Life Goes On

"Ummm sister I don't think that's a design on the shower curtain... I
think it's mold....."

Hello my loved ones. I am overwhelmed [again] with the amount of love
I feel from you. Thank you for the prayers, emails, notes, I haven't
received the chocolate but I'm sure it's coming. ;) you are wonderful.

So this week was another roller coaster. I get the feeling most weeks
will pass by like so. Well last Thursday I woke up in the middle of
the night to throw up. Bummer. Big bummer. So we stayed in that day
sick. It feels awful sitting around as a missionary almost as bad as a
stomach ache. You just feel so useless and when you are feeling that
it does not help recovery. I am 99% sure the sicky came from stress.
It's hard work out here and I feel pretty emotionally and spiritually
exhausted. After a good nap, a solid cry and a long talk with my
trainer, I was feeling better. :) Sister Astle is awesome but she gets
uptight really easy and feels anxious 95% of the time and try as I
might it gets to me some days. We are both trying to work hard at
relaxing, being ourselves, having a good time, and letting The Lord
work through us.

After Thursday The Lord really picked me up as well as the work.
People have opened there homes and hearts to the message we so eagerly
want to share. I have watched The Lord answer prayer after prayer. I
probably should be doing this but I am just waiting for it to get hard
again because I has been that enjoyable. I LOVED the quote my dad sent
me this week.... " That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not
that the nature of the task has, changed, but our ability to do so has
increased." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
It's a good one and it has helped me to endure.

Sister Astle makes me laugh. The first line of this email is a true
story. I thought our shower curtain just had brown poka dots.... Nope
it was mold and Sister Astle had been showering with that for a whole
8 weeks... Not good. So we scrubbed it down with bleach. Nasty. If I
ever write home and tell you I'm going to the hospital it is most
likely because my companion ran me over while I was trying to back her
out. It is the scariest thing... I swear sometimes she is trying to
kill me. ;) good thing I love her. The way she talks she looks like a
character from Wallace and grommet.... Just think about it. It's
hilarious.

Ooh I spoke in church last Sunday! That was awesome. They kinda
tricked me into talking... They said they always do it to introduce
new missionaries, turns out none of the other missionaries in my
district had spoke. I gave the second counselor a hard time after that
but now it's a joke in the ward because I brought it up over the
pulpit. I spoke about how obedience + humility = a strong testimony.

I don't know if I mentioned but my area is new to sisters. For a long
time it was to dangerous but they just opened it up to us women folk.
It kills me though because we aren't allowed downtown where ALL the
people are because it's to dangerous. When the work is slow all I
wanna do is go contacting down there but nope. Tracking is my favorite
though, even though it gets intense sometimes we meet some amazing
people. Sometimes I feel like I am a messenger in the war and I have
to pass through enemy territory with that precious message, I feel the
pressure and importance of my journey to get it to safety but there
are so many people who want to destroy it.

Guys the New Yorker accents... It's real! Hahahaha im gonna film it
and bring it home. These people are the BEST! I am taking lessons from
a member who grew up in the Bronx's, you could say I pretty much sound
like I've lived here my whole life. ;)

Well I think that's all for this week. I love my mission. I know I am
only able to do this because of my Father in Heaven. I love you all,
you are in my prayers. If you have any questions for me let me know!
XOXO

Love, Your Seester Checketts

It's a long one and more to come next week

Sister Olivia Page Checketts

New York New York North Mission

700 White Plains Rd Ste 315

Scarsdale, NY 10583

"Sister Checketts, Haught Dwog or a Hamburger?"

In all my 19 years of living never have I eaten so much meat. I think

my body is in shock.

Hello family and friends. My my my the days have gone by SO slow but

this week passed in a blink of an eye. I got to New York just one week

ago but I feel like I've lived here my whole life. When I got my

assignment I was so pumped to be starting off this cycle upstate, I

didn't even realize how blessed I was to be going to where I am.

Middletown New York. Look up Goshan on google maps, Middletown is not

far from there but the homes in Goshan are B E A U T I F U L. I feel

like I'm in a movie everyday all day just because this is so unreal to

me still and New York is so gorgeous everywhere you look looks like a

movie.

Blessing number one: I've got a car. What!? Yeah. I do have to back my

companion out every time because it's mission rules so we look like

nerds but it doesn't matter cause The Lord has blessed us with a car

and it doesn't matter what we look like. :)

Blessing number two: the rain is beautiful. The humidity is not bad at

all yet. The humidity does wonders for my hair. When I leave it down I

look like Emma. My curls are fantastic and huge. Hahaha I know I look

like a mad woman. :)

Blessings number three: our apartment is a humble abode but I feel

safe and we have everything we need.

Blessing number four: Sister Astle. Oh man oh man she has so much

patience with me. I have been brutally honest with her but that's the

only way I can function out here because it is devil hard. I won't

lie, a day does not pass where I wonder if I can make it out here much

longer. The times I feel the most join and the most motivation is when

I am baring my testimony or listening to a less active, investigator,

member or another missionary bare their testimony. This work is divine

and even though I'm uncomfortable most all day everyday emotionally

and physically I have never felt The Lord support me more. I love

being here. I love Sister Astle even though she drives me nuts

sometimes. I am not supposed to be anywhere else.

