October 26, 2009 "I...32!

Dear Family,

As we walked into the library, we passed a bunch of senior citizens playing bingo. That's the good life:)
Things as far as the mission are really good. I officially had my very first investigator at church yesterday! How exciting right?! She's amazing by the way. Everyone is amazing. My branch is SO SWEET! Everyone just loves each other so much. The primary program was yesterday. It was the most beautiful primary in the world. Such cute different colored babies:) I loved it. I also was able to go and teach YW's yesterday so you know I loved that! Put me in a room where people have to just listen to me speak? GOLDEN!
I really have no idea what to even write about. It's just that there is so much I really don't even know where to start. I can't believe it's this time of year already! I also can't believe how old I am getting. AHHHHHH the computer is kicking me off brb
Sorry- the computers that we use at the library kick us off after a certain amount of time. Crazy crazy. I actually will have to go in a minute. We are going to go and see these waterfalls with our zone. First of all, we live in the middle of the CITY! So I'm excited to go and see this nature that I keep hearing about. There are so many people here I just can not even believe it sometimes. Also of note- please tell me that you do NOT have any Halloween blow up lawn decorations. When we get out to more of the neighborhoods EVERYONE has them. They are crazy. And tacky. I hope Rachelle gets to read that:) Also- we have seen some really disgusting Halloween decorations. Bleh. Also! You want to know how I know this is my mission? One of our counselors is a retired NFL guy. Bart Oates. Man- this was so meant to be right? :)
As far as being a missionary goes, I just can't even believe it. I love it. It's crazy and I LOVE it. I can't believe that God has literally taken me and helped me to become the missionary that He needs me to be. For instance, I love talking to people. Crazy yes, but I do. I wish I would have been better about sharing the gospel with everyone I know. You can bet I will be a superstar member missionary when I get back. I'm glad I have such amazing examples within my family! You guys ROCK! Bomb.com right mom?:) well I love you. But I should probably head out. Sorry I'm not more interesting. I'm SO excited for Gussy's new area! I hope he loves it. I pray for him so much! And for Rachelley! And all the missionaries. Well I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!! Be good! Do work! :)
Sister Picard
Oh PS!!!! How is this for funny!? Our last family picture with Thomas in it and Daniel's smile when he would try and hide his teeth and it looks like he should be saying "turrrtle turrrrtle" :) AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAA I just found that picture in my scriptures and I LOVE it! I love my family. You are officially the best ever. In the world. Yes.

October 19, 2009 "FAMILLLLLYYYY!"

Family-

Hello my looooooooooooooooooooves! I can't believe how happy being a missionary makes me. It's definitely not an all the time crazy happiness like right now, but it's a general overall happiness that is AMAZING! I would suggest missionary work to anyone:)
I continue to grow to love NJ more and more. It's crazy. You can see the NYC skyline from part of our area. Crazy huh? There are literally people from ALL OVER here. Literally. Everywhere. Just yesterday I taught Jamaicans, Hungarians, Puerto Ricans, and Colombians just to name a few. Crazy huh? I didn't even have to go foreign, the whole stinkin world is right here!
So we live in a driving area and spend a lot of time going from place to place which is annoying. I think I must still have that greenie spirit or something because I pretty much just want to bail out of the car and start talking to everyone I see and knocking on everyone's doors. I still thinking finding is fun. So yes- I must still be a little crazy. Obviously not everyone is super duper excited about listening to us, but it's just fun to talk to people. Yes, you hear me correctly, I just said it was fun to talk to people. WEIRD.
It's such a blessing that the Lord has trusted me with sharing the gospel with the people here in New Jersey! I just love it. Sometimes I think I should be doing so much more so that gets a little frustrating. It's also hard to try and be the "new kid" again. I just want to know everything right now! But! I'm learning. I really do love the branch that I'm in. Everyone loves each other so much and are so supportive of the missionaries. We do a lot of work with less actives because there are 500 members of the branch- so obviously not all of them are attending. It's important to try and help people remember why it is that the gospel is important to them! I think so many times we just assume that the "enduring to the end" part of the gospel is the easy part. FALSE! That's the kicker right there:) So! My message to you is- endure to the end:)
So it's been kinda fun being around Elders again. I just beat up on them all the time. I told them I was a balla. I don't think they believed me till I pasted them all at basketball:) This one nerdy trekky Elder loves my last name. He says that when I get married he hopes that the guy (oh that lucky guy;) AHAHAHAHHA) proposes to me and says "ENGAGE!!!!!" apparently that's a star trek term or something. He seemed to think it was funny....
Welp! Gotta jet! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!! Be good. Be a missionary. Save lives:)

Sister Picard

October 12, 2009 I love my new mission!!!!!!!

