January 10th, 2016

Hello Friends and Family!

To start things off yesterday we got hit so hard with a snow storm that church was canceled! Sister Sheppard and I woke up to the storm and went to bed with the same storm still coming down. We got our call that church was canceled around 8:30 leaving the rest of our studies to call investigators, members, and less-actives telling them the news. After all that was done, we re-planned our day. I never thought I would have to come up with a back up plan for going to church, but, lesson learned. I was kinda thinking that maybe since our meeting was canceled our zone leaders would call and tell us that proselyting needed to be postponed for a couple of hours, but guess what? They didn't. So sister Sheppard and I put on a ridiculous amount of layers and headed out to door-knock and it was Coooollllld. I finally understand the true meaning of "windchill."  Poor sister Sheppard has never seen so much snow. When she came out of our room I couldn't help but laugh at her. She looked like she belonged in the movie "A Christmas Story."  She could hardly move under all her layers.  Unfortunately, when storms hit, people like to stay inside their homes and not open the door to anyone...weird. So it was a long couple of hours of no one answering, and the people that did answer would just tell us how crazy we were to be out in that weather and shut the door. At one point I was freezing my buns off so I made sister Sheppard "sprint proselyte."  Something I made up (but told her it was a real thing), it's when you sprint from house to house to get more doors in :)  Or in other words, so that Sister Viehweg can stay warm, because she doesn't have two snow coats to wear.

Other than yesterday our week went pretty smoothly. I am still trying to get adjusted to Sister Chatman leaving us. It has left room for a lot of growth for the both of us. I very easily get stressed hoping that Sister Sheppard is getting the right impression of what missionary work is supposed to be like.  We had our first Trade Off on Thursday and I feel like that was the ultimate test. We will see if I get a call from president Jacobsen or not. :)  For trade offs I went to Midland with Sister Foster ( the sister who got hit by the car). Midland is always such a culture shock. So much classier than Bay City and tons of Mormons live there because they all work for DOW. DOW hires a lot of BYU graduates. I had fun in Midland, but Trade Offs always make me so grateful for my own area.

Jessica Cantu started tackling her smoking addiction this weekend and is doing awesome. She hasn't had a cig in over 48 hours. The church actually came out with this really awesome program that guarantees anyone can be a non smoker in 7 days. I feel like this is a "make it or break it" situation for Jessica, so keep her in your prayers!

Alajuwan is scheduled to be baptized this Saturday. His mom has kind of been difficult to work with, so again pray that we can get everything figured out so that he can be baptized Saturday and Confirmed Sunday. He is so excited and just the cutest boy in the world. He passed his Baptism interview with flying colors (proud missionary moment).

We picked up the Becceril family this past week as well. Sal, the husband, just got out of prison and is really trying to change his life around. Angela, the wife and the four daughters have previously had contact with sister missionaries, but Angela told us they didn't understand them as well as they understand us. I am really excited to fully begin teaching this family and to see where the gospel takes them.

On Friday Sister Sheppard and I get to go to the Detroit temple with a family that I have been working with ever since I got here. The Campbell's have made so many amazing changes in their lives. Their youngest daughter, Lily, was baptized back in December, and now Ryan and Kristin are headed to the temple. I will follow up more on that next week.

The Church is SO true and I am so grateful each and every day for the opportunities I get to teach people all about it.

Love you all!

Sister Viehweg

Bay City Missionairies

Other things are on my mind!

January 4th, 2016

Hello from Michigan where one day it's 50 degrees and then the next day (today) is 19 degrees.

