Hello from Newport News!

Last pic with Franklin district

Hello from Newport News!

Lots of stuff happened this week, I'll start with me saying goodbye to Franklin... Sad day! But it's one of my favorite things to meet other latter-day saints here in VA so it's a bitter sweet thing :) The last thing we did there was help downtown to fill Easter eggs for the big hunt they are going to have, I totes forgot to get a pic of the HUGE mess we made but just picture candy eggs and wrappers everywhere... SO MANY EGGS. And so much candy... I'd be lying if I said I didn't eat any... :) The C family brought pie to bible study class to send Elder Gibbons and I off, it was sooo sweet! Pics to come!

New Apartment

Then I was off to Portsmouth to be with Sister Everett in Newport News!!! WOW this is probably my last area y'all by the way... crazy. We sure were busy! We had back to back appointments and didn't eat lunch till like 4 so... yeah that's our lives right now! But it's cool! We drove over a HUGE bridge [see more about the Bridges here]  to get there, it's such a cool city! There is a HUGE gorgeous university here to it's a busy college town, reminds me of Logan a bit... but lots more cars :) It's been pretty cool! I have not taken too many pics sorry but I will this week... well actually this week is also insane busy so I can't promise that... we have a lot of leadership stuff we gotta do. Meetings and such. But that's okay, I forgot how much I like being a leader and helping my fellow missionaries! It's reminding me of being drum major... good times!

My first night we totally set a baptismal date with someone though! The work here is totally cooking! Lots of people on date (one in 2 weeks) and they are solid! WE have lots of recent converts too, and both of them are the ones we have their friends and sister on baptismal date, wow working with members is totally the best!! Super good work here, lots of potential, it's pretty different from Franklin! But both areas were still amazing, just in their own ways :) Sister Everett is boss at teaching and talking to everyone too so that's really getting the missionary spirit pumped in me! She is stellar, we are gonna have a blast! Pics to come for sure :)

Sister P's new ward meetinghouse

I have been dropped right into chaos though... our ward boundaries are being changed right now. The whole stake is being switched up. So everyone has been released form their callings and we have been trying to figure out what parts we are in now... it's been crazy! There used to be 2 NN (Newport nNws) wards and 1 branch. But it has turned back into 1 ward, and half went to the Hampton Ward and half to Yorktown... it's been stressful trying to hand our investigators and such over to the elders but it has worked out! They lots a lot of people they were working with so it's sad for them :( But the missionaries will still be teaching them to that's good! So for the next few weeks while people are being re-called to the bishopric we are only having 2 hours of church. It's gonna be interesting, but kind of a fresh start too! New Beginnings!

The across the street neighbors

There was also (don't freak out mom) a tornado watch/warning in our area... the clouds got super green and the rain was heavy... but the tornado actually ended up touching down in Virginia beach, in Kempsville! So we were in the clear, and nothing was really damaged any way to all was well. IT was intense for a minute though and we had to go home and hunker down just in case. It was a blessing we were with a member that got the notification because I phone didn't get it. God is good :)

Wasn't General Conference SOOO good!?! I always say that but I was paying special attention because it's my last one on the mission! SO many of the talks totally hit home for me and answered my questions! I noticed they talked about the Living Christ a few times, I'm totally gonna study that!

[Here is the link to this beautifully written testimony:  The Living Christ]

 Also about it talked a lot about strengthening families for eternal life. SO good! Which goes perfectly into my thought for the week:
On this day, March 3, Elijah the prophet appeared to Joseph Smith in the temple and gave him the power to bind families together forever. He gave him probably the greatest gift God has ever given (besides the Holy Ghost and Jesus Christ as our Mediator). I feel to blessed and humbled this day. Because of that, I KNOW without a doubt that I will be with my family together forever, that is my greatest joy in life. It is what keeps me going every day. Sorry fam, you're stuck with me! But let's all say a quick thank you prayer to our all loving Father in Heaven for this gift today, and always.

