Sharing hilarity.

I'm going to take a break from writing about heavy subjects that tear your soul apart and just brag about my family for a bit.

I have the best family in the world. And no, you cannot contest that. It's just the truth and you have to accept it.

I'd like to think I have an amusing sense of humor. I like to make people laugh and it's gotten me out of many a potentially awkward situation. I learned these skills, as most do, from my family. My mother, almost always smiling and lighting up the room with her bubbly personality, loves to make people feel welcome. This is most assuredly done through making people laugh. My father, less outgoing but surprisingly talkative when you get him on the right subjects, has a secretly dark sense of humor. My childhood memories of my daddy include, but are not limited to: learning to sing the "fart" song whenever beans were served with dinner, begging Dad to do the napkin face (he put a napkin on his face and stuck his tongue through it - why we loved it, I don't know), hearing our names being substituted for the evil people in the Bible and Book of Mormon whenever Dad read aloud to us, and staying up late to watch the show Max X. I've never heard my dad laugh so hard than when watching people get seriously hurt doing incredibly stupid things.

Needless to say, my siblings and I soaked in the influences of my parents - my mother's ability to target an individual's sense of humor and adapt the conversation to make them feel at ease, and my father's taste for somewhat indecent and justifiably hilarious things in life. It could easily be said that this combination has produced one of the most hilarious and awesome families ever to exist on the planet.

And so. I was emailing back and forth with my brother Mitch yesterday. I would like to share this conversation with you, mostly because a) I find it hilarious and I want to share it with the whole world and b) you need to understand how amazing my brother is.


WARNING: If you like Nascar and/or are from the South, this might offend you.



Me: I'm supposed to be looking up the top magazines for NASCAR fans for my job right now. WHO DEDICATES WHOLE MAGAZINES TO THIS STUFF.

Mitch: There's more than one magazine for NASCAR?? Wtf? It's probably pretty enlightening I guess. 
"I only get these NASCAR magazines for the.... articles..."

Me: I hate motor sports. They are so dumb. Seriously, how can this be one of the most popular sports in the world?

Mitch: Cause it's waay cool. Think about it- they go reaaaally fast. Also... beer.

Me: And the occasional boom boom. Nothing like a good car crash to make me want to drink more beer and love my life. 

Mitch: "WOW! It's so loud! Did you see tha- HEY, why doesn't my liver work?"

Me: "One beer for every lap!"

100 laps later...

"Uhhhsldnnskla;skjvienskladslkj!!!"

200 laps later...

Dead.

Mitch: I drink beer during nascar races because I don't get dizzy enough when I'm sober. 

Hey, wanna go shoot something afterwards?

Me: You mean dem hippies? Ja.

Mitch: Correction: Dam hippies. Dam mexicanos. Dam nigroes. 'member the confederation? Thems was good days.

Me: Them good days wen we had all dem der cotton. An now I cain't get up off dis dam porch. Dam yankees took all the moneys there wuz. 

Mitch: Slavry was a good thing two. It's in the Bible somewer.

Me: Yer got that right mister. Hey, pass the butter why don't ya? I ain't got enuf here on my butter cake.

Mitch: y'aint gonna deep fry that sucker first?

Me: I alredy done deep fried the butter and sugar befur I made the cake. And I put in dem friend pickles you like so much.

Mitch: thank'ya's'much darlin. you're the best fieansay/close relative I ever dun did have (toothless grin)

Me: I think nows the time to tell ya dat one of them chickens done peed on yur truck. Mind ya, I wus fit to be tied. But I cain't get that stain off. 

Mitch: S'aright. Times a'comin for a new 'n besides. i thnks i seed a new one at the junk'ard anyhows. Just give the yold'n to Jeheremihuh. Jethrow and I'll get the other'n after t'mar's nascar match

Me: I can't keep up with you. You're too good at this.

Mitch: Well you know... lots of practice. What else do you think we did at scout camp for 5 years?

You're welcome.

Pretty.

"You're really pretty."

I roll my eyes and take a deep breath. "Thanks," my obligatory response.

"No, you're like...really pretty."



The bathroom at the residence I'm staying at here in Paris has two incredibly large mirrors that almost take up the entire wall on opposite sides. The shower, which is in fact not a shower but a bathtub with an extension shower head, has no curtains. Every time I bathe, I am forced to stare at myself. All of myself.

It's a horrible experience, I can assure you.

And it's horrible because for as long as I can remember, I have struggled to appreciate one of the most precious gifts God has given me - my body. Feelings of anger, frustration, self-consciousness, and sometimes even hate have crippled my ability to see anything good of the 120 pounds of mass that I posses.

It's hard to say where these feelings come from. Society? Culture? Other's comments? Media? Mental illness? Satan? Maybe it stems from all of those factors, I'm not sure. I used to want to figure it out, but I've passed that point. Now, I just want it to stop. I want to stop being angry and frustrated and self-conscious and hateful. I want to stop being that feminist that advocates self-confidence and respect for ourselves but can't walk past the magazine stand without secretly wishing to even slightly resemble those photoshopped faces. I want to know what all those people know who believe their bodies are precious and special and love themselves just the way they are.

I want people to stop telling me I'm beautiful only on days when I'm wearing makeup or during those long stretches of time when I won't allow myself to eat over 1200 calories a day. Actually, I just want to stop feeling like I need to hear those messages all together.

I've heard the "You're really pretty" thing a hundred times, from strangers and close friends. I'm probably going to hear it a hundred more times. And the thing is, whether or not it comes from a place of love or pity or honesty, I'll probably never really listen. Not because people don't mean it, but because I don't believe it myself.

But every time I hear a,
"You're really smart."
"Wow, you're super talented!"
"Thank you for being so kind."
"You're a good friend, do you know that?"
my heart leaps a little. Sincere affirmations make me want to be a better person and to do good things. They help me to forget, if even for just a moment, that it's my soul I want to love and to be loved, not only the imperfect body that houses it.

I want less pressure to look beautiful and more encouragement to be beautiful.