It is finally winter here and I LOVE IT. Snow is everywhere and loooots of it. Unfortunately, when winter arrived everyone disappeared. No one wants to answer their doors anymore, but things are still on fire here in Bay (Bae) City :)

Monday was crazy. After emailing last week we were walking down the stairs and poor sister Sheppard stepped wrong and fell to the ground. She was like screaming and holding her ankle so we hurried and took her to an urgent care (which isn't so urgent) and 3 hours later they took us back to get some x-rays. Turns out nothing was broken, but from the way she was acting I thought that her entire ankle had snapped in half. She has never sprained or rolled an ankle before, so maybe that's why she was acting the way she was. Sister Chatman and I have both experienced many rolls and sprains, so we were super confused on why she requested a wheelchair and crutches after our doctor visit. I don't ask questions--I just do what I'm told.   You know the saying "happy wife, happy life?"  Well on the mission it's "happy comp, happy mission."  So we got her some crutches and a wheelchair and she babied it allllll week. How do I know?  Because I would catch her walking on her foot when she thought I wasn't looking.. Bless her soul.  I love my baby :)

Tuesday was the most emotional day of my life. We had to drive to East Lansing to drop off Sister Chatman to go home, and I cried like a baby the entire time. I really felt like I was losing my other half!  You go from constantly being with a person 24/7 to completely abandoning them in a heartbeat.  But sister Chatman is home and safe and loving life. And it's been really good for Sister Sheppard and I to grow in our own companionship. Once sister Chatman left, sister Sheppard learned real quickly to find her voice.  It's been a real cool experience training her, I sometimes think that I am learning more that she is.

New Years was pretty exciting. Our assistants called us and said we weren't allowed to be outside past 5, because of all the drunk drivers. So we went to a member's house and played card games till 10. 10 is now really late for me so I was so ready to crash once we got home. Sister Sheppard and I woke up the next morning and celebrated New Years by eating cereal and water because we ran out of milk.. yum!!

Investigators are doing well. Hopefully Alajuwan gets baptized this Sunday, my Recent Convert Paul just decided he wants to go to the temple, and the Campbells, the family we reactivated, are planning on going to the temple on the 15th!! God is Good!

Love you all and have a good week!

Sister Viehweg

Snow Hill

Sister Shepard

After ankle sprain

December 28th, 2015

IT WAS SO GOOD TO SEE ALL OF YOUR FACES THIS WEEK! I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present. You really don't realize the love you have for your family until you spend a Christmas without them. I wish I could have been there to ski and play games and open presents, but I am so grateful to be serving in Bay City right now and wouldn't change it for the world.  Sounds like everyone had a good time and the pictures are just so dang cute!

Christmas in Bay City was crazy. There are two families that go all out here. The Martinez's and the Noyola's. Both families throw huge Mexican Christmas parties on Christmas Eve and of course the missionaries have to make an appearance at both. We decided to hit up the Martinez family first.  After we arrived we sang songs, saw what seemed like every person of Bay City in their house, ate SO MUCH FOOD, and then said our goodbyes and headed to the Noyola's. The Noyola house was just as crazy. So many people were packed into such a tiny house. I guess that's how they do things in Bay City.  It's all or nothing, standing room only. At the Noyola's we ate even more Mexican food, played some games and then headed home. 

Since the floor was getting ridiculously uncomfortable we decided to move our mattresses to our living room where the couch was so that one of us could sleep on the couch while the other two sleep on the mattresses. Best decision we have made since the baby (greenie sister missionary) came to live with us.

Christmas Day we woke up, opened presents (everything fits great, thank you!!!) and headed over to Bishop Peless's house for Skyping. Still can't believe that happened on Friday, seems like an eternity ago. After Skyping we went over to another member's home where we played games and ate more food and just kinda relaxed. It felt weird sitting on a couch not doing anything. I felt so unproductive.

Post Christmas was hard. I swear a holiday hangover is a real thing. Saturday was  super rough and we were all exhausted. Sunday we had most of our investigators come to church which was a total win!  Our Assistants called us Sunday night telling us we had the most investigators come to church out of the entire mission. I feel so blessed to be teaching such great people.

Good news about Alajuwan.  His mom is getting released from jail early so Alajuwan can officially be baptized on January 10th! I have so much love for this little boy and we are really looking forward to that!

