Look Who Found Allison!

This is Andrew Vejnar.  He didn't even know Allison, but they got to talking about missions and he connected Allison with the Oroville Ward.  Elder Kevin Bouck served in Oroville as a missionary and Elder Vejnar was his trainer when Elder Bouck first came out on his mission. Small world!

Fishers of Men

Hmmmm. What happened. I think because I didn’t write in journal at all this week I didn't remember much. That is bad. And some funny things happened too! 

We had a bunch of language meetings! Cantonese and Mandarin meeting. I got to try some interesting foods. Hotpot! You have boiling water and you stick stuff in it and then you take the stuff out and eat it. Beef tripe..... I think it is gross. But I like one type of fish ball. There was also these rice cake things.... not like the rice cake things that are crunchy and you feed to children as snacks. They are like.... gummy? Tasty though. 

I gave my departing Talk in sacrament meeting. I guess it was really good. Short and powerful, is what the critics say. I talked about keeping the commandments that God lovingly asks us to keep. Pretty good. I was the last speaker, and I took maybe five minutes to speak. We were told six mins and a sister definitely took six minutes. 

But really it is a commonly asked thing of us in the Bible and Book of Mormon, to "keep the commandments." Commandments are meant to keep us safe and happy! And one of my favorite things that I coined from my mission, “Just as the pioneers had to gain faith, that polygamy was a commandment of God, through prayer and living it. Heavenly Father wants us to do the same with the commandments of this day.” (Polygamy is not a commandment any more and we don't follow it) Pretty simple, in order for us to be the happiest we can!

We got to take a motor coach! That was great! I was definitely rusty on taking motor coaches. My companion and the contacts never had anyone tell them how to take one! (Made me fell so old in the mission). There wasn’t anything special about the motor coach, just that is will probably be my very last one. Soul crushing. 

It snowed here! Sunday morning during church, President told us that it would snow. My companion and I didn’t prepare for the snow that came. It snowed three days straight. 

We went to the great Salt Lake! There was a bunch of dead birds and the ground was think and squishy of dead brine shrimp. The water is really salty. 

Zone conference! Wow. I cant forget about my last zone conference! I gave a departing testimony. My last departing testimony! No more! And Elder Spencer talked about budgeting, which was great! I am going to have to be better at that right here soon. President Bateman talk about being fishers of men. He brought a fly fishing pole and compared that the Book of Mormon is our fishing pole to bring people to Christ! If you would only open and read you can know.

Sister Glanzer, Washington State

Life is so fun and interesting as a missionary

ZONE CONFERENCE WEEK! WOOT! Ours is on Friday. There are so many cool things that are happening with President Fisher, it makes me wish that I could serve a lot longer than I am. The nine year extension doesn't sound too bad right now. #65transfersleft :)

Two Wednesdays ago we walked up to a Chinese couple and took them to the Tabernacle and explained the building. Last Thursday, they asked us to give a translation tour of the Conference center. Behold, lo it was the Chinese couple! They were pretty excited to see us. This time we got their contact info for WeChat. While they are still here in the US we can teach them! They were super nice too! They are definitely people that when China is open to proselyting they will get baptized. Sister Nasimento from Brazil made a joke to Sister Su that when China is open it will be the highest baptizing country, replacing Brazil! Ha!

WE HAD TWO TOURS IN ONE DAY AT THE HUMANITARIAN CENTER! One was sisters in training coming for explore tour, and the other was a couple from Scotland who had come 20 years ago. They were so touched by the center that they went home and started doing things with what they had seen. They had firesides and worked with other religious groups. Their stories were so neat. They had their hearts open as they came to these church sites,  and they prepared themselves to receive and act on the promptings of the Holy Ghost. That is what we want as missionaries, to be tools so the spirit can inspire members of the church. Also, they were talking about having another fireside too! So amazing. 

We took a chat and it was a YSA girl. Her story is so cool! But simple. Just an average person who has as many problems as the next person, but she has the influence of a best friend who is a member of the church. She came on asking how she can have confirmation of testimony. She reads the Book of Mormon every night. She talked about how she loves the peace she feels when she is around her friend and her family and their member friends. She loves the dinner thoughts the missionaries share whenever all of them are over for dinner at her friend's home. She loves church when she goes with them. I asked her, "What if you could feel that way all the time? Would you want that?" 