Dear Family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok- first on the list is… MY MISSION IS THE SWEETEST MISSION EVER INVENTED IN THE WHOLE WORLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not even joking, Heavenly Father sure did know what He was doing when He sent me here. This place ROCKS! I just love it. I love everything about it. My companion is great. We live with the Spanish sisters who are great. I am in a branch right now. Our area is pretty big. They hadn’t had sisters for awhile so the area just opened back up right before I got here. Sister Child (my companion) just got here like 3 weeks before I did. So, we are still really trying to get everything started here. But it’s AWESOME!!!!!!!!! Being here is like being in another country. There are literally people from all over! Our branch and the two Spanish branches that make up our district (like a stake) had a big activity on Saturday night called International Fest or something like that. There were over 40 countries represented just by the members of those three branches. Definitely Colombia was the best represented. Throughout the night someone would randomly just start yelling “Colombia!!!!!!!!!!!!” then they’d all start cheering and yelling. It was fun. They had food from all over too. Some of the Elders brought pb&j’s from America. NiceJ The work here is sweet. Since we’ve only been here a little while, we’ve been doing a LOT of knocking just trying to find people. It’s actually a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be. I know that God is helping me to like talking to people, because we all know that it is not one of my most favorite things in the world to do. Maybe it is just because I’m talking about something that is so SWEET! We had a really good lesson with this woman named Linda on Saturday. We knocked into her. She let us right in (crazy I knowJ ) and then we just started telling her the first lesson. Let me just tell you I was SO grateful for my experiences in Nauvoo. I have literally spent all summer gaining a testimony of Joseph Smith, and I was able to share that with her. When we said the First Vision she started to cry and say it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever heard. It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! We got out of the door and Sister Child was just like, “Sister, that doesn’t ever happen.” Well! I just love it. I love being on a mission. There is just so much I want to tell you and not even enough time! Well- I guess you’ll just have to write me and maybe I can write a letter back. PS- We only get mail here once a week! Crazy. So sorry if I start becoming a lame writer. Please keep sending me e-mails or whatever though. Yes. Missions are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh ps- so I totally was a big girl all by myself when I was flying out here. And my flight got delayed 3 hours so then I went and found another flight that left earlier. I was the LAST standby they let on. But- I didn’t have a cell phone or anything to call my new Mission President- heck I didn’t even know his name. But I found a number and used an airport employees phone and called and told him I was still planning on getting there by hook or by crook ( I have no idea why that expression just came into my mindJ) and just left a message at his house. Then I got on the plane and hoped that somehow someone would eventually pick me up. Then I got to Newark and no one was there and my luggage didn’t come. AAAHAHAHHAHAA. But they eventually got there and I found them and eventually also retrieved my luggage. And that’s all that isJ I LOVEYOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Be good. Be missionaries. Do work. And oh goodness are you blessed to have the gospel in your lives! Make sure you appreciate it!

Sister Picard

Her new address:
Sister Sara Picard
NJ Morristown Mission
1719 Route 10 Ste 309
Parsippany NJ 07054

October 5, 2009 'welp. life is good in the hood.'

