Hi fam & friends:)
We received transfer calls this weekend & guess what! I'm stayin in El Dorado Hills for another 6 weeks & I couldn't be happier :) I'm also staying companions with sister Starnes! I love this area & I love being here at this time. It's crazy that at the end of this transfer I will have spent a total of 6 months here!
Anywhoo...since yesterday wasn't p-day sister Starnes & I decided to do something different so we pulled out our bikes & started riding around, & let me tell ya, they don't call it El Dorado HILLS for nothing!! Hahah after about 2 hours we were sick of that so that idea ended pretty quickly hahah!
We also got to volunteer at the Oak Ridge High School football game again this week & sold popcorn & it was so much fun! I just love the youth in our wards:) we got to talk to a ton of people & the youth in our Ward introduced us to a ton of their friends! I love doing stuff with the youth but I have to come to the realization that I'm not in their age group anymore &I’m just this nerdy sister missionary trying to be cool, hahaha! On Sunday it was the "Youth Program" which is basically like the primary program but for all the youth & 3 sweet 15 year old girls in our Ward (Abby,Chloe, & Marryann) brought 2 of their non member friends to church! Ah I'm just so impressed with the youth here :)
Anyway the rest of the week went great & I’m so happy to be here in El Dorado Hills. I'm learning so much about myself. I think sometimes I get discouraged because we don't have a ton of investigators to teach, but I have to just remind myself of the missionary purpose that says, "invite others to come unto Christ" & that includes active members! I'm so grateful for the members here. I know some are really trying to share the gospel with their friends & I really look up to them for that!
I hope you all have a great week & remember to read your scriptures! Elder Richard G Scott said in his very last General Conference address: "Don’t yield to Satan’s lie that you don’t have time to study the scriptures. Choose to take time to study them. Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media. You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. If so, do it!"
Hope you all choose to have a good week & choose the right!
Happy 13th birthday Andrew! Mom I can't believe you have 4 teenagers now! Hahah
Also shout out to Lauren, Annie, Bonnie, Tara & Neil for the sweetest package!! Hashtag blessed
Love always,
Sister Sobotka
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Monday, October 12, 2015
Just Serve
Dear everyone,
It was another good week in California! I'm just gonna keep this short
this week, because I just honestly don't feel like writing hahaha.
Last Monday we went on this bike ride with the sisters in the zone for
pday so that was pretty fun. We went around Lake Natoma & I pretty
much almost died 214 times. Haaa I'm so outta shape. This week we did
a lot of service! But it's way cool because all the people in the area
are recognizing us volunteering at like every event the city puts on!
We helped volunteer at this elementary school Halloween festival thing
& it was way fun & a ton of parents thanked us for helping.
We had exchanges this week & I got to go to Folsom with Sister Briggs.
I just really look up to Sister Briggs. She's just a genuinely good
person who loves the gospel & everyone around her. The exchange was
really fun & I always learn a lot from exchanges! I think one of my
fav things about being a missionary is getting to know the other
missionaries! It's so interesting to hear how people grew up & how
they decided to serve a mission.
Basically that's all I got for this week! We have transfer calls this
week so I'm pretty nervous to see what will happen. I love this area &
my companion & I am so blessed to be serving here at this time!
Choose to make it a good week!
Love always,
Sister Sobotka
Pics:
1-us with a fire truck
2-this sweet little girl drew the cutest picture of me hahaha
It was another good week in California! I'm just gonna keep this short
this week, because I just honestly don't feel like writing hahaha.
Last Monday we went on this bike ride with the sisters in the zone for
pday so that was pretty fun. We went around Lake Natoma & I pretty
much almost died 214 times. Haaa I'm so outta shape. This week we did
a lot of service! But it's way cool because all the people in the area
are recognizing us volunteering at like every event the city puts on!
We helped volunteer at this elementary school Halloween festival thing
& it was way fun & a ton of parents thanked us for helping.
We had exchanges this week & I got to go to Folsom with Sister Briggs.
I just really look up to Sister Briggs. She's just a genuinely good
person who loves the gospel & everyone around her. The exchange was
really fun & I always learn a lot from exchanges! I think one of my
fav things about being a missionary is getting to know the other
missionaries! It's so interesting to hear how people grew up & how
they decided to serve a mission.
Basically that's all I got for this week! We have transfer calls this
week so I'm pretty nervous to see what will happen. I love this area &
my companion & I am so blessed to be serving here at this time!
Choose to make it a good week!
Love always,
Sister Sobotka
Pics:
1-us with a fire truck
2-this sweet little girl drew the cutest picture of me hahaha
Monday, October 5, 2015
Waffles and Apostles
Dear family & friends,
Okay first off, wasn't General Conference the best? Yesterday sister
Starnes & I were talking about how after General Conference you get
that kinda feeling that you get on Christmas after you open all your
presents & then you just get that sad feeling & think, "now I've got
to wait a whole year for this to happen again" haha good thing we only
have to wait 6 months for General Conference;)
Anywhoo... This week has been so much fun! We met this super sweet
lady tracting this week. She has a home in Florida & lives there 6
months out of the year & she explained that in Florida she lives
across the street from some members of the church & she said she
recognized how well they treated everyone & how the man of the house
got sick last year & people from their Ward brought meals over every
night. She said she watched as women in the Ward got out of their cars
every night with crying kids in the car to take this family a meal.