Phew this next week is going to be CRAZY I'm telling  ya! Deep clean our apartment tomorrow... a big 6 hour meeting for us leaders on Wednesday... weekly planning and preparing for zone conference (not excited to stand up and talk in front of people)... then Friday is zone conference and our investigator is getting his baptismal interview... WOW. But The Lord has been helping us find people to teach and it has been so wonderful. I love this area for that because it has been a while! He is so good and so mindful of us.

LOVE Y'ALL! Be blessed, and catch ya next week!
Sista Poulsen

p.s.  ALSO SAW SISTER SMITH AND SISTER MERRILL IN PORTSMOUTH!!!  She is training so its her baby, she's the mom and i'm the grandma... 3 generations baby! Now her greenie just needs to train in 2 transfers so I can have a great grandchild! HAHAH

Bonus from Question Email:

Q: Can you tell us a little about being a Sister Training Leader?
A: Sister Everette and I are over 3 sets of sisters, one being Spanish speaking. I love them already!! We are over 2 zones... We work in Newport News, but could travel up to Jamestown to be with the other zone. I will be in different areas at 3 times though to help with the other sisters in their training and work and stuff.

Q: Will you still be finding and teaching your own investigators?
A: We still will do TONS of finding! We are talking to, like, everyone we see on the street. We are busy with meetings and such so we try to cram as much proselyting in as possible. ITS CRAZY BUSY AHHH but it's cool :)

Q: so you finally went over the bridge that you were worried about - the one with the tunnel, right?.  How was it?
A: It did have a tunnel! 2nd underwater tunnel I've been through, super cool! It was kinda scary but I tried to occupy myself with the cool ship yards and huge boats :) It was chill.

Q: Will you be able to see some neat tourist-y spots on P-day?
A: We went to this cute christian store this morning, it was basically Deseret book it was awesome! WE are going to the beach too some time so that will be fun!

Running into Sister Smith and her greenie!

About Local Bridges

James River Bridge

The northernmost main bridge is called the James River Bridge.  When completed in 1928, the 4.5-mile bridge was the longest bridge in the world over water. The original two-lane bridge was replaced from 1975 to 1982 with a wider four-lane bridge that could handle increased traffic volumes.
When the northbound lanes of the new bridge opened the old bridge was demolished, but a 0.75-mile section on the Newport News side was retained for use as a fishing pier. Now known as the James River Pier, it is the longest fishing pier on the East Coast.
In 2005, the bridge carried an annual average daily traffic of about 30,000 vehicles per day.

Here is a video from a ship passing under the lift gate in the middle of the James River Bridge.

James River Pier

Monitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel

The MMMBT is named for the two ironclad warships which engaged in the famous Battle of Hampton Roads on March 8–9, 1862, during the US Civil War. The battle took place between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia. The latter ship had been rebuilt from the wreck of the USS Merrimack. The site of the battle was within 1 mile of the bridge–tunnel structure named by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a memorial.The MMMBT, completed in 1992 provided a third major vehicle crossing of the Hampton Roads harbor area.  It cost $400 million to build, and it includes a four-lane tunnel that is 4,800 feet long, two man-made portal islands, and 3.2 miles of twin trestle

It is a four-lane bridge–tunnel composed of bridges, trestles, man-made islands, and tunnels under a portion of the Hampton Roads harbor where the James, Nansemond, and Elizabeth Rivers come together. It connects the independent cities of Newport News on the Virginia Peninsula and Suffolk in South Hampton Roads.

The MMMBT, completed in 1992 provided a third major vehicle crossing of the Hampton Roads harbor area.  It cost $400 million to build, and it includes a four-lane tunnel that is 4,800 feet long, two man-made portal islands, and 3.2 miles of twin trestle

Hampton Roads Tunnel Bridge

The easternmost of the 3 main bridges is called the Hampton Roads Tunnel Bridge. Prior to 1957, folks would ferry across the mouth of the James River to get to the Virginia peninsula.  The bridge is a 3.5-mile long four-lane facility comprising bridges, trestles, man-made islands, and tunnels under the main shipping channels for Hampton Roads harbor. The tunnel in the center section to allow for ships to pass over the road without interrupting traffic,

An average of 88,000 vehicles a day were using the crossing in 2008, with volumes exceeding 100,000 during the tourist season, well exceeding the original design capacity of 77,000 vehicles per day.  Currently the city is looking at the best way to expand this 4 lane bridge into a 6 lane bridge to help meet this demand. 

