Hello again,

Well this week has been quite ... hmm... warm. Cali summers are toasty! But oh so grateful for our car.

This week was my first zone conference. Every other transfer we have these. They asked me to conduct the music :]  It was great.  I learned lots and kept thinking of you Mom when you would feed the missionaries lunch at these back in Wisc. A few nice ladies did the same for us and I was sure to give them many thanks.

This week I also saw a 600 lbs naked woman. She was one of our investigators that we had to drop. Yeah... I'm assuming you don't want details, if you do, let me know otherwise.

I made an idiot out of myself on a doorstep. I thought the lady had a paintbrush in her hand so i asked her if she painted, realizing soon afterwards it was maybe not a skinny paintbrush but rather something else I shouldn't be drawing attention too.  I froze up and things got really awkward really fast. Hahaha oh my, I don't think I'm going to live that one down for awhile.

So remember how I said Stockton is GHETTO.  Well we see and hear about drugs A LOT. Like A LOT A LOT! We actually had a member sit us down and give us a lesson on it all after dinner. It was good cause most of the time we had no idea what people were talking about. But we hear lots of funny stories of people doing crazy things. Bwahahaha oh good stuff. Kids don't do drugs. Seriously huge testimony of how the gospel blesses you tremendously.  Living the commandments really does set you free and enables you to do so much more.  Sin really does put you into bondage. Never quite got that until it was thrown at me so much here.  Also heard my first gun shots outside our apt this weekend! Woot woot! Mission goal accomplished lol.

Well that's mostly me this week. I'm happy to report I'm getting used to Lani (the deaf woman in the ward here) so I can understand most of her signing now. Prayer works! and the language is still coming along.

Love everyone so much! Hope the end of summer is filled with magical things. Catch lots of lightening bugs for me and best of luck finishing up all those summer goals.

Love,
Your daughter and sister
Sister Clarissa Oliphant

hello fadder,

hello madda,

here i am in... sacramenta'

Hello hello again :]

It's so great to get your emails, I love hearing from you :]

Happy late birthday to Amanda and Dad. I sent home a letter to Terrill last pday with a fun sticker for the two of them, did you get it? Actually has Amanda even arrived home yet? School must be starting soon for her. Well I guess all the kiddos really. School started here already for all the primary kids which was been nice to have families back on normal schedules. Finding members to come out with us will hopefully get easier as soon as things begin to settle down. 

Yep yep Stockton is quite the place. But i am seriously enjoying it so much. The ward is comparable to the Madison 2nd ward I think with... well much diversity. And the people here are one: humble and eager to find something that can change their life around, and two: there is never a dull day. Lots of entertainment :]

(You might need to keep this on the down low until its announced but...) NATALIA AND AARON NOLTEMEYER ARE IN LOVE!!!! ...sick. Yeah it blew my mind too. I got the letter the last day at the MTC of Natalia explaining everything and it seems like wedding bells will soon be played. Good old more Wisconsin love.  EVERYONE is getting married! First all the box office babes, then Max, now Natalia and Aaron. I'm not going to have any single friends when i get home. Boo. Anyways tho' so excited for them! Aaron has been chasing her since he was 16 and shes been clueless until recently. So great, but so strange. Actually I don't like to even think about it cause my mind just cant even handle it.  Gotta see it to believe it ya know. ... maybe I need to work on my faith.  But yeah crazy stuff.

Also got a letter from Grandma and Grandpa Walker, and Bill B. recently. So sweet of them to think of me. Tell them thanks for me, I'll write back as soon as I can. I never thought writing letters would take so much time... or maybe its just that my hand always feels like its going to fall off. Monday afternoons, aka write letter time, feels like the ACT writing section all over again. How fast can I write and still make sense in the allotted time.

So this week we committed my first investigator to be baptized! Lynda is the biggest sweetheart! Shes a middle aged black woman who is kind of ritzy. Like a sister Elvera's mom or Sister Spowart. She found the gospel in the darndest way, and was so ready to receive it. Shes working hard at obeying all the commandments in preparation to her baptism on SEPT 22nd! She has so much faith and is such an example to me of how much the gospel blesses the lives of those who put it first. She has given up so much and continues to strive to obey. We're so proud of her! and She is so happy :]

Thanks for the package! Mom you send the funnest things. I love the shirt, totally something I would wear with some high waisted crop pants but mom how the heck do I wear that with a skirt? :] Thanks for the tie! It is a perfect trading one to get me started :] Hope you find some more new customers for the tie club. Its fun to tell friends about it, but its mostly all sisters I tell. haha.

