I can't complain. Life couldn't get any better than this. We teach Mission Prep class. The Institute is a house owned by the church and it is super fun. I'm serious. Life is an absolute party right now. My companion is amazing. She was my Sister Training Leader a couple transfers back so I have already served with her here and there before we became companions. 

She has already served at Ball State a while back, she has also served in the YSA ward at UC in Cincinnati and now she is back at Ball State with me. This is her last transfer before she goes home, so I'll only be with her for 6 weeks. 

We opened this area again for sisters. We replaced the Elders and inherited their old apartment. It was the stinkiest, grossest thing. It smelled like DJ's room, first of all . . .And second, there was man-hair all over the bathroom. When I walked in there and saw that, I screamed "Eww, that is so gross! I'm going to murder those Elders!" Then I walked into the bedroom and poor Sister H was trying to pray! Our apartment complex has a gym, so I can work off the food pretty fast. They also have a stand-up tanner at this apartment. So Legit! Dude. My life is so great right now. Heavenly Father really hooked a sister up. Big time. 

It's pretty country out here. And, people grow a corn . . . a lot. 

And, people do a lot of fishing. Everyone is obsessed with my swivel bracelet. (Editor's note, it is made from fishing hooks.) Sister M even bought some so all the sisters in the ward can make them at institute. But seriously, people go fishing here all the time! I have heard a few "hick" accents. It's just really country here. Oh, and everyone has a truck! :) I've been waiting a long time to serve in a wonderful place like this. I can't wait to go catch frogs and fish and go muddin! People have been talking about taking us, non-stop since we arrived. And, not only that, but the YSA branch covers the whole stake, so our area is the size of an entire stake, so we have a huge area. 

But, the real reason they put a lot of sisters back in our Stake is because the Indianapolis Temple is opening and we get to help with it! So, not only are we the Indiana missionaries, but the only ones authorized to go to the Indiana Temple during the open house. We are going t guide people and answer questions and stuff. I'm pretty sure Heavenly Father is just making up for the fact that I missed the Phoenix Temple opening. He's just showing me that he loves me and understands how I felt about not being a part of the Phoenix Temple, and making up for it by allowing me to be one of the sisters to help. 

And, we got to be a part of the very first tour tour to go through on Sunday, before it opened to the public on Friday! 

I have now, not only been in three different states on my mission, but I have been to three different temples here as well!!!! What a privilege!!!!

Goodbye Ohio - Hello Indiana

I went from the big city to the vast, green country of Indiana!!!

Welcome to Indiana!!!! Here we are at the Institute. It's just a big play-house and Elder and Sister M live there (senior missionaries) and its just nestled in between a bunch of frat houses on Ball State University. It is the most fun place ever. We go here, everyday. And then it rained my first 3 days here. Like non-stop raining.

Ugh.

Here is frat row . . .

And, here is my companion, Sister H. 

Excitement in Madisonville

There was a shooting in Madisonville when the mini missionary was here. A cop died. It was on the corner of W and R!!!!! That is our main finding corner!!! We were in Madeira that morning, at
our coordination meeting when it happened. But, we still had a lesson with S that afternoon around 4 and I wasnt going to let some stupid shooting keep us from visiting S. Even though he lives at the corner of W and E which is approximately 500 ft away from where the shooting took place. Members kept calling us and telling us not to go to Madisonville, because there was a shooting and people might be rioting and people were still down there shooting. All I have to say after hearing all
that, and then going down there to visit S and learning the REAL story, is LOL. What a bunch of crap!!!!!!!! First of all, it was a mentally ill guy that had called the cops himself, saying that there
was a crazy guy with a gun shooting people. He hadn't shot a soul until the cops arrived. Then he shot a cop and then another cop shot him and they both died. Later they found a suicide note. So this guy was looking to die. No one was rioting, no one was out there shooting guns all day.  It just goes to show you how scared of Madisonville, some people are. If you really went down to Madisonville, and spent some time down there, you would see just how truly unscary that place is. People who
have never even been there to see it for themselves, hold it up to be just this terrible, dangerous place. It is not. There are real, genuine people there, just trying to make it in this world. I know that the
Lord my God will protect me. I know that he loves his children in Madisonville, and I know that this is the work of Salvation, this is the Lord's work, it is our Father's business, his hand is in it, and
that there is no one who can tell me not to go out and do it, except for the Lord Himself.  The Lord needs S and there is nothing going to stop me from aiding Him in bringing S closer to christ.