 

She said yes! So we encouraged her to meet with the missionaries and talk with her friend. Iff she learns and has the desire, she will have the gift of the Holy Ghost always as she is righteous. She would always have that peace and calm feelings. She talked about how before she didn't really care about learning more, but now she is ready. Heavenly Father knows when people are ready, and the more good encounters people have with Christ's restored church, they become one step closer to finding that peace and happiness. I know with all my heart that seed-planting is such an important part of missionary work. 

Some people are so prepared. Definitely it helped that her friend is being an awesome member missionary! It make me hopeful that I can be like her friend, being so open and willing to share about the gospel when I am not a full time missionary any more. 

Sister Ranieri was with us on Sunday so she could be free from sitting in her apartment. We had the Organ Tour, meaning once the organ recital is done we offer a tour for people that are inside. That was a great tour, I haven't given a tour like that since I was with Sister Leavitt! All three of us thought it was great! 

Back to Zone Conference week. Typically Mondays, the Temple Square Coordinators put up cover sheets so we non-pday and ZC sisters can sign up to cover desks and such. Well they forgot. I really, really, really, wanted to cover Westgate. This would be my last chance for the rest of my time to be there. At the end of the day we stop by their apartments and let them know that we will be covering WG tomorrow. Sweet! Mission accomplished. Tuesday Morning, Sister Ranieri comes to our apartment and tells us, since sister Rachata is sick and Sister Tang have been sick, Sister Ranieri and Sister Nasimento have been taking turns being home with them and the Zone Leaders. I told them that if they needed us to stay as well we would be willing. Staying home as a missionary is not as fun as you think it is. 

Tuesday, they finally asked Sister Su and I to help out with this situation. Sister Su would go with us to WFS with Sister Nasimento, Sister Tang was well enough to go to square for a while, so Sister Glanzer would stay home with Sister Rachata. My heart dropped so low. I willingly sacrificed my desire to be at Westgate that day. 

2 hours later.

Sister Tang has no strength because she has been lying down for the past week so guess who gets to go to Westgate for three hours!!!!!! This sister missionary! Aw yeah! 12-3. It was great. Westgate is where you text out for tours and covers and all that good stuff. Heavenly Father loves me. This was a manifestation of His love. Yeah. So golden. 

Life is so fun and interesting as a missionary. 

#tsmsisterglanzerwa

Got to announce on Sunday! Typically they ask you a few days before, they asked my right before sacrament meeting.

             Cantonese Training tour 

I collected all the lost water bottles, and with my dark trench coat, "hey, kid, you wanna by a water bottle?"

At the planetarium

These is the Chinese couple we met

For zone activity we played in the gym. I miss going to the gym on pdays

For one activity we played in the gym. I miss going to the gym on pdays

Sister Blocker, Sister He, Sister Su and I went to the planetarium

Being Busy and Staying Busy

We have been fortunate enough to have been at the Humanitarian Center four times this transfer! Each time we had a tour! So blessed! They also give us lunch too, so that is a perk! When there is some down time and we have done our studies and other missionary work, we can go help with quilting. Sister Su has never quilted before, so she was pretty excited! 

We gave our first English tour together! It was a member and his friend who is going to be baptized on Sunday! How cool! As we were walking up the ramp at the Christus, I thought, "I am going to miss walking people up here." I am too strong for tears, but it did help the spirit to be there more for me in that last part. 

Something so neat that I had only experienced once in my mission, (which was outbound in the YSA ward) is having a few investigators on date that are attending church and are progressing! It so neat! To have people to plan for! Sister Su and I set a goal of four people to be baptized this transfer, and we have four people on date! It doesn't mean they will, but I have that abiding trust (hope) in Heavenly Father that they will. Prayer and doing our best to support them. Two are from Fiji! 

Funny story about the Fijians! So we sent the referral to the elders there, who then  gave it to the correct elders. We called them and got the scoop on the investigators. They are such golden pineapples on the island of Fiji. (I don't know if pineapples are actually grown there) We thought that we were in contact with the son via Facebook, but we were very wrong. There are a ton of people with his same name in Fiji in his same area, so we are hoping that the elders are getting him to find us on Facebook. 

When we talked with the Elders the last time, they asked, " Did you watch the Superbowl?" 

"No, we are missionaries."

"Oh, good."

"We aren't even in family wards so we haven't heard anything either." 

Then when I was spelling my name for them to find me on Facebook. BAHAHA Alice Joe Blander is my name. 

We called them off of regular phones in the Humanitarian Center. The first time for Sister Su doing that. She had a big smile on her face the whole time!