About Newport News

Newport News is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 2015, the population was estimated to be 182,385 making it the fifth-most populous city in Virginia.

With many residents employed at the expansive Newport News Shipbuilding, the joint U.S. Air Force-U.S. Army installation at Joint Base Langley–Eustis, and other military bases and suppliers, the city's economy is very connected to the military. The location on the harbor and along the James River facilitates a large boating industry which can take advantage of its many miles of waterfront. Newport News also serves as a junction between the rails and the sea with the Newport News Marine Terminals located at the East End of the city. Served by major east-west Interstate Highway 64, it is linked to others of the cities of Hampton Roads by the circumferential Hampton Roads Beltway, which crosses the harbor on two bridge-tunnels.

The city has a rich historic presence with ties to historic C&O railroad stations, American Civil War battle sites, and several 19th century plantations. The first modern duel of ironclad warships, the Battle of Hampton Roads, took place not far off Newport News Point in 1862. Recovered artifacts from the USS Monitor are displayed at the Mariners' Museum, one of the more notable museums of its type in the world.  The Virginia War Museum covers American military history.  The U.S. Army Transportation Museum is a United States Army museum of vehicles and other U. S. Army transportation-related equipment and memorabilia.

Christopher Newport University

Newport News Deer Park

James River Bridge on demand lift gate

Newport Middle Ground Light

US aircraft carrier being built

Newport News Victory Arch

Saying Goodbye to Franklin

Hey there folks!

Well let's start with the best, (10 yr-old) R's baptism! It was a huge success! Phew so glad too! Lots of things were standing in the way of it being able to work out, but with prayer and help, it happened! He was so happy! We had it right after church so lots of people stayed and supported him! He was both baptized and confirmed so that was also super special! I was sooo stressed during sacrament meeting because we had to do lots of stuff just before the baptism to make sure things ran smoothly. We had to get the TV going, set up the refreshment table, lay out the cookies, make sure the font was working, and praying that the white pants would fit him.... all worked out! I was praying hard that it would, and God sure does answer prayers! What a super special day, pictures to come!

Some sad news, one of our families in the ward is moving out :( But they are moving to Utah so I will hopefully see them when I get back! We helped them get all set up for their yard sale Saturday, which was a big hit! Good thing too because they wanted EVERYTHING to go. Blessings abound.

We helped someone with their yard this week too. The sweet lady who works downtown needed help with pine cone/ tree limb pick up. Let's just say I am NEVER owning a pine tree... ever! So messy. But we were glad to pick up the hundreds of pine cones and relieve that burden from her :)

Found a few new people to teach as well! We have been tracting this nice trailer park for a week or so now. Not a lot of success. The other day we went to one of the last streets, with 6 houses. We found 3 people, taught them, and are bringing them a Book of Mormon soon! WOW forth floor last door... it's real :)

[Here is the link to President Uchtdorf's talk she is quoting here: ]

We reunited some old friends this week! We visited a less active family and brought a member with us. Turns out they totally knew each other from years back! So we had a great talk/discussion with them about general conference and coming to church! Hopefully with this new found friend they will be more inclined to come!

Speaking of conference, that is coming up THIS WEEK! Conference to missionaries is like the super bowl to football fans. So sad that it's my last one as a missionary :( But the women's conference was just wonderful! Lots of good talks, and many of my questions have already been answered! If you have not thought of questions, do it! It will make your experience watching it more meaningful :)

Hmmm am I forgetting something... oh yeah, TRANSFERS! *drum roll* Sister Poulsen is being transferred to.... Newport News! But not just that, I have also been called to be a sister training leader?!?! WHAT. No way. Only the really good sisters get to do that... what is The Lord thinking?? I don't know. For those of you who don't know what this calling is, it just means me and another sister (sister Everette by the way) will be leaders in our zone. We will go on frequent exchanges with all the sisters in our zone, we will be in charge of presenting new information to missionaries, and will be counselled on how to help lift and press forward in the work of the mission. Yah. Basically it has responsibility and leadership written all over it. I feel 0% qualified right now. But that is where my thought for the week comes in:

"God does not call the qualified. 