While she was telling us about this I started to cry. Those women in
Florida probably had no idea the influence they had on this woman!
They had no clue that they were planting seeds in this lady's heart. I
thought of my mom not only because of all the meals she has taken to
people, but also on the receiving end, when she had her heart attack &
open heart surgery & how grateful I was for the women in the Ward who
brought over meals to our family. I am so grateful for the women in
the church, for the good things they do, all over the world! I
absolutely loved Elder Nelson & Elder Hollands talk about the huge
roll of mothers & women. Anyway, the woman we tracted into leaves for
Florida this week but we told her there are missionaries in Florida so
we sent off the referral!
The rest of the week was filled with service! We had an awesome
service activity to help out with Oak Ridge High Schools homecoming
football game! We got to work the concession stand & it was so much
fun!! We got to talk to so many people about the church & it was just
great publicity haha. Then Saturday night the Sisters in the zone got
to volunteer at a 5K race. It was like a glow in the dark race & we
got tons of glow sticks. We basically just pointed people where to go
& cheered them on.
Saturday we watched General Conference with the Gladwell family,
Sister Gladwell is so sweet & had doughnuts & orange juice & fruit out
for us! I am so grateful for the amazing families who take such good
care of us missionaries. Then Sunday we watched conference with the
Martins & they had this big waffle breakfast for us! How nice huh?
Such good people:) The 3 new apostles seem like amazing men & it was
fun to get to hear from them. Elder Stevenson is in my favorite Mormon
message, "leave the party" so I was excited to hear he is one of the
new apostles!
Well yeah that was basically my week. I had too many fav General
conference talks, but I especially loved Elder Holland's talk. I only
cried 219 tears during his talk. Hahah but for real, I am so grateful
for the living prophets and apostles we have today. What a blessing it
is to have these amazing leaders to help guide and direct our lives. I
love how a lot of the talks were on how the the gospel is simple & we
try to make it complicated. I remember at the beginning of my mission
when Elder Bednar came & spoke to the the mission & said, "when people
hear the word, 'doctrine' they start to freak out and think it's deep
complex material, but it actually the plain and simple truths found in
the gospel of Jesus Christ"
Hope you all have an amazing week & apply the things you learned from
conference into your life & act on the impressions you have:) LOVE
YOU.
Love always,
Sister Ashley Sobotka
Okay first off, wasn't General Conference the best? Yesterday sister
Starnes & I were talking about how after General Conference you get
that kinda feeling that you get on Christmas after you open all your
presents & then you just get that sad feeling & think, "now I've got
to wait a whole year for this to happen again" haha good thing we only
have to wait 6 months for General Conference;)
Anywhoo... This week has been so much fun! We met this super sweet
lady tracting this week. She has a home in Florida & lives there 6
months out of the year & she explained that in Florida she lives
across the street from some members of the church & she said she
recognized how well they treated everyone & how the man of the house
got sick last year & people from their Ward brought meals over every
night. She said she watched as women in the Ward got out of their cars
every night with crying kids in the car to take this family a meal.
While she was telling us about this I started to cry. Those women in
Florida probably had no idea the influence they had on this woman!
They had no clue that they were planting seeds in this lady's heart. I
thought of my mom not only because of all the meals she has taken to
people, but also on the receiving end, when she had her heart attack &
open heart surgery & how grateful I was for the women in the Ward who
brought over meals to our family. I am so grateful for the women in
the church, for the good things they do, all over the world! I
absolutely loved Elder Nelson & Elder Hollands talk about the huge
roll of mothers & women. Anyway, the woman we tracted into leaves for
Florida this week but we told her there are missionaries in Florida so
we sent off the referral!
The rest of the week was filled with service! We had an awesome
service activity to help out with Oak Ridge High Schools homecoming
football game! We got to work the concession stand & it was so much
fun!! We got to talk to so many people about the church & it was just
great publicity haha. Then Saturday night the Sisters in the zone got
to volunteer at a 5K race. It was like a glow in the dark race & we
got tons of glow sticks. We basically just pointed people where to go
& cheered them on.
Saturday we watched General Conference with the Gladwell family,
Sister Gladwell is so sweet & had doughnuts & orange juice & fruit out
for us! I am so grateful for the amazing families who take such good
care of us missionaries. Then Sunday we watched conference with the
Martins & they had this big waffle breakfast for us! How nice huh?
Such good people:) The 3 new apostles seem like amazing men & it was
fun to get to hear from them. Elder Stevenson is in my favorite Mormon
message, "leave the party" so I was excited to hear he is one of the
new apostles!
Well yeah that was basically my week. I had too many fav General
conference talks, but I especially loved Elder Holland's talk. I only
cried 219 tears during his talk. Hahah but for real, I am so grateful
for the living prophets and apostles we have today. What a blessing it
is to have these amazing leaders to help guide and direct our lives. I
love how a lot of the talks were on how the the gospel is simple & we
try to make it complicated. I remember at the beginning of my mission
when Elder Bednar came & spoke to the the mission & said, "when people
hear the word, 'doctrine' they start to freak out and think it's deep
complex material, but it actually the plain and simple truths found in
the gospel of Jesus Christ"
Hope you all have an amazing week & apply the things you learned from
conference into your life & act on the impressions you have:) LOVE
YOU.
Love always,
Sister Ashley Sobotka
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