Good Enough To Be Sent To Goodlettsville - Transfer Time

I'm being transferred to Goodlettsville and getting Sister West, who was one of my MTC roommates, as my new companion. More about that later. After church on Sunday and many many tears, Sister Frogue said "I'm going to call your mom and tell her." She then texted me after she talked with you. I'm glad you got to talk to her. Don't you just love her accent?! I love it so much!! I can ALWAYS hear her voice in my head... and Brother Frogue's too. I love them so much. There are people that are like 2nd "Mom's and Dad's" on missions, but the Frogues really are my other parents! They take care of us, feed us, check up on us, love us.... I have been so blessed to serve around them! Also, Sister Frogue told me she found my blog and was going to read it. Haha, I thought, "Oh boy, that's going to take a while."

So I am SO STOKED to be companions with Sister West. I never thought we'd be companions and I'm SO EXCITED!!!!!! Oh I cannot even tell you the kind of relief I felt when I found that out. I know it's going to be a good transfer. I already know we get along and so it's going to be nice. I'm still an STL, which I didn't expect after this transfer. I'm a little nervous because I'll be going on exchanges with sisters I've never met before. I'm not sure how long Sister West has been in the area but I'm pretty sure they'll transfer her next transfer since we both go home in March. I would be surprised if they let us both "die" in the same area.

Ok. so onto the week!
Monday:
I had to miss FHE because we had an exchange. I went to Princeton with Sister Miller. It was a pretty fun exchange! We did a lot more work than the last two times I was there. Sister Miller is going to be great for that area! We taught this family whose 3 kids are so educated and so polite! One of them asked at the end of the lesson "When do we get to learn how we are saved?" Aw they melted my heart! I loved teaching them! And they all payed attention and participated. The parents weren't really listening as much.... that's a problem. Oh well..

Tuesday:
I was still on an exchange in Princeton and it was still kinda slow. We met back and then drove clear out into the middle of nowhere for dinner. The member hadn't texted back yet and so I didn't think we should use all those miles. But we went anyways and used nearly 40 extra miles. They weren't home... Their family is struggling a lot and so I guess with everything going on they just forgot. We then had no dinner... and we were 20 miles from home. Sister Bolos has always said to call her if we need dinner, so I finally took her up on that offer and it happened to be the one night they were at the mall. They ended up coming to get us and took us to Wendy's because we were running out of time. So then we went and watched a movie with Wayne. It was about the military and the churches stance on it. I was so tired (I didn't get any sleep on the exchange) and it was 2 general authorities talking about their stories...... I was practically snoring... I had the hardest time watching that movie. Thank goodness I got to sleep in my own bed that night!

Wednesday: CHRISTMAS EVE
We had District meeting and I had prepared my training for 3 days before that. I normally don't prepare until the day of, but I prepared and then I didn't even get to give it! Bummer. We also did Facebook and then had a super quick lesson with Stephanie before we had to head to the Bolos's for dinner with them and Austin. It was a good dinner! I ate WAY too many funeral potatoes. Sister Bolos knows those are my favorite.... mostly because they have cereal on top. So we had that and then Sister Hargadon was worried because Aaron was struggling with anti from his younger brother. So she got permission to stay out past 6 p.m. to go find him. We did have a good lesson with him and re-solidified his baptism.

Thursday: CHRISTMAS MORNING!!!!!!!
I got up by myself to open presents in peace and quiet. It was nice. I then read the Christmas story from the Bible, which I have never done before on Christmas day. That was fun and it brought a spirit I've never felt on Christmas before. This Christmas wasn't about gifts or food or people. It was about Christ and what He's done for me. We had to sacrifice going to President Craig's. He is the best Stake President ever and he got permission to have like 10 missionaries over and he had gifts for all of us and I was so excited! But we blew our miles so we couldn't go because it was 25 miles away. We had a brunch at the Bolos' with a new soldier, Johnny, who is a member.

We went to Adam and Mia's apartment for dinner. Mia's mom was here from Peru and Aaron and Johnny came too. Finally. Skype. I couldn't help but cry. I miss y'all so much and I just wanted to be there with you. I want to be a missionary still but I wanted to be home for Christmas.

                                                                             

Skyping with my family and the giant Unicorn Cory won at his wrestling tournament last week.

Friday:
Aaron was baptized today! Everyone who taught him came! We had the best turn out that I've ever seen! His older brother and sister-in-law came to support him and he was SO happy they did! He had all his friends from church there and the missionaries and it was so good!!! It was very reverent and Sister Oldroyd and I played a duet we wrote together. It was the best baptism ever! He took his earrings out and we didn't even tell him to! Also, he had a half finished tattoo and decided not to finish it. I was shocked! He stood in the font with a smile and with his eyes closed. He was so prepared and so happy! He even jumped up and bore his testimony and he's kind of a shy guy. Happiness doesn't even begin to describe how I felt that day.

                                                                           

Aaron's baptism with many of the sisters that taught him over the past 7 months.

Me and Sister Hargadon with Aaron before his baptism.

Goofing off with Aaron before his baptism.