I want to be more concerned with remembering to tell someone I love them than with trying to remember how many calories I consumed. I want find happiness in long walks, prayers, and music, not in the latest style trends, lipstick colors, and imitation of fake images. I don't even know if I want to learn how to love my body as much as I want to learn how to govern my life by the things that matter most.

My body is important, and I'm very grateful for it. I am grateful that God has allowed me to be strong and healthy. I will probably always struggle to hold it to God's standards instead of the world's or my own, but that is just something to learn I guess.







[I've shared this before, but I'm going to do it again because it's the best. So watch it. Now.]


The end.

 

Yolo.

Just so you know, I've got another blog going on while I'm in Paris. Check it out if you want ------> HERE.

Cool.

The "F" word.

Let me tell you a story.

On the last day of my mission, I traveled to Berlin to meet up with the other missionaries who were going to be flying home with me, all of which were Elders (missionaries of the male gender). Sitting in a room of the mission office surrounded by these Elders, I was more than a little uncomfortable, especially since I had been taught for 18 months to NEVER find myself in this situation. But alas, it could not be helped, and I sat there impatiently waiting my turn to have an interview with our mission president.

I'm not exactly sure how this next part came to pass, but I remember one Elder in particular, who must not be named and who I had not met previously, decided to brave the forbidden waters and engage me in seemingly light-hearted conversation. A little out of touch with talking to people of the opposite sex I suppose, he found it a perfect opportunity to tell me everything he had heard about me on the mission - every. single. rumor.

Not a minute had passed and several other Elders decided to pipe in similar feedback. Now, I'm not exactly surprised at what I heard. I knew I had a reputation for being outspoken, blunt, and lacking in basic social manners. Most Elders (and Sisters) had heard I was a "feminist," and subsequently, not fully understanding the meaning of this term, were terrified to meet me. But that never bothered me, mostly because people who had actually experienced a personal interaction with me tended to like me, or at least learned to not be offended by my presence.

But the way these Elders, people I had never met or spoken to, were talking to me about me made me feel so uneasy and, quite frankly, hurt. Every negative term that came out of their mouth was also associated with me being a "feminist," as if all feminists are terrifying, man-hating, rude liberal loud-mouths (the usual stereotypes that I apparently posses). And it hurt because I knew that this twisted image they had of me would forever have been ingrained into their souls as being associated with feminism, had they not had the opportunity to finally meet me and understand who I am and what I stand for. It hurt because they didn't understand this wonderful movement that had changed my life for the better, and they were mocking it in my presence.




Feminism has become a dirty word, my friends, and for this I am very sad.

I could go on and on about what the feminist movement really is and what's it's done for the world and blah blah blah. But you already know this. I talk about it everyday and I post about it everyday and whether you believe it or not, you are probably being exposed to feminist "propaganda" on a regular basis, even when you're not graced by my presence. And you know what? You probably agree with most of it. Let's be honest, who doesn't want a world where women are treated like human beings? The crazies, that's who. I don't need to defend the feminist movement as much as try to help you understand that if you have a brain that functions probably, you are probably a feminist too. 

The beauty of feminism is that it is really personal. Not every person who identifies with feminism agrees on every point! There's a place for everyone who desires gender equality.

I just want to tell you what feminism means to me.

Feminism has given me identity as a woman and has helped me to understand masculine identity. It has given me purpose and meaning in my life. It has given me the courage to stand up and say, "No, that is wrong." It has given me the courage to stand up and say, "Yes, this is me and yes, I believe this." My thoughts and feelings and opinions and hopes and dreams are all valid and real because I am a person and I deserve them. Feminism has taught me that I am equal to everyone, which has shaped the way I treat the people around me. It has helped me grow in my faith and helped me to understand how God sees me and who He wants me to become, and it has helped me to see what God sees in others.


I know I talk about this a lot, but I just wanted to put that out there. That is all.

To be discreet and chaste.

It's finally summer! Time to put away the heavy German winter garb, pull out my sunglasses, buy a bikini...what?

Now calm down people, I'm not buying a bikini. But the fact that you got a little worried about it is probably something we need to discuss.

Thanks to the sudden presence of the sun, it seems that everyone is getting themselves in a tizzy about one of my favorite words: modesty.

Actually I'm joking when I say that, in case you didn't pick that up. It's not one of my favorite words.

This is what the Church says about it:

"Modesty is an attitude of propriety and decency in dress, grooming, language, and behavior. If we are modest, we do not draw undue attention to ourselves.

If we are unsure about whether our dress or grooming is modest, we should ask ourselves, 'Would I feel comfortable with my appearance if I were in the Lord's presence?'

Prophets have always counseled us to dress modestly. This counsel is founded on the truth that the human body is God's sacred creation. We must respect our bodies as a gift from God. Through our dress and appearance, we can show the Lord that we know how precious our bodies are." 

All of that seems somewhat reasonable to me. I like it because it centers everything around my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I personally dress the way I do because I personally believe that I am showing respect to the body that God gave me...and all that jazz.

The interesting thing is that the Church gives guidelines for how we should dress. For example, we have (as women) been asked not to wear, "Revealing and sexually suggestive clothing, which includes short shorts and skirts, tight clothing, and shirts that do not cover the stomach," among other things. That's fine. I don't have any problems with that for myself. This is what I ABHOR:

1. Viewing those who don't follow these guidelines as "immodest," "indecent," or worse, as "sluts".
2. Using the word "slut."
3. Something that we discuss often in the feminist world known as "slut shaming." Look it up.

Modesty is quite often, especially in the beloved Mormon culture, equated with words like "chaste" and "pure" and "virtue." To illustrate a point, and since I'd rather not phrase it in my own words, I've collected words from a source that you probably trust more than my brain. The following quote is from the same website:

"Our clothing expresses who we are. It sends messages about us, and it influences the way we and others act. When we are well groomed and modestly dressed, we can invite the companionship of the Spirit and exercise a good influence on those around us.

Central to the command to be modest is an understanding of the sacred power of procreation, the ability to bring children into the world. This power is to be used only between husband and wife. Revealing and sexually suggestive clothing, which includes short shorts and skirts, tight clothing, and shirts that do not cover the stomach, can stimulate desires and actions that violate the Lord's law of chastity."