Family-

So we were given permission to write home today. I wish that I would have known so that I could have told you! Alas! Everyone is starting to get way stressed out about packing up and moving out. I would say that I am not stressed at all. I'm just the Thomas O'Malley of the bunch. I walk around singing about abraham delacey gee oh suffa kacey. I'm all packed up. I cleaned the kitchen and made cookies today for everyone. The note on them said, "Live Long and Prosper. (Please eat these cookies. Not as a token of my love, but to be enjoyed, only if you choose to do so.)"
I LOVED General Conference. I was only able to watch the Sunday sessions. I was serving at the 70's Hall all day Saturday. I'm sad that I missed part of Conference, but I know I will just be able to study the Ensign when it comes out next month. Just one more reason why November is the sweetest month ever. Also- it will be my birthday birthday birthday! Dang- I am getting a little bit on the old side though. But I shouldn't worry too much because really that just means that Dad is an old man if I'm getting old :) My favorite Conference address that I saw was Elder Holland's. Every time he gets up to the pulpit I just get so excited! He is my kind of man. Just says it like it is. We were talking afterward how not everyone can speak like he does, but that each apostle has a particular way of speaking so that they are able to affect a variety of people. That is definitely how it is in the Visitor's Center. All of the sisters here are SO different. It's a good thing though because it's almost guranteed that all of the visitor's will click with at least one of the sisters.
So! We leave bright and early on Wednesday morning. Tomorrow we are cleaning our whole entire house. That should be a task. I'm sure it will be really fun actually:) I love you all lots! Be good! I have no idea where I'll be after probably one on Wednesday, nor do I know when my preparation day is. So- you should be hearing from me at some point. I also have no idea what my new mission address is. So...... I'll let you know when I find out. You all can still e-mail though.... if you want to:) LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!


Sister Picard

October 1, 2009 "Lovin the Temple!!!"

FAMILY!

Well- life is good. I honestly can not believe that this time next week I will be in NEW JERSEY!?!?!? Crazy huh?  But! I am so so so so so so so SOOOOO excited! Nauvoo has been just an awesome experience, but I would be lying to you to say that I’m not excited for my next 6 months!
So! For the very first time on my mission I went tracting last night. Sister Goodrich and I went out with the Carthage sisters. It was SWEET!!!! It almost felt surreal. I mean, I have been on a mission going on 7 months now so the whole missionary part wasn’t that different but I have never stood on someone’s porch and talked about the gospel. It was just- wow. Interesting. But SO good! We spoke with one lady whose family had been RLDS and now she’s Methodist. That was interesting to hear about her history. My first door I was able to get a return appointment. A girl answered the door so I was like, “Is your mom or dad home?” and then she went and got her mom and her mom came out wearing an Illinois sweatshirt so I go, “the fighting Illini!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love them!” and she just warmed right up to me. See- sports knowledge comes in handy She told me I’d have to come play basketball with her daughter sometime and show her a thing or two. HA! It was so cool though. It was such a great experience. I was amazed at how easy it was to love people. It could also be really awkward. And people could hate on you. So- win some lose some. Definitely a cat was following us around all over. That was kind of annoying. I almost wanted to drop kick it over a fence, but I thought that wouldn’t be something good for other people to see. Not very Christlike or missionary-ish
I’m trying to think of other exciting things going on. We leave on Wednesday morning to our field assignments. AHHHHH!!!!! Crazy. I honestly thought that this time would never ever come. It just loomed in the future and never felt like it was getting any closer. I just have to tell you that I feel so at peace with where I’m going. Granted, I had never even heard of Morristown, but I know it’s where God wants me to be.
I’m really trying to think of something good or interesting or funny that has happened lately. I got nothing. I made healthy muffins for all the sisters this morning for breakfast since it was my prep day. Sister Alexander called them “nuffins” because they have “nuffin” in them
I only get to watch Sunday Conference and only part of it. I am serving in the 70’s Hall all day Saturday. “Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven………”  But! I figure I’ll just get it in the November Ensign. I’m SOOOOOOOOO excited for conference though. Make sure and watch it. Love it. Live it. I don’t know where I was going with that really. But! Crazy that it’s October huh?! Almost my birthday time…. Not really. Well- I’m just rambling. Best get to gettin. LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep being good! Thanks for all your love and support. That sounds cheesy- but I really mean it. LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!

Sister Picard


PS!!!!! I just remembered something that is REALLY exciting that is happening tonight!!!!! We get to go and help clean the Nauvoo Temple. Half the sisters went last night and we get to go tonight! I'm SOOOOOO thrilled! I'll tell you how that goes next week. From New Jersey. AHHHHHH crazy.