Blessing number five: the wardies! They LOVE the missionaries. We are

fed every night. Hence the beginning of this email. They feed us so

much and so much meet. It all taste good and I think The Lord has

placed a blessing on my mouth and my tummy. The elders try to stuff as

much in and then it's yo to the sisters to Finnish the rest. Crazy.

But this ward is wonderful. Father's Day on Sunday the primary sang.

It was unreal. Hahahaha I was dying and dying for someone to laugh

with me. Pits a bunch of black, Asian, Hispanic, white, red headed

kids who can't sit still.

Okay so now I'm gonna ramble off a few thoughts I want to share....

iPads. It's hard but it's a blessing. We have to carry them with us

where ever we go because it's our everything, our area book, planner,

lesson manual, email, notes, camera, communication, address book,

EVERYTHING. I would rather write everything down but this does

simplify in ways. We also give lessons over FB and share spiritual

uplifting messages through FB. I can see how it would be distracting

but there is no time to doddle around. Ha I found Emma's video she

made for me on FB but I can't watch it! Now that's killing me! :) it's

nice because in lessons we can pull up videos and conference talks,

pamphlets, pictures, songs, ect. It's pretty cool how God works.

I wish I could tell you all about the people I've met so far but it

would take way to long and this email is already long. Here are some

of my favorite people....

Sandy: 72 Year old lady. Has the thickest New Yorker accent. Super

duper negative and grumpy but when we sing hymns to her she softens up

like melted chocolate. She he has a hard life and every time we go

over she has something new to deal with. We try really hard to help

her see The Lord working in her life.

Tracey: recent convert of 3 weeks. Amazing testimony. She reminds me

of Lucinda. She is going through a really rough time right now

(prayers needed). Satan knows how strong she is so he is working his

hardest. She helped break me into mission life that's for sure.

Mama Rose: 80 ish year old Hispanic. The cutest thing you ever did

see. She is probably 4 feet tall, no joke. She got offended 10 years

ago at church and won't go back. So sad but her testimony is

beautiful. I love seeing her.

Beryl: our Progressing investigator. She is (hopefully) getting

baptized on the 29th.nwoot! She needs to be interview by president

Morgan first. Please prayer that all goes well. Yesterday when we met

with her we talked about how God has asked us to keep our body's clean

and pure and how she will need to take out her piercings before she

can be baptized. She cried for a moment because she loved her per

icings that much but then we prayed and after that she took all of

them out. I was astounded. It was the best testimony she could ever

bare. The change she has made because of this beautiful gospel is

incredible.

Sister Walker: 65 year old black lady. She is like my momma here. I

love her hugs. She is a less active coming back to activity. I love

going to her house even though I smells strongly of wet dog.

After leaving members homes I become more and more grateful for my

family. How amazing they are and how strong our relationships are.

Bing at members homes kinda make me homesick but then I am just

grateful for my family.

Well my fingers are sore so I will say goodbye for this week. I love

you all. Thank you for your prayers, I feel them and I need them. I

wanna hear from Seth, Meredith and viv. Chin up!! XO

Love, Your Sister Checketts

Sent from my iPad

1st NY update from Olivia

Holy cow everyone. I am already here. I dont have much time to write, its been a long busy day so i will just try to hit the important stuff.

Left the MTC at 3:30am. I was the travel leader and so that was an adventure getting all the missionaries to New York, BUT thanks to the niffty travel skills my dad taught me it was a mission accomplished. I was about 10 minutes away from sleeping in the Detroit airport overnight, but some nice business man gave up his seat for a homely looking sister missionary (me). So i made it, and here i'll stay. 

President and Sister Morgan are AMAZING! It was so nice to be in a home again and have a home cooked meal. Mom, Dad, they remind me so much of you... dont really know why. My mission is an IPad mission and a ton of the work is online (ill explain more later). So i woke up to a brand new iPad this morning, weird....really weird but im excited to embrace it.

EVERYONE knows Dave Checketts so everyone thinks they know me and we try to figure it out but it just ends up the other person gets frustrated with my lack of knowledge about him and leaves the conversation. Ha, but he is a stake president in my mission so i cant wait to meet him.

MY COMPANION!! Her name is Sister Astle. She is wonderful. So bubbly and confident. I already love her. She is from Sandy! WOOT! She was actually called to this mission Mandarin speaking. Cool huh! So ill come home with some Mandarin under my belt. ;) She flipped when i told her that my 3 youngest siblings speak the beautiful language. 

My first area. I win it all. Everyone ive talked to tell me i am so spoiled. Im in Middletown for a good 12 weeks. It is the beautiful country side, so green and so vintage. I LOVE IT. The ward (i hear) is awesome! (side track: Grandma! I met Sister Davis, she is in my ward!!) Work is mostly reactivating. I know im gonna love this place more than i already do know and that's a lot. 

Today has been crazy so im feeling very anxious for things to become normal and finally have a home. 

JUSTIN! please write me! I am so excited for you. I had a little freak out session when i read that you got you call! Whata perfect place for you. You will be wonderful. KEEP GOING TO MISSION PREP. Happy (late) birthday. I love you.

Wow. So much to say. I'll tell you more next week and i'll send pictures. I love you all. Thank you for you letters, emails, prayers, and support. The gospel blesses families, i know it. Ciao!

Love, Sister Checketts

Farewell Video

This is a blog for my sister Olivia on her mission in New York, New York North.
Here's the video i made for her:

https://vimeo.com/97073000