Friday, January 26, 2018

The Beginning of the End

Zone: North 2- I didn't switch zones!
Zone leaders: Sister Moss M, New Mexico, and Sister Fedotava, Ukraine! (she was in my district my second transfer with Sister Leavitt)
District leader: Sister Ranieri, Italy
Companion: Sister Su, China
Assignment: Humanitarian Center! (I totally thought I was going to die at Welfare Square. Neither of us have served there before, so let the adventure begin!)

It was a chair. I dropped a chair on my face! I was exercising, using the chair as weight. it slipped and fell! I have a nice little scar now.

I am an iPad missionary, and there are just 6-12 weeks left of iPad missionaries left in the world, they stopped supporting area books for iPads. Which is awful, so now my companion has to be super good at updating everything. Of course I will help!

Sister Bablitz and I took a regular tour this past week and it was normal! We had taken four tours total last transfer and all of them were really odd ASL tours. She even said that! But this one was so regular, we did pretty good. We definitely had different focuses in the tour, but not enough for us to conflict each other, or be unbalanced or anything. 

I have only read the Book of Mormon once all the way through and I am working on the second time. I have about 200 pages left. In order for me to finish I have to read about five pages a day. That can be a bit hard as a missionary. There are some missionaries that read it like five times... Sister Bablitz is one. She is on her 5th time to read it on her mission and she is in her 6th transfer. 😐 What? 

I am excited for this transfer. Sister Su got a lot of people transfered to her by her last comp who went outbound and now we have a good pool to teach from. I am excited to be busy!

I said good bye to a lot of sisters yesterday (Tuesday) going outbound and going home. A lot I won't see again #catchyainthespiritworld My Companion now actually attended BYU-Idaho before the mission so I will get to see her after the mission! The only foreign comp that I know I will see for sure! Sweet.

Fair thee well
Sister Glanzer


Sister Castanga (Connecticut, going to Cali for outbound) and me
Moving day is the last Tuesday morning of the transfer. Always pretty crazy
This gem was in the grocery store
This board is at WFS
This board is at WFS

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Really Busy Week

Nothing too exciting this week except A TON OF STUFF! 


I was able to go to the viewing of President Monson. It was rather interesting to walk past his body... Okay, I think it is interesting in general that we as humans mourn by walking around the deceased body, in all honesty. No leading up to right before we saw him, other sisters have said the Spirit is there, and you could feel it so strongly. Well, the struggle of my life is to tell when the Spirit there. When people say walk by faith, oh man, you know I am. I don't realize it was the Spirit until after, maybe even way after. 

Anywho, we were on the escalator going up to where President Monson was, and I don't have interest in looking at dead bodies of people, so my stomach got all fluttery. I have learned that is the main way the Spirit talks to me, is making me what I assume what others define as nervous. SO! I can testify with surety that the Spirit was there at his viewing. I am amazed how we (meaning members of the church everywhere) are able to love the prophet so much. There were many people there that had solemn faces at his viewing. There was a lady who I was behind, who just stopped and looked so sad that he was gone. 

We also said good bye to the Risenmay's on Thursday night. 

Now as for President Monson's funeral. It was amazing to be able to watch it. He has a big family! My favorite part was the story told by President Nelson, when they went to a part of Germany and were able to open it up to missionaries coming into and leaving it. 

As missionaries we didn't do anything special for his funeral. All the buildings were closed so it was pretty dead the whole day. We were talking amongst ourselves and thought it would have been good to have them open, so we could have played the movie about his life!

Tuesday was the coolest day ever! We had the official say who our prophet was! I was super excited! Sister Bablitz had an appointment, but it got rescheduled, so we were able to race to the basement of the SVC and watch the broadcast live! 

The quorum of the 12 were in the waiting room of the temple, and we could see the SVC in the background of some of the video broadcast shots. They closed the East Gate so no one would be walking in the background of the video, and security where everywhere!  When I figured out where they were, my thought was, we could go walk in the background. :) but we didn't.