We are driving sister Chatman down to Lansing tomorrow so she can get on her plane Wednesday morning. To be honest I will probably bawl my eyes out when I have to say goodbye. Its weird having both of my previous companions gone, but I am looking forward to having all my attention focused on Sister Sheppard now. She is still getting used to the missionary schedule and keeps asking me if she is always going to be this tired.  All I can say is "welcome to your mission, sister."

Holy Cow it's almost 2016, where did this year go??? I love this church I love this gospel, I love what I am doing right now and I love you all. Have a Happy, SAFE New Year!

Sister Viehweg

December 20th, 2015

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Is Christmas seriously happening on Friday??? I just got here! I am loving this Christmas season, but at the same time it doesn't quite feel like Christmas around here. Maybe within the next couple of days it will hit me. Someone in church yesterday told me that you really can't appreciated the true meaning of Christmas until you spend your first Christmas away from home...  I'm not sure if he was trying to make me feel good or what, but hey I'm happy and excited.

So Monday sister Chatman and I received an emergency call from our Assistants that we were needed in East Lansing the very next morning. WHAT?  Okay, so we had to cancel a whole bunch of appointments and head to Lansing the very next morning because We were going to be there until Thursday night!  We arrived in Lansing and Sister Chatman went off to do her business with all the other missionaries going home this transfer while I got put in a different companionship and PCed (personal contacted) students on the Michigan State U Campus.  Oh. My. Gosh. It was rough!  First off, MSU is HUGE.  Literally the entire campus is the size of Provo. It took us an hour and a half to walk from one side of the campus to the other. Second, it was so scary stopping students on campus.  I am not used to talking to people my own age.  It hurts your pride a little bit more to be rejected by a 22 year old college football star than a 40 year old mom.... I wonder why...  I learned a lot.  Thirdly, it was finals week so the whole campus hated you and just gave you the look of "WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO ME--I HAVE TO GO TAKE A FINAL?"  Needless to say I built a lot of character those three days.

Thursday afternoon I went and picked up my baby!  During our Trainer's training President Jacobsen came in and said "For some reason there are a lot of rumors of areas in our mission known as outer darkness.  This is not true.  However, you screw up, and I will find an Outer Darkness type place to put you."  No pressure right??  Ha!  It's pretty funny how they do the whole ceremony of finding out who your kid is and vice versa. They take us into the stake center gym and line all the greenies up on one line and all the trainers on the other side and make us stare at each other for what seems like an an ETERNITY.  Finally, they let you open your packet and you read their name and you run over to them and make them feel super special.  My child's name is Sister Sheppard from Sacramento, California and she is great!  She's the typical California girl and it's hilarious.  She is in for a rude awakening with some cold weather.  It was 40 degrees in Bay City and she said to me, "it doesn't get that much colder here does it?"  Hahahah--ohhhh boy!  I quickly started making her a list of warm weather clothes she needs to have her mom send her.  Other than that she is a bit shy, but willing to work. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I have had a whole lot more energy ever since she came so I know God is giving me a bit of extra strength!  Quick funny story, in her first lesson Thursday night we taught our family Jessica and Mike. After the lesson we got into the car and sister Sheppard turned to me and said, "How do I talk?"  Bless her heart and pray for her and me!  Haha  Wow this is long, I will wrap things up!

Alajuwan is doing okay, we went over and taught him a lesson. He is practically alone all day every day. His half sister is somewhat taking care of him, but we are doing our best to help out. After our lesson we picked out his Sunday Clothes for him. Sunday morning his Sunday school teacher picked him up and the first thing he said was, "I want to say the opening prayer in Primary!"  My heart just aches for this 8 year old.  It's his birthday on Christmas Eve so we are going to bake him a cake because I don't think anyone is planning on doing anything for him.