Bah. If that doesn't directly influence rape culture, I don't know what does.

Let's get a couple things straight.

What I WEAR is dependent upon ME and MY PERSONAL PREFERENCES. I do NOT wear "modest" clothes in order to NOT BE RAPED or NOT INFLUENCE IMMORALITY. I hear too often that women need to dress "appropriately" in order to "help" dudes not have "immoral thoughts."  Or whatever.

Listen to me, men. 

YOUR IMMORAL and OBJECTIFYING THOUGHTS ARE YOUR OWN DAMN PROBLEM. Don't you EVER blame a woman and her "indecency" for your obvious problems with sexuality.  

And to the women.

Do not let other people define your worth. Don't let them tell you that if you wear a bikini or a short skirt that you are worth less or that you are dirty or cheap. Don't let people tell you that you are "welcoming" inappropriate behavior from men or that you have just "objectified" yourself. But I do hope that you dress the way you do as empowerment for yourself, because you're comfortable in your style and in your body. I hope you don't dress for the sole purpose to receive any negative attention - you are better than that.

To quote a blog that I once read, 

"Modesty is not about what you wear, but about how you wear it."    

For more thoughts visit here.

ps. The blog title came from one of my favorite scriptures. Not. --- Titus2:5

“The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing.”

Alright.

I'm very aware that my blog is getting more boring by the minute. I never have time to write and when I find time, I never have anything to say. Ok that's obviously not true, I always have something to say. But who wants to hear my feminist rants all the time? Oh yes, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU.

I've been back from my mission for 3 months now. That's supposed to be a short amount of time but it feels like an eternity. I've been exerting every ounce of my strength trying to be "normal" again (whatever that means) and it's taking me FOREVER.

I'm going to share with you the life lessons I've learned since being home. And you are going to like it.

I know you all like lists:

1.) Catching up on the last year and a half is impossible. The second I got home I felt like everyone was saying, "Listen! These are all the things you missed! Hurry and catch up so we can be on the same page!" And then I was bombarded with information, music, images, and all the TV shows that ever existed.

I'm just going to be completely honest with you - I have no desire to see or hear or read about 90% of these things. If I happen upon them someday, sure. But I just don't have the time. Ok? Ok.

2.) I love Europe. I miss Europe. America just kind of grosses me out. It's probably just because I'm bias, but I just can't get over it. It's too hot and the bread is disgusting and everyone drives GINORMOUS cars everywhere and people are always smiling.

Good thing I'm fleeing to France.

3.) I'm terrified by how quickly I'm becoming desensitized to spiritual things. You'd think that after begging people for a year and a half to just read one tiny verse from the Book of Mormon or the Bible everyday that it would be easier for you to keep your own commitments. FALSE. When did real life start complicating lives? Why do I let real life interfere with things I understand to be of precedence? Something needs to change.

4.) You can never be too grateful for your awesome family and your amazing friends. I don't know what I'd do without them. I think the best part of coming home was realizing that nothing has really changed - sure, everyone is in different phases of their life now, but these people still know me and love me and we picked up right where we left off. I love that. You are all the best. The end.

5.) I don't know who I am anymore.

The mission really shook me. It took me a while to find my groove and even then I was always questioning myself and beating myself up over the smallest things. I came home to find that I can adapt those practices to everything in my new life. I have never felt so sure of my identity and at the same time never so lost. The only thing keeping me sane are the above-mentioned blessed people and prayer. It's ridiculous. I wish I could move on from this.




Enough with the cheese.


It's late = the only reason I'm barfing up my soul through my fingertips onto this keyboard.

I won't keep this blog up if nobody tells me what to write about. So tell me. Now.

Goodnight.

Listen (continued).

Alright.

I promised I would express my post-mission feelings about women in the church. Avec plaisir, my friends.

I identify myself as a Mormon Feminist. No, I don't need to use this title. But I like it - it's a precise summary of exactly who I am.

I believe men and women are equal in the eyes of God. Radical, I know. This belief has fueled my passions specifically in the direction of international women's rights, but I support all movements that strive for equality among men and women.

In the context of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I believe women are equal. Within the Mormon church, I believe we have work to do. And yes, I do see them separately.

Throughout the Bible there are evidences of women as priestesses, judges, and leaders. Christ himself held women in a position of preeminence. They were present at every stage of his life - Mary his mother, Anna the Prophetess, Mary, Martha, the countless women he healed, etc. They were the last ones with him as he died on the cross, and to Mary Magdalene, a woman, he first appeared after his Resurrection. After Christ's Ascension, women played very important roles in the early beginnings of Christianity (see here).

This is a picture of the prominent leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.



They are all very good people. They also happen to be all men, most of which are white Americans. I find this a bit troubling, considering that most of the members of the church are not American, and at least half of them are women.

This, as we are all aware, has to do with priesthood authority, something that women at the present time do not posses. If you have interest in reading more about the potential for women's ordination, please click here. Although I am sympathetic to the cause of ordination of women to the priesthood, my personal concerns with the church do not at present lie in priesthood ordination policies and procedures.

I am concerned that there are not more leadership positions within the church for women, even when there could be. I am concerned that prescribing gender roles can inhibit men and women from exploring their divine qualities and talents. I am concerned that cultural habits within the church promote inappropriate behaviors and discourage diversity.

I know my worth. I know that I am equal in the eyes of God. I am a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

And I am not ashamed of asking questions.




Fellow Mormon Feminists:
Feminist Mormon Housewives
Young Mormon Feminists
Ask Mormon Girl

If you have any questions or comments, please respond below. I'd love your feedback.

Listen.

It is currently 1:26am and I should be sleeping. But I can't. I will write a blog post. Yes.

Well hey hey! Guess what! The world has changed a lot in the past 18 months. Actually not really. Bit a little bit, yes. I guess the basic ideas of a crumbling society are still in place, but the conversations are evolving and everyone is in a tizzy.