I am so grateful to be a missionary during this time! And during this time of my life, the history, this location, this season, with the amazing changes in missionary work to help it hasten! Whoa.
After the broadcast was over, President Fisher talked to us... (I HAVE A NEW MISSION PRESIDENT! I'll come back to that...) those who where in the basement of the SVC. "Well, lets go do missionary work." I liked that!

Missionaries come and go, mission presidents, apostles, prophets, bishops, Relief Society presidents, primary teachers, etc. But the Gospel still moves forward, everyone continues on. And everything that we do here does matter! And even if we do stop and mourn, it picks back up right where it left off. There are going to be some pretty amazing changes in the world this year!

Now the Fischers. They are AMAZING! Wow, this week really has been full of stuff! They spoke to us Friday morning, and they had us laughing and are really winning our hearts. Sister Fischer was a volleyball coach! She knows how to associate with young women. They also spoke to us on Sunday

I had two different phone calls from two less-active men, both wanting to return to church. The first had been away for many years, but after drinking heavily and some other things, he realized he is ready to make his way back. His main concern was the fear of what the members would think of him. Studying, not just reading, the Book of Mormon, prepped me for this man. As a missionary I need to teach out of it as much as I can and the story in Alma chapter 28 fit him perfectly. I gave him hope that the members where he lived would love him. (I asked him if he had gone to church in that area before, "No..." "Then they won't judge you because they don't know you!") He was solemn and sad and just ripped apart.  I could hear the fear and sadness, but the desire to change in his voice.

The other guy had been a member for about a year before he left the church and had an identity crisis. His wife stuck with him through it, Now about 2 years later, he realized that what he was doing wasn't good for his daughters. He called full of excitement ready to do whatever it took to come back. He was excited telling me everything he did wrong, knowing it might be kind of hard to fix things, but he was ready for how the Gospel could change him and his family again! This guy is actually from Washington. I referred him to his bishop. 

These two different guys were a testimony of how different people with different feelings and different sins can be changed by the Gospel. They went off the path, but now they are coming back on. We all can take the same path to make it back to Heavenly Father! 

Sunday was the Young Adult Devotional with Elder Uchtdorf. There were tons of people, even more than conference. There was almost 30,000 people on Temple Square if not more. It was eerie, but cool, to come out and see them all sitting or standing listen to the Devotional as they had it playing over the speakers. 

On P-day, we went to East High, the school where they filmed High School Musical, and right before we left, this girl came up to us and talked to us. She is 15, the only active member in her family, and she goes to church by herself. That was all of our favorite part of the touristy visit. 

Now, I had a bit of an accident. I will let you all guess which story is true: 
1. My comp elbowed me in the eye during a heated companionship inventory
2. I got randomly attacked by an Anti on the Square
3. I dropped a chair on my face
4. Some of the sisters go to meet Elder Uchtdorf on the day of the YSA Devo, and an Anti made it through and I got between the two.
5. I ran into a pole
6. I slipped an fell on square and my eye hit the corner of one of the planters.​​
7. My companion just got angry for no reason and attacked me. 

Happy guessing! I would love to hear your guesses! People are pretty amazed by the answer. Actually the sisters have been saying, "Let me look at it. Is it okay? It is looking better. Did you go to the doctor?" One sister that I haven't talked to much, came up to me after I finished a prayer, "How did you hurt that? okay. Don't put make up or lotion on it. Just wash it with soap and water." She is a doctor. So nice, these missionaries. 

Sister Glanzer

Sister Hill and Sister Toyosato in action on square as they take the lights down 

Roommate Pday! 

This is my eye. It doesn't even hurt! Unless you touch it, really hard. 



Saturday, January 13, 2018

Look Who Found Allison!

Elder Clark is serving in the Oroville Ward (Allison's home ward) at this time.  His family lives in Utah and went to Temple Square today to celebrate his sister's birthday by doing baptisms in the temple.  Elder Clark's mom "stalked" Allison and then went up to meet her and took a photo of Allison and Elder Clark's sister.  What a fun surprise!




Friday, January 12, 2018

Read the Book of Mormon!