He qualifies those He calls." 

[This thought comes from a 1996 priesthood session talk given by President Monson. You can read it here:  "Duty Calls" ]

I have been doing lots of thinking about my new call to be a leader in the mission. Sometimes when people come into a leadership position, they feel they need to change who they are. And they become a "robotic missionary" I am determined to not do that. We have all been given talents and abilities to serve those around us. If we hide those under falseness, then we are NOT fulfilling our calling as the Lord would want us to. We are doing it how we want to do it. I know as I put my complete trust in God at this time, he will take my talents and abilities, and magnify them to hopefully be able to fill this big shoes I am stepping into. And do it with my spunky, crazy, weird personality that I love :)

Wish me luck on this new adventure! I am sure I will have much to share next week! I will charge my camera for all the neat new sights I will see! I am sad to move out of the lovely little town of Franklin, but I am excited for all the adventures that await!

Oh and we heard some good news... Elder Cook will be coming back to our mission April 15th!!!! Stay tuned for that AMAZING visit! WAHOOO

LOVE YOU ALL!!!
Be blessed
Sista Poulsen

Bonus Content from the questions email:
And the transfer results are.... I'M GOING TO NEW PORT NEWS TO BE A SISTER TRAINING LEADER WITH SISTER EVERETTE! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

IDK if you know what a sister training leader is, but we have to go on exchanges with all the sisters in our zone, give like a million trainings in front of a bunch of people a transfer, and be like a leader and stuff so we are gonne be super busy... I am PUMPED though! I am praying hard for help and I feel SUPER un qualified but "God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called." Can't wait! Newport news seems like a busy place, haha blessed! That's all I know. Sister Everette was also trained by Sister Brakey and trained Sister Merrill here in Franklin so we are gonna have a blast!

So many emotions though! I can feel the weight of the responsibility on my shoulders already, but I am excited for the challenge too! Sister Everette is leaving this transfer so I have to take over in 6 weeks *bites nails* Lots of praying to be done!

Cereal doughnut at district meeting.  Guess which one I had?

There is always a new saying here every week.  I'm going to miss this. 

For the Love of Peanuts

 Hello friends and familia!!

Did you know, March is National Peanut Month? YUP. So it's a big deal here in the town of Franklin because we are known for our Hampton Peanuts! We went to this store that is all about peanuts and they had this big table filled with a bunch of free stuff all to do with information about peanuts, recipes, and more! We took everything we could that was free... we looked like homeless people... it was great :) I LOVE PEANUTS!

Hampton Farms: Home of Extra Large Virginia Peanuts

We did some more service downtown and decorated all nice for St. Patrick's day! We cut out some clovers and made it all green! Then we counted Easter eggs for the upcoming Easter activity... take a guess about how many eggs... higher... higher... higher... no Justin there was not quite a million... 1,164 eggs. PHEW! It's gonna be fun filling all those up with candy!

Then we had interviews with our mission president and his wife! They are a treat to be around :) They are super stressed and busy though... they have soooo much to do! I pray for them lots :)

We did have a hard day though. Lots of empty doors and not so nice people. But you have to have those days to truly appreciate the good days. "Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy."

R (10 year old) had his baptismal interview on Saturday, and is looking to be baptized on Sunday the 26th! WAHOO he is sooo cute and excited! It's going to be great, look for pics of that next week!

I was also admiring the beauty of the earth this week. We were driving to this town called Zuni, and the beautiful back roads, trees, fields, and houses just amazed me. The sun was setting so it was a beautiful end to a wonderful day :)

[Lisa's Note: you can drive from Franklin to Zuni, Virginia, too. Just drag the little yellow man to the route for a street view and click along the road to see share that stretch of road with our favorite missionary:]

 Franklin to Zuni on Google Maps

Sunday was great! I just felt such great love. A lot of our members are struggling financially, emotionally, or physically. But each of them came in with a smile on their face. The talks were all about how God is really there for each of us and as we turn to him, we can receive help. So I am sure it was a great boost for all!

