Christmas was Great!

Well Hello everyone!

How was your Christmas? Mine was amazing!!!! Mostly because I got to see my family and talk to them!!!! If none of my packages had come I would have  been totally fine because I got to see everyone!! Ya'll look so good!!! and some of you have grown SO much and have changed SO much!!!! 5 1/2 months will do that I guess!!!

I'm trying to think of good stories to share, but not much is coming to mind. I think the coolest thing was helping Santa get presents for and deliver presents to two less fortunate families and then finding out that the kids loved the gift!!! It really is nice to give! 

It was kind of nice to just get to chill Christmas day. We had lots of great visits, but it wasn't super rushed! The best (other than seeing my family) was going to visit the family we ate dinner with and playing spoons!!! So fun and I kicked butt! as I usually do! Over all, it was an amazing Christmas! Much different than at home, but still great! 

Family well done, you all make the best food in the world!! People out here are good, but ya'll are the best!!!! Like the other day, someone made the Grandma Judy Chicken, and it was okay, but Grandmas is SO much better!!!!

Oh helpful dinner tip for feeding missionaries, we love having breakfast for dinner. And we love having fruits and veggies. We get a lot of sweets so don't worry to much about giving them out, I see why state side missionaries gain so much weight! Thankfully I've got mine under control again! Not losing, but not gaining! My jeans fit again!!!

I am so sorry I haven't written people back for so long! P-days have been Crazy!!!!!

Transfers are January 7th so p-day is Wednesday next week!!!! 

Mom and Dad, I have a package coming home, just Christmas stuff I don't have room to haul around, clothes that don't fit, and a blanket that (thanks to Brad and Sarah) I don't need out here!!! (Thank you so much for the blanket!!!) If you could wash the blanket and clothes that would be awesome. The blanket hasn't been washed since before I came out, so its gross. I was too afraid of messing it up to wash it! There are also planners and letters that you can just put somewhere safe. The Christmas stuff you can keep until next November-ish and send back for Christmas.

I found out yesterday that we can go to the Gilbert Temple open house with less active members or investigators!!! I am so excited, because we have a part member family that wants us to go! That is if I'm not transferred, but I won't find out until Saturday if I'm moving.

On new years (Wednesday) we are having a zone activity with the other White Mountain zones, I am really looking forward to that!!! We get to wear pants! I love getting out of the skirt! Skirts are much colder and you have to sit like a lady in them; that is not something I am always good at!!!

That is really it for the week. Nothing new with any investigators. We did get a new one, but he is a 10 year old who just wasn't baptized at 8 so still a good thing for us, but he already knows everything he needs to know. We are just trying to get less active members back to church, much easier said than done. DON'T GET OFFENDED!!! Its dumb! The church is perfect, the people aren't! read the Uchtdorf talk!!!!!!!

Well I love you all very much! Have a great week and Happy New Year!!!!

Love 

Sister Bresia

Pictures

It's  COLD winter in Show Low!  So much for Arizona being warm...

Last Picture with Sister Jones before transfers

Some local Christmas lights

The R Family, we always have a good time!

 

Our Humble Christmas Tree

Sister McCashland and I

Merry Christmas from the Sisters!

Not so sure about this...

Maybe its not so bad...

Not a favorite activity, but a great shot.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hello Everyone!!!

I had a great birthday!!!! Sister McCashland went all out! All the sisters in our district went to Denny's for lunch to celebrate my birthday and they paid for me! Then we went to a super awesome family's house for a "surprise party" where we had cake! Then I got home to a house all decorated with birthday stuff and more treats, then the R family's for dinner and more cake!!!! Sis McCashland planned everything!!! She's sneaky!!!! It was a really good birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANALYN AND CODY!!! I hope you have great birthdays!!!

I am so glad you got my package and enjoyed the memory card. Most of the stuff in there is just stuff I want home, but there are books in there for you and you can look through anything you want!

Thank you for all the birthday wishes and packages!!!

I loved the packages so much! Now I'm excited to break into those Christmas boxes. I have one from Gammy and Grumpy and another from mom and dad. I know I have more coming! honestly though all I want for Christmas is to see my family! That is the best gift!!!!