We had District Activity today! We go to have a "behind the scenes" look at Welfare Square! It was so cool! Back at the beginning of my time with Sister Leavitt we had asked Joel if we could ever go into the machinery areas of the different buildings. He said sure, just set it up with him. About 4.5 months later, I was so determined to make it happen this transfer. It was super cool! I think the other sisters thought it was going to be lame, but as soon as we got into the bakery they were all excited! I think this is in my top favorite district activities! Pictures with captions will be provided.

We had Zone Conference this past week and the topic was the Book of Mormon. We discussed the importance of it to ourselves, our investigators, and how to properly use scriptures. They committed us to read the Book of Mormon everyday for the rest of our lives. This will the longest challenge ever! And I will have finished it by the time I die! Ha! But it is so amazing how many times you can read the Book of Mormon and find something new, and I have only read it through a few times. I am excited for the day that I read it for the hundredth time and BAM! Heavenly Father teaches me something new! President Monson's last words to us in General Conference were to read the Book of Mormon and do the things we need to do to gain a testimony of the Gospel. I know reading the Book of Mormon is key to that.

Exciting news! We all get to attend President Monson's Funeral. Literally, the whole square will be closed. Even Humanitarian Center and Welfare Square. It makes me wonder if all things church operated will be closed. 

Also, at Zone Conference, President Risenmay went over what happens when the prophet dies which is super interesting. So, the First Presidency is dissolved as soon as President Monson died and they all go back to just being apostles with President Nelson acting as head of the Church, because if you remember back in Church History, the Quorum of the 12 were in charge for a few years before Brigham became the prophet. Then, one of the prophets got revelation waaaaaaay back that they shouldn't wait very long before they set apart the next prophet. We know that President Nelson of the Quorum of the 12 will become the next prophet because  he has been an apostle the longest. This has been the way since back when Christ established His church. Peter became the one in charge, on earth, being appointed by Christ. President went into way more detail, but I can't remember it all! 

Tomorrow is the Risenmay's last day, and Friday is the first day of the Fishers being here! So crazy! Within six weeks, I will have had three mission presidents! I came back for the last five weeks of the Risenmays being here. What! Crazy! 

Now to people that we teach! I honestly haven't been on Temple Square much this transfer. Mainly in the teaching center. We had a lady come on chat, Jovita. She is a golden pineapple in the fast desert. Though she is from NJ.... but I am in a desert so it works! Any who, she just soaked up the restoration and wanting to read the Book of Mormon. Which she now has!. We called her this morning, the NJ elders had just dropped off the books and taught her a bit too, I think the Plan of Salvation. She was able to tell us exactly what happens in each degree of glory, and she had only heard it once! The call kept dropping every time we tried to testify, but that is okay. She even brought friends to church last Sunday. Oh man!

We had two people that requested a Book of Mormon that actually wanted them. Two, with no fakes between. They both are very confused about a lot of things, but they are genuine in their wanting to learn more about God, but not ready for missionaries. We strategically and nicely dropped them. Bore solid testimony of the Book of Mormon and said that we would also mail the pamphlets too. One of the people said that the apostasy was good, more or less, not in those words, but he wants to read and grow closer in his "communications with God." People are so funny, and interesting to talk to!

I also saw Aunt Wendy! It was fun seeing her.

Sister Glanzer! 🖖



THEY HAVE PETS! WAAA? I promise you this is the only time that we used video call. But it was fun! 
Sister Rispress and I got to go on exchanges and found some fun filters while we had a district video to discuss our district activity
What it says on the giant ovens
The group picture: Joel (WS Manager) S. Rispress, S. Bablitz, S. Montoya, S. Madeux, S. Gemio, me, Diana (secretary) 
On our tour
In the bakery
We are poking a big bag of honey that weighs 3500 lbs!




Thursday, January 4, 2018

What Knowledge We Have!

As many know, President Monson passed away Tuesday night. My companion was sad and grim, but honestly I was pretty excited! Yes, it is sad that he has passed, but what I love about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the knowledge that I have! Like, I don't even know where to start! I get to be a missionary while they pray to Heavenly Father and confirm who the next prophet is because I know that He has promised that He will have a prophet on the earth until Christ comes again. Also, that the Priesthood will always be on the earth! I know that life doesn't just end with death, but the next step, the next place of progression is the Spirit world where one can learn more about Heavenly Father's plan or teach others about the plan until Judgment Day! That is for every person that lived on this earth.