Well here are some pics. Most are from the MTC. Still working on that camera charger. Love you all so much!

Love,

Sister Oliphant

 

Siter Furnell in most photos. The other is Sister Morrison. We got way close at the MTC! She's in Jersey! There's a few of my asl district in there. A few pics are with other friends. Two from Sisconsin and one that just a close bud. I have my teacher Brother Ikeda in a few. He's Japanese... I picked up bowing to people from him. Quite fun habit to be honest.

 

 

Heres a pic of Hermana LYTHGOE!!! She was my roommate at the Riv if you don't remember (Stacey) and then there's a few of a few other Hermanas! Hermanas Jones and Kennedy! They were Aaron Noltemeyer's students actually.

Yep thats pretty much it! Hope you enjoy! Post them on my blog too please :]  (9)

 

 

Real Missionary

Well this has been the BEST WEEK OF MY LIFE!!! Zipideedoodah!

Sisters Wilson and Oliphant

So the boodbye from so many loved ones at the MTC wasnt the easiest.  My MTC companion (Sister Furnell), my district, and my teachers I had all gotten so very close too. How do you not when you spend 16 hours a day with them :]  But none the less the bags were packed and I headed out of that little bubble and off into the real world at 4am on Tuesday morning. My poor companion got up with me at 2:30 so I could shower and get ready. (If I'm up, my companion is supposed to be up as well). The flight was great, I sat next to a couple on both plane rides. The first wanted nothing to do with me and the second we had a nice conversation in very broken English... They didnt really know English and were just flying home to Mexico from a trip. We landed, and good thing too because I was just starting to get really annoyed with the 9 other elders I was traveling with, and were greeted by President and Sister Lewis and the assistants at the airport. :] 

 

We went to the temple and had sack lunches, had interviews and training that afternoon, a formal sit down dinner with President and with all the senior companions (who are just the sweetest things! I love them all SOO much!) warm food NOT from the MTC cafeteria was seriously heaven! It felt like I had just come to a small oasis after traveling 8 months in a desert where I had been deprived of taste bud satisfaction. I never thought cooked carrots could taste so good. Bliss really bliss. Well I was treated to the best room in Sacramento at one of the senior couples homes, I slept in a room all by myself! That was strange. More training the next morning with those 9 other elders and finally it was the big moment we had all had been waiting for, when they announced our trainer and we got to meet them! Sister Wilson is just so great! I know everyone says this about their trainer but I LITERALLY got the best sister in Sacramento! And she's fluent in ASL. Yep I'm learning a lot and missing praying in English. She's a graduate in deaf studies from UVU and is stellar awesome! We are currently assigned to the Brookside Ward in Stockton. We do the English work here for the ward boundaries, and all the deaf work for the southern half of the entire mission, and parts of the Roseville mission too. Not that we do much deaf work to be honest, but its fun when we do. There is a deaf woman named Lani in the Brookside ward so we get to interpret for her on occasion, but there is an older woman in the ward here who knows a lick of sign so we can stick to missionary work on Sundays and not have to stick to Lani the whole Sunday meeting block. (This Sunday wasn't the cases tho). Being a missionary was been seriously so great! But oh my goodness this is not really what I expected, I don't really know WHAT I was expecting, but whatever it was it didn't quite fit.

Companion hug

So let me tell you a little about Stockton!! Okay well first of all I had actually been praying this would be my first area, covering the south half the mission and not the north. Mostly cause Sister Wilson I knew would be so awesome, but it would be a perfect opportunity to practice sign without getting overwhelmed. I would be voicing in the deaf branch up north when I head up there and when I can barely understand a deaf person when they sign at normal tempo, I barely get every other word, let alone how those words together make up an idea with proper grammar. I'm praying for patience and the language. But the best part about this area is I get to do English work too in the GHETTO!!! So Stockton is #1 in California for crime, and #3 in the US for its murder rate. Don't worry about me, I'm really just fine. but it sure makes for the best stories, adventures, and brings so much entertainment. Oh I love it! And the people are mostly all so humble and ready to hear the word. We live across the street from a park so we get to see lots of stuff.  Bwahahaha its awesome. We have a cross dresser strange man in our neighborhood frequently, last time I saw him he was wearing a hat, hawaiian button down shirt, womans shorts, womans knee highs, heels and had on a purse! I'm dying to find out his name. Last night we heard someone blaring a trumpet down the street at 11 oclock at night. I'm telling you, you do not get a boring day here! :] There's a prostitute lane, don't worry we drove down at 11am in the morning. 