I am aware that you are all sweating in anticipation to partake of and rejoice in my infinite wisdom, and so I will address two of the hot [and extremely exhausted] topics of the season: gay marriage and women in the Church.

As usual, my blogs are strictly my opinions (thank goodness) and I do not claim to be any sort of spokesperson for my LDS faith.

And so.

Gay marriage.
Honestly, I'm not for or against gay marriage. Do what you freaking want, folks. My only beef with this topic is the sudden justification of hatred for one another, demonstrated from both parties of this "issue." Why can't we be friends?!

I recently read a horrifying comment on facebook. One of my friends expressed their desire for marriage equality, as many did in the past week, by uploading the picture of the red equals sign. You know what I'm talking about, right? It was all the rage. Anyway. My friend happens to be LDS, or Mormon if you will, and the LDS church has stated their views on the subject quite openly. Another person, presumably of our same faith , commented on the picture with something to the effect of (and really I'm not doing it justice), "Maybe you should find another church instead of trying to change the Church's view to fit yours."

Um...excuse me?

First of all, if we believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be the literal church of Christ on the earth today, why in the HELL would we suggest others to figuratively "take a hike," as if they weren't allowed into our elitist sphere? The point of a church is to be a safe haven - a place people can come to nurture themselves spiritually. It's a hospital for souls, not a country club of "perfected" Christians.

Putting all that aside, we're all aware that the Church has made their stand. But where does Christ stand? They're not the same entity. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of mercy to me. He loves unconditionally. He doesn't care what you've done or where you are in life or what situation you were born into. He sees us as the people we can become. I believe that every tear we shed is a ache that He feels. He mourns with us and comforts us. He wants us to have eternal happiness. That is His "view." And maybe, just maybe, when we try to see others in this way we will be able to comprehend a tiny particle of His love for them. Perhaps people who support marriage equality are not trying to tear down the Church or undermine authority, but they are trying to understand what it must feel like to be told that your feelings for other people are a sin, that you must live a life alone if you are to please God, that in a sense your very self offends the supposedly loving Father who created you.

This, of course, goes the other way around. Although many people oppose gay marriage, I would like to think that most of them do not mean it to be offensive in any way. They still express love and concern for those who identify as homosexuals, and often defend their loved ones. Their reasons for opposing gay marriage may be of a political or religious nature, and that is to be respected.

I pray for a world that is kinder and more gracious, especially when discussing these extremely important topics. I suggest that we all love each other. All in favor?




Well, now I am tired. I am going to have to leave you hanging on the women in the Church. Don't cry, I pinky promise to write again soon.

Love to you all.

Here we go again...

Peoples of the world.

I thought I would take a longer break from blogging but GUESS WHAT! I am incredibly bored. And I have this insatiable desire to have everyone listen to what I have to say. Not that it's important.

I will word-vomit as follows:

1. Being back feels totally weird and completely natural. I am at all times feeling 1,000 emotions surging through my soul and I'm not quite sure what to do with them all. Mostly I just hide in a corner of my house and nibble on Wheat Thins. Healthy? Not so sure. But it's better than thinking about wearing pants and talking to boys about something other than missionary work.

2. Coming off the plane and into my family's arms was like stepping through a veil - is it strange that my mission memories are fading so quickly? It feels like a distant memory that was maybe just a dream.

3. Oh my gosh the bread here in America is so gross.

4. I LOVE DRIVING.

5. I still can't sleep in past like 8am no matter how late I go to bed. I feel guilty not talking to people on the street. I check for my nametag at least 3 times a day. I AM WEIRD.

6. So basically the first thing everyone has said to me since I've been back is, "Oh, look at you! You are so skinny!" as if it was like the compliment of the century. I would love to rant about this some other time, but let me just advise you to NOT SAY THAT TO ME. EVER.

7. All the men here wear waaaay too big of pants.

8. I'm really tired.

9. All I want to do is write write write. I will be working on some things. I hope you all still read my blog. If you have any topic suggestions, questions, or concerns, please inform me so I have an excuse to take a long bath to ponder the creative possibilities.

10. That is all.



Peace.

You better believe I came off the plane in that dress.

March 18, 2013

And so.

I guess a lot of you are expecting some grand and marvelous "abschied" words, but I don't have much to say.

This has been the weirdest, coolest, craziest, hardest, most spiritual, most stressful time of my life, all packed into about a year and a half. Sometimes I wonder how I even managed to do it, or why the heck I thought it would be a good idea, but at the end of the day I can only look back and smile and laugh. Think about it - I just spent a significant amount of time wandering the streets of a strange land talking to cookoo crazy people all day with a girl I barely know, and speaking a language that I thought I would never learn. And somehow my heart has grown two sizes too big for me, I feel like I can barely contain the love I have for the people I've met. Well, most of them.

I don't want to talk about it anymore, I'm already starting to cry.

I want you to know that I know that God is there. I feel His presence so strongly when I testify of His love for us. I feel it even more when I testify of the divinity of His Son, Jesus Christ. I feel that I now know my Savior so much more, and I have begun to comprehend his Atonement in a way that I never would have fully grasped if it wasn't for my mission. That is due in part to the Book of Mormon, which has enabled me to strengthen my faith in Him and has been a conduit for precious revelation. I have also developed a sacred relationship to the Bible during this time, and for that I am incredibly grateful.

Thank you for all your letters, words of wisdom, support, and comfort you have given me. I can assure you that they have not only blessed my life, but also the lives of those I taught.

I love you all.

Love,
Sister Lesa Young

March 11, 2013

Oh my dayyyyys this has been the best week ever! But not for any missionary reasons. Just for fun reasons. Ha.

Ok ok ok here we go.