President Monson is probably already teaching others, after he saw is loved ones that had passed before him. Oh man! And more knowledge, all because a 14 year old boy in the early 1800's was trying to find out which church he should join and he listened to Heavenly Father and Jesus told him! This Message we share is so happy and good! What a great day to be a missionary! 

President and Sister Risenmay are on their last week serving here, and they gave their farewell talks this last Sunday. I don't remember everything they talked about, but Sister Risenmay talked about how much she loved us and shared a few stories of sisters that had gone home about what they had sacrificed and gained because they served so faithfully. Holiness! That was her topic! And I remember that President Risenmay talked about Christ's atonement. They are such great and spiritual people. I really do admire them. 

President and Sister Fisher are the next president, and they are from Morgan, UT. That is where the Horseman is from, for those of you who have seen the new" Meet the Mormons." The other day Sister Martel, Kleiner, and I talked to a family that knows them! That family was a fun group. We were guessing what they do for work and got it on the first guess. 

For the year 2017 the baptism goal was 1700. We didn't achieve it, but we did help 1360 souls to come unto Christ. Which is pretty amazing. That is about how many we got last year.

I have never been the best at receiving referrals from people I talk to on Temple Square when I am contacting by myself. Sister Bablitz and Sister Da Luz are rock stars. But this week I got two! Super awesome! One, the family just walked up to me and referred their niece that was with them. Now then, there was this really weird thing that happened. I contacted the aunt two days later and she said some missionary had called her and gave her all the info she had wanted, but it is odd because they didn't submit a request online and the info was just in my area book and not my teaching center. Really weird. I was out for blood if some missionary somehow went into my missionary space and messed around in it, nah. But I am not worried about it too much now, the locals have her info and all is well

Two, I was talking to a group of return missionaries and one gave me a referral of her friend. Can't wait to talk to him! 

Christmas season is over! Yay! It is a good season and all, but there are just too many people. Missionary work is weird and awkward and sometimes people are just stand offish to us, and you think, "I am just wanting to strengthen your faith in Christ, I just want to help you find salvation, I just want to help you fulfill the promises you've made at baptism." Oh well! They will all figure it out one day! 

That is all my dears!
Sister Glanzer from Warshintun State


A while ago S.Christensen came and gave me some potatoes, I cooked them.
The reason why there are no plaques up with the nativity pictures is because when someone took them off they stacked them and they got stuck together. 
Bro. Coppinger, Elko 2nd ward mission leader found me!
Some Folks from Reno YSA found me too! In the Beehive House of all places! Left to right: Shawn, Darlene, Me, Lauren, the guy from Wells, NV that I can't think of his name for the life of me.

Monday, January 1, 2018

Look Who Found Allison

December 22, 2017

Dallin Good found Allison on December 22.  He said that he walked around most of Temple Square and then decided to go into the visitor's center and found her there.  He said finding her was like finding a needle in a haystack!


Changes to the Temple Square Mission

December 21, 2017

I knew coming back would be pretty different, but this is just crazy! 


1. Area books looks way different. and not many missionaries like it. I vote we just go back to paper planners. and make planner covers.

2. This one is cool: So when we get a new investigator we don't just send them to the Local Missionaries right away, we have to have at least to solid lessons when them to make sure they have a true desire to progress and then we send them to the Local Missionaries.... aka we teach more lessons! yay! 🤗

3. There are sooooooooooo many new sisters soooooo many. 😵

4. When I ask someone how long they have been out, my companion will chime and tell me a different amount of time confusing me and the other sister. Kind of ridiculous. 😑

5. Adjusting back is taking fooooooooooooreeeeeeeeeeverrrrrrr

6. There are more people coming to temple square then there are less active members of the church in Northern Nevada, and there are a lot there of them. 

7. Weekly planning is different, we don't use the PMG way anymore, there is a new chapter to PMG

9. We use Facebook Messenger 😥

10. We have more control over what we do every day. 

But all is well.

I am serving at Welfare Square again. The same old same old. 