Something I have learned this Christmas season that is a great life lesson is, REAL CHRISTMAS TREES SUCK!!! I don't just say that because I'm allergic to them. They are so ugly, and they don't even smell good!!! Why do people like them!!! They give me headaches and make my nose all stuffy!!!! No fun!!!! ARTIFICIAL ALL THE WAY!!!!!

Its been a good week! Super busy, but really good! I do enjoy this work!!!

I am so excited to see my family Christmas day!!! I just pray everything works out and I get to see all of you! Sorry I couldn't send much for Christmas, but I hope you like what I did send! Next Christmas I'll be sending a lot more home, but that will mostly be stuff I don't want to haul home with me on the plane! Ill give you the good stuff at home!!!

Time is flying out here, I am fast approaching 6 months. It has been awesome though! Best way to spend life!

It is hard at this time of year to be away from home, but I am getting to serve a lot. we are helping provide Christmas for families and serving as much as we can!

I love you all and will see some of you soon! Merry Christmas!!!

Love,
Sister Bresia Alysse Yates

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Well, its been an interesting week.  Monday- pday. Tuesday- Zone Conference, where we won the cleanest car award again!!! Wednesday- temple (the Snowflake Temple is so pretty), Thursday-Sunday flu!!! Being sick is the worst!!!!!!

I did get the packages from the Young Women, Poppy and Grandma, and Mom and Dad!!! Thank you all so much for everything! Britta your card got to me!!!!! You should be getting a package from me soon!!!! Open it Friday. And Dad, bring Brooke and Cody their stuff!!!

I'm excited to get the Christmas stuff!!!

Like I said this week has been pretty boring since I was so sick, but at least I am mostly better now!!! No great stories from this week, but that is life.

To answer a question... Yes, I still love the area I'm in. I have learned however that I WILL NOT live in a small town!!! Everyone knows everyone and most of them are related, its weird! I do miss being warm though! No, I don't really get to go to the Gilbert temple open house or anything, it is out of my mission :(

January 11, Elder Jeffery R. Holland is coming to my mission!!!!! Not only is that amazing, but we also get to see the Gilbert Mission which is awesome, because some of the missionaries I was in the MTC with will be there too, so I get to see them!!! That will be an awesome day!!!!!!

Some people have asked what a typical pday is like. On pday, we wake up have or normal scheduled until 10 then drive 30 mins into town to email, shop at Wal-mart (the only store up here), and do anything else we need to in town. Then we go back home to write letters and do laundry!!! We sometimes go on hikes, but its too cold now... pdays are great!!!

Oh Mom and Dad, I cracked and bought a humidifier!!!! It is so dry here and the dryness was killing my sinuses! So if you see a charge for 31 or so dollars that's what that is. I have made quite a few purchases with my bank card, but that is just how it goes!

By the way, I want to Skype with all my siblings I don't know if Brad and Sarah are planning on joining the Christmas call, but I want them too if it works for their schedule. I will make the call at 10 am my time. I really want to see my family!

I don't actually know what I'm doing for my birthday. My companion, Sister McCashland has a surprise so I'll let you know next week!!! But for dinner tonight we are going to the R family!!! They are the closest thing to family I have up here so I wanted to go there!

I don't know if I'll email next week or not, it depends on the library, but if not I will talk to you on Christmas!!!!

I love you all so much and hope you have a great week! To those with finals, Good luck!!! For those who are struggling go read talks from this past conference!!! It was an amazing conference! It can help you!

I love you all so much! Ill talk to you next week!!! I cant wait to see some of my favorite people in 9 day!!!!!!!

Love 

Sister Bresia Alysse Yates 

Only a few days left as a teen!!!

Hello Family!

This has been a CRAZY week!!!! I don't remember if I told you last week, but we got stuck in the mud last Sunday. Not only that, but we were in the middle of no where and there were no lights around us. It was like being in a scary movie!!! Really being anywhere in the town of Clay Spring, AZ is like being in a scary movie. No paved roads and no lights, it is so scary!!! At least its mostly Mormons!!! We were stuck for like 30 minutes!!! But some members came and helped us!