Last night we went Caroling with some investigators and members and we were LITERALLY GETTING PAID!  People were handing us dollar bills yall!!!  It was so fun!  Maybe I will pick up caroling as a side job this week--jokes.  I would never do that, but I also have never had anyone pay us money for caroling, welcome to ghetto town of Bay City, Michigan. :)

I love you all and I can't wait to skype on Christmas! Don't make fun of me if I'm awkward.  Merry Christmas again!

Sister Viehweg

Libby Campbell Baptism

Funny Sign

Playing accordion 

December 13th, 2015

Hey hey heyyyyyy!!!! It has been such a crazy week and so many awesome things happened! Hopefully I can remember them all!

First things first, I am having a BABYYY!!!!!!! In missionary lingo that means that I will be training a new missionary!! I will be picking her up on Thursday, but I am a little nervous because since Sister Chatman is going home in the middle of a transfer we will be put in a trio, in Bay City still. So one of my companions is going to be extremely emotional because she doesn't want to go home and my other companion is going to be extremely emotional because she will be wanting to go home..  I'll be stuck in the middle just happy to be here, so pray for me--It's going to be an interesting 2 weeks!

Monday we went to Frankenmuth again, and it was super fun! I even remembered to take pictures outside the car this time :) Of course we had to go to Bronners, the biggest Christmas store in the world, and of course I had to buy an ornament. I'm debating whether or not I want to risk sending it home or not...  Dad you work at UPS do you think it will break??  It's really FINE glass.

All week we had tons and tons of lessons! The two families we are teaching right now are keeping us really busy and I love it. I'm sooooo Happy that I will be staying in Bay City for another 2 transfers so that I can really help them start to progress and HOPEFULLY be baptized!  Pita and Donny Cruz ( family #1) requested our help to paint their kitchen. We have spent a couple of hours there throughout the week having really good gospel talks with them. Pita has a hard time understanding deep doctrine (to her, everything religious is deep doctrine) so we had to break it down to her level.  Amazingly enough, the Twilight book series came in clutch this week. We related the Nephites and the Lamanites to the wolves and the vampires and she got it instantly.  Thank you Stephanie Meyer, pretty sure she is Mormon too...so maybe she got her story from the book of Mormon??

(Stretch....)  Jessica and Mike (family #2) are really progressing as well. They have come to church as a family 3 weeks in a row now!  Yesterday she did not want to come, but I guilt tripped her into it because she had to hear me give my talk! <---- I will talk about that later.  All was going well until their baby boy Isaak had to go to nursery.  Now this is a big baby. He is 18 months and weighs 45 lbs! To put it into perspective, his 8 year old brother weighs 48 lbs! Sister Chatman and I really wanted Jessica and Mike to attend Gospel principles class so we offered to watch Isaak in nursery so that he had a familiar face with him. Holy cow, he cried and cried and CRIEDDDD!!! I kept having to pick him up and now my arms are SO SORE!  It's so embarrassing, but it was basically like picking up a 45 lb weight plate over and over again. The things we do for investigators...

On Friday we had our ward Christmas party which was a total hit. So many less actives come out of hiding for ward functions. You would think we would have something every week they could attend... on Sunday...I don't get it. But I love them. The primary chorister (sister Klopf) had a baby on Thursday, so Friday morning she called sister Chatman and I and told us we were in charge of putting on the primary Christmas program. Of course we agreed because no matter what missionaries MUST agree to all things. Sister Klopf walked us through the program over the phone and that was that. When it came time to put on the program we called all the primary kids into the relief society room to get them dressed in nativity costumes. This is what was SUPPOSED to happen:

There were certain older primary kids previously selected to play the small parts in the nativity, I think there were like 10 kids total and they knew who they were. While singing the nativity song they were supposed to walk up to this tiny handmade stage while the rest of the kids kept singing. It was going to be great. 