Temple Square at Christmas is crazy. I would rather have had two summers here than two winters. But it is good. There are the usual desk assignments, but then at 5 PM we have some special ones. You have 3 companionships at the Christus statue: two for traffic control and one to present and play the Words of Christ.

You have 4 companionships at God's plan of His family presentation, 1 for traffic control and 3 to take people through.

You have two companionships  to play light the world, one to direct people in and one to play it.

You have two companionships down by theaters 3 and 4 to play the old and new nativities.

You have a a whole zone at Sing Smile Find for 30 minutes by the shell fountain, the fountain between the South Visitor center and the temple. 
We have long days. We wake up at 7:15/7:45 AM and go to bed 11:15/11:45 PM. 

While i had the God's Plan assignment, guess who was waiting for me? Michayla Hassing! That was super cool! She was there with a group of friends, they had travel up from Provo! 

Thank you all and don't forget to Light the World!
Sister Glanzer


I got my trunky papers. They read it wrong, I have a 9 year extension, I go home 2027!

My first night back it was super cold. Our window doesn't close all the way, Latina roommates had the thermostat down to below 60 degrees. I got up at 1 am found all the towels I could (adjusted the temp) and I was toasty after that. I have regular blankets now.

You know you are temple square missionary when the Asian sisters leave weird food behind.

I'm not even here a week and I already made a mess!

I translated announcing for my companion for announcing. We gave an ASL tour to a guy that could hear. He referred! 

We got to listen to the MoTab Concert, it was pretty good. But at times all I could think was "I could be in someones home teaching right now." (if I was still on my outbound mission) Oh well. It was very neat. 

Sister Smith M. getting stuff from her mom.

Merry Christmas from the Square

December 27, 2017

Hello all! Merry Christmas! 


We actually had our zone activity today. We ate breakfast and kind of played games and hung out for about an hour. 

For Christmas we got to sleep in! That is like the greatest thing in the world! We had to be at the Square at 10 am if we wanted breakfast. We were then free to go and Skype our families, which I did in the NVC at 12:30. 

There were stockings for us to open and then at 1:30 pm was the pageant they do every year. We had been told that Square would open at 3:00, but then it turned out to be 4:00! We took a district picture and then watched Mr. Kurger's Christmas.

I had exchanges with Sister Gemio, she wasn't feeling too well, but is tough and worked through it all! We took a Spanish group through God's Plan. Some Elders had brought investigators to see it. The last room of the God's Plan tour is always pretty warm, well after all 4 of us missionaries testified it was super warm in the room!

I had a fever one night of 101!  When I woke up the next morning I was fine. It seems that a good number of sisters are getting some kind of sickness. You know you are at Temple Square when... 

Honestly, this week wasn't super exciting. Maybe next week will have better adventures and experiences. 

Sister Glanzer

Wait!   Even though# LightTheWorld is over, keep looking for those opportunity to serve others. If you are feeling down, go serve someone. If your mind is just scattered, serve. Service is a sacred thing, and really does make people feel better. 

Officially, Sister Glanzer

It was super foggy one day.

The Primary sent me a box of stuff!

Sister Bablitz and me.

Christmas Day 

Sister Smith M. got mom and dad's Christmas gifts.

The only day of the year we we get to be loud and take pictures on the NVC

Christmas Fun

SO MUCH JOY!

MEMBERS POURED THEIR LOVE ON THE SISTERS WITH STOCKINGS, TREATS, FRUITS, AND FUN
NEEDED ITEMS!!!! THE MISSIONARIES LOVED THEM!

SISTER BABLITZ AND SISTER GLANZER SPEAK WITH AN INVESTIGATOR

ZONE TOGETHERNESS
SISTERS RISPRESS, MONTOYA, GLANZER, BABLITZ, GEMIO, AND MADEUX 
THE SISTERS DECORATED THEIR OWN ORNAMENTS FOR THEIR OWN CHRISTMAS TREE...NO
TWO WERE ALIKE AND THEY WILL HAVE THE ORNAMENT TO TAKE HOME AND
HAVE TO REMIND THEM OF THEIR CHRISTMAS AS A MISSIONARY ON TEMPLE SQUARE!!