So last Wednesday we went to Minden (a city close to ours) to help the Elders there with an Ausstellung...I think that's a street display in English. Anyway, so as we were walking around trying to talk to people, we found a park and decided to explore it a little more. The people weren't too thrilled about talking to us, so we were just trying to enjoy the sunlight and not get too discouraged...our usual routine. AND THEN. So there were these 2 guys about our age coming down the path. I really really hate talking to more than one person at once, let alone 2 young men, so I wanted to just wait to talk to the older man behind them. But all of the sudden I had this sudden overwhelming feeling that one of them was going to listen to us, and we needed to stop them. I immediately turned to them and as I did so, one of them stopped without me having to say anything, while the other one rolled his eyes and walked away. So lucky us, we got to meet Benjamin and talk to him for awhile about how he came to believe in Jesus Christ! It was so awesome, and at the end he asked if he could come to church. Well um...YES OF COURSE. We invited him to the Elder's ward so hopefully he showed up! In any case, I definitely think it was worth it because a) he'll totally be ready for the missionaries later and b) we strengthened our faith in Christ. Win win win.

On Thursday we had Tausch with the Sisters in Celle, so I got to go up there!! It's a beautiful city, I totally recommend googling it. Also I had to ride a bike, that was the WORST. But I got over it and loved my time with Sister Curtis.

Also right before we left we went to this hamburger restaurant and watched all these fancy European business people eat their burgers and fries with a knife and fork hahaha we couldn't stop laughing. I wish I got a picture of it.

Friday was INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was splendid. We decorated the apartment and made sure all the Elders knew haha. I'm especially proud of my Elders, they wrote us such nice cards and gave us flowers and chocolate for the occasion! Then our Zone Leaders called us and told us how much they appreicated us. I love love love Women's Day, in case you were wondering.

On Saturday we went to a city called Hameln to help the other Elders in our district do finding. Hameln is famous for being the city where the story of the Pied Piper took place! It is soooooooooo cool and I took lots of pictures. Yay yay yay.

And then yesterday at church I had a big surprise...my old companion Sister Uhlig showed up!!!! She's apparently dating someone in my ward here haha. But she decided to come and visit his family/surprise me!! I was so so happy and we had a hard time leaving each other's side the entire time haha. Oh man, I miss her so much :(

Well, that's a very short summary of my amazing week. I'm going now to Bergen-Belsen (a famous concentration camp) so I don't have a lot of time to write. But I love you all!!

Love,
Sister Young

Pictures:
1. Pretty Bielefeld day

2. Me in Celle!

3. In Hameln!

March 4, 2013

Well folks, the sun is shining and I am finally zufrieden. To give you a little taste of German weather, a member just told us yesterday that there was a total of 5 hours of sunlight in the month of January. 5 HOURS. That is why all the Germans are so grumpy.

Also let me tell you something else about German culture. The old people here are SO FIT. They ride their bikes everywhere and go for jogs when they're bored and eat bio (organic) products and put us to shame. They always seem to live on the top floor of every apartment building with no elevators and pounce up those stairs like it was stepping out of bed, whereas my comp and I are gasping for air and calling to Mother Nature to save us by the time we get to their door. And they usually do it with bags of groceries (which they picked up from the market on their bike)! Ridiculous, I tell you. Ridiculous.

I digress.

Thank the heavens that this week was 10,000 times better than all the past 4 weeks combined. A lot of our lessons went through and we even had some unplanned opportunities to share the great message! An old investigator wanted to meet with us again, our one progressing investigator is committing to finding out of Thomas Monson is a prophet of God, a less active couple is preparing to go through the temple, and we had a miracle at church yesterday!! Life is hopefully going to be looking up the next couple of weeks. Halleluja.

Speaking of the church miracle, it goes a little something like this:

So a member comes up to us after Relief Society (the first hour) and explains that this guy just walked into church today and has a really interesting story. So we introduce ourselves and WOAH this man's story is crazy! His name is Andrew and he's originally from Scotland (I think) but has been in Germany for a long time. Because of recent events in his life he decided to read the Bible and became convinced of it's truthfulness. But not long after he came across a copy of another Bible which was a completely different translation, which he thought was really confusing. He ended up reading 9 different translations of the Bible and felt that the Bible lost so much of it's credibility and truthfulness because of the differing opinions and translations. At some point during this time of trying to make a logical picture of it all, he found a Book of Mormon in a flea market, bought it, read it, and knew it was true. In his words, "The Book of Mormon is true. I know it's true, and it helps me to understand the Bible so much better because I know the Bible isn't complete." When the ministers of the church he was attending found out he was reading this book, they told him he wasn't welcome anymore. He eventually found the address for our church on the website and just showed up yesterday! It was crazy!!!! And cool. So now we're meeting with him. Yay yay yay.

Miracles happen. The church is true. Bless you all.

Love,
Sister Young

February 25, 2013

And and and.

This week totally sucked. Like, big time. On Monday we made out like a million appointments by calling through contacts and not. a. single. one. went through. Usually we expect about 10 percent of those appointments to work out, but nope. God has other plans apparently.

BUT we had some major highlights!! And they made the week bearable.

I will title my list: Evidences of the Grace of God (abbreviated as EGG). You're welcome.

EGG #1) So while we were out and about one day trying to convince people to talk to us in the middle of a raging snowstorm, we stopped a man who seemed completely normal, in a German sort of way. Twas not so, we soon found out as he avoided all my direct questions about God by answering with illogical theories about the universe. Then he asked to see my hand, which he read and told me that I will live a long life! But he will die soon, according to his palm. Schade, we tried to help him understand where he's going but he just wanted our card. Also it was hilarious because my companion was totally confused the whole time haha. But hey, it's good to know I have a long life ahead of me!

EGG #2) The Zone Leaders asked me to give a workshop at Zone Conference entitled, "Answering Hard Questions: Polygamy and Women and the Priesthood." Could you have given me a better assignment?!?!?! I think not!!!!!! So for my last and final ZC I fufilled all my feminist dreams by helping the Elders stop being idiots about answering these questions. And because of the million sisters we'll be getting in the mission, they asked us to talk about how to act around/treat sisters. It was glorious, and although I could tell my Zone Leaders were nervous, they thanked me and said they really enjoyed it. And they meant it because they're a little scared of me and if it wasn't true they would have just hid in a bathroom. Ha.