Aaron with his brother and sister-in-law.

Sister McDonald, me, Sister Oldroyd, Aaron, Sister Hargadon and Sister Frampton.

Taking a group selfie.

A wide angle view of Aaron's baptism.

Aaron all dressed in the nice white shirt and tie a member bought him with us sisters.

That night we had no car and no where to tract except a complex behind the church which is super sketch, especially at night. There was also one complex behind that complex. So, we hopped the fence to the safe complex. And get this... I was in my pencil skirt! Haha! I hopped a fence in a pretty narrow pencil skirt and I didn't rip anything! Y'all should be proud. Oh.. we had to hop it twice. Once there and once on the way back. It was worth it though because we found 2 solid people. We ended the night with a lesson with Wayne. It was a pretty good lesson about how he has to put effort in if he wants an answer. He knew that and was willing to try. Mia drove us home that night.

Saturday:
We did some weekly planning and then went to lunch with Emily at Bojangles. She then took us to the church and Sister Hargadon was so sick. She laid on a pew and I did Facebook. Then Calvin came and we taught him the Law of Chastity with Keith and Aaron. Keith hates that topic and gets so awkward about it haha, but Aaron was able to really testify and then he asked Calvin, "Are you  nervous for your baptism?" Calvin said yes and Aaron said "I was too, but you just have to push through because it's worth it!"

We got our transfer call then and listened to it with our members and investigators. Haha it was fun to do that. Sister Hargadon isn't excited about the transfer... but I’m so excited! I'm just so excited to be companions with Sister West. We then taught Aaron about the Holy Ghost and then went to dinner at the Hoffman’s for one last round of scones before I get transferred. Lastly we taught Stephanie with Annalee and Sinclair about the Book of Mormon. She is pretty excited to start reading it. I'm going to miss her! Then we just went home because Sister Hargadon was feeling so sick.

Sunday:
Aaron was confirmed!!! He was so excited and had all his buddies up there to confirm him. Colten McDonald got the Melchizedek priesthood right before, (he's going on a mission in February) and then he confirmed Aaron. How cool is that?! Aaron hasn't stopped smiling since then. (He just brought us shakes and fries and he was walking up with the biggest smile! He just loves the gospel! He handed us the shakes, shook our hands and then smiled and said "I'll see ya at FHE tonight!" and walked off! haha)

I volunteered to do a musical number at church. I could barely see the music through my tears... I played an arrangement of "God be with you till we meet again/I'll go where You want me to go." Great choice for lots of sobbing. Everyone was crying! And right before that, Sister Frogue had her arm around me and she was bawling.... I was ok until Brother Frogue said to his wife "You need to pull yourself together!" Haha and then I noticed she was crying and I lost it! I cried till the minute we got home after church. I got to bear my testimony and it felt good just to tell everyone that I love them and express what I KNOW to be true. Also, everyone wrote a note in my book. Sinclair isn't able to come tonight and so we said goodbye yesterday and I just cried so much! She is one of my best friends out here. Oh it broke my heart! We stayed in till 8 p.m. that day because Sister Hargadon was dead..... poor girl... I got all packed though! I was able to pack up at a leisurely pace. Now I don't have to stay up late doing that and I don't have to stress about it! I just have to wait to put my few last minute items in.  So that was nice. Then we got to see Jaykob. He just got back from California and came straight to our lesson. We had a great lesson and he is so pumped for his baptism! He went home for Christmas and surprisingly one of his best friends got baptized into the LDS church too! Small world!

I'm not exactly handling leaving Clarksville really well. It's been the absolute best serving here. I've loved serving in Clarksville more than any other area! The people here are pretty priceless to me. I have made so many friendships and I want to keep them for the rest of my life. Clarksville TN is home. It is where my heart is. I have pieces of my heart in Nashville and Illinois and I'm saving a piece for Goodlettsville, but the rest of my heart is in Clarksville. I love this place. No matter how many guns get pulled on me, I LOVE IT! I'm so excited to come back one day. I guess there is a surprise FHE planned for me tonight. I'm nervous what these hooligans have planned! I love this place with all of my heart though! I love the people, the place, the gospel.... I love it all. I have some great memories here and I will NEVER forget them.

Stay tuned until next week when the adventures of Goodlettsville start! That's a mouthful..... Anyways. I love you!

~Sister Rokovitz~


                                                                           

A Minion Christmas!

Sister Frogue sent the following pictures of the "Cereal and Milk" party they had for Amber at her last YSA Family Home Evening tonight. Thank you Clarksville for loving our girl so much!

Amber could eat cereal and milk for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And if you're wondering about the word "Crap" on her shirt, it's a quote from one of her favorite movies, Nacho Libre, that Sister Hargadon gave her for Christmas. It says, "They don't think I know a butt-load of crap about the gospel, but I do." I guess you have to know the movie to laugh at the quote.

Amber with some of her YSA buddies.

Amber with Brother Frogue - her 2nd Dad in the mission field. 

Making sure Amber gets her own personal combine (the hat.) She really wants to drive one of those things.