Well this week was a week of firsts. It was the first week as a real missionary, I have my first Sacramento companion, I saw my first cockroach, I placed my first Book of Mormon, the Lord blessed us with my first new investigator, it was the first time I was asked to come up and share my testimony as a missionary impromptu in church, my first door was slammed in my face, I bought my first sac trucker hat (now I just need an excuse to wear it).

This week I met so many of our current investigators; the work is moving along and soon I'll tell you about Elder Holland's special blessing he gave to the Sacramento mission when he was here earlier this year. The blessing is coming to pass and we are seeing the results! Its so exciting! More to come next time...

Zina is a recent convert here and those stories are also to come. She's is a reincarnated Cal Buie but with a lot more energy.  Love her!

 

Also the bishop's family here in the Brookside ward is the sweetest! The little girl Alana asked me to sign her cast so I left her with a signature cow, and the wife sent us away with chocolates. The ward feeds us so well, we have a dinner appointment every night. Feed those missionaries!! It's the best!

Pdays are Mondays. So I'll email then. It was so great to chat with you on the phone!!! And thanks for your letter this week! LOVE the African outfits! You both pull them off so well!!

I love this work!!! Its going forth so strong!! Thank you so much for all your love, money, and support as I help do this work! Its seriously the best!!!!!! I love it here! I love sharing the gospel! and surprisingly enough I think I'm going to love knocking doors. :] I'm so thankful to be here and its all thanks to you too!!! LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Lots of Love!

Sister Oliphant

Hello Hello!

 

So I actually stopped by Aaron Noltemeyer's class room (he teaches at the MTC) to say hello and we ended up having dinner in the cafeteria together, don't worry my comp was there, so we got a good chat in and he filled me in on what's going down with all the Wisconsin folk. So I heard from Aaron that way about Elvera. That is just hilarious that she's going to Cali, and yeah Spanish!!! Can't wait to see that youtube video, but I feel like my imagination is doing a pretty good job right now too.  Good to hear all is going well or better with Elvera.

 

Thanks for saying hello to the BF for me. They are seriously so great :]  I need to remember them more. I gave them a Book of Mormon awhile back, actually the Christmas before I left.   I wonder if they ever read it. Do some following up for me :]   

 

Thanks for your comments on the children of Israel, I guess I never really noted the difference between children vs house until recently and my blessing mentions the literal children of Israel so I got curious what that might mean. Interesting. I would love to share my blessing with you Mom! and Dad!

 

Well yep this is my last pday at the MTC! Tuesday comes so soon!! Can't wait to call home. I might call early!!!!! If I get to the airport early and have nothing to do. Might has well use up my calling card I purchased. So yeah I'll just be using a phone at the airport. All good on the phone card, they sell them here for cheap so I got one :]

 

Got Terrill's letter in the mail today! I think his letters are some of my favorites, he's such a hoot. Keep it up Terrill! Way to be a good example to the other kids too ;]  Hope you, Stu and Pops are having fun at the encampment, I'll write you back as soon as I can. Same goes with Elvera. I'm working on her letter as well. She'll understand soon you have NO time! Even on pdays. its zip zip zip.  Got to go to the temple again today tho :]  Walked underneath those chandeliers we cleaned too :] Speaking of, will Elvera be there on Tuesday morning? If you feel so inclined to invite her over it would be nice to say hello. Your choice tho, your home and your time :]

 

I did not get a cable for the camera but I have borrowed others so graciously here at the MTC for now. Can't wait to send you pics!! But that will have to wait til the field cause the MTC computers don't allow you to do that. I'll get a cable in the field when I get out there.

 

Talk to you soon! I've got stories to share :]

 

Sister Oliphant