EGG #3) Our one precious investigator came to church!!!! AND he liked it!!!! This was really a miracle for me, because we weren't really sure how far he would progress. Actually during the sacrament I kept thinking, "Oh cheese, if he doesn't come to church how the heck is he going to progress? What do we do?" And then after church I turned around and POOF he was there, sandwiched inbetween all of these other YSA that took care of him and translated for him!! Oh, we were so happy. He had like a million questions for us, which was great. And at the end he turned to my companion and said, "Everyone is trying really really hard to be like Jesus here." Joyous joyous day. I'm so happy our ward is so amazing!!


That is all.

I love you very much!

Love,
Sister Young

February 18, 2013

Well guess what!

There is a new member of the Bielefeld Gemeinde as of yesterday! Michael was confirmed into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I have never seen him happier, which is saying something because that man is never not happy. Ha. One time I called him to make an appointment and he was cracking jokes (as usual) and I just responded with a "uh huh" because I can never understand his jokes and I just really wanted to make out this appointment. The conversation goes as follows:
Michael: Sister Young, I just like to joke! [he was probably sensing my impatience]
Me: Yes, Michael, I know. You love jokes. But I just don't understand all your jokes. I'm sorry.
Michael: You know what I always say, 'a day without smiling is a lost day!' [apparently this is something Charlie Chaplin once said and I'm not really sure how it translates into English but he quotes this like everyday haha] Sister Young, you should be really worried if we're talking and I stop joking and laughing.
Me: I would be, of course, because the moment you stop you will probably be dead.
Michael: No matter! I have asked my sister to arrange laughing gas to be pumped into the room where my funeral service will be held!

Yes, this is our dear Michael. What a hoot.

Halleluja Deutschland doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day, so there were no weird things associated with that. At our district meeting we convinced our new district leader to let everyone bring candy for each other, and we even decorated our own valentine boxes like in elementary school! It was the best. Then we went to an American member's house and ate all-red food and played with the children! Happy Valentine's Day to me.

Other than that, this week was very very...empty. We walk around a lot and try to go by on old contacts and things, but it's been pretty dry lately. We're trying a new tactic, called "stop trying to make appointments out with people and just teach them right there on the street." Maybe some of you are thinking, "well duh" but that's just not how we've always done it. When people show interest we usually try to make out an appointment with them because if they agree to meet later, they'll make progress much faster. Well, we are sick and tired of the German mentality "I need to dip my toe in the water ALONE without meeting with anyone and I'll see if your website looks nice but even if I'm impressed I won't call you because that's too scary maybe I'll stop by the church in 10 years" barfy crap. So now we just hit the streets with Book of Mormons and stop people and teach lessons right then and there, even though we know that they won't meet with us again. But it doesn't matter! Because now they have their resources: they've felt the Spirit, they have a Book of Mormon, they know why they're reading it. Then whenever they meet missionaries at some other point in their life they'll be more open! Well, that's the plan.

I hope everyone is keeping their pants on and being good people. I love you all.

Love,
Sister Young

February 11, 2013

Hello.

Woof, I am exhausted. Really really really tired. All the days.

But hey! We had a baptism (pictured below). It was splendid and the ward prepared everything so amazingly and Michael was happy. And that's what's important.

We've been meeting with a lot of members as well, and I have enjoyed our visits with Bruder and Schwester Hoffmeister, this lovely couple who joined the church about 15 years ago and have been less active for awhile. When they moved here to Bielefeld, they expressed interest in coming back and we're helping them do just that. We're teaching the lessons all over again and helping them recognize the Spirit and it just makes me feel like a missionary. Yay.

Other than that, this week was a lot of blank days and aching feet. We tried and tried and tried but we are still failing on the whole "having people to teach" thing. Everyone is surprisingly nice on the street, but just no interest.

Our ward mission leader, after having explained our situation, said, "Well, you are Sister Young. You can just say what you want to people. Just start kicking the Germans in the pants."

I'll let you know how it goes.

Love love love,
Sister Young

February 4, 2013

Guess what.

I just opened my inbox today and saw 34 emails. You know folks, I feel incredibly loved and appreciated, but please don't get mad at me when I don't immediately write back. I love you, but please don't hate me. I'll see you in like 6 weeks.

Ok.

This week was blah. But cool, I guess.

Michael passed his baptismal interview and bore his testimony at church yesterday. We are so proud of him! His doing so well and we are excited for his baptism next Sunday. I'm also super selfishly stoked because he's German and I've never had a German baptism before!! Ha.

Also did I already mention that we've started an English class with our Ward Mission Leader (he's from America!)? Well we have. And it's hilarious. We get a different sampling of people every week with different levels of English and we just have a blast trying so desperately to teach them haha. Last week one of our investigators came who has really really good English, so he just talked to our WML about computer things and I think I learned more from that conversation than the investigator did haha.

On Wednesday other missonaries from our district came and helped us do finding for an hour. Apparently the Elders had a hard time, but Sister Fugal and I had a ton of cool conversations and met amazing people and one lady even gave us a hug and thanked us for stopping to talk to her! People have never been so nice, it's just the weirdest thing. Don't tell the Elders, but I think it's because we're Sisters. Shhh...

We also did exchanges this week and I was able to have Sister Curtis come visit me!!! She and I knew each other from the MTC and it was soooooo great talking to her again. We stayed up really late just talking and laughing and seriously we will be best friends forever. And I was so happy that my comp got to go to another city and work with another Sister who's really young on the mission, because she stopped comparing her German to mine and found out that her German is actually good! Tender mercies, I tell you. Exchanges are tender mercies.

But ja....other than that this week was pretty uneventful. Sorry this email is so boring. Maybe I'll be more chipper next week.

Love you all,
Sister Young

January 28, 2013

And so it begins. The final countdown to the end of my mission life.

Well actually, I started that countdown like...about 18 months ago. But now I'm on the home stretch! I'm aware this statement is a little premature, I have like 7 weeks left. I only bring it up because this week totally BLEW and I am just about ready to give up. But not quite.

Because I'm such a huge fan of lists, let's break it up into DAYS OF HORRIBLENESS.