Okay, nothing really happened on Monday, but Tuesday we taught a lesson to a 7 year old and her 5 year old sister. Their parents are members and want the 7 year old, Grace, to have the lessons as baptism preparation. So we are ending the lesson of the Restoration and ask if they have any questions (or to ask their parents if anything comes after we leave). The 5 year old, Tatum, asks US (OKAY FIRST their mom is almost 9 months pregnant), "How do babies get out of mommies tummies?" We didn't want to laugh and make her think she didn't have a good question, but it was so funny!!! We thankfully didn't have to answer. We referred that question to mommy, who then referred it to daddy!!! So funny!!!

Wednesday night I had an allergic reaction to something I ate. Nothing serious happened. My tongue got a little swollen and the sides of my tongue hurt really bad. A Dr in one of the wards we are in called in a prescription of some kind of number. Everyone said it would feel like when you go to have a cavity filled, but as some of you know, I have never had a cavity! Therefore, I have never had my moth numbed before. It was so weird!!! No, I have no idea what it was that caused the reaction, everything I ate I had eaten several times before... We are thinking it was something in the pizza I ate, but we don't know. I am fine though!!

Thursday night we got home and there was a super scary dark feeling in our house. We called President Sweeney and through the power of the priesthood he cast out all evil spirits! That was no fun! We slept with all the lights on that night!

There were other crazy things that happened, but those are the big ones!

It snowed again!!! It is so cold up here!!!

We go to the temple on Wednesday!! I am so excited since I haven't been since September!!!

Yesterday we went to church in Cibecue, which is always an adventure. Things were fine through sacrament meeting, until the water came around. Its pretty quiet until this little boy starts gargling the water. It was really hard not to laugh!!! Oh Cibecue!!!

Well, we have two new investigators!!! And they seem like they really are interested in learning. I will let you know how they progress as we teach them more! Pray that they realized the truth!!

 I hope all is well at home! I love you all!!!

Love,
Sister Bree  

Goat Problems

I bought some boots, they are dressy boots and cute. They keep my feet much warmer, but I really won’t play in the snow in them. I’ll stand in it, but that’s it. I did get more CDs in the second package, but I still want the others if you need ideas for Christmas. I'm having a hard time with insomnia and they are the ones which helped me sleep growing up. And yes, I got the pictures from Jen, but would love the senior ones! And the wallet sized one is to hand out.

I gave a talk last Sunday on missionary work. Shocking, I know, but I did really well! I really am learning a lot out here; patience, love, compassion, focus, and so much about the gospel!!! I am learning so much more than I ever learned going to seminary!!! The atonement is so amazing to learn about, and no matter how much we study we can never know it all! It’s crazy!

My companion is so cool, we have a lot of fun together, and I’m kind of in charge which is nice. My Thanksgiving was really good, and I didn’t overeat! The R family are sending their oldest son off on his mission tomorrow, and Sister R is having a really hard time! I wish I could help her more. They are really having a hard time, but I will help in any way I can.

Tell Jon happy birthday for me!

Has Britta gone to the YSA branch yet? Does she like it? I’m sorry to hear that Betty isn’t doing well health-wise, but glad she was able to enjoy time with Jenny, Kev, Tyler and Shelby. I hope she finds comfort in Christ through this rough time.

Okay so on Friday we were driving and we got stuck in mud!!! We had to  call for help! It was really funny. Then on Saturday we were stalked by goats!!! That was actually really scary! It’s actually the 3rd time that’s happened out here. Most missionaries have problems with dogs, we have problems with goats!!!! It’s really fun!

I am doing really well! Tell me more about how you are doing. I’m really excited to see my family and Riley in 23 days!!!

DO FAMILY HISTORY WORK!!! NOW!!!  If you want to give me something for Christmas let it be that! If you watch Polar Express or any other Christmas shows, think of me! I will miss being able to see them for two years but it's a small sacrifice.

I love you all! Be safe, stay warm, and be smart in all you do!