Today we went to the planetarium with Sister Blocker and Sister He. That was fun! Cool place. I think I wasted some p-days by not doing anything fun like that. Shopping is BORING! 

I had exchanges this week! I was Sister Ranieri from Italy who is my district leader, and then when Sister Su went with her yesterday, and I got to be with sister Fedotova, Zone Leader, because Sister Tang was sick. I love sister Fedotova! I am glad I got that exchange with her! 

Good bye my dear friends! Until next week!

Sister Glanzer, WA state. #65tranfersleft

there might be more pictures there might not be! who knows!

Taking a video for sister Fedotova to send

Japanese meeting: basement of the Assembly hall!

No matter who you are, the Gospel will change you!

I may have talked about this before, but before my mission I never knew that China was closed to proselyting missionaries. I totally thought that it was like other countries that had missionaries. I don't know the exact details, but Sister Su explained a bit that there was a religious group that was there and then they did some crazy things that closed China to a lot of different religions from proselyting. There are roughly 30,000 members in China. There are a lot of branches around and Sister Su meets in an apartment building for Sunday services. She lives about a 30 min bus ride away. They only have youth activities once a month and once a year they have this country wide Youth Conference. Cool! She said there is a week or so were it is super humid, 110% humidity, and there is dew collecting in their homes! Crazy! I just love her so much!

Our assignment is Humanitarian center and typically they have said that last transfer there were almost no tours. Well, I have been working on the Christlike attribute of hope, an abiding trust in God. I pray fervently that we will have at least one tour during our shift. Our day is Friday and we cover on Tuesdays as well. We had a tour both days! Prayers answered! The Humanitarian Center is a pretty neat place. It is actually part of the Welfare department because it has the same program that is in the Deseret Industries. We get to show people what kind Humanitarian efforts this church does, which is a lot considering the smaller size it is compared to more well known churches.

Now lets get down to the people!

A lady named Lynn from............ RENO!!!!!!! What? I know! So Sister Su’s last comp went outbound and we got all of her people. Some of the people she just sent the information to and told us to follow up if they received it. Well, we text Lynn and she is at a very low point in her life. We ask if we can call her a little later, we had to go to Tabernacle. While we were there I was praying so hard that she she would be interested in learning more. Now, I realized that was partly because I wanted to be able to call the Local Missionaries in Reno. I was looking at the possibilities on who could be her missionaries, I was so hoping to send some to YSA ward. But I realized that is the wrong reason to want to send some one. My job is to teach her and prepare a golden pineapple in the high deserts of Nevada for whoever the missionaries are. So, I switched my prayers to help me to want to teach her because she is a child of God. She is definitely at a point where the gospel will help her. We have another appointment on Thursday! She is not YSA aged, which is good, I think. I don’t know the missionaries in the family ward that she belongs too. But I still cant wait to see the transformation the gospel will have on her and her family. I know that no matter who you are, the gospel will change you as you are willing to submit to Heavenly Father, relying on Him and Christ.

Sister Su has quite a few golden people the are so ready for baptism, they just have Word of Wisdom struggles, but they are willing to work at them!

There was the Finish Strong Meeting for us in our last leg of the mission. Always super good. The last time I went to that was with Sister Samamé back a year ago almost. Crazy. Still the same, but just more meaning behind it. Darn the time really does fly and I feel like I could go for another six months, really. I don’t have the falling apartness that a lot of sisters get, which I am glad for.

We watched a Sister Missionary Premiere of one of the newest Meet the Mormons, “The Craftsmen” It is about this regular guy from Bountiful, Utah that built two airplanes. But it is very family focused and about their trial of their daughter having cancer. They were there while we watched it. So go to your nearest LDS Visitor Center and watch it! So good. If I wasn’t so against crying I would have shed some tears, the spirit was strong. I hope Sister Su and I get to play it for folks.

Also! Super funny but kind of cool, the Fishers asked us to be aware of our breath and take mints periodically throughout the day. I can eat all the grape and cinnamon mints I want on square! YES!

Wan an (wa (as in water) on) Goodnight in Chinese!

Sister Glanzer, the Evergreen State and in a state that is ever green for serving the Lord! #greenymywholemisssion

The perfect shopping cart for Sister He (kind of like you are breathing out (huuuh)

The new Meet the Mormons family

Mastering my fan skills at Chinatown market for when I take Mandarin and Cantonese tours

Waiting to watch the premiere of the new Meet the Mormons

Waiting for what felt like a long time

I made these tasty potato rolls

Sister Su made us some pho

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

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.