MONDAY OF HORRIBLENESS
Somebody stole our phone! And if you're not aware of how precious phones are to an area or companionship, let me just say that every contact in the history of the area EVER is in that phone. And it was gone. So luckily our Zone Leaders had an extra phone, not sure how or why but we didn't ask questions. The problem was that we had to spend a chunk of our p-day and the last of my patience traveling to Hannover to pick it up and come home, which was the WORST because all the trains were late due to stupid snow issues! We got home really late and I was GRUMPY.

TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY OF HORRIBLENESS
First of all, a member made us eat burritos with fruit in them. FRUIT. My burrito = corn, bell peppers, lettuce, chicken, bananas. Does that make sense? No. Ok, it wasn't so bad. But still. German tacos are just the weirdest things ever. But anyway, that's not the bad thing. Right after that appointment I expressed to my companion that we needed to go home right that second. Upon our arrival, I rushed to the bathroom only to discover that hey! MY BODY HATES BANANA BURRITOS. So I spent the better part of the night leaning on the toilet seat on the verge of death. I made my companion stay up with me (I just didn't want to be sick all alone, that's the worst) and made her promise that she would get my signature on a legal document that states that I will never have babies because I could never deal with pregnancy morning sickness. Then I slept on the bathroom floor and woke up at noon the next day in my bed...I don't remember how that happened. Then I ate 5 crackers and drank a glass of Coke and went to an appointment because I AM HARDCORE. Thankfully these wonderful members in the ward came over and gave me a blessing - I felt much better after that.

THURSDAY OF HORRIBLENESS
So our investigator Michael that is supposed to be getting baptized this week found out that he has to go to the hospital for some routine checks and might be in there on the day of his baptism! That obviously messed a lot of things up and we're still trying to figure out what is UP. Then later that evening we went out to dinner with this really really really German member who told me all the reasons that my German is horrible and why I'm doing missionary work wrong. Germans love insulting you, I don't know why.

FRIDAY OF HORRIBLENESS
Ok, this day wasn't so bad. We did end up receiving a lot of revelation for how we can help one of our less actives, so that was great! But it was just a long day in a lot of buses.

SATURDAY OF HORRIBLENESS
We went to an investigator's place expecting to have a great lesson and found out that he needs a LOT of time to figure out a LOT of problems and it was just really really overwhelming for us. Poooooooooo. Also it was really hard to get in contact with a lot of people that we were supposed to contact, so it was just all-around rough.

SUNDAY OF HORRIBLENESS
We were supposed to organize a ride for one of our investigators, but it just blew up in our face and I felt like the ward thought we were idiots. I was just grumpy the whole time we were at church. Then our appointment with this really cool girl fell out and we were devestated. After a spontaneous invitation to eat at a member's home, we made our way over to this cool new family from China that we started teaching, but they weren't there. That really broke my heart because a) they're asian and b) THEY'RE ASIAN AND ASIANS ALWAYS CALL TO CANCEL APPOINTMENTS. I just gave up and we went home.



Maybe this week will be better, I DON'T KNOW.

Love you all,
Sister Young

January 21, 2013

Ok the chair I am sitting on right now is broken and I feel like a midget writing on a desk that's sitting almost at my shoulders right now. ANNOYING.

Well I would be lying if I didn't say that I'm not getting a little trunky, especially because IT'S A BLIZZARD OUTSIDE PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME GO OUTSIDE I CAN'T DO THISSSSSSSSSSSS.

Ok, it's not so bad. It's only that my frozen toes are about to fall off and the 3 pairs of tights with leggings hasn't been keeping my body temperature at a normal level, but nbd I'll live. Oh, and did I mention that we only have 1 serious investigator (but he's great, no worries) and our phone was stolen today? Changed my mind, I think I'm going to die.

But I will tell you some funny stories about my comp. She's hilarious.

Funny story #1
So my comp was still pretty jet-lagged her first couple of weeks here and developed a habit of falling asleep on all the buses or trains we took, which is kein problem. But right as this sleeping thing was supposed to be getting better, it got WORSE. Now the story: so one day we were with this member who likes to read the Book of Mormon with us in English to practice. So I read one verse, he reads it back, my comp reads one verse, he reads it back...so on and so forth. Well I started to notice that my comp was nodding off (I don't blame her, it can be so boring), and so I kicked her awake when it was her turn. So then she goes to read and FALLS ASLEEP WHILE READING. Bahahahaha it was literally like "And it came to paaaaah..." GONE. Oh my heavens I couldn't stop laughing and I kept trying to hide it, but to no avail. No worries thought because I don't think the member even noticed hahaha.

Funny story #2
A couple p-days ago my comp bought a brand new winter coat and less than 4 days later, some part of the zipper broke. We were naturally upset and tried to super glue it on, but that definitely didn't work. So we brought the coat back and they gladly exchanged it for a new one. Well, my comp was so nervous about the zipper breaking again, that she decided to prevent anything from happening by just super gluing the same part as protection. So she comes into the room, beaming, and exclaimed, "Look! I super glued my coat!"
I just looked at her with a blank stare. "You're wearing the coat."
She was so confused, so I had to explain to her that she SUPER GLUED HERSELF INTO HER COAT. hahahahahahaha we both laughed hysterically and then later that day when we were at the church she had to step out of her coat because she couldn't get it undone. Oh heavens, I think I almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard.

So basically what I'm trying to say is that at least in these rough mission times my companion and I are finding a thousand ways to laugh and have fun. And that's what it's all about, yeehaw.

I love you all!

Lurve,
Sister Young

January 14, 2013

Well well well.

This week seemed so productive and so good and then we looked at our numbers last night and they SUCKED. Weird how that happens.

BUT it doesn't matter because one of our beloved investigators is getting baptized in a couple of weeks! I think I briefly mentioned Michael once, he was having a little trouble recognizing the Spirit. We had set a date for him at the end of February but after praying about it, we asked him if he was ready to do that sooner and he said YES. And I've never seen him happier! The Spirit was so strong and Michael is just so ready. It was a blessed time.