Thought for the week: In our district meeting we talked about prayer - how when we say our prayers we are LITERALLY talking to God. But he's not just God, He is our Father. He wants to hear us. So I have been working on really being sincere and thinking about how I am talking to a real person when I pray. It has really changed my perspective, and I can feel the spirit more fully. One question comes to mind "Do you enjoy praying?" Think about that this week. Do you get excited to pray? You should! It's a conversion with our Heavenly Father, we should be excited to talk to and hear from him!

What is Prayer?

This week is transfer calls... let's see where The Lord would have me go next!

Love you all to pieces, and I sure hope you have a super blessed week!
Sista Poulsen

Sister Olsen's Halfway Mark!

Teach Some, Contact Many

Well hey there y'all...

This week we taught some... but contacted many, so it was a success!!

Monday, we hung out with L (fav member) and watched some church movies with her. She said "Wow, those are really inspiring!" HAHA They sure are! We also washed our car for zone conference... more on that soon!

[Not sure what movies the girls watched but here is a great link to some fav films online and a new Mormon Messages Youtube videos made from one of Elder Holland's talks that is just incredible!]

We helped pick up surveys around downtown... we had a lot of success handing them out to all 80 shops... but only got about 7 surveys back... phew. Lots of people just forgot, or straight up said "we really don't want to do it." Oh well. D&S (downtown org friends) were not surprised, it was more than the 4 they got back last year! We had a few chances to hand out some cards though, so it was a success!

We had a neat teaching experience. There is a man we are teaching who is in a wheel chair, he has no legs. It was recent too that he had them amputated. We taught him about the plan of salvation and about the atonement of Jesus Christ. It was neat to share this with him, and promise him that when his body is resurrected that he will be whole again. The spirit was surely there, it was great!

We had some success visiting a few people with the bishopric on Wednesday! We met a few people we had never met before. Some wanted nothing to do with the church, but were still kind thank goodness. Some were welcoming, and enjoyed our visit, SUCCESS!

We finally got to painting this brick wall for Sister B! She has been wanting to get it done for a LONG time, wahoo! We are painting it to look like brick, painting the mortar will take time. Hopefully  I will be here to see the finished product!

We taught R (10 year old) about tithing and he was so cute about it! We gave him 10 chocolate coins, told him that 1/10 go to church, and then we asked him to "pay his tithing" with the chocolate money. He looked at it for a minute, and pushed it all to us, saying "here is my tithing." The spirit told me to correct him, but also tell him the blessings of giving EVERYTHING to God. It was a neat teaching time to testify that God blessed us when we give him both 1/10, as well as all of it. I love when the spirit teaches!

We also had our zone conference Friday! Lots of good stuff! They had some "old missionaries" Go up, and we were able to ask them some questions about their mission, to help the "younger" missionaries. Some people I came out with were called up there, WOAH! I didn't really think we were considered old but I guess a year makes you one of the old ones... it was just funny :)

Then President Sloat, our stake president, spoke. He is a great speaker, and talked about how when we enter a home, we are observing. But we also should not judge. Because no one has fallen below the divine love of the Savior, and everyone deserves a chance. So inspirational :) EVERYONE is a child of God.

Elder Slusser (our vehicle coordinator) also said something amazing. It as something like this. "You know you have had a successful day when you have felt the spirit. When you feel the spirit, that means he deems you worthy and deserving of his presence and wisdom." Then, after pondering for a minute, the spirit gave me this revelation. "And if the spirit deems you worthy, then so does Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. Because those 3 are of one purpose." WOW so good.

Speaking of vehicles, after we get our cars inspected, someone is awarded 3, 2,  and 1 place... WE GOT 2nd PLACE! wow! It was a surprise, because we woke up to our car being covered in pollen and dirty from some rain. We quick washed our windows before heading to the meeting... it payed off!

We also talked about nutrition, and how we need to be balanced in spirit and body. It was great, because I have been trying to eat real good so I got a few more ideas on what to eat! YEAH!