This is what REALLY happened:

We dressed all the kids up and costumes were scarce so we just started making all the kids shepherds because shepherd outfits are pretty simple to make up on the spot. While we were in the middle of the nativity song the older kids were doing their job and going up on stage.  Then the verse came about the shepherds, and while leading the music I said, "Okay shepherds, your turn." only talking to the selected older kids.  But when the rest of the little kids heard me say that, literally the entire primary started storming the small handmade stage! I didn't know what to do so of course I started laughing because it looked so hilarious! All these tiny kids pushing and shoving to find space of the stage. No one was singing anymore and all the parents were just dying, "What kind of nativity is this?" "Who invited all the shepherds?"  It was getting pretty, ugly so the bishop decided to bring Santa in at that time to get all the kids attention on something else. Hahaha!  Good memory though.

This is really long... Sorry, hopefully not too boring! Enjoy your week! You are never going to believe this, but I woke up this morning to 60 degree weather! I went running in shorts and a short sleeve shirt. WHERE IS WINTER!?!??!

Love you all!!

Sister Viehweg

With Sister Chapman

Sister Package

Baby Isack

Kathy

Frankenmuth

December 6th, 2015

This week was definitely started off right with the Christmas devotional yesterday. In Midland ( a city 25 min away) they put on this huge production called The Nativity. Every year the church building receives over 700 nativity sets to set up all around the Midland church, all open for display to the public. The display goes Friday - Sunday Evening and ends with the Christmas devotional. Our zone leaders said we were allowed to go if we had an investigator, so sister Chatman and I asked one of our favorites, Jessica Cantu, to go with us. The night was really special and Jessica Loved the messages from our leaders. Also soooo many nativity sets I couldn't take it all in! 

As usual, I can hardly remember what I did this week. Every day seems like a blur, but I have a neat experience I can share.

Tuesday, we received a referral from our recent convert, Paul, to go visit one of his ex-girlfriends. Easy peasy right? Wrong, the catch was that she was deaf. I don't even remember telling Paul that I took sign language in high school, but he remembered and told us to go visit. I felt really nervous about going and talking to her, but sister Chatman really wanted to go so we headed out to her house. Before we got out of our car we said a quick prayer and sister Chatman prayed that I would be able to remember everything that I had learned from my high school classes, and be able to use the gift of "tongues" "hands" for the hour. I was shaking so badly as we knocked on her door, kind of hoping she wouldn't answer. We usually knock twice, once for their salvation once for our own. After knocking twice with no answer I turned to leave, but sister Chatman opened the screen door a third time and pounded on the door like we were the police. A couple seconds later a sweet lady answered the door and sister Chatman tried to talk to her, I recognized instantly what she said to her with her hands, "Sorry I am hard of hearing." At that point I stepped up to the door and started communicating back and forth with her through sign language. In school we don't learn the religious signs, but at that moment I could remember and properly use all the signs I needed to talk with Jodee for about 20 minutes. I am so grateful I had the privilege of being in the same ward as the Walkers growing up, because I definitely think watching Carolee sign to Devin all those years helped me be able to use the signs needed to help Jodee understand our purpose as missionaries. Although, Jodee wasn't interested in having us come back, I could see the spirit touch her as I communicated with her about Christ and the upcoming Christmas season. I invited her to watch the new Christmas message that came out and we were off. It is moments like this that make me soooo incredibly grateful for the calling that I have right now.

What the heck my computer time is up!?!? Hahaha, sorry this letter is shorter, more will come next week! 

Michigan is having the warmest winter they have had in a long time. Still no snow and still nothing below 35 during the day, Im starting to think that the people of Michigan are all a bunch of babies when it comes to the cold!

Deb, im glad you are healthy again, stay away from the bugs!!

Dad, I am headed to Frankenmuth Today and will be sure to take pictures OUT of the car this time!

Family, friends I LOVE YOU ALL and want you all to know that I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I love this Gospel, I love this season, and I love the Savior!

Sister Viehweg