What's interesting is that after leaving Michael's apartment, which is small and less than fancy and needs a good makeover, we went to visit another investigator who lives in a really nice place with super fancy furniture and smells really good. But the Spirit wasn't there at all. The comparison is so stark. In a clean, well-kept place the Spirit should be able to abide, but the man who occupies it resists it to the point where the Spirit is almost offended. And this man complains in every.single.lesson. that God must not be loving because there are so many poor people in the world who suffer and Africans are so sad and no, he can't even think about praying because prayer accomplishes nothing. People who pray don't change the world, says he. But then you walk into the humble circumstances of Michael, who has been trying his whole life to come closer to the Savior through countless acts of kindness and a warm, friendly character, and you are overcome by a Spirit of love and gratitude and humility and you know that those quiet, simple prayers to God uttered by him everyday have changed his world.

And that's the gospel truth.

You know what else is really cool? Getting one of your favorite investigators to agree to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it after having had resisted it for years and years, despite his wife's pleadings.

Ok ok ok I am done with this cheesy-ness. Well guess what. I visited another castle last week. That was pretty cool, I guess. Aaaaand...I don't think anything else exciting happened. Sorry. But I'll attach pictures!

#1. Bielefeld! Land of dreams!
#2. My comp and I with the coolest family ever!!!

Loves.

Sister Young

January 7, 2013

Ok ok ok.

So this last week was a blur. On Tuesday I went to Eisenhüttenstadt for a couple days (the Sister serving there was also going to be training and since we don't receive our new companions until Thursday, I went there to be her companion until then) and that was just a heap and a half. Sister Müller is probably one of my best friends here in the mission, and we just had a blast together. On Wednesday night we slept over in Berlin, which means I GOT TO SEE SISTER LARSEN!!!!!!!!!! And I was just so happy. She's doing well and from all the stories I hear, so are my old investigators!!!

On Thursday I picked up my new companion, Sister Fugal. She's from Utah (of course) and she is really really really cool and chill and we get along fabulously. She is just super driven to work really hard and we're excited for the new couple of transfers. Win win win.

Miracles abound here in Bielefeld. Let me list all the ways God loves his children:

#1. On Friday we went to the office of transportation to buy our monthly pass for buses and stuff. The lady was really nice and after she handed us our cards, we left. So we went down to where the Straßenbahns are and because we took so long to take care of other things, we missed our bahn. So while we were waiting for the next one, this lady from the office comes running up to us and told us that she forgot to stamp our pass, which means that they're not valid. It was a miracle that a) we missed our bahn and b) she found us in a busy station!! We were so happy and the poor lady felt so so bad. But ALLES GUTE.

#2. That same day we had an appointment and invited a member to come with us. When we showed up, our investigator wasn't there and we felt really bad for our joint teach. But no worries, we decided to drop by on a new convert that hadn't been to church in a while and nobody could get a hold of him. Well he not only turned out to be home, but he also had a friend over that wasn't a member and we taught a short lesson! It was so great and we were so happy. The next day the new convert came to church for the first time in a couple months and told us his friend wants to meet with us again. YAY!!!!

#3. We found out that one of our investigators is super creepy, which is great because we didn't know if we should drop him or not! Yay for clear answers!

#4. This wonderful, perfect, adorable old woman in the ward invited us over for a spontaneous dinner and she's the best cook in the world. Yay yay yay for her!

#5. This Elder said something incredibly horrible and sexist on the phone last night and I was able to hold back my anger and scold him in a quiet manner! But I'm not sure how long this will still be a miracle because I have to see his face today and I may or may not have spent the whole night dreaming about how I can take my revenge...

Well people, the church is true. It's a great time to be a missionary in Bielefeld, and I can feel the miracles coming. Prepare yourself for something great.

I love you all.

Sister Young

ps. I'm not going to have a lot of time to respond to emails today, sorry!!!

December 31, 2012

Guten Rutsch people!

That is the German way of saying "happy new year" and it translates to "good sliding!" as if they were condemning you to slipping on the ice and breaking your neck. Oh, those Germans...

Well. Christmas was a dream and a half. Also extremely uneventful on the missionary side of things, but interesting nonetheless.

Breakdown of German Christmas traditions as follows:

Christmas Eve/ Der Heilige Abend
Perhaps the one day in the year that most of Germany shows up at church for an "Andacht," or devotional. The Andacht is different depending on which church you attend, and ours was just a breakdown of the Christmas story and a couple of talks from people in our congregation.
Then everyone scurries home and gets ready for the Weihnachtsmann (Santa) to come and bring presents. As a last ditch effort to teach children the real meaning of Christmas, religious families might do a little nativity thing and sing "Silent Night," which is the German pride and joy (it was originally written in German and you are ONLY allowed to sing it on Christmas Eve). Then all the adults usher the children into another room and have them try to look for the Weihnachtsmann out the window while they bring out the presents and put them under the tree. Then to the children's surprise, the Weihnachtsmann snuck into their house unnoticed! But they don't care, they have presents and that's all that matters.

After opening all the presents, the family gets together and eats a giant feast and calls it a night.

Christmas Day 1
This day usually consists of lounging around, playing with the new presents, and eating left overs from the night before, and drinking beer.

Christmas Day 2
Oh yes, there are 3 days of Christmas here. More chances to get drunk! And also more excuses to spend time with family and relax.

And that is all.

We made out some new baptismal dates with Gabriel and Michael, some of our investigators. That's always exciting, I guess. I really have a lot of faith in Michael though, I am pretty sure he'll make it. Our lessons with him are so good! And he's starting to recognize the Holy Ghost, which is new for him and super exciting for us. He just needs to come to church more regularly and he'll be set!

Aaaaaaand we had transfer calls. These get less and less exciting as time goes on haha.

BUT guess who's going to be a trainer for a record of THREE TIMES?

Me. I am. Trainer Sister Young. And halleluja to that because I need someone really young for my last 2 transfers to help me stay focused. Also I really love training.

Well, I love your guts. I hope your Christmas was magical and you got everything you hoped for and gave even more!

Love,
Sister Young