Thought for the week: "Are you willing to engage in the wrestle for the answers you seek?" -Elaine S. Dalton. In sacrament meeting, the speakers talked about personal revelation. This quote was brought up. It is NOT easy to receive personal revelation if we are not willing to work for it. We have to pray, fast, and ACT. God does expect us to put forth a little bit of effort. He promises us that as we do, he will answer is. He is always speaking to us, but are we always listening? Just a bit of food for thought :)

This week is looking good, because I have faith that it will be good! God is good y'all :)
LOVE YOU TO PIECES!
Be blessed
Sista Poulsen

Aloha

Aloha!

Lots of service lined up this week! We cut down a little tree for L (fav member) and painted some more of her house. There was this super ugly green corner that we finally finished for her, it was good stuff! We also helped Sister B some more with her house, we are fixing up this old brick to get ready to pain and make look super nice in her kitchen! It is almost done she is so excited! We also went and cleaned a bit at V's, and then made waffles! She is blind so she is unable to, so we stepped in and made them for her! It was super fun :)

We tracted into this super funny woman who said the greatest thing... we introduced our selves, Sisters Olsen and Poulsen... and like everyone they pause and laugh at our names. But she looked at us and said "Well hallelujah!" HAHA I love the South!!

[Lisa's note:  "Tracting" is what missionaries call knocking door to door to find people that might want to hear a message about the Savior or to be taught a gospel lesson about families being forever, why we are here on this Earth, the restoration of the Lord's gospel on the Earth, or about the Book of Mormon being another scriptural witness of Jesus Christ.  It is called "Tracting" because religious pamplets about these topics that are left with interested folks are called missionary tracts. Here is a favorite: Plan of Salvation]

As a mission, we have been making a good effort to make meals with members more purpose driven. So we are trying to get rid of people just dropping off food and having  investigators and others in members homes. This is a great focus! It is not the members job to feed the missionaries, it is there job to help us find people to teach, and to teach with us! We are hoping this new focus can help us find new people to teach!

We ate at L's (fav member) too, and introduced Sister Olsen to spam.... haha her face :) I sure have missed some good old spam! Other crazy meals, mac and cheese crust pizza... yup... Justin stop drooling. It was just mac and cheese on the bottom as the crust and pizza stuff on top. WOW. Then we also had Mexican haystacks... fritos on bottom with chilli and whatever else on top... super good! With that we had Mexican Cocktail too... look it up, super good! So we had quite the food adventures this week :)

[Lisa says:  don't judge the sheltered Mormon girl from Utah that doesn't know that a "cocktail" is a general term for a typically alcoholic drink mixed with fruit juice or cream.  I'm sure that they were having a non-alcoholic version of one of these Mexican cocktails. If Tara liked it, then my money is on the Horchata. They are deliciously creamy with cinnamon.  Try one of these for yourselves!]

10 Non-alcoholic Mexican Drink Recipes

Other then that, it's been a pretty slow week. BUT that isn't stopping us :)

Thought for the week: I read a talk about how missionaries can gain greater faith. One of the 3 tips the guys gave was to be grateful. Sister Olsen and I have made a great effort to before we come in for the night, to say a gratitude prayer. It has really been a good focus. And my mom sent me a letter today all about it, so I think we are all agreed that gratitude it a great thing! I have truly felt it lift the work, and help us out! So add a little more gratitude into your life, and see the miracles flow.

LOVE Y'ALL!!! Be blessed :)
Sista Poulsen

p.s. Also cool miracle I wanted to tell ya. We have been speed walking in the mornings for exercise. But it makes my shins REALLY hurt IDK why. So we walk for a bit and usually stop and I massage them out and then on the walk back it is not as bad but still hurts. So the other day we got to half way, and it was super painful and so I just cried out and asked God to make it stop. While walking back, I got the impression to "walk with Sister Olsen" Sometimes I walk ahead of her because she does not walk as fast. But I listened and obeyed. My shins were tight, but no pain whatsoever the way back it was amazing.

 [Lisa says: Don't worry, I looked up and got her some good advice about stride length, stretches, and ice to help with shin splints.  Isn't it cool, tho, that the Spirit knew that changing her stride length by walking with her companion would be the answer to the pain?  #promptings]